Just a quick update as we settle in here.
Housing: We have decided to live on-site at the orphanage for a while. There are some long term staff leaving which opens up housing options for us here. Yay! Praise God for providing!
Roles: This is still in discussion and evolving. It probably always will be to some extent, because like every ministry in the world, there is always more that could be done than people to do it! But looks like hosting groups, helping with the summer internship program, and helping with child sponsorship will be what we start with! Plus of course, pitching in to help on random stuff that needs done!
Josiah and Liam are going to take on the bike repairs! The volunteer staff member who is currently doing that is retiring and leaving next month, so he has been training the boys. This role is apparently never ending, and comes with a work shed for tools, which makes Josiah really happy!
The girls are happy playing with the babies and little ones! There are also a few other things on site (preschool for 2-3 year olds and the bakery, where they make amazing birthday cakes) where the girls may be able to help.
Clinic: There is a free health clinic in town and I also want to be involved there as time allows.
Team: The orphanage has a full Mexican staff who care for the kids, and a full American (volunteer) staff team who essentially take care of the American groups, as well as add support to the kids and Mexican staff. This truly is a hard working team, who also have fun and support each other. We are thankful to be a part of them. Even though a few are leaving soon, we are blessed to have time with them now, and most are staying. (Yay!)
And of course, we are enjoying Gringo night, my women’s Bible study, visiting local churches, trying the local restaurants and even being invited to dinner with another local missionary family. Its a small town and we are meeting people and ministry partners.
We are tagging along with groups, so that we can learn all we need to know about hosting. One day the kids and I went with a group to give out food and pray with people… another day Gabe went with another group to give out water in Tijuana. We clean campgrounds after groups leave and this week we are helping stuff Christmas cards into envelopes! I am working in homeschool with the kids, and Gabe is reading the book “Joshua” to all of us at night.
The kids made Christmas ornaments with all the kids’ pictures on them for the big tree that will go up soon…
A lot of visiting groups pass out “dispensas” – bags of food. We went with one group while the passed out food and prayed for people. It was funny… in the US, we used to pass out tacos and pray for people. Here, we had some corn flakes! (Among other things!)
A great view from the neighborhood!
We made it to the beach in town one day for an hour. Beautiful but a little windy and chilly that day.
Little by little, we are learning life here. Every day we get up and try to focus on how we can do the thing in front of us today. Love the people we see, and have patience as there is still so much we don’t know. God is good.
