Thanksgiving

Most of the thanksgiving team arrived on Saturday, but visitors continued to trickle in all the way until Wednesday. We had visitors from Denver, Morris North, Portland, Altadena, San Diego, Phoenix, Leo, Princeville, Gridley, and Minneapolis. The week went well and the team just left this afternoon. I always find it amazing how workteams arrive as a mass of people, nameless and sometimes overwhelming, but they leave as individuals, families, and new friends. The week was very different just having so many visitors around and having our meals with them. Tadi got lots of attention! :)

 Gabriella, Tadi's friend, babysat for me a couple times this week which I really enjoyed.

 During kinder recess one day, Tadi enjoyed scooting around with one of the visitors hats on.

This week, we also went with the kinder class to visit the sheep and the pigs.

Making cement. 

 In addition to a roof on the new school and some other accomplishments, some of the women spent the week preparing a huge meal. Then Thursday evening, CVE and many invited from the community had thanksgiving supper in the church diningroom.

 

Tori and Tadi in their strollers Tuesday afternoon.

Jumping on Joel and Steph's trampoline Thanksgiving morning.

Gift of the Week: I am very thankful for thanksgiving, not just as a holiday, but everyday. A plaque on my wall says, "...for the joy of the Lord is your strength." Nehemiah 8:10 and I know that it is true. Joy and thanksgiving in the Lord give us strength! Particularly this week, I have been thankful for hymns and praises to God as they've come to my mind and as we've sung them. On Wednesday this week I kept thinking of this verse which I love, "To our bountiful Father above, we will offer our tribute of praise, for the glorious gift of his love, and the blessings that hallow our days. In the sweet by and by..." It thrills my heart with joy!

Please pray for Tadi, Kendra, and I as she returns this coming week from a trip and will be taking over some of Tadi's care.  I'm not sure exactly what all will change, but it is bittersweet to me as I have really enjoyed being his caregiver. Part of the sweetness is I hope to take more of a teacher's roll with him and I am excited for that.

Fall Festival

Already practicing!

Saturday evening, Tadi and I enjoyed a "cookout" with Jodi, Osi, Jorge, Geo, Kendra, Nicole, and Kendra's parents.  It was a lot of fun. Before we ate, Jorge was showing me how to throw a football.  Here he is holding a kickball.

Sunday afternoon during soccer, Perla, Leo (Tadi's siblings), and Jorge were practicing making a seat with their hands. Jodi put Tadi on for a ride.

Celebration of Keyla's Life

Table where we could sign colored circles with memories of Keyla

The tables. Decorated with pink (favorite color), butterflies (Keyla spent a lot of time catching butterflies at a certain age), and pictures.  We ate hotdogs and cheetoes, two of Keyla's favorite foods.

Riding out to say hi to Madison.

Playdough fun with Tori.

Ann has been taking the boys to the church diningroom for homework until 3:30, so I just have Tori and Tadi from two until then. Ann said I could have snack ready for her and the boys when they get home, so Tuesday I was brave and made muffins with Tadi and Tori.  An educational experience! We had fun and thankfully no hands in the dough or dough on the head!

Tori and Tadi peeking at their muffins.

Cute picture of Tadi in front of the girls' house. Mani was pulling him around in the wagon.

Thursday noon, the Secundaria had a history contest.  I got to participate in a team comprised of adults that sat at the middle table. We won (thanks to the other team mates) and got snickers as a prize!  

Tori still loves Tadi's chair AND her new boots!

Lunchtime

Fall Festival at Wulf's

Bienvenidos vaqueros y vaqueras!

(Welcome cowboys and cowgirls!)

Bobbing for apples

Pretend horsy ride.

Real horse ride!

It actually started sprinkling while we were singing around the campfire so we moved in side. Tori was making a dress out of Kendra's scarf.

This morning on our way to breakfast.

Gift of the week: The one thing that comes to mind from my thanks giving this week is that I can move my tongue.  I have never seen Tadi stick his tongue out! I don't think he can. How often do we thank God that we can move our tongues in all the intricate ways necessary to talk or that we can lick our lips. Tadi is teaching me so much!

Please pray for the team that is coming today and for our thanksgiving supper this coming Thursday.  If I understand right, we invite some other people from town for that.

Safe in the Arms of Jesus

 Our little warrior went to be with Jesus on Monday afternoon. Miraculously, Jodi's parents were still here because of a canceled flight and so we know that even in the hard times God is at work. We had a beautiful, precious service on Tuesday and are now adjusting to life without Keyla. This Saturday there is a memorial supper and slideshow planned.

Please pray for Jodi as Wednesday her grandma passed away and her parents had to return to the states.

Kinder recess game. I have been putting Tadi in his walker nearly every morning now as the therapist at clinic wants him to use it more often.

Tadi and Tori - Fun Times Together

rolling balls...

...giggling...

...playing with my phone, purse and shoes...

...coloring...

Cheese!

Video showing a couple shapes sorted correctly by color. (This does not happen every time. One of four or more videos.)

Watching P.E. class. They were practicing throwing and catching for a sport called Lacrosse.  This is the first time I've seen it. 

Garret, Aron, and Axel enjoy a game of "monkey in the middle" while Tadi looks on.

Sweater Weather

Sunday it was chilly all day.

Sunday evening, Dayton patiently let Tadeo help him wipe the tables after supper. It was really cute.

Monday, Katie's Cafe celebrated its fourth anniversary. They usually have a photo booth.

There are lots of beautiful bushes and flowers behind the cafe, so I snapped some pictures of Tadeo.

We could hear drums and trumpets in the background, probably a school getting ready for a parade or something.  Tadi drummed on this table.

After we arrived back from the cafe, Julian was moving a truss (that didn't work out for the new school building.)  While waiting for someone to move a vehicle, he took Tadi up in the cab.

What fun!!

On Thursday, Kendra and I took Tadeo to a clinic in Nogales, AZ. We left before 5 AM and arrived back around 9 PM so it was a long day, but very interesting. The clinic takes place once a month at a church in Nogales and about 200 handicapped children get permission to come across the border to it.  Kendra said it is a lot of cerebral palsy and blindness. I also saw some boys with hearing aides.  Tadeo has received a wheelchair, walker, braces, and I'm sure some other things from the clinic. It is a huge blessing. His PT, was excited to see him stand against a wall by himself and showed me some more things to do with his walker. He is supposed to use it more often now. I took my camera with the full intention to take pictures, but alas I forgot, so I'm sorry I can't give you any visuals of our day.

Also, we took a 17-year -old girl and her mother with us from Magdalena. It was great to get to know them. Lupita, the daughter, can not use her hands well, but she showed me pictures on her phone using her feet. It was really neat to see! She is just learning to walk a little.

This weekend is the wedding of Dustin Rabe from Bloomington and Eli Martinez from here. Guests have been arriving since Wednesday and tonight we are all invited to a supper in the church diningroom. May God bless them!

My Gift of the Week: Tadi

Observing all the children at the clinic on Thursday, I gave thanks for Tadi.  I realized how blessed I am that inspite of his handicaps Tadi loves to interact with people and is honestly SO lovable.  He has a dynamic personality AND he's really cute.  

Please pray:

For Keyla's household. It has been over a month now since we were sure it was the end. It has been a month since Keyla really responded. It has been a month or more since she's eaten. Nobody, but God knows how or why she is still alive today. It is very wearing and Jodi described it like feeling lost at sea.  Every day it looks the same. Please pray that they can feel God carrying them, that God would do HIS will and that He would help us through to the end. 

For Dustin and Eli and their families that the wedding would go smoothly and God would bless their marriage.

For me and Tadi, that I can implement the therapist's suggestions and Tadi would put forth effort to do better.

God's Gifts

This week I would like to begin by sharing something I've been learning with the help of God and the book One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp.  Although the book goes into greater detail, it is basically about being thankful.  In the book, Ann begins to count the gifts she sees around her starting with the beautiful.  It changes her life!  As she grows and learns, she realizes that everything is a gift even what seems ugly...because we deserve nothing.  If you have the opportunity, it is an enlightening book.  

So I have been counting gifts...

mountains...flowers...pretty gates

freedom

the house of God

  

sunsets and palm trees

In my future posts, I will try to include a gift of the week...although as I said above, everything is really a gift.

Luisa and Tadeo in the hammock.

Thursday, we took our group CVE picture.  

Here is the aftermath of the photo session.

Jim (Joel's father) and Tadeo playing with Jim's attention grabbing accessories after the pictures.

Friday evening, we dressed up as Bible characters and made personal pizzas in the main dining room. I dressed Tadeo as Mephibosheth and for the supper I was "Mephibosheth's caretaker."

The Aupperle family dressed as Noah and his animals.  Here is their snake.

David and Goliath got a lot of attention. Here they are with their pizza crusts.

In the evening we continued the "dress-up" at our Jovenes gathering where I was Ruth and Marce was Naomi.  I borrowed Katie's basket for the picture.  We each told why we picked our character and there were a couple skits.

Thank you so much for your prayers!

As always, pray for Keyla.  

Also please pray that I will continue to have energy and inspiration to challenge and stimulate Tadeo.