Welcome Home Kendra and Tadeo!

Introducing Alexis...my new preschool student. He is only three years old and comes just a couple hours of the day.

Here he is at work.

I had to capture this moment of SILENCE in the preschool. :)

I got to help Pau make this decoration for Adam and Jenna Leman's baby shower. The theme was the hungry caterpillar. 

The shower for Baby Leman was a real blessing.

Jesus, Luisa, and I went to visit the animals last Friday.

Last weekend, I watched Endy and Alisha's five children, along with a 6-year-old girl who just arrived. It was a stressful weekend, but I pray that I learned from it and thank God that He got us through. Here they are enjoying Pau's trampoline.

Saturday morning, Juana wanted to wash all the breakfast dishes. Happy moment!

Sunday evening, Gema caused some excitement by getting stuck in a chair. We all shared some laughs and she enjoyed the attention.

Chui is slowly meeting the goal of writing numbers 1-10.

Yesterday, Tadeo and Kendra flew home from Sacramento. The house remodel is still in progress, but has come a long way in the last week and a half. We are thankful for all the HARD work of the guys here to get it as much completed as possible before Kendra's return.

Extra room

Tadeo's room

Bathroom

Outside the rooms

The above are my most recent pictures taken yesterday morning, but by this afternoon they had finished the baseboards, framed the doors and installed the toliet and sink which brings the project very near completion!

Monday night, Adam and Jenna brought over their five kids to help us clean up before Kendra and Tadeo's arrival.

Getting ready to leave in the gator after helping us clean.

11 PM last night: Welcome Home Tadeo!!

Praise God for Kendra and Tadeo's safe arrival! 

Please pray for them as the adjust to life here again. Please pray that I can continue to trust God and His calling to me even when the going is tough.

Remodeling

March 21st, the Silverton/Remington Bible class team started demolition on half of our living room in preparation to construct a handicap accessible bathroom and two bedrooms.

Here is a rather detailed record of the progress over the last three weeks.

The living room before with the furniture and carpet removed.

Couches stacked in the other living area.

Putting up the plastic. My room is the door you see in the opposite wall. Since it was right in the middle of the construction, Marce and I both moved over to Kendra's room (the corner door in the previous picture.)

Demolition in full swing. They took out the short walls and the closet in the corner and proceeded to fill in the sunken area.

The door across the way goes into a bathroom on Pau's side of the house. The new bathroom will be along that wall which greatly simplifies plumbing.

Breaking off the bricks around the fireplace and windows. This wall is connected to Pau's side of the house. That is why the windows are covered.

Pea gravel.

Concrete.

Framing the fireplace to cover it up. We no longer used it.

The Roanoke Bible class team arrived and began framing. The picture is towards the bathroom.

This is the wall separating Tadeo's new bedroom and the other little bedroom they are constructing.

A step back into what is left of our living space.

More framing.

The Leo Bible class team worked on drywall and insulation.

The little hallway to my bedroom door.

A step back. The little bedroom is the door shining through the plastic on the left. Tadeo's bedroom is the center door. The bathroom door is hidden by the plastic on the right.

The little bedroom, dry walled and mudded.

Tadeo's bedroom as of now.

The bathroom as of now.

Thanks to all the teams who worked on this project.

March and April Crazies

February ended with Mani's birthday on the 27th.

And then the craziness began...

The first weekend of March, Marce left to visit her family in southern Mexico and I had Mani. Then Monday night, Beyers took Mani and I left Tuesday morning to visit Kendra in Sacramento. A shuttle, airplane, bus, and taxi brought me safely to the Ronald McDonald house. Tadeo had just been discharged from the hospital that day, so I spent the next three days discovering with Kendra what life was going to look like in recovery. Transfers, turning, medicine, diaper changes, going for food and groceries... I'm so thankful I got to be there.

Tadeo ready for bed, eyeing the camera. :)

I headed back to CVE the following Saturday, March 12th. After church on Sunday, the Beyers returned Mani and I had him the rest of the week until Marce arrived on Friday. Mani and I actually got to drive the two hours south to Sonora's capitial, Hermosillo, to pick her up at the airport. That was a fun, adventurous finale to my week as his caretaker.

Mani making cards for Marce and Kendra.

After Marce returned I had the weekend off before stepping in to watch Endy and Alisha Ramirez's three girls for a week. That weekend of March 19th-20th, the Silverton/Remington work team arrived and Monday began remodeling our living room. (See Remodeling post for pictures of the progress made so far.)

Lucy, age 10 and Gisel, age 11

Alicia is thirteen, but I don't have a picture of her here.

Spring break began March 21st and classes resumed April 5th, so the girls were on spring break the whole time I was watching them. In the afternoons staff made an effort to plan activities and one Wednesday, we had a horse show.

Mili and I sat together.

Participants answered questions about their horse experiences, what they enjoy, and their role in the stable.

Barrel racing is always a highlight. This is the winning run.

One night in between work teams, I took the girls stargazing on Pau's trampoline. 

We had a lot of fun and I was able to show them quite a few constellations and the planet Jupiter using a new app I downloaded. Jupiter and Leo the lion were above us in the sky.

Easter morning we had sunrise service and singing on a little mountain near Santa Ana, the city just south of Magdalena. At breakfast, the girls received baskets Alisha had prepared and then we headed off to church. 

Our youth choir which started in January 2015 sang for the Easter program. We had been practicing the songs for about 2 1/2 months. Choir has been a real blessing for me and it has been exciting to watch these teenagers learn to sing. It has also helped me get to know them better and has helped us bond as a group. Next weekend, we will be traveling five hours south to spend the weekend at the San Jose church and sing there. I am very excited and would appreciate your prayers for a safe trip. Pray we can be a blessing to the San Jose church and that the young people in this group can have their eyes opened through new experiences. 

Alisha returned March 30th and I had Thursday free, before flying home to Peoria on Friday. I enjoyed relationship building time with my siblings, church in Forrest on Sunday, and went to Gridley in the evening to hear the Peoria choir sing. 

Flying into Peoria late Friday evening.

Witnessing my brothers' pulley contraption in the basement.

Moses and Justin posing in the pasture.

The waterfall on the property.

Behind the waterfall.

He's almost twelve and passing me up!

Praise God for a blessed trip!

Tuesday morning, I was back at the kindergarten and thankfully we got off to a good start.

In the afternoons this week I have been helping Nicole with the kids' sponsor letters and after helping Ricardo on Tuesday afternoon, we found a surprise by the door.

Non-poisonous, but yes, a snake... Some young men working on our remodel project came over and captured it for us.

Later, Ricardo brought his evolving contraption over for me to see. It keeps improving, but right now it has bike pedals, a chain, and a steering wheel. He had help, but I'd say it is pretty impressive.

I also helped Leo write his letters and got excited when I found out he is sponsored by some Sunday school classes in Forrest. So I had to take a picture. Leo just turned eight this week.

That brings us to today! So once again, thanks for all your prayers and support. Keep praying for Kendra and Tadeo, our choir trip next weekend, and for God's work in my heart and my future.

God bless you all!