Oh hey look, a blog post.

      I know the good ol' blog has been just chock-full of fun stories, crazy adventures, and sappy posts about my kids. Sorry about that. I'm mostly sorry because it's not like I even have an excuse...I could write a post every evening, I've just been putting off for basically my entire trip. Speaking of which, I leave in 3 days! I got Monday and Tuesday, then Wednesday I give a billion hugs and kisses and maybe cry a little, then it's back home for more hugs (Unfortunately, social kissing is less acceptable in the States) and maybe a few teeny tears of happiness when I see them trees!

Since I can't really recap the last 2 weeks, I'll just touch down on a couple highlights and lowlights :)

HIGHLIGHT: Burger King

      The last night my family was here we took Marcos, Sergio, Luis, and Emanuel to get tacos for dinner. Unfortunately, for reasons unknown, all 3 of the taco stands I had been to (And therefore the only taco stands I trusted to not give us Montezuma's Revenge) were closed, so we high-tailed it to the next best place: Burger King. It was all good with the kids, though, because it had one of those big play structures inside for their enjoyment. I'd say a good time was had all around, Sergio ate 2 and a half burgers, Marcos broke rules and ran up the slide, Emanuel was so happy and loud in the play structure I though he was crying, and Luis loved crawling through the tunnels! It took him (And by 'him' I mean 'us') a little while to get up there...basically me tossing him up on those little diagonal stairs that go up to the top. But once he was up there, he was set. It was handy to have Mike and Pete around to run through the maze with them while we sat back and ate our food.

HIGH/LOWLIGHT: Adios, Family

     So my family left the next morning, leaving me all on my own. That was the low part. The high part was that when they left, Mike cried. There's 7 people who now understand the reason why 3 of the last 6 months of my life have been lived in a little town called Maneadero.

LOWLIGHT: Vomit

     The stomach flu has been meandering its way throughout the house, so that
s been super fun. I got a slight case of it  last week, but after 20 hours of sleep, TV, and lots of fluids, I was good to go.

HIGHLIGHT: Death by Cuteness

     No really, these kids are so cute it's almost scary. Here's 5000 words:

My beautiful friend, Ely

Mom and her baby, Javier

Marcos and Mike using the self-timer

Nice smile, Ne-Ne <3

 Emanuel. This kid, friends. I can't get enough of                                                                                       him, and I'll certainly never get over him.

That's all, Folks!

LA PLAYA

After going to church with the boys today, my family decided to take the rest of the day off. We came back 

to the cabana and helped Mark film a Frisbee trick shot video, which took about an hour because he kept 

missing. To be fair, it was rather windy. We then went to Maneadero’s single tourist attraction: La Bufadora. Translation: The Blowhole. It’s basically about a mile of people yelling at you in both Spanish and English, “We have hammocks here!”, “My pina colada is the best around!”, “Excuse me, would you like to look around my shop?” Once you’re done with all that fun stuff, the blowhole is actually pretty cool. We climbed up on the rocks to get a good view, and the spray helped to cool us off. When we got back to the cabana we headed down to the beach! I debated putting a swim suit on, and I’m really glad I did because as soon as we got down there we were in the water. I love the Oregon coast but man, the ocean here! It’s warm, the sand glitters, you can go out foreeevveeer and the water’s only up to your waist, and you get pretty good at body surfing! It wasn’t long until all the boys, my dad, and I had been properly dunked under the waves. Just as I started out on my mission to find out how far I could walk before I would drown, my family called me back in so we could head down the coast a ways and investigate the large groups of people we saw. Remember this spring when I told you about the hot springs under the beach and how, “in theory”, you could dig your own personal hot tub? Well, theory became reality today! It was amazing. The sand was steaming. STEAMING. Mike, Pete, and I found a shallow pool and tried to dig it out a little. I guess we looked pretty pathetic (or white and pretty?), ‘cause some nice Mexican boys dug a big pool close by and then offered it to us. We thanked them and hopped in! I felt like one of the Japanese macaques that sit in the hot springs when it’s all snowy around them. It was really fantastic till my dad made us get out so we could go back to the house. Somehow we managed to have a full day even when we WEREN’T at the house…that said, I’m really excited to go back tomorrow!

Days 1-3. Viernes.

Being back at the Gabriel House makes me wonder why I ever left. I mean, sure, maybe I can’t drink the water or go places alone. Maybe each “conversation” I have makes me feel like I’m drowning in a very fast, strong river. A river of Spanish. But that’s OK, ‘cause when I walk through the gate each morning I get 3 kids yelling my name, a couple of hugs that knock the wind out of me, and at least 5 smiling faces. What more could I ask for?

                So I’ve been here for 2 ½ days, family in tow. I’ll be honest, the first afternoon kinda freaked me out (Mike’s sitting here reading this over my shoulder and just said “Because WE were all freaked out”). I guess that’s true. It’s a little hard to walk into a house full of 30 handicapped kids where no one speaks English. Especially after a busy day of traveling that started at 5 am. Remembering my first day, the only reason I did well at all was because we had Hillary giving us tasks to keep us busy. It is a little difficult to learn how to communicate with these kids. Some use sign language that they made up. Some understand English but don’t talk at all. And all communicate by hugs. Thankfully, yesterday the fam did better, and today was fantastic! They already have their favorite activities and favorite kids. My mom has latched onto Javier and is either holding him or at least sitting by him pretty much all day.  Jose loves having an older guy around, so my dad’s been spending a lot of time with him, walking and trying to understand his signs.  And the boys have been playing a lot with Uziel (Although I guess that’s true for all of us) and our newest little guy, Emanuel. So it’s been good and I can’t wait to go back tomorrow!

                “What more could I ask for?” That question actually has an answer, and it’s not “nothing”. I ask for fluency in Spanish and more than just 3 weeks to spend here. How about a lifetime? A lifetime of Louis calling me over and expecting me to understand his Spanish. A lifetime of Jaime wheeling himself around bumping into things in an attempt to find me. A lifetime of Uziel making his little baby-dinosaur noises. Heck, I’ll even take a lifetime of 5-kid dogpiles on me. 

The Adventure Continues...

Hey!

So, I know I haven't written on the ol' blog in a very, very long time. Sorry about that. If it's any consolation I tried to, I really did. I had 5 "Mexico Re-cap" attempts, but they all nosedived or shriveled in their own way, leaving this blog empty for a good 3 or so months. But I'm back to share some exciting news!!

*drumroll*

I'M GOING BACK TO MEXICO!

Tomorrow, actually. And I'm packing up my family so I can take them down with me! They'll be down there with me for a week, and then I'll stay for an additional 2. 

So yeah. With that invigorating announcement, I'll write more when I have time. And internet. And exciting things have happened.

peace out.

One Week.

I remember writing a blog post after my first week of being here. It feels like yesterday. In reality, it was over a month and a half ago. What? WHAT?

Before I left, I was freaking out thinking "7 weeks is foreeeever. It's going to be so long and so hard and so lonely and I'll probably be sick of it after 3 weeks." HA. God had different ideas, apparently.

Because I love it down here. I really do. I love the cheap fruit and the sunshine. I love the taco stands and bus routes. I love the people I'm working with down here, even though I rarely understand a word they say. I love my intern-buddy/roommate/new best friend Carly and the fact that God has perfect timing. I love the stray dogs that are everywhere (The friendly ones, at least). I love the little corner grocery stores where they sell toilet paper and chili sauce on the same shelf. I love how people greet you while walking down the street. I love the language. I love the way we celebrate holidays for a whole week down here. I love the pace of life. I love the fact that we get to walk everywhere, no cars. I love going to this crazy, Pentecostal, loud-music church.  Most of all, I really, really, just REALLY love these kids. Their laughs, their smiles, little quirks, inside jokes, and the way I'm ambushed every time I walk up to the house. I love reading the Bible with them, helping Uziel walk, jumping Jaime on the trampoline as he laughs uncontrollably. I love Teddy playing jokes on me. I love Antonio's gentle heart and the way he spends 30 minutes feeding Javier because he loves him. Like, what? I love the big hugs I get from Lupita, Marcos, and Joshua. I love it when Luis laughs so hard it sounds like he's in pain. I love giving Thelma high-fives every time she takes a bite at dinner time. I love talking Victor for walks. I love arguing with Alex about who Javier belongs to (It's me, in case you were wondering). I just love them, plain and simple.

And I don't want to leave.

But on the other hand, I'm so excited to go home. I miss trees and good coffee. I miss rain and having girl nights with my roommates. I miss my family. I miss going to church services that I understand. I miss my ministry in Oregon. I miss the city explorations and the country drives. I miss my friends. I miss being able to wear things other than missionary pants and T-shirts. I miss being able to go places alone. I miss being able to walk down the street without men honking and cat-calling at me. I miss the community I am part of, in church, with neighbors, old friends, new friends. I miss having people over to play Just Dance and sing karaoke just because we can. I miss staying out till 3 am with anyone crazy enough to join me. I love midnight trips to Walmart to satisfy late-night cravings. I miss my bunny.

And I want to go home.

So, in one week, you'll find me kissing every single one of these 29 kids goodbye, and then tackle-hugging family and friends as they pick me up in the airport. Be prepared; I will be an emotional wreck. Happy and sad. Reunited with everything I left 6 weeks ago, and missing everything that I just left. 

And I wouldn't trade it for anything.

I went to a funeral tonight.

Lying in the casket, wrapped in white, was Lydia. The little girl who was nearly smoked to death before she was even born. The little girl who could hardly move. The little girl who wasn't supposed to last 6 months. The little girl who fought to live every single day for nine years. The little girl whose soul is now happy and complete in the presence of her Savior.

At the news of her death Saturday, I didn't know what to feel. Typically, with news of death, we're supposed to feel sad, right? But when death means that the horrible struggle of pain and suffering that Lydia endured is over, and now she rests in the arms of the One who loves her more than anyone, it's almost happy. She's safe now, with no more tears, and no more pain.

But in life, she left an impact. Probably a bigger impact then a lot of people will leave. She was constantly touching the lives of the many people who walk through the doors of Gabriel House. She will be greatly missed by the staff of the house, and by her 29 siblings. Just because she's in a better place now doesn't mean tears weren't shed tonight.

Wynn and Linda are an amazing couple who come every Tuesday and Thursday to love on the kids. Lydia was Wynn's favorite. Every Tuesday and Thursday, for 4 years, Wynn has come to hold and feed Lydia. The first time I met Wynn was when he was holding Lydia. So when Wynn and Linda showed up this afternoon, I knew it was going to be emotional. I held it together great until Linda started telling me how devoted Wynn had been to Lydia, and how much he had loved the little girl who couldn't show him love in return. In the back round I heard Wynn telling Teddy and Antonio how Lydia is happy now. A few moments later, Teddy and Tonio came speeding up to us and Teddy said "Linda! Guess what! Lydia is happy and dancing with Jesus up there!" while Antonio mimed dancing with a huge smile on his face!

And then I lost it. Definitely not from grief, but from joy. Joy because she is with Jesus now, and joy because my boys know it, too.

So Lydia, don't rest in peace. Dance with joy. See you soon, sweetheart.

Catch Up

I told you I'd be bad at writing blog posts. It's been a week! And in my life, a lot happens in a week. The highlights are as follows:

HAMMOCKS: We took Ely and Chely down one evening and had them chill in the hammock and hang out with us for a while. We drank hot chocolate, listened to country music, talked, and generally had an awesome time! It was so special for them, and the next day when they saw us their smiles were HUGE! I love these girls!

BANANA BOATS: We had some of the kids over one night for banana boats. Pyromaniac chaos mixed with marshmallows ensued. It was great :) The kids loved the banana boats, and who can resist a roaring fire? Culture note: It's almost impossible to find plain marshmallows down here. Nearly all they have contain both regular AND strawberry marshmallows. Weird.

HOT COCOA: The next night we had a picnic with some of the kids who couldn't come to make banana boats with us. Instead, we enjoyed hot chocolate, Belgium chocolate, and Nature Valley granola bars (Thanks, Mom). It was fun once you got past ALL of the boys making fun of me for eating spicy candy and nearly crying. It's their favorite joke. They also made a mess EVERYWHERE. Melted chocolate on their faces, crumbs on their pants, hot chocolate spilled on the blankets. The good stuff. 

MOTHERS' DAY: We made a banner with the kids (they each got to color a letter) that said "Se amamos mamas", and on Saturday we had a small party with lots and lots of food. I was so stuffed I could hardly walk afterwards. We also took the boys to buy flowers for the mamas. Seriously, these women work SO hard. I'd never be able to do their job. Same goes to all you moms out there! During the week, the little school that runs here put on a party. Teddy and Alex were dressed up like cowboys, there was a whole lot of music, and gifts for all the mamas! 

And so that's the past week. Needless to say, I'm exhausted. The past few days have been nearly 100 degrees so that doesn't help at all. The heat is one of the most physically draining things I've dealt with. Literally the only plus is we get to play water games with some of the kids. I've never heard so much laughing from that group! Most of them were just breaking the water balloons over themselves 'cause it was funny! I've never been so wet in my life! The only downside is you can only play with the water for so long before it's time to go back to work! Thankfully, the therapy room is one of the whopping two rooms that has air conditioning. Today I hid in the working with the kids for the whole morning. Speaking of physical therapy, I have some news regarding that. My PT friend, Johana, has left to work in one of the girls' rooms, and a new employee, Aracely, is taking her place. Unfortunately, Aracely knows less about physical therapy than even I do, so today I got to train here in things I know nothing about. I tried to explain (as we working on some kids), that these were the kids that Johana had worked with, so I didn't really know what we should be doing. But, alas, Aracely doesn't understand my broken Spanglish like Johana did, either. So between the blind-man-leading-a-blind-man situation and the fact that we can't understand each other AT ALL, the next two weeks are going to be interesting. Just as I was getting comfortable. Heaven forbid life ever be easy!

Speaking of life being easy, Carly and I ran out of drinking water. So this evening, we traipsed out to Callimax, which took about 30 minutes. There we picked up the essentials (milk, yogurt, cereal, bananas, and avocados) and two 5-gallon jugs of water. We then proceeded to look like fools lugging around nearly 50 pounds of water in really awkward containers. You would think they'd make them easier to carry. We took the bus back, and then walked down the side street (Which was suddenly miles long) with our water. I could hardly pick anything up for the rest of the night. But hey! No need to work out tonight! 

And so that's that. I now rely on drinking lots of water, taking cold showers, and sleeping every chance I get!

Until I find the energy to write again...

Adventure time!

It's the weekend! (More or less. It's Wednesday and I'm only now posting this...but it's about the weekend) Guess what that means! Hopefully you can guess from the heading...

Yeah. So Carly and I went adventuring Saturday. I've never taken the bus back in the states, but I know how it works, more or less. Here in Mexico, it's a little different. You basically just wave down the bus as it's speeding past, and to get off you just tell the driver to stop, and viola, you get off wherever the heck you please! In between getting on and off, it's a lot of crazy (And by crazy, I mean adrenaline-infused scary) driving and swerving to the side of the road to pick up people. The drivers talk on their phones and everything! It's pretty entertaining.

After a while, we found ourselves on the side of the road with direction to go down a couple block then take a right. We ended up taking an early right and walking through a fairly sketch neighborhood full of shacks and horses. But don't worry! It led us right to a gorgeous beach! After wading around waist-deep in the ocean for a while (note: The waves here a tiny. Like little baby waves compared to back home. No surfing for us!), we climbed up this big rock pile to dry off and work on our farmers' tans (or burns). Somewhere in the midst of swimming and sunning, someone decided it'd be fun to steal my 5 year old, falling apart pair of converse, and one sock. So I went traipsing around on the blistering hot sand, dust, and streets wearing one sock. Really makes a fashion statement. On the way home we stopped at good ol' Walmart for groceries and a new pair of shoes for one of us hehe.

Around 5:30, after some down time at the house, we were about to head out in search of fresh fruit and tacos, when we were ambushed by a small army of children telling us it was time to go to church. Apparently their church has a Saturday night service once a month so that the families can enjoy a day together. So we went to church. Before the service we played a pretty intense soccer game. Joshua and Marcos vs. Carly and I vs. a stray dog. The dog won. Between having 4 legs and teeth, she was a little hard to beat.

Sunday was filled with early morning sunshine, hot chocolate with the kids, and exploring Maneadero on foot. We found lots of places we want to take the kids to; the pet store (THEY HAD SO MANY BABY BUNNIES! Along with a lot of the same animals I sell at PetSmart), ice cream shop, park, all the while brainstorming things we could back at the house. Maybe a sleepover with the girls? Banana boats at sunset? Homemade ice cream? I guess we'll find out!

There was some big hullabaloo going on at the house by the time we got back, complete with presents for the kids, pizza, cake, much needed food and supplies, and a killer sax player! The kids loved the music, and the smiles and crazy dance moves abounded!

Then in the evening we had tacos at my favorite taco stand. I decided to try a torta this time, and man, I am sold. It was fanTASTic.

TTFN

Happy Day of Work!

Also known as labor day here in Mexico. I had the day off (Which was much needed. For some reason, the past few days have been exhausting). I slept in, cleaned my room, hung out with the kids a bit, and *drumroll please* watched TV. Now, before any of you freak out saying "What were you doing inside staring at a screen when you could be outside getting ahead on your summer tan?!?" Let me tell you: The past few days, it has been nearly ONE HUNDRED DEGREES OUTSIDE AND MY LITTLE OREGONIAN SELF IS DYING. Seriously, it's so hot. And so windy. And the wind just picks up the dust that is, well, everywhere, and it's like a sandstorm! It's ridiculous. So yes. I was hiding inside my concrete home so I didn't die of heatstroke. Sue me.

I have some exciting news! The new intern/roommate is here! Her name is Carly and she's awesome. In some ways we're really different (Like, she's a soccer player and has never seen Lord of the Rings. That last fact will change), and in some ways we're really similar (We both love adventures and have 23 year old brothers named Matt). At one point when we were talking tonight (Out underneath the big dipper and shooting stars) I told her to stop explaining my own life to me. It was like with every word that came out of her mouth she was describing my life! It was kinda scary, and super awesome. I'm excited to have someone to explore the city with! Already today we took the kids for a walk (Did I mention the weather? Walking, which turns into me pushing wheelchairs around, loses it's fun when it's 100 degrees out), and then hit the taco stands for dinner and went to the neighborhood market. 

Side note: I bought Cup of Noodles at the store. Definitely expanding my food choices!

Oh, and speaking of FOOD. HOLY COW. TO MY MOM AND MY ROOMMATES: YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST. Jan brought down two, count them TWO, big, fat care packages for me today. I now have an abundance of my favorite brand of Earl Grey tea, hot chocolate, coffee, candy bars, chocolate, brownie and cookie mix, beef jerky, cereal, and even my little stuffed animal dog, Pierre! Bonus: He was packed next to the coffee, so he smells fantastic now! I am currently enjoying a cup of hot cocoa, with some Trader Joe's chocolate on the side. The girly, I-need-chocolate-to-function part of me has been very sad lately, but no more! So thanks, people, you really are the best.

Other than that, life has been, well, quite good. Just running around doing physical therapy, learning more Spanish vocabulary, and finding giant spiders in my room. If you take your thumb and pointer finger, and make the "OK" sign, that is the leg span of the spider I found in my room last night, 2 feet from my pillow. The night before I found the same type of spider (This one nickel sized) crawling around on my toe. I can't wait to see what I come across next! :) Actually though, I do really like spiders. Maybe not on me or in my bed, but they're pretty cool! Get over it.

On a sad/happy/bittersweet/I-can't-describe-my-emotional-state note...in exactly 4 weeks, I will be home in Oregon. I'm excited...I miss trees, and people, and driving around listening to country music, and piano, and working with jr. high kids, and my little brothers, and well, a lot. But I'm also sad. More than sad, I'm freaking out. Less than a month? I've been here for 3 weeks and it feels like no time at all! These next 28 days are going to fly by faster than a jet breaking the sound barrier! I can hardly wrap my mind around it. Be prepared for many a blog post where I run around not being able to cope with the fact that I will soon be leaving my kids.

Until those fun times, live fantastically. Write to you soon.

*Whew* Week ONE is DONE 

See that poetry right there? 

Hey all!

So, like I said, I have finished week one of being here, doing physical therapy with the kids, eating my body weight in fruit, learning to love instant coffee, trying to understand Spanish, cuddling kids, and getting strange tan lines. It's been awesome so far! That said, I'm really glad it's Friday so I can be lazy for a little bit tomorrow. AAAAND, since I don't work on the weekends, all the time I spend at the house is strictly play-time. I asked Marcos if he knew what day tomorrow was, and  he responded with "You play?" HA. Never calling it Saturday again!

I'll give you guys a quick run-down on what a typical day looks like in case you're bored and need something to read.

7:00 my alarm goes off. I get up, walk to the other side of the apartment, hit the snooze button, and return to bed, after turning my light on to the dimmest setting. Nine minutes of glorious sleep later, the alarm goes off again. I get up, hit the snooze, turn my light up a little higher, then hit the sack once more. At 7:45 my light is all the way on and I'm up for reals. (Mom, I can hear you disowning me from here). What can I say? Some things don't change. At 8 I'm up at the house putting braces and shoes on the kids and drinking the Mexican favorite: Instant coffee. And they call people who are burned at the stake martyrs! 9-12ish I do therapy with some of the kids. This usually involves some kid in a walker with me 3 feet in front of them wheedling them forward. Other times it's me sitting on the floor listening to music and helping Javier roll himself over. For lunch, I come home, make myself some form of food, and hole myself up in my lair for an hour. 1-3 pm is quiet; most of the kids are down for naps. We drink more coffee, practice walking with Luis, and wait for the zoo to wake back up. At 4 Joanna and I talk a couple of kids for a walk (one of my favorite times of the day!) as part of their therapy. It's pretty much the best job ever. Then at 5 I'm done playing PT, so I help feed a couple kids, then I head back to the apartment to feed myself. The evening consists of video chatting with people back home, writing blog posts (Sometimes), stalking people on facebook, taking cold showers, reading La Biblia and praying with the boys (I call it "Spiritual Chaos"), eating goldfish crackers, and watching House, M.D. I've probably seen enough of that show to become a doctor haha. I go to bed before 12 almost every night! (I'll give you all a few minutes to pick your jaws up off the floor). Rinse and repeat.

So that's that! Oh, and I finally took some pictures so here you go: Remember when I told you about Uziel, the cutest baby ever? This is him. I rest my case.

Good news...and bad news

The good news: I have earned the trust and love of our newest kid, a little 8 year old named Luis.

The bad news: I can't go about my job without him following me around and spurting out questions in rapid, mumbled Spanish.

The good news: Jaime has learned my name. 

The bad news: During our entire devotional time this afternoon; "Maddie!"..."Maddie!"

The good news: I love it down here.

The bad news: I don't think I'll be able to leave.

My sustenance 

We've got one kid, Raul (AKA Gabriel. As in, namesake of the Gabriel House. Their first kid, I believe), who is severely autistic with some other health and mental problems. This morning I realized I had never seen him smile. It made me sad, and confused, and I told God I didn't get it. I didn't know if he even COULD smile.
But God decided to show me a little something. While walking with him this afternoon, not only did I see him SMILE, but I saw him LAUGH.

Sustained by the little-big things.

Day 3-5

                I've spent the past couple of days taking kids to the beach, getting a crash-course in physical therapy, and failing epically at Spanish. Allow me to expand a little more:

Beach time:

Monday we took the boys (Jose, Alex, Antonio, Teddy, Sergio, Marcos, and Jaime [more on ALL of them later]) to the beach for the afternoon. It was a blast, but exhausting. My charge was Jaime, so I spent most of the trip sprinting around the beach pushing him in his heavy-duty (And I mean heavy. My arms still hurt.) wheelchair or sitting with him in the sand as he threw seaweed at me and laughed. The boys had a secret contest to see who could get the most sandy, and they all won, so they all got showers after we hauled them back to the beach house. We also tried to get the sand off and out of the wheelchairs, with limited success. To complete the day, we grilled hamburgers and roasted marshmallows in the fireplace. Happy kids? Check. Tuesday we took the "higher maintenance" kids to the beach. It was super windy and a little too cold, so we only stayed for an hour, but that was still plenty of time for Ezme to get sand in her mouth and eyes. But on the plus side, we gave only two showers and cleaned two wheelchairs, so it was a little bit of an easier clean-up.

Fun fact about the beach: There are hot springs ON the beach, so if you go during low tide, you can just dig yourself your own personal hot-tub! Guess what I'll be doing in my free time ...

Physical Therapy:

Sooo ... I told most of you know that I'd just be down here helping wherever help was needed, and that's still somewhat true. Only it turns out that they need help in the physical therapy department, so that's actually what I'll be doing. Too bad I have no idea what I'm doing, but, you know, I'm sure it'll be fine. Actually, I've been working with 3 physical therapists that are here for the week, and I'll do a little more training as the weeks progress. I'm responsible for 10 kids, and I'm super excited to help them. Some of the therapy involves just me sitting on the floor playing games with Oziel or cuddling Luis. So I'm set for life.

Spanish:

We have a team from Cabo San Lucas here with us for the week, so I'm surrounded by Spanish speakers. I understand less than I thought I would but more than a few days ago, so I guess you could say I am making SOME progress. I also learned all the important words and phrases needed to work at the Gabriel House. Things like "What are you doing?" and "What do you want?" and "Why are you so cute?" That last one is really important. On my arm I have a list of useful words I just learned today: horario (schedule), tragar (swallow) te dueles? (Do you hurt?), and ayuda (help). So we're getting there, slowly but surely. At least the kids understand what I'm saying most of the time as I stumble around in a poorly-spoken mix of the languages. The current house supervisor has an 8-year old daughter named Lupita. Living proof that language is not a barrier for children. From the first say she 's been running up and giving me giant hugs and walking around holding my hand.

Peace.

Day 2 (For lack of a better title):

So I'm finally at the Gabriel House! Back with my kids! And I've already been to the taco stand for dinner, so really, life is pretty good right now! I'm in a constant state of happy exhaustion, but I can't complain considering I can sit down and hold an kid every now and then. The kids are just as I remembered them: wonderful. I told the boys that I'll be living there for 7 weeks (seven weeks) and Antonio (more on him later) spent the rest of the day coming up and holding up 7 fingers with a smile on his face, so I guess could you say I'm not the only one who's excited about this. 

We have a new kid (Oziel, pronounced "oo-see-el"), a little boy about 2 years old with Down syndrome. He's probably the cutest baby I've ever seen. I spend most of my free time sneaking him out of his crib so he can speed-crawl around the courtyard. It's wonderful J

We're here with a wheel-chair specialist named Dana, so he's been teaching some of the boys and I how to fix wheelchairs and adjust them to fit each kid's specific needs. Not a skill I had been expecting to learn, but hey, the more I learn, the better ... right? Right.

Until next time ... 

Day 1.

First off, I think you should all applaud me for writing a blog post on my very first day already! However, don't expect there to be a 'Day 2', 'Day 3', and so on and so forth for the rest of my time here. Ain't nobody got time for that! I arrived in San Diego around 8:30 this morning, after a 2 hour plane flight that I slept through. It's amazing how many comfortable positions you can find when you're running on two days of almost no sleep! My only regret is that I fell asleep before the flight attendants handed out mini-pretzels. Plane flights just aren't the same without mini-pretzels. 

Along those lines, a big shout-out and thanks to the 5 people who woke up at 4 this morning to see me off! You're the best.

Anyways, today Jan and I ran errands and planned some Easter crafts for the kids and hung around the office of Mexican Medical. Tomorrow we'll meet up with a group of 35 (Yes, THIRTY-FIVE) and head down to Mexico!

That's all, folks!

Except for this picture, that is. Just a boar head. All dressed up for Easter. In the bathroom. No big deal.

Before I leave, in the midst of the stress, the fear, the sadness, the excitement, God wanted to show me this:

"Behold,

God is my SALVATION;

I will TRUST, and will not be afraid;

for the Lord God is my STRENGTH

and my SONG, and HE has become my

SALVATION."

~Isaiah 12:2 (ESV)