Greetings!

So much has happened since I last wrote! I will try to condense things and give the short version of the last two months.

I left off last time telling about my family's and Julia's visits. Seeing them was re-energizing emotionally, although it was physically exhausting being translator and tour guide. After the dust settled from their visits, I had a challenging few weeks. It was hard transitioning back to "normal" life after being around such loving family and friends for two weeks. I also felt resentment from the other staff because of the time I had been away, which was a real discouragement. Thankfully God provided my good friends Linda and Jim to encourage me during that time.

The next weekend, I also had a visit from Wendy, my program's coordinator. We got the opportunity to clarify with the staff about my time away and talk with them about my program and the events I am required to attend. The next week and a half were better but I still struggled with guilt whenever I wasn't with the children and, looking back, I am sure that my feelings of guilt resulted in resentment toward and a lack of patience with the children.

All this made the Spearhead Retreat at the end of March a welcome break. Although it was only a weekend, it was wonderful to get away and slow down in order to do some "processing." The retreat was held in Puebla, a beautiful town not far from Mexico City, at a summer camp by a sparkling blue lake. The setting was perfect for taking a deep breath and reflecting on my time in Mexico- past, present and future. Several different missionaries gave talks that were encouraging and got me back on track and ready to finish well at the Casa.

Upon my return, I was still exhausted, but I felt much more equipped to love and be patient with the children and staff. I think this new mindset allowed me to make some sweet and meaningful memories during my last month at the Casa.

One of those was a day trip we took with all the kids on a Saturday up to a beautiful lake. We played and talked and generally enjoyed ourselves all morning and then grilled out for lunch. The children thoroughly enjoyed the day- finding dead snakes, playing in the dirt and, of course, soccer. This paseo was to celebrate Semana Santa (Holy Week) with the children before many of them went home with their families/relatives for a two-week vacation. (Many of the children are not true orphans, but their families have economic struggles and emotional/lifestyle problems that make taking care of them year-round impossible.)

Out of the 30 children, we were left with around 13 for the two weeks of vacation from school. We took several fun trips with the kids and really treated them to a lot of things we wouldn't be able to do if all 30 were home. We took one trip to Uruapan so that 4 siblings could visit their mother in a prison in that area. We dropped them off at the prison and then took the rest of the children to a National Park in the area with beautiful waterfalls, tropical plant life and fountains. It was truly breathtaking! The director and I even got to take the two littlest girls on horseback down to the biggest waterfall. I had never seen anything like it, so it was delightful for the girls and me! On another outing, we took the kids to a waterpark where we spent the day playing, sunbathing and swimming. All these "treats" for the kids also provided more time for positive, one-on-one attention, so I see them as God's way of caring for them despite their especially unfortunate family situations.

During these two weeks, I also got visits from Alicia, Maki and Erika, all friends of mine through Spearhead. It was great to see them and have them see and experience my ministry. God was good enough to plan one of their visits during a time I was "abandoned" for the day and was (without notice!) the only staff at the Casa. He is faithful to provide all that we need and make our bad days better!

Finally all the children came back to us on Sunday, April 19th, and it was great to see them after being apart so long! I really felt like a mother reunited with her children! We had a good week, but it was hard to get back in the swing of things after their time away.

Later that week, I headed to Mexico City for a Spearhead breakfast for the Mexican participants in the summer program (host families, church pastors, etc.) The breakfast is to educate them about the program and show them some of the skits and dances that the American and Canadian youth could do at their churches. It just so happened that this breakfast fell on my birthday, so it was great to celebrate with my friends on the team. They were so sweet and really made me feel special!

About the same time, we began hearing a lot about la influenza, or swine flu. By the end of the weekend, they were shutting down schools, canceling public events and there was a general panic and confusion about the virus and its threat. We were even kicked out of a restaurant on my birthday because of their urgency to close down!

I headed back Sunday to Morelia for my last week at the Casa to discover that the flu fears had reached Michoacan as well. School for the children was canceled, along with most of their events for Thursday, the Dia del Nino, or "Day of the Child." This was a blessing in disguise for me, because it gave me more time with the children, but of course, not under the best circumstances.

Sunday afternoon they thanked me for all my work at the Casa with a show, put on by the kids, which included a card, dances, skits and kind words. Wednesday I cooked stirfry for all the kids and Thursday showed them a slideshow of all my pictures of them from the previous 6 months. True to human nature, they absolutely loved seeing themselves on screen! Afterwards, I used some party supplies my aunt and mom had sent me to celebrate them on the Dia del Nino and then headed out with my suitcase after some teary-eyed goodbyes.

Almost a week later, I still cannot believe my time there has come to a close. I will miss the children dearly and will be ever grateful for the countless lessons and skills I learned during my stay in the Casa Hogar. My time at the Children's Home would not have been possible without your financial support and prayers. I am so grateful for the sacrifices you made to give me this opportunity. More than anything, I am thankful to God. He never left me and always provided everything that I needed. After the most challenging six months of my 23 years on this earth, I can confidently say that He is real, and HE IS GOOD!

After much prayer and consideration of the advice from WHO and the CDC, our directors have made the decision to continue with our plans for the summer program despite concerns about the H1N1 virus. I will be serving in Mexico City as a leader for our summer program which brings college-aged participants from the US and Canada to Mexico City for two months. In May, we'll be training and preparing and then the group comes down June 3. We coordinate, coach and support them as they go out 2 by 2, living with Mexican host families, learning the language and serving with church activities like VBS, Sunday School and outreach events. If you are interested in the program or know anyone who is, it is not too late to apply. Contact me or go to www.spearhead.org for details.

Thank you so much for all the encouragement, birthday cards and packages, and especially prayers during this uncertain time. Keep praying for Mexico and for the summer participants, that they would trust God and follow Him (despite the swine flu!) if He's leading them to Mexico this summer. Please note my new address for the summer and keep the cards and letters coming! :)

Hasta luego!