New Arrival!

A new little toddler has joined our family! And little is definitely the way to describe her. She is almost 3 but she is wearing size 18mo in somethings so needless to say she is pint-sized and completely adorable.

"Rainy" as we call her arrived late last Tuesday night. The first few days were a bit of a shock and adjustment for her. She cried through the night the first few nights and was clearly overwhelmed by the other kids at first. But even now she can already hold her own and lets her voice be heard! She's a typical two year old and gives Bubs, also 2, a run for his money.

Here are some facts about "Rainy": She absolutely LOVES to swing, to the point that she never wants to stop. I'm working her into some learning activities with Bubbah and she can already count to 10 in Spanish and is learning her colors. She does NOT like oatmeal.

We are so glad to have her here with us! Please pray for her as she continues to adjust.

A Difficult Day

Today has been a difficult day here, not just for me but for all of us here. Earlier this week we learned that two of our kids who have been here for over a year and a half, and thus are part of the family had been officially adopted by relatives and would be leaving us soon. Here is the update as written by Amy & Chuy:

"We are on one hand so excited that for the very first time, two children will be leaving this Saturday to live with their new permanent or “forever” family. On the other hand, these two children are very special to us as they have been here over a year and a half. D and T came to live with us in April of 2011. On Saturday, they will go to live with their aunt and her two children as she has worked hard to be able to adopt them! (Our first adoption since Little Ranch opened almost four years ago)

Full Family Photo

It has been beautiful to watch these two children change and grow as God has taken away fears and taught them confidence. We are so blessed to have a great team of people that have worked with them one on one during this time, teaching them to read and write in Spanish as well as English. When D got here he was eight and could not even read in Spanish. Now he can read in both languages. They are both in the third grade and will be integrated into public schools when they leave. From a child that would only sit and watch the other children play, D now plays as hard as the rest. They both learned to ride their bikes this year, too.

...

We ask that you please pray with us this week and those to come as they are adjusting to a new situation and we are adjusting to life without them. Also that they will share the love of God they have with others that they meet and the seeds planted during their time here will grow and flourish.
May God give us strength to send them off with much love and excitement."

Showing off some of this week's crafts

The past week has been filled with lots of special moments with the two of them and last night we were able to have a fantastic send off party. But today, it was finally time to for them to go. The rest of the kids said their goodbyes but all refused to watch them go. It has been a somber and emotional remainder of the day. The kids are  upset but are not quite sure how to react, and unfortunately I don't know that many of us grown ups can be of much help because I don't think we are either. I've been so impacted by these two kids, especially D, as I was privileged to witness him grow so much even in the short month I've been here, I  can only imagine what Amy, Chuy, the kids, and others who have been here much longer than myself are going through. We have been comforted this week by Deut 10:18, "He defends the cause of the fatherless...." and so we know they are as always safely in His hands as they leave. We are so happy and excited for them and their new life and family, but still, watching them leave was a heart wrenching moment. And so I echo Amy's request, please keep D & T in your prayers during this exciting and challenging time as they adjust, and those of us missing them too, especially Amy, Chuy and the kids.

First Impressions

It's hard to believe that it has been almost one month since I arrived here at the Ranchito con Esperanza in Camichines, Mexico. I had little concept of where exactly it was I was going, in the world that is. Quite honestly I had given very little thought to what my surroundings would be like in terms of the landscape. But then, just before the final call to turn off all electronics for final descent, they appeared.  The mountains. To be honest I didn't give them much thought after that. I was more concerned with navigating my way through customs in a foreign language with luggage weighing in total far more than I do. Aside from being questioned as to why my bags were lined with batteries and declining an expensive weapons permit to carry pepper spray, it all went smoothly.
I was greeted warmly at the airport by Steve and JoAnn (a missionary couple here at the Ranchito. Steve is a pastor and helps with construction and many other endeavors. JoAnn helps homeschool the lead family's teenagers and supports the ministry in various other ways) who scooped up my bags and whisked me to the car. As we drove through Guadalajara I was shocked by how foreign it didn't feel. Everything was different, and yet so many things were the same. We passed Applebees and Walmart although amidst quite different road signage and landscape. They treated me to dinner on the outskirts of the city at Pollo Pepe, a place I have since come to know is a household favorite special treat. A roasted chicken, familiar enough, however with different accompanyiments. Corn tortillas and salasa replaced the corn bread and gravy we'd typically think of. It was my introduction to eating everyting with tortillas and I loved it.

By the time we headed on from the restaurant it was getting dark so I really had very little concept for where I was or what was around me from that point on except for the road directly ahead. When we turned off the main road onto the road in to Camichines asphalt gave way to dirt and widely spaced cobble stone with numerous sizable "potholes" which most non-4 wheel drive vehicles would find it difficult to navigate. We came to a low point in the road with a good foot of standing water which we carefully made our way through.

We arrived at the house to find most of the kids already in bed. I was introduced to Amy (she and her husband Chuy run the Ranchito) and her kids and the babies as well as the other interns. I tried my best to take it all in and remember names but I was definitely running on adrenaline at this point. Jenny, Amber, and Ling Di (my fellow interns and roommates) showed me to our room. We share a large dorm style room and I was delighted to see that we had our own bathroom! I unpacked a little, chose a bed, made it up and passed out for the night.

Next thing I knew, it was morning. I was awakened for the first time in my life by the crow of a rooster. And then another, and another, and another, until all the roosters in town were awake and carrying on quite the conversation. I sat up and peered out my window, seeing my surroundings for the very first time.

[Sidebar:As the days have gone by, this view has come to be one of my very favorite things about this place, hence the title of this blog. I find the mountains to be a beautiful picture of my relationship with God, especially here. Some mornings it is sunny and the mountains feel so close you could just reach out and touch them. Other days the fog is so thick that although they are right there you can't even see them. However, on most mornings through patches of fog you see them rising up before you and as the day goes on the fog burns off and their full glory comes into view. No matter how visible or  invisible they are to me, how near or far they feel, they are always there in the same place. And no matter how long it takes, the fog will clear. ]

School Picture on Wacky Day

I quickly got up and got ready for school (having my first cross cultural misunderstanding in the process. If you're traveling in a Spanish speaking country, the "C" on the faucet is for "caliente" (hot) not "cold" just for any of you whom that wouldn't have occurred to while still half asleep like me). We went over to the house and all the kids were at the breakfast table. It was overwhelming and I was extremely nervous. All the teachers grabbed some breakfast and headed up to the school room. When the kids came up, they were SO excited to meet me and cheered when I first came in. We went around and greeted them each by name (something we do every day) which was the first time I'd been able to introduce myself to them individually. They were so sweet and so joyful. That was it; I was hooked.