What's going on at Dulce Refugio
I know that many people have passed through this orphanage and left their mark at Dulce Refugio. I want to keep all of you informed about what is going on with the kids and the construction process. Please remember to keep us in your thoughts and prayers; I hope you continue to help us out here at Casa Hogar Dulce Refugio. Gracias amigos!
We've kept the momentum going and May has been another very productive month. As there are only a few months left until the opening of our school it feels good to finish projects and cross things off the to do list. I was also blessed with a quick trip home for Mother's Day. It was a nice break with family and friends.
I got to go home for 1 1/2 weeks and spend Mother's Day with my mom and family. I also got to see my grandma who is still going at 105 years old...Praise God! While I was home I drove up to L.A. and saw my brother and got to spend some quality time with my nephews. It was a such a blessing.
In the construction...
I was able to finish making all of the window frames for the entire building and half of them have glass installed. There are still about 20 windows without glass but once some more money comes in that will be taken care of.
I finished tiling another bathroom. Only 2 more to go!
Marcos, our "yesero" (plaster guy), is back for a couple of weeks. He is finishing all the spots that still don't have plaster which are a few ceilings on the 3rd floor and all of the bathrooms. He should finish in early June and then all of the plaster for the entire building will be finished!
Juan & Jose leveled the floor in one of the rooms. I was told that years ago when they poured that floor it was raining so it turned out really uneven. Since we are putting in a laminate/wood floor it has to be very level. It was a lot of work for them carrying buckets of cement up to the 3rd floor to re-level it but they got it done in a day and a half.
Before
After
We closed off more of our wall. We replaced a section of chain link fence with bricks. Also, we built a little guard shack at the entrance. We have been having problems with people entering the orphanage during the night so now we have 24 hour security. Their services have been donated so it is not costing us anything...Praise God! Hopefully this will stop the problems we've been having.
It wasn't all work this month. There were also plenty of fun moments with the kids. We were invited to "La Feria Nacional de San Marcos" (the Saint Mark National Fair). It is one of the biggest events in Mexico and lasts for about a month. We had free access to all the carnival rides and the kids really enjoyed it.
Belen
Luis
We received 2 new kids this month. Both are very friendly and sweet. Belen is always asking me if I can push her on the swings or pick her up. The new boy Luis is always smiling! He is such a happy-go lucky-kid and says "Hola Bobby" to me about 20 times a day. I make sure to give both of them lots of hugs.
Due to some unfortunate circumstances Jose, Jaquelin, Adriana, and Fernanda are no longer in the Casa Hogar. They are good kids who just got caught up in some bad choices. All of them were older and we wish them well and hope that they can get things in order in their lives.
Jose
Jacquelin
Adriana
(on left)
Fernanda
Some of our kids got scholarships to play football (they call it American football in Mexico). The uniforms were donated by the league and all of the registration fees were taken care of. They really seem to enjoy it and are very dedicated. They have practice 5 times a week.
We got invited to one of the local minor league baseball team's game. I took some of the older kids and it was a good time. Our team, The Rieleros, got crushed 11-4 but we still enjoyed ourselves. Afterwards we got to run around on the field and meet some of the players.
And our newest bunny has already had 5 babies. Our cage is getting pretty full so pretty soon we will have to lower the bunny count by having a BBQ. But for now I'm enjoying the new lil cuties.