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!
August was jam packed! Lots of work got done in the construction and I had lots of help from many different people. The school is really coming together and things have gone back to a normal pace now that the kids are back in school.
I started off the month by taking a mandatory road trip. Every 6 months I have to drive up to the border to renew my papers (my visa & car permit) so I can be here legally. It is about 20 hours round trip and I only spend around 20 minutes in a government office. It's a lot of work but it has to be done. I'm glad it's over for another 6 months.
In the construction...
The kids didn't go back to school until the 13th of August so they wanted to help out. We worked together on a few projects. They helped me paint some of the doors.
We installed a new water line for the boy's dorm. The old line was never buried and had been exposed to the sun for many years. I was having to fix a new leak almost every two weeks. I got tired of this so we dug an 85 meter (about 275 feet) trench and put the new line inside.
A group from San Diego came down for a week to help out. It was a group of 5 guys and 3 of the 5 go to my home church, Horizon. So much got done in a variety of areas. Plumbing issues were fixed, the rest of the doors got painted, the rest of the lights and light switches were installed, the overhangs on the ceiling were installed to protect the plaster from rain, curtains were installed in all of the girls' dorm rooms, and we got off to a nice start on making the window protections. I wish the school could advance at this pace all the time! On the group's last night, we had a carne asada BBQ with everybody. Thank you guys so much for all of your help and time spent with the kids!
Over 100 feet of chain link fence was donated and installed for our soccer field. This was a huge blessing for us. I have wanted to do this project for over 2 years but never got around to it because I have been so busy. Then, out of the blue, a group of guys showed up to take measurements and returned a couple of days later to do all of the work. I am very thankful for this donation and feel that God was showing me that He is there taking care of the details even when I am too overwhelmed to handle it myself.
"Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." -Psalm 37:4
All of the doors are now installed. It gives the school a different appearance and makes it look a lot more complete. Now all that's left for the doors is putting in glass and door handles.
Kyleigh is back. Kyleigh is a regular volunteer from Ohio and she has definitely been our most faithful volunteer over the past couple of years. She usually comes for 2 months but this time she will be here for 5 months. She's a huge help not only in the construction but with all of the needs we have around the orphanage. The kids love her and I am blessed having her serving along side of me.
(She's the blonde girl in the middle in case you couldn't tell...I know she tends to blend in with the locals haha.)
We got invited to the local water park, Mundo A. It was a fun way for the kids to end their summer vacation.
Mari Sol started Middle School. All of the other kids stayed in their same schools but Mari Sol graduated from elementary school and has now moved up. She was really nervous the night before her 1st day and was even crying but all of the other girls and I prayed for her and she did great. She came home with a big smile on her face and now loves the new school she is in.
We received 2 new kids this month. Tanya & Diego are both really good kids. Tanya gets along really well with all of the girls and Diego always wants to help me with whatever I'm working on.
And lastly we said goodbye to 6 kids this month:
Emily & Adilene are sisters and have been with us for a while. They are both such sweet girls and we will miss them a lot! Their mom has gotten things back in order in her life and is deemed capable to take care of her kids again. We wish them the best and hope that things will go well for them back in their house.
Kevin, Irvin, Naomi & Axel are all brothers and sister and have gone to live with their grandmother. They came from a rough home life and had some disciplinary problems but they were all good kids. Kevin & Irvin were always wanting to help me in the construction and I would pay them with chips and soda. Axel, the youngest brother, was always a pleasure to be around and such a happy boy. Naomi was one of our older girls and would help out a lot in the kitchen and girls' dormitory. I wish them all the best and hope that where they are going is a much better environment than where they came to us from.