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!
September has been a nice change of pace. While there is still a lot to do, I don't feel the pressure to complete a huge project anymore. The school still lacks a few details but all of the major jobs are done. I have been working a lot but also spending more time with the kids during the day. I am so thankful to be able to relax and go at a normal pace again.
Jose, from the church I attend, came back and painted another mural. He is very talented and a blessing to the orphanage. This was my design and I chose the Bible verse Proverbs 9:10 - "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding" (in Spanish of course). I really like this verse and thought that the words wisdom, knowledge, and understanding/intelligence were great to have for a school.
I finished the tile art on the 1st floor. This was the project that I was saving for last and I felt such a relief when it was done. It was a lot of detail work and took a while but I'm happy with how it turned out. There was a ton of dust in the air from cutting all of the tile and it covered my face pretty good. I learned to wear a mask and turn on a fan after that first day so I wouldn't breathe in so much dust.
I got to go home for 2 weeks. It was such a blessing. While I was there I was able to visit my grandma who turned 107 on Sept 5th. I also went up to Monterey, CA, to officiate my "lil sister's" wedding (She's not my actual sister but I have known her for 15 years and she is one of my best friends). I was honored when she asked me to do the ceremony and was happy to be able to pray for God's blessing on her marriage.
When I came back to Aguas I was down a man. My friend Nick went back home to Florida. Nick is a missionary and was helping me out for the last 6 months. He did a lot of work for the orphanage and the kids really love him. He will be missed and I hope to see him down in Aguascalientes soon. Thanks for all your help Nick!
Before Nick left he helped me make doors for the bathroom stalls. We made 3 total: 2 in the girls bathroom and 1 in the boys.
I installed 2 sinks on the 1st floor. I left this section of the school roped off when I went home to San Diego but now everything is done and the kids can get to the sinks without any problem.
Now that all of the main construction jobs are finished, we cleaned the school and all of the area around it. There was so much trash that I had to rent a huge truck to haul it out. The company threw in the bull dozer for free to help us move it quickly.
We have more help! Yessica
(Yes) will be living on site and helping out around the orphanage. Yes is a long-time friend of Dulce Refugio and has been here many times. She has been serving in another orphanage for many years and has now decided to move to Aguascalientes to help us out. Praise God for sending more laborers into His harvest!