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!
July was a great month. I got to spend time in the US and see lots of family. Later in the month I returned to Aguascalientes to get back to the ministry. It was a great vacation/time of rest, but God has more for me to do down here.
Tragically, my Aunt's husband passed away in June. We had a funeral for him in July and a lot of family came into town. My brother & sister and their families and many of my cousins & nephews/nieces came to attend the service. I hadn't seen some of them in many years. It was good to reunite with everybody, despite the circumstances. And the next day, since my brother and sister were in town my cousins from my other side of the family came into town for a visit. We hung out by the pool and enjoyed each other's company. It was a such a blessing. The older I get the more I appreciate these times with family.
While I was home, my home church, Horizon Christian Fellowship, had their summer Bible camp for children and I stopped by for a day to help out. My friend Gary was Moses and we taught the kids about the time when Moses led the Israelites to battle against the Amalekites. When Moses raised his staff the Israelites won the battle and when Moses lowered his staff the Amalekites began to win (Exodus 17).
They put me in an "interesting" costume and I played an Amalekite. When Moses raised his staff I would get weak and the kids would beat me up. But when Moses lowered his staff I would get up and start fighting back. It was a good time teaching the kids God's Word.
Before
After
I brought some of my skills home to San Diego. A friend of mine wanted to remodel his fireplace so I changed his brown tiles for cubed glass. It was a design that he had wanted for a long time and I was glad to do it for him.
While I was home, I got to meet one of my best friend's new baby boy. His name is Elliott and he is such a cutie! My friend Kerri and I have known each other since we were little kids and it was such a blessing to see her with her baby. She loves him so much and takes such good care of him. It made me so happy to see that this boy is going to grow up in a good home with 2 parents that love him. Down in Aguascalientes, working at an orphanage, I see a lot of neglect, abuse and abandonment...something no child deserves. It truly brings a smile to my face to see that my friend is choosing to be a good mother and do the best she can for her family.
After a nice vacation, I flew back to Aguascalientes, Mexico, on July 20th to get back to all of the work that God has for me.
When I got back, I had to finish up the last door at my dentist's house. Now his new home is all sealed up and he and his family are ready to move in. He helped me out a lot with free dental work and I gave him my word that I would help him out in his house. I'm glad we could exchange services.
Now that my personal project with my dentist is finished, I can get back to serving in the ministry. We started building the windows for the new church that we just inaugurated. Birds keep flying in and building nests on the speakers and crapping all over the floor haha. Anyway, soon everything will be sealed and the birds will have to find another home.
My friend José, who painted the church, is going to school for architecture and wants to learn different construction skills. He's been helping me with the windows and I've taught him how to put everything together.
And finally, we celebrated Elvira's 19th birthday. Elvira is one of the women in our girls home. We threw her a surprise party and invited friends from church and from the orphanage where she used to live. We had a really good time and I gave her a very special gift. Elvira is involved with the youth group at church and they are doing a series on Biblical sexuality & dating. Elvira has a strong relationship with God and has decided to wait until she is married to have sex. She wanted a promise/purity ring so I got one for her. After she opened her gift I put the ring on her finger and prayed for her to stay strong and dedicated to the Lord. I am so happy to see her putting God first in her life and will continue to pray for her and help her as much as I can.
