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!
Well May has come and gone and we are entering into the summer months. It's starting to get really hot down here in Aguascalientes! Not only is the weather changing but there are lots of other changes taking place at the Casa Hogar Dulce Refugio. We've added some new features to the orphanage and we also have some new faces on site. There were also some sad moments as we had to say goodbye to many people this month.
In the construction...
We finished the rabbit cage. And we have our first occupant. I brought my "daughter" (my pet rabbit) to come and test it out. She will only be a visitor to the orphanage's rabbit cage because she lives at my house but now she has a home away from home when I am working. The kids are really excited and keep asking when we are going to get more "conejos" (bunnies).
I went to a small town about an hour away from the orphanage to buy some tiny little tilapia (600 for less than $10 US...what a deal!). They are for our hydroponic system.
The hydroponic system is now up and running. Some of the older boys and I spent a day draining the water and cleaning the tank, getting it ready for the new fishes. We have lettuce and tomatoes already starting to grow and now we plan on planting a lot more vegetables.
(Our white Labrador, Rocky, likes the system too. I just hope that a few dog hairs won't affect the the plants too much.)
We welcomed Esmerelda to the Casa Hogar. She is now one of our older girls and is fitting in just nicely. She helps out a lot in the kitchen and is a sweet young lady. She is a little quiet as she's getting to know everybody. Hopefully she'll come out of her shell very soon.
Esmereldas
Santiago
Rubi
Estrella
We said goodbye to 4 brothers and sisters: Esmereldas, Santiago, Rubi & Estrella. They were all such good kids and I was sad to see them go. Santiago always called me his "papi" and we got along really well. The DIF (Mexican government agency who works with children and their families) located their grandma in another state and now they are living with her. God bless you all. You will be missed!
We also said goodbye to Angel. He has been with us for a long time, many years, and is a good kid. We wish him the best and he will be in our prayers.
We said goodbye (only temporarily I hope) to our great and faithful volunteer, Junior. He has been living with us for over 1 year and has been an AMAZING help. He helped out a lot in the kitchen and with odd jobs around the orphanage. He stayed in the boys dorm and was like a father to many of the "chiquitos" (smallest boys). Junior has decided to move to another city to do a 6 month Bible program and plans on returning when the course is over. He is a good friend and he will be missed.
On May 14th (on Mother's day in the US), we celebrated Marce's birthday. The day seems appropriate since she has been a mother to so many children over the years. We celebrated by eating hamburgers, one of the kid's favorite meals. May God bless you with many more birthdays Marce!
We received 4 students from the University Ibero, Mexico City. They are doing their "servicio" (community service) requirement for their school and will be with us for 6 weeks helping out. This is a HUGE blessing because we are very understaffed at the moment. Their names from left to right are Gibran, Antonio, Emilio, and Edgar. Thank you guys!
One of our older girls, Fani, is currently enrolled in a local university. She finished her culinary course and for the final exam the class prepared a fancy 5 course meal for 2 guests of their choice. She invited Marce and I and we left stuffed!
We definitely have some artists at Dulce Refugio. Some of the older boys started a trend of designing wood by burning it with a magnifying glass. I think it looks really cool. They even made me one that I have hanging on my wall.
They like to put one of their favorite Bible verses (in Spanish of course): "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." -Philippians 4:13
One of the local churches has various children's outreaches every week and our orphanage is able to bless their ministry with pizza for their feeding programs. They had a special event this month with clowns, prizes, games, and more. It was a great time and we are happy to help our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ by donating pizza.
After the event the church staff drives many of the kids home. Have you ever seen so many people crammed into the back of a pick up truck???
Fernanda chipped one of her front teeth. Thanks to a generous donation from the US we were able to take her to a local dentist and get it fixed. She was smiling a lot more once we left the dentist's office.
Before
After
