Casa Vida y Esperanza

Fun at the Beach!

2010-04-12T12:08:00.008-07:00

We went to San Carlos over the girl's Spring Break. Keith's parents even got to come along! We all were so glad to have them.

Some of the girls got to go snorkeling... they really enjoyed it.

It was a great trip with many memories!

Random Things...

2010-03-24T16:21:00.007-07:00

Dan and Tamra Coughlin moved here a little over 2 months ago... Their precious little baby joined them Feb. 22. We all enjoy having them around. We celebrated the birth of baby Kaeb at our house Sat. and had a baby shower! Games at the shower... try feeding someone a pudding cup with a blindfold...

Food is always a good way to celebrate...

Another activity we did lately... the girls put together some Action Packs (with items such as towels, blankets, etc.) to send to persecuted countries. We read many stories from the Voice of the Martyrs magazines, and they were all amazed at the courage of Christians around the world to stand in the face of persecution...

Please pray for God's work at CVE, that we would be instruments of His love and that the kids will come to understand God's great love for each of them.

Valentine's Dinner and More

2010-02-15T09:21:00.006-07:00

We had a Valentine's Dinner for the girls on Saturday... They all had a great time and loved the food! They are not picky eaters at all which is nice...
Karla and Lupita... Please say an extra prayer for Karla. She has a desire to serve the Lord. She is showing a huge interest right now in Bible Study and really wants to follow Christ.

Jaqui and Michelle

Hanging out in the plaza...

Hiking with the girls...

Pray that the girls will come to know the love of Christ. May you know His love more and more deeply everyday as well.

School Trip

2010-02-05T13:02:00.007-07:00

We recently took a trip to Hermosillo, a big city to the south of Magdalena. The middle school kids got a day off from classes and we loaded into the 15 passenger van to make the 2+ hour drive. We took a tour of a private christian school that includes all grades from kindergarden up to high school. Then we made our way to Costco to stock up on some supplies and have lunch. The kids really like the pizza that they have, and it is pretty good from mexican pizza. It is really hard to find good pizza down here, especially when we get spoiled on Chicago-style deep dish!
Fede, Jaqui, Uriel and Michelle eating lunch.

After lunch we went to a children's museum that was in the middle of a huge park. They also have a water park, paintball, and rides, but much of it was shut down for the winter.

They kids enjoyed messing around with the different exhibits. The rule of the museum was that you cannot NOT touch. Above Fede, Todd, Michelle and Lili are learning about bridges.

Lupita, Ben, Uriel, Lili, Karla and Fransisco relax in the park while waiting to get into the museum. Joan worked her magic and She got us in 2 for 1.

Still Friends?!?

2010-01-08T17:35:00.005-07:00

Gloria and Kaleigh normally play really well together.

They are good at making messes...
But Kaleigh has this obsession with riding things... plastic horses, our dog, whatever she desires...

Gloria didn't really like the idea of being ridden. Hope they will still be friends!

More Christmas!!!

2009-12-30T14:14:00.011-07:00

This is Benny... He's been here about a month now. When he came, he was VERY tiny and not very well fed. He's grown a ton, and is getting cuter by the day! He made a great little baby Jesus in the Nativity...
Jaqui and Fede made a great Mary and Joseph too.

The girls loved all their gifts...

Karla and Tania showing off their new PJ's...

Thanks for your continued prayers... Please keep praying that each of the girls will accept the greatest gift of all- Jesus- as their PERSONAL Savior.

Feliz Navidad!!!

2009-12-27T20:59:00.000-07:00

Tania showing off her gifts...
The kids all participated in a live nativity scene... It was really special for all of us. They all were ADORABLE!

Hope your Christmas was full of joy in Jesus!

Viaje!

2009-12-02T08:42:00.010-07:00

We took a trip to Tecate, Baja California last weekend! Here's the Young Group/Bible Class from Tecate and our group...The girls had a great time and were excited to spend time with Gloria...

We visited an orphanage near Tecate, and it was a really neat experience for all of us!

Out for ice cream...

It was really fun for the girls to get out and meet new people and also meet many Mexican believers in Tecate. It was a great weekend!

fall fun

2009-11-06T11:44:00.006-07:00

Pumpkin Carving Contest!!!

The girls had a great time!

Birthday party for Rohde, the teacher at our junior high...
We are so thankful God brought her here to teach!

Enjoy your fall!

Fun at CVE

2009-10-08T14:08:00.010-07:00

We went to Jenna and Steph's house for dinner a few weeks ago... We had a fun time and the kids had a blast together!!!

Please keep praying that God will work in mighty ways here at CVE for His glory!!!

Dia de la Independencia

2009-09-20T20:50:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from our Mexican Independence Day Celebration on Sept. 16th!!!

School at CVE

2009-09-03T13:05:00.012-07:00

This school year has been the start of something new here at CVE. We now have all of our Secundaria (Middle School) kids and 5 of our Primaria (Grade School) kids attending clases here on campus. Classes are held in the church Sunday School rooms. Here Tania is ready for class. Primaria attends from 1:30pm-6:30pm. She is our only girl who is in primaria here on campus. Alexia, Jose, Michel and Ezequiel are the other 4.

The 5 Secundaria girls. Lili, Michelle, Lupita, Jaqui, Karla. These little girls are growing into beautiful women very quickly! Though they had reservations about staying on campus for school, they all admitted that it would be much better in the long run, and they are really enjoying how much they are learning. As they say, "The teachers actually explain things well, so I can know what I have to do."

Here is one of our secundaria teachers, who came to us from the Gateway Woods school, Todd Stoller. The girls have all expressed that they appreciate Todd, both because of his teaching skills and his ability to share a laugh.

Rhode, Michelle and Lili. Last year Rhode helped us out by teaching Michel, Jose and Blanca. This year she has changes to teaching secundaria. She and Elizabeth Martinez (one of the sisters from church) spent the summer in Hermosillo attending classes so that we would be able to have a school here at CVE. WE are thankful for their dedication! Eli and Carissa Schlipf teach the primaria kids.

Paulina is our third Secundaria teacher. She just arrived a week before school started. The teachers have done an amazing job of getting things organized and getting the school off the ground.

Fede and Jaqui share their morning chat before school begins. Secundaria classes go from 7am-2pm.

Kali helps the girls with homework in the kitchen. The girls are doing a LOT more HW than they ever did last year when they went to public school. They don't seem to mind it. English is a favorite, and that is the homework I can easily help out with!

Yaneli still attends the primaria in San Ignacio. Until we have the proper staff, the younger kids are going to the same school as before. Here she is all ready for the first day of class.

Thanks for you prayers and support! Keep lifting these kids and this work up to our Father.

Magda and Blanca

2009-08-25T09:42:00.014-07:00

Here are some old CVE picutures from 2005... Can you find Magda and Blanca?

Since last summer, Magda and Blanca's aunt and uncle from Tucson have been going through the process of adopting them... The day finally came a little over a week ago for their aunt to take them for good, and they are no longer with us. Magda and Blanca were two of the first seven kids here at CVE, and they got here in Feb. '05. Kaleigh LOVED playing with Magda. Kaleigh even learned how to say "ma-da" (she still doesn't say any of the other girls names very clearly), and always went running to Magda when she was around... Magda has such a gift with children- she always knew how to cheer Kaleigh up, how to make her laugh, and she was just so good with her.

Here's Blanca with her new little brother.

The girls have changed a lot in the last 4 years here at CVE. Magda came a VERY angry girl- there were battles fought almost daily with her; she had so much bitterness and hurt inside of her. God really worked in her heart, and she has become a different girl. She now has a very fun personality, always ready to play jokes on someone. Living with us for the past year, she was always very willing to help out with anything, always ready to watch Kaleigh for us, and it was always great to see her smile.

Blanca- who doesn't know Blanca? One thing I love about her is her friendly personality- almost everyone who steps foot into CVE knows Blanca. She is also very thoughtful- she gave Kaleigh her doll when she left because she knew Kaleigh loved it. Blanca is very sensitive- a week or so before she left she was telling us how she kept asking her aunt if she had read the Bible she gave her. She made many comments about how she hoped her new family would become Christians.

Here are some more pictures of the girls form the past year...

Blanca and Rhode- Blanca's teacher last year who is now teaching at the new school here on campus.

Please keep Magda and Blanca in your prayers. Eventually, they will be moving up to Tucson with their aunt and uncle. They will be going to school up there and it will obviously be a huge challenge for them. When you pray for all the kids here at CVE, please remember them as well.

The Ranch

2009-08-17T11:22:00.008-07:00

Last Thursday-Friday we took our annual summer trip to Rancho Betania. The highlight of the one night trip is the pool, but we had lots of fun in the free time as well. We even enjoyed the company of our newest mascots of CVE...Lucy and Mac. Lucy lives with the little kids and Mac makes his home with Limon and Kristi. Here Jose, Ezequiel and Kaleigh enjoy the "dog days" off summer. (insert corny laugh...haha) Kaleigh and Gloria continue to grow up each day, doing new things and always making us laugh and smile. Here Kaleigh shows her affection for her friend.

Thursday night we enjoyed singing around a bonfire (with S'mores of course). After the bonfire the little kids were sent to bed and the older ones played games for a while. This year's hits were the bag toss game, Blokus, Settlers and Euchre. Below Joel, Keith, Fede, Seth and Michelle are playing Euchre...Seth is teaching Michelle, she wasn't brave enough to try and play.

The highlight for the kids...THE POOL....Tania gives Julissa a horse ride.

Jazzany, Tania, Yaneli, Alexia, Blanca and Lupita. Wet and happy after an hour in the pool.

We thank God for His faithfulness as we have passed our 1 year anniversary of being here at CVE. It has been a challenging blessing and we ask they you keep praying for God's work here. He is an awesome God.

-Pray for the upcoming school year and all the changes it will bring, as the middle school kids will be attending classes here on campus.

-Pray for the new teachers and staff

-Pray for wisdom in decision making

-Praise God! He is good.

VBS

2009-08-10T11:11:00.010-07:00

Jesus is ALL-POWERFUL... We talked about Jesus' power over nature, demons, sickness, and other things last week during VBS. Over 300 kids (and adults) heard about Jesus' power. We just pray that everything they heard will take root in their hearts, and that many will someday understand the power of Jesus' blood in their own lives.

Trying to keep hundreds of kids occupied before we started singing every morning was a challenge... Here some of them are playing tug-of-war.

Keith taught the 12 and up class, and a few days had OVER 80 kids! That's a ton of teenagers to keep track of... Lots of the girls in our house were in his class, and were a great help with registering the kids.

One day we were talking about how our classes went, and I (Emily) was saying how I love teaching the 3 and 4 year olds, and how fun they were, and how we played games, etc. Keith told me about how he had to drag a kid out of class... Well, let's just say I was very glad to teach the younger kids.

We had a fun class... The kids just make me laugh. Since they won't pay attention to the story for over 10-15 minutes, we played some games as well as doing the Bible story, craft, etc. The day we talked about the blind man being healed by Jesus, our ALL-POWERFUL God, we blind-folded the kids and led them over to a bucket of water to "wash" their eyes and be healed of their "blindness..." They thought it was great!!!

How exciting for some of the kids to hear about Jesus' power- maybe for the first time!

Please join us in praying for the many hearts that heard the word last week during VBS... Many may return, but some we will probably never see again. Pray for God to do abundantly above all we could as or think, according to HIS POWER that is at work within us.

Ephesians 3:19-21

Luau!!!

2009-07-19T17:00:00.010-07:00

ALOHA!!!We had a very fun luau at our house this weekend- planned by the summer staff girls! We all had a great time, but most importantly, the girls had a BLAST!
The girls worked really hard and made grass skirts and tops for Kaleigh and Gloria... (It was great... It kept them busy for hours trying to tape the skirts together!)

This picture would be so cute... if Gloria was happy (she HATED the grass skirt!) and if Kaleigh was looking...
Thanks to the summer staff girls for a great evening!

Graduation and Summer!

2009-07-08T13:31:00.007-07:00

Lupita... She was one of the 4 graduates from 6th grade!

Jaqui... God is really working in Jaqui's life. She has changed so much over the past few months... She used to ignore us completely, and hardly even say good morning to us. It's been neat to see her open up and it's so encouraging to see her desire to serve God. Please pray for her...

The 4 6th grade graduates... Armando, Jaqui, Lupita, and Magda... The girls were all really sad to leave their friends at elementary school, but at the same time they are excited to move on...

We have a playground in our backyard now! Kaleigh has a blast, and Yaneli loves to play with her because she is the only one allowed to use it!

The Indianapolis group came a few weeks ago. The girls made purses with Ashley (Emily's sister in the orange) and some of Ashely's friends...

Summer is in full swing here... The kids have summer school every morning from 10-1 and then they also read for an hour a day. The summer staff as well as a few others are teaching summer school. The girls will also start swimming lessons soon... And we are going to do some fun summer activities as well!

Big Girls Dress-Up Party

2009-05-28T10:58:00.009-07:00

One of the last posts was of the little kids dressing up... Well, we had our own dress-up party last weekend... Jaqui and Lupita modeling their dresses...
Here's the party!!! A few unfamiliar faces? Melissa Kaeb, the blonde in the middle (back row) is one of our summer staff. We are really excited about the summer staff that is coming to help out with summer school for the kids! The girl in the back row, far right... that's Jarrin Rabe. She is, Lord willing, moving down here for good in a few months.

Alexia and Michelle Michelle and Lili enjoying the good dessert...

Yaneli

Karla and Lupita

Prayer Requests...

-Please pray for the summer staff as they get adjusted and prepare for summer classes, which start in about a month.

-Pray for God to do a mighty work in each of the kids' lives. We may plant the seeds, others can water, but GOD giveth the increase. I Corinthians 3:6,7

To think about what God can do through even one of the kids' lives is amazing- we need your prayers.

The Little Girls

2009-05-25T12:08:00.006-07:00

Gloria and Kaleigh are not very little anymore, but they are still pretty cute...

This picture reminds me of the picture that was on the blog last summer of these two girls in their swimsuits... They have changed a lot! If Kaleigh treats all kids this way, she may have no friends...

The things the girls think of to entertain Kaleigh... Would a mother ever think of putting her child in a mop bucket and pushing them around? I guess that's why Kaleigh has so much fun here!

Dress Up

2009-05-18T08:26:00.006-07:00

Whenever we get donated clothes, the kids like to dig through and find fun things to try on. Our girls especially enoy how willing the little boys are to be "dressed up". Tania has Diego looking snazzy with his princess dress and Clifford slippers.

Aaron, or as he said, Aaron-a was looking very fashionable in these boots. I think almost every kid has tried the boots on at some time.

He even showed off a few dance moves.

Continue to pray for the kids!!!

More from CVE

2009-04-16T13:21:00.004-07:00

Karla LOVES hanging out (and sometimes bugging) Kaleigh!!!

Kaleigh ended up liking her costume once Karla let her run free...

The girls did a really fun craft with one of the last teams (in April)... Usually the older girls think they are a little bit too cool for the crafts, but they really liked this...

A few weeks ago, some of the girls acted out a skit that portrays the battle in our lives between good and evil... You can see "Jesus" in the middle, in white, as He conquers Satan. It was so powerful to see them act this out. Please keep praying with us that as the battle of life is so real, they will understand that in Jesus we have victory!!!!

La Playa

2009-04-09T21:10:00.010-07:00

We went to the beach!!! With the help of Kali Zobrist and Katie Schick, we had a great time. Bahia de Kino is a beautiful bay about 3 hours from CVE.The older girls (with Keith's moral support) jumped off this dock, and they had a great time doing it! It took a few of them a while to build up the courage to actually jump... Keith got his exercise treading water and convincing them to jump!

Yaneli just watched...

Kaleigh also had a great time... I wonder how many tablespoons of sand she ate...

Blanca and Yaneli decided just to jump off this rock...

Please pray Jude 24 for the girls... that they will understand that God will keep them from falling, and if they accept Jesus' blood, they will be presented faultless someday before God's throne.

As the girls mature, many of them have more and more questions about heaven, hell, and their souls. Pray that Satan will have no power over them, but that God will draw them to Himself.

Jude 25, "To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen"

Spring Break

2009-04-09T14:33:00.004-07:00

Things have been busy for us. The girls are off of school for two weeks, due to Easter and spring break. We finished three weeks of work teams followed by our dedication service and first Sunday in the new church building. Many people came to visit for the service.
Jaqui turned 13. This is one of the nicest "morditas" we have had in a long time. Some of the other recent birthdays were not so lucky.

Gloria and Kaleigh enjoy a wagon ride. Emily and Bere were busy picking lice out of the girls hair!!! We had a little lice problem, which affected half of the girls. Hopefully they are now gone, after many shampoo jobs, and lots of head searching.

We just got back from a few days at the beach. More pics to come.

West Bend arrived today to help out with the finishing touches on the church, as well as the next group home.

Now we need to keep the girls occupied until the 20th, when they start school again...

Fun Times

2009-03-16T17:26:00.012-07:00

We had some visitors a few weeks ago! Emily's brothers and sister... Kaleigh had a great time with Uncle Seth...

Daniel (Emily's brother) and Diego on the mountain...

Nereida, Tania, Emily and Anna (Emily's sister) on the mountain...

Fun on the super-slide in the backyard!!!

Birthdays!!!

2009-03-16T16:23:00.011-07:00

Kaleigh's 1st birthday was last week! We had a pizza party and all the girls had a blast watching her demolish her cake!

She was even willing to share some of the last few bites...

She had a great time!

Tania celebrated her birthday Monday with Seth and Francisco...

Kaleigh gave her a kiss and got to enjoy some of the frosting left over from the mordida.

May God's name continue to be magnified as these girls learn a little bit more each day of His love. Our prayer is that someday they will know Him as their Heavenly Father... and that they will understand that God is the Father to the fatherless.

Life with the girls

2009-03-05T15:50:00.000-07:00

Our girls are growing up. It is impossible to deny that they are daily changing into young women. With this transition comes many joys, struggles, and EMOTIONS! Life as a 13 year old is, well....life as a 13 year old. We are so thankful to see the girls maturing (at times) and overwhelmed by the task of being a support to them in these formative years of thier lives.
Jaqui and Michelle hanging out in the cancha before dinner. They are fun girls who can be such great examples to the younger kids here at CVE. They both have had joys and struggles recently, as they sort through their thoughts about their situation, spiritual things and everyday life.

Alexa (Daughter of Lili's sister Hilda), Kaleigh and Gloria. All within 2 months with each other. Are an other exterme of the girls here in Magdalena. They provide different challenges, and great times of laughter and joy.

Lili turned 14 in February. She is the oldest girl here and also plays a huge role in leading the kids. Especially the girls who live with us. Please keep these girls in your prayers, that God might show Himself to them and that they would be wise in seeking His will for their lives.

Karla and Kaleigh. Karla loves to take care of Kaleigh and make her laugh. She likes to come find Emily and I and spend time one on one. Even if it is just to look through pictures in our bedroom, or "paint" on the computer.

There are many temptations and trials these girls face everyday, and we continue to trust God to work in their hearts. Pray that we could be strengthened in HIS might and that in our weakness, He WILL be strong.

Dia de Amor y Amistad

2009-02-16T12:53:00.008-07:00

It's been said that if a girl feels the security and love of her father growing up, she will less likely seek the attention and love of guys around her. These girls have had very few, if any, positive male roles in their life. So Keith decided to make our Valentine's dinner extra special... The girls each got a rose and a special gift. GAME TIME!!!

The girls had to write a poem about Valentine's Day using words like love, friendship, etc. Some of them were pretty creative... some of them just really silly.
Happy Valentine's Day from Karla and Jaqui!!!
1 John 4:7, "Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him."

Weekend Fun

2009-01-28T13:37:00.009-07:00

Saturday we made pancakes in the house. The girls are great helpers. Lately they have had a lot of fun making different things... anywhere from quesadillas to some type of marshmellow/chocolate/nut creation by Karla.

Keith's parents visted for the weekend, and they took us out for ice cream (or chips) in the plaza. It makes no sense to me that the girls ALWAYS choose chips with chamoy and salsa over ice cream!

It was a great weekend!

Kaleigh LOVES her life!!!

2009-01-22T13:53:00.003-07:00

As a 10 month old, what more could you ask for? Kaleigh has kids to watch ALL the time, she has animals to look at year-round, she has 10 girls to keep her occupied 24/7, and she even has 10 hair-stylists. An example of their handiwork is above.

Fun in the House

2009-01-14T13:48:00.007-07:00

The girls all got sleeping bags for Christmas, and they were SO excited!!! They reminded us a few times before Christmas that they wanted a "sleeping." Karla was writing in her diary about Christmas and wrote about the "sleepings" they had all gotten.
Lili and Michelle (as well as Karla) are in middle school. You remember that time in your life... It's a time of lots of decisions that affect the futures. We are praying the girls make good choices, especially at school. Both of them are doing really well in school, and Michelle was even second in her class this past quarter.
Thanks to the Indy group for all the new things for the house! The girls favorite game so far is Life. They love it. It will be fun to see them play twister someday...
Here's Blanca playing Operation. Magda and Blanca are going to be adopted by their uncle and aunt probably sometime this summer. We are really excited for them, but also pray that God will bless their last few months here as living with their new family will bring lots of changes for them.

Vacation/Back to School

2009-01-10T11:32:00.010-07:00

After two weeks of Christmas break, the girls are back to school. They started this past Monday. We are thankful to be back in the school schedule, but are glad that the vacation went well.

We took a day trip to the zoo in Hermosillo, which is becoming a tradition as they went the past Christmas break. It was a good day and the kids seemed to enjoy it, even though some complained about going.

There were many small animals in glass cases. The kids had fun looking at the lizards, snakes, fish etc., and trying to scare them.

There were a few coyotes that some of the kids started to bark and yell at, they started howling and yelping very loud. It made for a good laugh.
Some of the bigger animals were really fun to watch. Here Karla and Tania are walking through the Safari zone.

Kaleigh enjoyed the day. She would laugh and wave at the animals. Here she Emily, and Poncho enjoy the small pond and waterfall.

After the long afternoon at the zoo...The Golden Arches....McDonald's!!!

They had fun in the playplace, and waited paitently as the McDonald's employee's gave all the adults thier food first, then distributed the 40-some Happy Meals. The toy that came with the meal was very fitting. ANIMALS!!! Hippos, Monkeys, Zebras, Lions...

The bus ride home was filled with singing and games. Overall it was a really good day.

Hopefully the school semester is the same!

Christmas Break Fun

2009-01-02T12:31:00.008-07:00

Christmas en la casa... The girls had a great time Christmas morning. It was weird to wake up to 60 degree weather!!!

Like all girls, they quickly tried on some of their gifts!

Stockings...

Some games in the "cancha" (No English word even comes to mind)...

BOYS against the GIRLS!!! Water balloon volleyball...

Piñata fun.

Keep praying for wisdom as we strive to love these kids and teach them the love of God!

What do you want for Christmas???

2008-12-26T19:15:00.000-07:00

The girls always REALLY look forward to the week of Christmas... What kid doesn't? Their Christmas lists were really funny. Lili asked for some "K-wiss" shoes. (K-swiss...) Karla asked for some "woopers." (whoppers)

Lupita, Yaneli, Tania, and Jaqui making ornaments.

Magda wrapping a gift.

If any of you have been here, you know José...

We had a talent show on Christmas Eve... Aaron, Poncho, and Ezekiel made us all laugh.

Some very excited kids with their new toys!!!

Watch out!

It was a fun Christmas Eve. More pictures of Christmas to come.

The song below talks about a little kid and his greatest Christmas wish. As we try to give these kids a taste of what a family is, pray that more than anything, they will see God's love in all of us here at CVE.

"All I Really Want for Christmas"

Well, I don't know if you remember me or not
I'm one of the kids they brought in from the home
I was the red-haired boy in an old, green flannel shirt
You may not have seen me, I was standing off alone

I didn't come and talk to you 'cause that's never worked before
And you'll probably never see this letter, anyway
But just in case there's something you can do to help me out
I'll ask you one more time

All I really want for Christmas is someone to tuck me in
A shoulder to cry on if I lose, shoulders to ride on if I win
There's so much I could ask for, but there's just one thing I need
All I really want for Christmas is a family

Well, I guess I should go ahead and tell you now
If it's really true about that list you have
Somehow I always seem to end up in a fight
But I'm really trying hard not to be bad

But maybe if I had a brother or a dad to wrestle with
Maybe they could teach me how to get along
And from everything I've heard, it sounds like the greatest gift on earth
Would be a mom

All I want for Christmas is someone who'll be here
To sing me happy birthday for the next 100 years
And It's okay if they're not perfect or even if they're a little broken
That's alright, 'Cause so am I

Well, I guess I should go, it's almost time for bed
Maybe next time I write you I'll be at home

'Cause all I really want for Christmas is someone to tuck me in
Tell me I'll never be alone, someone whose love will never end
Of all that I could ask for, well, there's just one thing I need
All I really want for Christmas is a family

Life and Hope

2008-12-18T15:12:00.000-07:00

Casa Vida Y Esperanza... House of LIFE and HOPE?!?
What does that mean? Where do we find life and hope? Around Christmas time, we think a lot about our families. We spend a lot of time with our families. We spend lots of time thinking of what special gifts we can give our loved ones. What can we give these kids at CVE?

We would say if these kids leave CVE someday and have found life and hope in Jesus, it will be worth it all.

John 10:10 says that Jesus came so we can have not just life, but ABUNDANT LIFE.

I Peter 1:3 says that in Jesus and his birth and resurrection, we can have not just hope, but LIVING HOPE.

Michelle, Tania, Yaneli, Lili, Eli, Emily, Kaleigh, Keith, Magda, Lupita, Jaqui, Blanca, and Karla...

Top Row... Armando, Uriel, Francisco, Michel, Fede, Bottom Row...Jose, Angel, and Daniel...

Aaron, Jose, Poncho, Nereida, Candi, and Diego...
Top... Julie, Nereida, Jazany, Alexia with Gloria, Ezequiel, Ramses, Aaron...
Bottom... Candi, Poncho, Jose, Diego...

Please pray with us that this Christmas these kids will be able to understand in a simple way that in Jesus we find true life and hope.

CHRISTMAS COOKIES!!!!!

2008-12-10T14:31:00.005-07:00

We are home visiting family right now, but before we left we made some cookies with the girls. Here are a few shots.

You may not be able to see, but they say FELIZ NAVIDAD!!! We hope you are enjoying the CHRISTmas season.

Finishing Touches

2008-11-27T12:15:00.010-07:00

We keep saying the house is almost done, and I think it may remain that way for quite a while. We did paint the kithcen and hallway. It looks really good. The Denver team also helped paint some of the doors and trim. That will be a long ongoing project. Well, it's progress...

We are also trying to get a dog kennel made, so that our puppy has a good home.

Here the girls are helping me dig the trench. We still need to get the fencing materials. This is a great job for girls that haven't been behaving. The ground is HARD, especially since it has rained once since September!!!

Meet Frodo. (Yes the girls have read (and loved) Lord of the Rings, and yes he is named after the star Hobbit) He is a little short... He is the newest member of the family, and Kaleigh and the girls are thrilled to have him. Now I have a buddy to hang out with and talk about "guy things"!

Me, Frodo, Lili and Kaleigh enjoy a Saturday afternoon.

Hope you all had a Thanks-full Thanksgiving. We are thankful for the Denver team and their efforts to make it a special time for the kids and staff here at CVE. We had an all out feast with about 175 people attending. More pics to come soon.

"Giving thanks ALWAYS for ALL things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Ephesians 5:20

El Desfile

2008-11-21T12:11:00.012-07:00

November 20th is the celebration of the beginning of the Mexican War for Independence.The girls marched in their school parade. The few days before the parade were crazy, as each girl told us what they needed to wear one day, then the next day came home and told us somehting different!!! Here are the girls all ready to march in the parade!Julie (Jenna Mueller's girl) dressed up and ready to go!

The CVE spectators at the parade.

Recognize anyone?

FIRST BREAKFAST!!!

2008-11-16T16:04:00.011-07:00

Well, we now have a fully functioning kitchen... and brand new colorful dishes to top it all off.

Karla, Lili and Michelle washing the new dishes.

They loved the colors...thanks to Mama Schick for picking out, and picking up the tableware. Saturday morning we made pancakes with chocolate chips, along with hot cocoa and fruit. The girls helped out a lot, and were even excited to do the dishes...I know this will wear off sooner than I'd like.
The table, set and ready for food. Notice the table...that's the next project, along with chairs.
Lupita and Tania entertain Kaleigh while they wait for the meal.

We also had some bricklayers come to help put a fireplace in the comedor. We are THRILLED to have it. It looks great, and makes the room more cozy already. Christmas night will be altogether different this year!!! Chestnuts roasting by an....sing it.

Work in Progress.

KITCHEN

2008-11-11T09:59:00.007-07:00

Well...we are just around the corner from being totally done with the kitchen, We got the stove hooked up Saturday and started organizing the dishes.

The girls are pretty excited it!

A TALL step stool is a must for some of the girls to be able to reach the dishes! The cabinets reach all the way to the ceiling!

Well, it's a start...we will have to fill the pantry in order to start cooking. Help from the girls, and their cooperation with NOT taking food without permission, will be an interesting adjustment.

Special thanks to all who have helped to get the kitchen functioning!

More Changes

2008-11-03T14:17:00.011-07:00

We are getting there!!! We had visitors the last week and a half, so things have been crazy! Sorry we have not posted recently. We got lots of work done in the house though...

One plumber, one faker...you figure it out.

Two fakers...JOKING! Dad was a huge help, and the girls loved practicing English with him.

One night Dad (Ron Bollier) did a devotion in English and the girls were able to translate the entire thing!!! Incredible.

He helped Blanca practice reading.

Grandparents must be in town...ice cream cones and some old family videos of Emily. The girls really enjoyed seeing Emily as a little girl, not to mention her brothers. Danny was good for some real laughs.

Dad and Mom Bollier also introduced the girls to the Marble Game...they really liked it, but we'll see how long it is 'til all the marbles are lost. Yikes.

Eric and Erica Humby came the next week and brought J-dog for a visit. He and Kaleigh caught up pretty quick. They had a blast together.

A day off in Tucson made for a really enjoyable afternoon. Kaleigh likes to think she's older than she really is...maybe crawling should come before the rings...then again, she is pretty strong.

Tucson Airport. Saying goodbye is never very fun, but we sure had a good time.

Thanks for coming to visit Grandpa, Grandma, and Aunts and Uncles!!

See you soon. Love Kaleigh

Life Here

2008-10-21T12:57:00.011-07:00

It was kind-of a crazy weekend for us here at CVE. Please pray for all the girls, as they continue to learn to make good choices and do the right thing.

Really nothing new... just some random pics!!!

The girls LOVE hanging out with Kaleigh. Every time we are carrying her or pushing her in the stroller, someone asks to take her.

Kaleigh, Karla, and Lupita (Quick note on Lupita... she was one of the very first kids that arrived at CVE over three years ago. Keith and I were here then so we got to know her a little bit... we got to know her very defensive, stubborn attitude, and her favorite words were, "Ah, NO!!!" She has become an amazing girl. She is and incredibly hard worker, always has a story to tell you, and is always ready to help out.)

Lupita and Magda feeding Kaleigh... Check out Kaleigh's hair... That was Magda's handiwork.

Eli and Yaneli in a fort in the house...

Don't ask me exactly what the girls are doing. I think Keith is learning to understand also something important about girls... You CANNOT always explain their actions!!!

THE PUPPIES!!! They are growing up!

Carissa and Gloria... Gloria is 5 months now and gets cuter every day. She and Kaleigh had a conversation yesterday. It was pretty cute. Kaleigh tried to tell her she was the boss since she is 2 months older.

Keep praying that God continues HIS mighty work here at CVE, and that He will continue to do more than we can ask or imagine. Ephesians 3:19-20

Transformations

2008-10-16T12:25:00.006-07:00

You may recognize this picture from the last post....but there is good news....it doesn't look the same today!

MondayTuesdayWednesday...The cabinets are being installed. They will be back tomorrow to finish up. They look great, and we are very excited to finally have a kitchen...all we need is a sink, a stove, and a good plumber...but rumor has it that one is on the way. The other side of the room still looks like this...but we are almost done installing the doors and trim. It is a slow process when there are new issues to deal with everyday.

The living room...after the new paint job.

The girls had a blast playing "Monkey" on the trailer that the cabinets arrived in.

We pray that as the house is transformed, that God would continue His transforming work in the girls lives and in the hearts of all of us here in Magdalena.

Please continue to pray for the Power of The Spirit to work in lives here and all over the world.

Phillipians 3:10,11

A Little Bit More Like Home

2008-10-14T10:27:00.011-07:00

Little by little, things are getting done around here! Overall, the girls are doing a great job of adjusting to living in the house.

Saturday a few of the girls (Eli and Lupita) helped paint our guest room... Yeah, it's sort-of bright, but we want to keep our company happy.

We finally started to paint the sala (living room)!!!!

A house just isn't a home without fun things like this for your room! The girls are excited to settle in, and they change things around in their rooms probably a few times a week!
Karla, Yaneli, and Tania

Here is our cocina (kitchen)... It has a ways to go still.

GOOD NEWS!!! They are starting to install the cabinets!

Yaneli, Tania, and Lupita------ This is the reason we are here. These girls long to know they are loved and they still have no idea what a real home is or what it is like to have parents who really love and care about them. Yesterday, out of the blue, Karla said, "Well, at least now I have a dad and a mom!" We will obviously never replace their real parents, but it's awesome to hear that she can think of us in that way, but also it's overwhelming at the same time. Please pray that we as well as all the staff here at CVE allow God to strengthen us everyday so we are steadfast, unmoveable, and abound in the Lord's work daily!!!

I Corinthians 15:58, "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."

In the Dog House

2008-10-08T12:22:00.008-07:00

Maybe you remember seeing this picture from the Independence Day celebration....if you look closely, you can see that Chabela/Chubby....is living up to her name.
She gave birth to 10 puppies the other week, and the girls are all eager to adopt one as the mascot of our house. In fact, they would love to take them all....but we'll start with one for now.

I always wanted a dog at home, but we lived in the city, and my mom was never fond of the idea...Well mom, looks like Kaleigh has my "dog-lover" genes in her.

The majority of the pups are black.

Though, I'm not sure she's sold on the idea of having a little brother...I am trying to at least get one more male in the house with me!

We'll let you know when we pick the lucky dog...and what name we settle on....should be an interesting process.

BBQ and backyard fun

2008-09-29T11:05:00.009-07:00

Last Friday we decided to grill burgers on the back porch and eat a meal with just us and the girls. Normally we eat in the cafeteria with everyone as we still do not have a kitchen in the house.

We had perfect weather and the girls seemed to enjoy it a lot. We had a few cows pass through the back yard as we were grilling the burgers....irony.

The girls have been excited about swimming in a small pool in the back yard, as well as building their casita, or playhouse. It provides hours of entertainment, but also can be the source of arguments over decorations and furniture etc. Ah yes, the joys of being young and free.

Friday we also had fun playing a game of GIANT Dutch Blitz. The girls ran circles around me, literally. It was a good time.

Our Girls

2008-09-21T15:12:00.006-07:00

The 10 girls in our house (left to right)... Karla, Tania (sisters), Yaneli, Magda, Blanca (sisters), Lili, Jaqui, Lupita, Michelle, and Eli...

All of the girls have a blast with Kaleigh, who is 6 months now and getting more and more fun every day!!! Here is proof...

Lili, Kaleigh and Michelle...

Lupita, Kaleigh and Tania...

Karla and Kaleigh...

Tania, Karla, Kaleigh and Blanca... What will they do to Kaleigh next?!? : )

Día de la Independencia

2008-09-17T12:27:00.013-07:00

Tuesday was Mexican Independence Day... The kids had off school and we had a great day!!!

Michelle and her brother Angel relaxing...

We had a cookout and all the kids had a blast.

Yaneli, Karla, Tania and Jazany... showing off their Mexican flag cookies.

In the afternoon, we walked to the river...

The girls had a blast floating around and playing in the water.

The obstacle course... all of the kids had a great time. Michelle and Lili are ready to go!

Good thing Tania isn't afraid of heights!!!

Ezequiel hesitantly gets a little help from Seth.

José plays on the obstacle course. He is one of the newest kids and has been with us almost 2 months.

We are very thankful God has given us this opportunity to be here! Thanks for all of your prayers, because it is your support that keeps us going. Please keep praying with us for all of the girls to continue to adjust well to the changes, to make good choices at school, and most of all that all of them will someday come to know our Lord as THEIR Lord!!!

Getting Settled

2008-09-12T12:34:00.007-07:00

The girls are finally getting settled into the house! Along with getting settled comes getting used to their new chores, learning how to take care of their rooms, and learning not to leave ANYTHING out in the living room or else Keith will steal it from them. : ) Last week when we still didn't have the clothes line up, we had to improvise and this is what we came up with!

Jaqui getting uniforms ready for school...

Lili and Magda asked the other day if they could go get some supplies to build a little dog house. I asked what they planned to get and they said some nails, a hammer, and some wood. I really doubted their carpentry ability, but this is what they ended up with. I came back a little later and asked Keith about the dog house. He told me he had lots of support from the girls as he built it!
Yaneli, Tania, Lupita, and Karla having fun in the cancha.

La Fiesta

2008-09-09T16:22:00.010-07:00

Yesterday was Emily and Gloria's birthday... Everyone came out to the house for a "Mexican cookout..." tacos with carne asada, guacamole, beans, and lots of other good stuff. Wouldn't it be great if in the above picture both Kaleigh and little Gloria were showing off their adorable smiles?!? Well, that's really not the reality of taking pictures of babies... If you can tell, Emily is holding Kaleigh's hands so she doesn't stick them in her mouth, and Gloria is trying to calm down little Gloria.

Most of you have seen plenty of pictures of the "mordida." After everyone sang Happy Birthday, Emily and Gloria took a "mordida" or bite of a piece of cake with a little help from the kids!!!

Gloria has taken care of the girls for over three years. She is heading back home this Friday. We all will miss her here at CVE!!!

Everyone had a great time at the fiesta!!!

Poncho and Kaleigh... He LOVES to push Kaleigh around in her stroller. Every time he asks to push her, Emily asks him for his driver's license... He just grins.

Keep praying for God's continued guidance for all of us at CVE as we trust Him to guide us each day with His wisdom and strength! We covet all of your prayers!!

Moving Day!!!

2008-09-07T15:25:00.005-07:00

Sorry it has been so long since we posted last. Things have been a little crazy.

Friday was moving day for the girls. We loaded up the clothes, beds and other things into the pick up and made the trek to the house. All the others were more then willing to help, or at least to ride along to make sure nothing fell out.

The living room in a bit of disarray.

King of the Mountain?

Karla and Tania getting their things together to take over to the house.

Kaleigh, taking it all in stride. We praise God for His faithfulness through the transitions for all of us. Please keep praying!!!

SCHOOL!!!

2008-08-28T07:44:00.006-07:00

SCHOOL STARTED!!! The girls were all pretty excited to go back. We are SO glad that the girls wear uniforms to school. Can you imagine having to help 10 junior high age girls try to decide what to wear each day to school?!?

Karla, Michelle, and Lili on their way to Junior High...

Eli, Jazany (she will not be in the house with us) and Tania ready for Elementary School...

It's a nice morning break to have the girls away at school.

Progress continues on the house, hopefully the girls can move in soon.

more to come....

A House FULL of Girls

2008-08-26T13:05:00.000-07:00

The old rhyme "First you work, then you play, then you'll have a better day" applies here in Magdalena also...

Some of the girls' new favorite game... Ticket To Ride... Or as one of the boys said the other day... "Let's play Tik-e To-ke Ri-de!!!"

A New Beginning

2008-08-22T19:11:00.009-07:00

Thanks to everyone for your prayers this past week!!!! Overall, it was a good week. God is faithful. We moved into the house and started taking care of the girls Tuesday, although they still won't move out to the house for a week or two. Here are some pictures of the girls painting... They are all really excited about their rooms and have been a good help painting.

Isaiah 64:1,2,4... "Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at they presence, As when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the NATIONS may tremble at thy presence! For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor preceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him."

PRAYER REQUESTS:

*Wisdom to deal with the girls as they test our boundaries and try to get away with whatever possible.

* That God's presence would flow down upon our new house here in Magdalena.

* That all here at CVE, all here in Magdelena, and that we may know more and more the greatness of our God and tremble at His presence... and that God will do above and beyond all we can ask or imagine.

Fun Times with Changes Ahead

2008-08-17T08:28:00.013-07:00

Well, we had a busy week getting the house ready and then taking a break to go to Rancho Betania for a night. The Ranch is a really neat place only a half hour away. It is basically two days of swimming, soccer and games. The kids all LOVE it, and they kept asking us all week, "Van al Rancho Betania? Y Anna va?"

Nereida and Julissa in the girl's dorm.

Gloria and Kaleigh ready for the pool... (Kaleigh looks like such a chunk compared to Gloria!!!)

Francisco hanging out with Kaleigh (we had a bonfire/singing in the evening, along with S'mores!!)... She has done awesome with being passed around and kissed and patted every 2 seconds! We are so thankful for how well she has adjusted!
We played carnival games which the kids really liked...

The Ranch was a great time for relaxing before the school year begins. It was a good break for us as we will take charge of the girls this week. The house is not yet complete, so the girls will be in the dorms for a while longer, until the house is "livable" for them. Until then, we will be in and out of the dorms, monitoring the girls and getting things done in the house. A trip to Nogales Saturday night allowed us to pick up many more of the necessities (toilet seat, light fixtures, shower curtains etc.)

Obviously we need prayers! It is a very exciting time for the girls, and us as well, but it is also an enormous transition for all of us.

Gloria, who has cared for the girls for 3+ years, is getting ready to head back to Ixtlan in September. Be prayerful for her as well! It will be a fall of changes here at CVE.

Magdalena and Blanca having fun with Kaleigh!!!

THE WHIRLPOOL!!!! Tons of fun in the little pool (at least it seems little with 40 people in it)

A Work in Progress

2008-08-12T21:14:00.008-07:00

Well, here are some pictures of the progress on the house. We hope to be able to move in early next week. Anna helping paint our bedroom.

Sara and Laura were down to help with VBS and they did an awesome job with some stripes in Kaleigh's room.

Kaleigh thought it looked pretty cool too!!!

The boys got the dirty job of removing the frame work from the septic tank...at least it was before we used it!!!

EBV (Escuelita Biblica de Vacaciones)

2008-08-11T20:16:00.008-07:00

Last week was EBV or Vacation Bible School for us here at CVE. It was a great but crazy week as hundreds of children flooded campus every day. Thanks to all who prayed for a good week!

Anna and I (Emily) taught three and four year-olds along with Denise Maller. Our theme for the week was Joseph. I was reminded that three and four year-olds have an attention span of about forty seconds. That makes it interesting trying to teach a lesson in Spanish!!!

The kids had fun making their visors....

Duck-duck- goose or gato-gato-perro was a favorite game in our class. Notice in the video when Yair (the little boy in the red shirt) touches Anna and says "perro," Angel jumps up on the other side of the circle and Yair sits down immediately and forgets to run around the circle!!!

The Finer Things of Life

2008-08-06T21:22:00.004-07:00

In the last few weeks we have been here, a few things the girls have said have stuck out to me (Emily)...

The other day, Eli asked me, "What are we doing for Christmas?" I wondered what made her say that. Then I asked her, "What did you do last year?" She said, "Oh, all of us came into the 'comedor' and we each got a gift." I told her that I guess we will wait and see how this year works out. As I thought a little bit more about what she said, it hit me that when she thinks of a holiday, she thinks of "family time" like all the rest of us do. Yet she has never had a true family to spend Christmas with. She is already anticipating Christmas this year in the new house. That made me thankful for the opportunity God is giving us to provide a home for Eli.

Some of the other girls were walking through the house the other days and commented on how cool it was that each of the rooms had a closet and window. I have never once in my life thought about how cool it was that I had a closet in my room. I mean, everyone has a closet, right? Not these girls... Many of them have lived in a dorm style room with lots of girls for years. They don't know what it means to have really anything of their own. The first few weeks here have already proved to me that I will learn a lot from the girls. And I am thankful for the incredible family God has blessed me with.

"La Suma"

2008-08-04T16:05:00.004-07:00

If any of you have been here to visit, no doubt you know who Jose is.

He was one of the first kids to come to CVE, and has kept this place lively from the very beginning.

The other day, shortly after we had arrived, he declared that Kaliegh's name would be "La Suma". He said this because he likes to be called "El Sumo" (as in the Japanese wrestler type of sumo). He felt she made a good partner.

He obviously thought that Kaleigh cheeks were healthy enough to declare her "the little fatty", which in his eyes is a compliment of highest degree!

He even got a birthday card from one of the other boys with a picture of his hero.

Here are Los Tres Sumos!!!

The house and the girls... and the house full of girls

2008-08-03T20:58:00.010-07:00

Well, I am becoming accustomed to having two girls in my life (and rather enjoying it!), as Kaleigh grows more fun with each day.

I will have to get used to being around girls, because it has been decided that the older girls (8-13) will live in the house with us, beginning this fall. It is something that I am both excited about, and dreading (in a good way)... as would be expected. Especially since I grew up with one older sister and three brothers. Ah well, it will be a great time. Only God can give me the grace to handle so many women at once!

The house is a little ways off from being finished, but we made some progress this week. We have been able to get almost all of our boxes across the border, but still have a few loads of furniture.

We went to Hermosillo this week and picked up some bathroom cabinets, as well as more floor tile. Anna, Emily's sister, and Katie Schick helped with the decorating by helping us pick out some paint colors for the bedrooms. They have big ideas of what to do in each room.

This week is VBS every day from 10-12, so that will keep us busy, but the afternoons will be free to start painting. There are a lot of helpers here from the States that are willing to help out with the painting.

Here are more pictures of the house. Hopefully it will start to look different over the next week.

A family of new children arrived at CVE on Thursday, including a 2 month old baby girl named Gloria. Kaleigh will have a playmate! Gloria may not look excited, but we know she is...

Thanks for your prayers! We are feeling them and thinking of all of you as well.

Down the road

2008-07-27T20:45:00.009-07:00

Home in Geneva, IL.

Well, this is quite a bit down the road from the first post. Time-wise as well as literally (about 2000 miles).

We are now in Magdalena, Mexico! We praise God for a great trip down. Thank you all for your prayers. Kaleigh was awesome. She slept most of the time and was very cooperative when we made her endure the torture of the car seat for a few very long days.

We left Geneva at 9:30 pm Monday night and headed west. Kaleigh slept soundly until after 5am! We were very thankful about that. We continued to Denver, where we stayed the night.

Here is our first feeding stop at a McDonald's...they both look pretty alert for 5am.

Wednesday we drove through the mountains and down through Utah. It was a nice change in scenery from the corn and beans of Iowa and Nebraska. We stopped in Flagstaff for the night before passing through the "Red Rock country" of Sedona. We made it across the border into Mexico by dinner time.

She did get a little bit ticked at times, after the long day in the car...look at that face!

Friday I headed back to Nogales AZ to unload the semi that Joe and Denise Maller drove down. It was loaded with our things, some food from the Bloomington food bank, a seed drill, health/layette kits etc. We dropped off the food and kits at the food bank and took our things to a storage shed in town. We cannot cross it all at once, so it will be bit by bit. Pray that it all goes without problems!

We were able to cross the majority of our clothes and some other neccesities (aka baby things!) on Friday.

It is great to be back, and we are very grateful for the prayers we feel everyday. We'll keep the post coming as often as possible.

In case you are wondering, the house is not ready and we are living with Bill and Joan Schick for a little while. We have painting and door hanging and some trim work to do...plus there is no toilet, sink or showerhead in our bathroom. There is a group of local men working on the tile in the rest of the house......pics to come later.

Kaleigh is a huge hit with the kids...the girls are always asking to carry her. She is worn out by the end of the day.

Hopefully we will keep the updates frequent, though things are a little hectic right now, living out of a suitcase and running between campus and Bill and Joan's house.(it's a few miles.)

More to come, but at least this is a start!

A new step....

2008-07-01T19:23:00.002-07:00

Well, this is a first for me in many ways. My first move to Mexico (married and with a daughter), my first blog, and my first post on the blog.

If you found this post, Emily and I desperately need your prayers as we look forward to moving to Mexico July 22nd.

We will be moving to CVE and living in the new group home with some of the kids. I have created this blog to update those who want to know what's going on, and are willing to lift up this work to our Lord in prayer.

We are thankful to be called to go, but we know we can do nothing without God's grace and strength. I hope that through this blog, we can communicate with you the joys and struggles we will face, and you can encourage us and be encouraged as the updates come.

Please pray for-

*Safety and success as we move
*Grace to adjust to living at CVE
*Language skills
*Wisdom for the many decisions
*God's Blessing on the mission of CVE, Magdalena.

Please bear with me as I learn how to do posts, etc. I am very new to this.