Rivers of Mercy Children's Home - Blog

True Love - Jesus Christ

noreply@blogger.com (djl) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 04:15:00 +0000

Last year, our Valentines Day outreach event went so well that thought we would do one again this year. We decided to teach the same evangelistic story for children, which is about a young boy who is distraught over his parents' separation and begins a search for "true love." Going with this theme, we decided that instead of having a "True Love" party this year, we would have a "True Love" carnival!

Our desire this year was that the children who attended be children in situations of great need. Therefore, instead of passing out invitations around the neighborhood, we gave several invitations to each of our workers, and they each invited the children of two different families that had great need. We wanted this "True Love" carnival to be a fun and unforgettable experience for all of the children. This event required a lot of preparation, but it was so worth it!

We began the event with a warm welcome and several songs with Emmis. In addition to our thirty children from the orphanage, there were forty-five guest children! Then Martha told the first part of our story about Thomas, who, despairing because of his parents' fighting and separation, begins a quest to discover what true, unconditional love is and where it comes from. Honestly, this is a story that many of the children could really identify with. After the first part of the story, we divided the children into four different groups according to their ages -- and the carnival games began! We had four different game stations: "Hearts in Lava," a relay race to get across the room and back using large paper hearts to avoid falling in the "lava"; "Minute To Win It," a game in which the children try to move as many conversation heart candies as possible from the table into a cup using a straw; "Love Tower," in which they had to attempt to stack large conversation heart candies to build the highest tower they could in one minute; and a version of "Pin the Tail on the Donkey" using hearts! In each game, the children had the opportunity to win "tickets" -- cut-out paper hearts that they knew they needed to save in order to buy treats later on!

Next I told the children the final part of our story. Thomas, after searching for true love in several different places and coming up short, finally discovers that true love is that God loves us so much that He sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross in our place, so that we might be part of God’s family and receive His gift of love--eternal life. Despite the fact that his earthly father had abandoned him, Thomas had come to know His Heavenly Father, who loved him and would never leave him. Once again, something that many of the kids here in Anapra can definitely identify with. At the end of the story, when I invited the children to pray to receive Christ, many children stood and went with Martha and Emmis to separate rooms to pray and receive God's gift of love, eternal life through Jesus Christ! We feel that through this story the children truly understood the message of the gospel and were sincere in their decision to receive Christ. In fact, one boy wept as he repeated the prayer with me to ask God to forgive Him of his sins and come into His heart.

After playing more carnival games, the kids were ready with tickets in their hand to buy some delicious Valentine's Day treats! We had set up five different booths in the dining room with sign behind each booth announcing which treat was being sold there and how many tickets it would cost them. We had pink, heart-shaped Rice Krispie treats; heart-shaped slices of watermelon, beautiful "window pane" heart-shaped cookies; heart-shaped cupcakes; and of course, pink milk! The kids (and adults) had a blast buying and eating the treats. To end the event, we gave a wrapped toy gift to each of our guest children. Praise the Lord for how He worked in the hearts of both children and adults. Praise the Lord that many learned of God's unconditional love for them and accepted His gift of love, salvation through Jesus Christ!

** Click here to view more photos of our True Love Carnival **

God's Plan for Luis

noreply@blogger.com (djl) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 03:35:00 +0000

One afternoon about two weeks ago, I walked into the kitchen here at the orphanage and saw that DIF had brought us a new child, but he looked much bigger and older than the rest of our children. When I first saw him, my immediate two reactions were anger and apprehension; anger that Emmis had once again agreed to accept an older child, which to me is a bit risky, and uneasiness because this new kid was genuinely scary-looking. He was literally skeletal, with a sunken-in face and long wispy hair that grew only in patches on his head. He had scars all over his body and his ankles were bandaged. My attitude began to change somewhat, though, as I listened to the social worker tell the boy’s story ... Turns out this 15-year-old boy, Luis, had been severely abused and tortured by his grandmother. When he was finally rescued, he was taken to the hospital in a coma and was in the hospital for two months. The social worker said that it was a miracle that he survived. We were told that his grandma had always had him tied up, had abused and tortured him, and had deprived him of food. She apparently justified treating him this way because he has some sort of mental retardation, although this supposed mental retardation doesn’t seem very marked to us. The social worker told us that no other orphanage that they had contacted would receive Luis because of the condition that he was in. He had just been released from the hospital and still had large, open, infected wounds on his ankles. He was on lots of different medications and would need to receive injections and have his wounds dressed daily.

Well, this situation, which I was upset about initially, really turned out to be from God. Let me explain. One of my students at our kindergarten is the son of a family that goes to our church. This little boy has some learning difficulties and wasn’t advancing like he should have been, so I started bringing him to the orphanage every day after kindergarten to do some one-on-one tutoring here. His dad, who comes to pick him up every day at 2:30, is a nurse. So, ever since Luis arrived, he has had his own personal nurse come every day to give him his shots and check and dress his wounds! I highly doubt that Luis would be getting this sort of attention at another orphanage; God had a plan and I recognize that now. Luis is doing much better now. His wounds are healing and he has filled out a little. He looks like a totally different kid. We do have problems with him stealing and hoarding food, but that’s not surprising considering the fact that he has been so deprived. According to Luis, he has never been to school, but has shown that he is very eager to learn. We’ve starting teaching him individually for about an hour a day. He’s a calm, laid-back kid, likes to color in coloring books and has even learned to ride a bike during his two weeks here! Thank God that He knows what’s best. I’m now grateful that Luis is here and because of Christ’s love being manifested to him, his battered body and soul are on the road to healing. Please pray for Luis.

Good Things Do Happen in Juarez

noreply@blogger.com (djl) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 11:55:00 +0000

With all of the negative media attention that Juarez has received in the past few years, it’s easy to focus only on the danger and violence and to forget the good things that do frequently happen in our city of approximately 1.3 million people. And good things do happen. I’d like to share about a couple of them with you. I didn’t know this until recently, but turns out that there is a very large, upscale, widely-heard-of conference center and restaurant here in Juarez called Cibeles that every year puts on a after-Christmas party and meal for hundreds of children from many orphanages here in Mexico. This year, we were invited. Upon arriving, we ascended a wide, beautiful staircase into a huge ballroom full of tables of children sipping hot chocolate and eating pastries and cookies. It kind of felt like we had arrived at a royal ball! The best part for us adults was definitely getting to see a few children who we knew and had grown close to--children who had previously been at Rivers of Mercy for some period of time and for a variety of reasons were now at a different orphanage. In fact, we actually got to see two girls who had been at Rivers of Mercy during the whole Christmas break because the orphanage where they live closes during the break! The kids were served fruit cups, pizza, hot chocolate, and soda as different clown shows entertained them throughout the event. All of the adults were served an entree from the kitchen, simple yet more sophisticated than the pizza. They had face painting, balloons, and candy bags for all the children. What a treat!

About a week later, our kids got to enjoy another fun outing. A couple of months ago, we met a small group of people who were very interested in coming alongside of us and helping us out in any way they could. Recently, some of them took us all to the theater to see the movie “Puss in Boots”! For some of our kids that haven’t been with us for very long, this was their first time ever at a movie theater! After the movie, we walked across the parking lot to Burger King, where they had a room reserved for us. The kids loved playing in the HUGE indoor play area but took a break to eat their burgers, fries, and chocolate sundaes! As they were wearing their paper Burger King Club crowns, they probably felt like kings! It warms my heart to see when efforts are made to give our children, who have suffered so much in their short lifetime, an unforgettable experience. Much thanks to Fernando and his friends for making this possible. And we encourage you to give thanks to God with us that despite the violence in this city, good things still happen in Juarez.

Another Visit with Samuel and Paola

noreply@blogger.com (djl) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 02:55:00 +0000

Samuel, Paola, Itzel, and Joel

Well, I sat down to write a blog about the holidays here at Rivers of Mercy, but it was too overwhelming, because so much happened! So, I decided to share a heartening update about Samuel and Paola, two dear children who lived at the orphanage for about a year and a half and were adopted by a loving couple about a year ago. Most of you probably know their story--two very sweet children who lives were transformed by Christ during their time here at Rivers of Mercy and who learned to trust God’s plan for them even when it appeared that their world had been turned upside down. After learning that they would never be able to return to their original family, they were adopted by a kind Mexican couple here in Juarez. Well, about a week ago, Emmis couldn’t get Paola and Samuel off his mind and suggested that we go visit them. Leave it up to God -- just a short while after he’d voiced his thoughts, we got a call from them! We arranged to go visit them on one of our last weekdays of Christmas break. We took all of our kids from the orphanage (about 30), and ended up playing with Paola and Samuel at a park near their home all afternoon! We took them a bicycle as a late Christmas present. They were thrilled because they hadn’t had one before.

Samuel, Emmis, and Joel

A few days later, Samuel, Paola, and their mother and father showed up here at the orphanage. Their parents had never seen the orphanage before, so Paola and Samuel enjoyed showing them around and excitedly shared memories of their time here. As we ate pizza together for dinner, Samuel’s mom turned to us and said, “You must know that Samuel and Paola love you two very much. You are very special people in their lives.” I got choked up. I was touched. It’s not very often that we get to see just what an effect we have on these kids’ lives. But even if we are never able to know here on earth, we will someday! That makes it all worth it.

Previous blog posts about Samuel and Paula:
http://juarezkids.blogspot.com/2011/07/visiting-with-samuel-and-paola.html
http://juarezkids.blogspot.com/2011/02/samuel-and-paola-new-beginning.html
http://juarezkids.blogspot.com/2010/11/praise-report-on-samuel.html
http://juarezkids.blogspot.com/2010/11/please-pray-for-samuel.html
http://juarezkids.blogspot.com/2009/06/let-little-children-come-to-me.html
http://juarezkids.blogspot.com/2009/05/yesterday-we-welcomed-two-new-children.html

Celebrating the Mexican Revolution & Thanksgiving

noreply@blogger.com (djl) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 11:12:00 +0000

Here in Mexico, November 20th is a national holiday commemorating the start of the Mexican Revolution. On this November 20, 2011, Mexico celebrated the Centennial Anniversary of its Revolution. On this date in the year 1910, the revolutionary war to overthrow the dictator Porfirio Díaz, began. In my years living here in Juarez, I’ve noticed that for September 16th (Mexican Independence Day) and Nov. 20th, schools here always have the children dress in traditional attire representative of the time period and have a festival at the school, where they sell traditional Mexican food and the children dance, sing and recite poetry. I’ve always felt, however, that many children don’t really understand the history behind the holiday. So, this year I decided to do something about that. Martha helped me make puppets of the key people and leaders involved in the revolution, and we used the puppets and other images to tell the children the history of the Mexican Revolution in an exciting, suspenseful way. I taught this lesson at the kindergarten, and Martha taught this lesson here at the orphanage. She even had the children make their own replica of the traditional “wide-brimmed” hat that the revolutionaries wore! They made them out of thick brown construction paper and then decorated them. The kids loved them! (see photos)

Just a few days later, while Emmis, our kids, and I spent a few days in Las Cruces, NM with my family, everyone at the orphanage was having a special Thanksgiving celebration. Although Thanksgiving is a U.S. holiday, we like the tradition of giving thanks, and this year, several good friends of ours provided all of the food for a huge Thanksgiving feast. All of the children, staff, and their family members enjoyed a delicious Thanksgiving meal and reflected on everything we have to be thankful for--everything that God has given us and done for us. Emmis and I are especially thankful to God for the privilege of being used by Him to fulfill His purposes, and we are so thankful for all of you, because it is your love, encouragement, and support that sustains us and this ministry. “Rejoice always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thes. 5:16-18

Thanksgiving Meal at the Orphanage

Fernanda

noreply@blogger.com (djl) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 02:18:00 +0000

I want to share another heart-warming personal testimony of a little girl in our new kindergarten named Fernanda. Fernanda is sweet, obedient, intelligent, and is definitely an over-achiever. She is one of the most advanced students of our the class. However, not only has she been learning quickly and excelling academically, but has truly been taking to heart the truths about God that we have been teaching through the Bible lessons. Some time ago, in our series of Bibles lessons to teach the children the fundamental truths of the gospel, we taught several stories of miracles Jesus had done--how he had healed the paralytic, made the blind man see, and much more. We taught them that Jesus is God and can do anything--there is nothing that is too difficult for Him. He can do MIRACLES--wonderful things that only GOD can do.

Well, one day in class, one of our little girls named Margarita had a strange expression on her face, and I asked her what was the matter. She told me that she had a stomach ache, and I stopped what we were doing in that moment and said a quick prayer out loud with all the children that God would heal Margarita and take away her stomach ache. Fast forward several weeks. Raquel (my fellow teacher) and I were leading a mandatory parent meeting at the kindergarten, where we not only teach them activities that they can do with their children at home to advance their learning, but also share the hope of the gospel with them. The meeting ended, but one of the moms lingered, and I noticed that she was waiting to talk to me. She shared with me that she had recently been diagnosed with skin cancer. I remembered that Fernanda had once mentioned this in class--that her mom had gone to the doctor because the spot on her face hurt her. Fernanda’s mom explained to me that Fernanda had said to her matter-of-factly, “Mami, we prayed for Margarita at kindergarten the other day--that God would heal her and take away her stomach ache. We can pray for you too, Mami, that God will heal you.”

Wow--how touching and fulfilling to see how our kindergartners are applying to their personal lives the truths that they are learning about God! And what a testimony to Fernanda was to her mother! May we all echo Fernanda’s heartfelt prayer, and may we all learn to have the same honest, simple trust in God in regard to our own life situations.


Daniela and Fernanda (cousins)

Teaching a Bible Lesson to the Kindergartners

Campamento!

noreply@blogger.com (djl) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 23:19:00 +0000

Our kids recently got to go on an extra-special outing--a campout! Just like last October, we were invited again this year by a Mexico missions organization in Albuquerque to take our kids on an overnight campout that they were hosting. This year the campout was held at a different location, at a place called Lago Daniela (Daniela Lake) near the city of Lazaro-Cardenas (approx. 4 hours south of Juarez). This missions organization plans all of the details of the campout and takes all the food, sleeping bags, tents, and other equipment for our children and accompanying adults. Emmis and two young couples (friends of ours) took 24 of our children (the older ones, ages 6-13) on the campout. I stayed home with my kids and all of the younger kids at the orphanage (ages 2-5, about 15 of them).

What our kids and adults liked best about this year’s campout was the location! They said there were lots of green trees and beautiful flowers. There were also outdoor swimming pools, a small pond/fish hatchery, and a nearby stream! After seeing the pictures, I definitely want to go with them next year! The kids came back talking very excitedly about everything--playing in the river, sleeping in tents, swimming in the super cold swimming pool, eating yummy food (hot dogs and nachos!), and participating in various games and activities. We are so thankful to those who made this campout possible for our kids, who otherwise would not have this opportunity. It was such an extraordinary experience for them!

Click here to view more photos of the campout

A Young Man's Kindness Lives On

noreply@blogger.com (djl) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 11:01:00 +0000

In April of this year, a handsome, successful young man from here in Juarez contacted us wanting to have a party here at the orphanage for our kids for “Children’s Day,” a Mexican national holiday. He was a good-hearted man just seeking to help others. Many members of his family came with him to have the party for the kids. They provided a jumpy house, pizza, a professional clown, a pinata, and brought us a large amount of groceries. After this visit, this young man felt called to help out our ministry on a regular basis and he made a personal commitment to come once a month to bring us a large supply of groceries. He did the hard work of going to different food distributors and asking for donations for us. This was truly something that he took on to help others in need. Since April, he and a friend or cousin would come once a month and bring us large quantities of eggs, vegetables, and fruit. This was very helpful because we are no longer able to bring fresh fruits or vegetables (or eggs, dairy, etc.) from the U.S. into Mexico due to a recent law established by Mexico. He was a genuinely nice guy--really interested in the work we were doing and he committed to helping out in whatever way he could.

Sadly, we were recently informed that he had been murdered in a scandalous episode of violence. We were shocked and extremely sorrowful. However, his family contacted us and told us that they wanted to follow through with this young man’s commitment to help us. This past Saturday, we were touched and blessed by this young man's family and friends. A large group of his family members and friends came and spent all afternoon with us. As we introduced ourselves, we also exchanged words remembering him. It was very sad, but his family was encouraged by being able to carry out his desire to help the children here at Rivers of Mercy. They gave the kids goodie bags, played with them, brought us lots of groceries (90 dozen eggs--see photo!), and even brought two hair stylists to cut the kids’ hair! The stylists were here until the evening cutting all of the children’s hair--what a blessing!. This same group of friends and family members of this young man plan to come next month and bring groceries and tennis shoes for all of the children. We are touched by their kindness and compassion. Please pray that God would comfort them in their loss and that we will be able to share Christ's love with them.

Hair cut time! :)

Eggs!

All of us and our kind visitors

Idali

noreply@blogger.com (djl) — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 02:27:00 +0000

I wanted to share a sweet testimony about a little girl that attends our kindergarten. This little girl’s name is Idali. She is one of our kids from the community (not from the orphanage or the nearby Christian community center, Amistad) and she comes from a non-Christian household. Idali is very quiet--doesn’t participate much. One might think that she isn’t paying attention or learning. However, we’ve learned that even though she is very quiet and timid, she is absorbing everything that she is being taught. About a week after kindergarten had started, Idali’s mom was sweeping the classrooms for us one day after school. Wanting to make conversation with her, I asked her what she thought so far of the kindergarten. She responded, “Oh, yes, it’s wonderful...” and went on to tell me that ever since Idali started kindergarten, she will not let her family eat a meal without first praying and thanking God. This is obviously something that we have taught and modeled at kindergarten, where we teach a Bible lesson three times a week. It is touching to see that God is now real to Idali and she is beginning a relationship with Him. Then, last Friday at our Mexican Independence Day celebration, her mother shared something else with us. She told us that aside from Idali insisting on praying before every meal, when Idali sees that her grandpa is about to start drinking (alcohol), she tells him that they must pray first. Idali’s mom says that the grandpa is so moved by Idali’s heartfelt prayer that he decides to set his drink aside and not drink! Wow! What a testimony this little girl is being to her family!


Idali


Kindergarten Class on Mexican Independence Day

Click here to view more photos of our kindergarten class on Mexican Independence Day.

This Friday, we are having our first monthly parents’ meeting, and we will be sharing with them the message of the gospel, as we have been doing with their children. Please pray that God would not only use us to impact the children with the love of Christ and the hope of the gospel, but the family members as well. To God be the glory!

P.S. I recently received an email from a kindergarten class at a Christian school in Albuquerque, NM letting us know that their kindergarten class is praying for our kindergarten class here in Juarez. This is quite an encouragement!

Answered Prayer for Imelda, Alvaro, Axel and Adrian

noreply@blogger.com (djl) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 02:50:00 +0000

In January of this year, we received four siblings here at Rivers of Mercy--Imelda (11), Alvaro (10), and twins Axel & Adrian (8). Another sibling, Sandra (6) was brought here later this year. They also had three younger siblings at a government run orphanage. These children were taken away from their parents because they were always left home alone for long periods of time while their mother and father were at work. Imelda and Alvaro made meals on the stove for their younger siblings, changed their diapers, fed them their bottles, and took care of all of the responsibilities of a parent at their young age. Here at the orphanage, they were obedient, friendly, and responsible children who were always wanting to help. Alvaro proudly considered it his job to take out the trash several mornings a week, and was very responsible about doing it. Imelda helped me do the girls’ hair on the weekends (and we have around 20 girls--imagine!) We grew very attached to them during their time here, and definitely formed a special bond with them. For some time after they first arrived, they would go to visitation sessions at DIF, meaning that they had the possibility of returning to their mother. However, one day, their names were taken off the visitation list, and we and the children realized that their names had been moved to the adoptions list. This was a worrisome thought, since this meant that they would probably be separated from each other because of there being eight siblings. Imelda, Alvaro, Axel, and Adrian prayed diligently that they would be able to go back to their mom. We knew it would take a miracle. Alvaro made a deal with one of our good friends and worker, Lily, who was scheduled to have her wedding reception here at the orphanage on July 31st. The deal was this--he would pray that God would keep it from raining the evening of her wedding reception (summer is the rainy season here), if she would pray that he and his siblings would be able to return to their mother. Both Lily and Alvaro kept their ends of the deal. They prayed fervently. On the evening of July 31st, there was not a cloud in the sky--the weather was perfect and Lily’s reception was beautiful. Lily says that Alvaro told her, “See Lily--God answered my prayer for you. You have to keep praying that God answers your prayer for me!”

Alvaro on his birthday

Fast-forward about a month. God does the unexpected. We get a call from DIF that a kind, well-to-do uncle of the children’s is wanting to take all eight siblings under his care, since the mom was unable to do so. It turns out that during the time that the children were away from their mom, she had had serious health complications and was left unable to speak. When this uncle found out about the situation of his niece and her children, he immediately came up to Juarez (he lives in Durango, Mexico) and told DIF that he wanted to take custody of the children. So, not only were the eight kids able to stay together, but they were able to be reunited with their mom--the uncle took her under his care as well. Several days after they left Rivers of Mercy, the newly-reunited family moved down to Durango to live with the uncle, who would enroll them in school upon arrival. Honestly, we were heartbroken over their leaving us (it’s been pretty hard on us), but awed by how God worked a miracle in order to answer their hearts’ prayer. “Oh Lord, you know the hopes of the helpless. Surely you will hear their cries...” Psalm 10:17

Siblings: Sandra (6), Imelda (11), Adrian (8), Alvaro (10), and Alex(8)

Kindergarten -- Colegio Esperanza

noreply@blogger.com (djl) — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 09:59:00 +0000

Phew!!!—I finally have a spare moment to share with you about the start our new private, Christian kindergarten, Colegio Esperanza, which the Lord guided us to begin in conjunction with several other brothers and sisters in the Lord. After months and months of preparation, school began last Monday, August 22nd. We had asked the parents of our kindergartners to stay for the first day, since we wanted to emphasize to them the importance of their commitment, support, and involvement in their child’s education. We started everything off with songs (with Emmis) and a devotional (given by Abel Gomez) in the church which is right next to the dorms where our classrooms are located (several blocks away from the orphanage). Then we had the children and the parents join us in the classroom, where together they decorated name tags that the children would wear the first week while we learned their names. We talked to the children about our expectations for them during the different activities of a typical day at kindergarten, and then I stayed in the classroom with the kids while Raquel talked to the parents about the school’s rules and policies. At the end, we all enjoyed eating delicious chocolate cake that Abuela Mary had made and adorned with cute school decorations!

Abel giving the devotional


"When you want to answer a question or say something, raise you hand..."

That was the first day—and in the days following we got right to work with the kids—tracing names, learning numbers and colors, reading stories, journaling, group time, listening to Bible stories, and more! It is so awesome to be able to teach a Bible story as part of the school day! Last week we taught about God’s creation of the world. Everything is going great. I love it—it’s been a lot of work, but we’re getting the routine down. We have 18 students, 3 from the orphanage and 15 from the community. Everything at the orphanage is going great as well. As soon as I get home from the kindergarten, all of the kids run to me and eagerly ask me how it went at kindergarten. I then ask them how their morning went, and enjoy talking and sharing with them. We are excited and grateful to God for making this first step of what He has called us to do possible. Thank you for your continued prayers and support!

A few pictures of some of our students at the kindergarten:

Eduardo - From the Amisad community center


Blas - One of our boys from our orphanage

Vicky - A girl from from our orphanage

Martin - He's a son of one of the Bible institute students at Pastor Julian's church

Fernanda

Bible Lessons with New Kids

noreply@blogger.com (djl) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 09:54:00 +0000

So, for those of you who don’t know, we have a lot of children right now! A lot. Thirty-seven, to be exact, I think. : ) That’s definitely more than we’ve ever had at once before. Thank the Lord, He gives us new strength and encouragement each day to love these children, care for them, teach them, discipline them, and to reflect to them the difference that knowing Christ makes in our lives, and the difference it can make in theirs. Since so many of our children are new, several weeks ago we began teaching them the series of lessons that we created to teach them the fundamental truths of the gospel--who God is (Creator, loves us, Holy), about sin and the punishment we deserve, about God’s promise to one day send us a Savior to save us, about Jesus’ birth as a fulfillment of God’s promise, etc. I thought I’d share with you about some of the extra-special, recent Bible lessons. After finishing the classes about the six days of creation, I decided to have the kids make a special “creation snack” to review what God made each day. As you can see in the photos, the kids made “creation parfaits” in transparent cups--first chocolate pudding (darkness), then vanilla pudding (light), cubes of blue jello (water), cool whip (sky), crushed graham crackers (earth), coconut flakes dyed green (grass), star-shaped cereal (stars), Swedish fish (fish), and animal crackers (animals)! This was a special treat and a fun way to tie together the lessons on creation.

The kids making their "Creation Parfaits"

Creation Parfaits

Yummy!

Later on in the series of Bible lessons, the children learned about how for hundreds of years, the people waited for God to fulfill His promise to send a Savior who would save them from their sin. Then, they learned about the angel’s exciting announcement to Mary, Mary & Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem, and the birth of Jesus in a lowly stable. He was God’s Son, the promised Savior, who would save the people from their sin! (Matthew 1:21) Re-enacting the journey to Bethlehem and the birth of Jesus made these truths all the more memorable and exciting to the kids.

The journey to Bethlehem

The birth of Christ

I was particularly impacted this year as I prepared the classes and pondered the contrast between God and Caesar Augustus that was highlighted in my son’s children’s Bible. “While Ceasar, the king of the Roman world, was showing everyone how great he was by counting all of his people (the census), God the king of the universe, was showing the world how great He was by sending His Son into the world as one of His people.” Thank you God, for sending your Son to be our Savior. We are humbled, and oh, so very grateful.

Visiting with Samuel and Paola

noreply@blogger.com (djl) — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 01:58:00 +0000

Many of you probably remember Samuel and Paola. They are precious siblings who spent almost two years here at the orphanage with us, and we grew to love them so dearly. They both developed genuine relationships with God that affected their outlook, attitudes, and lives. We witnessed the fruits of the Holy Spirit in them. Then, before Christmas last year, they were adopted by a new family here in Juarez.

We visited them shortly after they had gone to live with their new family, but didn’t have a chance to return and visit them....until last week! We called their new mom and arranged with her to meet them at a park near their home to visit with them and play with them. So, we loaded up the vans and took all of our children to visit Samuel and Paola. They were so excited to see us! They hugged us and then met all of the new children. They seem to be very happy and well-adjusted with their new family. Samuel and Paola are also very intelligent, and Samuel recently won first-place at a district academic competition!

At the park, Paola seemed to enjoy hanging out with Diana and Mayte, who were the only girls that she knew from her time at Rivers of Mercy. Near the end of our time at the park, Emmis asked Samuel and Paola to share with the other children a little bit about what it has been like for them to have been adopted and have a new family, and how their life has changed. They both encouraged the children to not be scared or nervous about having a new family. They told them that new parents have to attend trainings (through DIF) to learn how to be good parents, and that they (the children being adopted) attend trainings to learn how to be good children. They encouraged them to not be afraid to talk with their new parents about how they feel, but to trust them and share freely with them, since their parents love them and want what is best for them.

Samuel sharing about his new family

When we got home, Emmis told me something that really touched my heart. He said that when Samuel finished talking to the children at the park, he turned to Emmis and told him, “Tell them the story of José (Joseph)...c’mon, Emmis, tell them about José!” Remember?--Remember Samuel’s testimony? Hearing the Bible story about Joseph shortly after arriving at the orphanage changed Samuel’s life—he realized that even though bad things had happened to him that he didn’t understand, God was and is in control and allows things to happen for Samuel’s good, according to God’s perfect purpose. Samuel wanted all of the children to understand this—that just as God had a perfect plan for Samuel, He does for them, too. This is the message of hope that truly transforms the hearts and lives of despairing children.

Read a previous blog about Samuel and Paola's New Beginning here.

Yari, Mari, and Raul

noreply@blogger.com (ROMCH) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 02:08:00 +0000

Last Tuesday, our beloved Yarisdi (Yari), Maria (Mari), and Raul left the orphanage for good. During the 3+ years that they spent here, there were times when we thought this day would never come; that they would end up growing up here at the orphanage. We couldn’t imagine life here without them--Yari’s cheerful attitude and friendliness, Mari’s laugh and wisecracks, and Raul’s constant mischief, but oh so sweet face. Yari, Mari, and Raul were not children from DIF (the Mexican social services), but children of a single father whose wife left them and told the children that she no longer loved them. Their dad always showed that he truly loved them and cared about them, but he had to work in order to provide for his family, and therefore had no one to care for his children, to take them to and from school, and to be responsible for them while he was gone. During their years here, not only were we able to provide them with a loving and safe home and an education, but we were also able to instill in them the love of God and the truth of the gospel and all three children prayed to receive Christ as their Savior. We especially saw fruits of the Holy Spirit in Yari, who on several occasions expressed to us that she wanted to be a missionary when she grew up.

Group picture before Yari, Mari, and Raul left

After being here for approximately three years, their dad was finally in a position where he could have his kids with him. His girlfriend of quite some time, who has shown that she truly does care for the kids, has committed to caring for them while he works and is going to be responsible for taking them to and from school. Maybe not the ideal situation, but at least the kids will be okay, and they’ll be able to be with their dad. So, last Tuesday night, we had a going-away party for them. We were happy for them but so, so sad for us...they have been such an integral part of life here at the orphanage. Mary made them each a cake with their name on it (see photos). The adults and the other kids here at the orphanage took turns saying special things to Yari, Mari, and Raul. It was an emotional time.

Yari

Mari

Raul

Saying good-bye to Yari was the hardest. She had been like another daughter to Emmis and me, and she loved Joel and Itzel so much and always wanted to be with them and help out with them. Not only do Emmis and I miss her, but I know that Joel and Itzel do too. Yari was always right there with me, during the best times of my life as well as the most difficult times. She will always, always be in my heart. We hope to keep in touch with Yari, Mari, and Raul and visit them occasionally. They are extremely missed, but we are grateful and content to have had the opportunity to have been a part of their lives for several years and to instill in them the hope and purpose of knowing Christ and living for Him.

Joel and Yari

Mother's Day and Father's Day at the Orphanage

noreply@blogger.com (djl) — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 21:31:00 +0000

Although the kids at the orphanage who know their parents, love them, talk about them, and pray for them, it’s really something special to see how the they consider me (Kristin), Emmis, Martha, and other workers here as having filled those important roles in their young lives. My heart was touched this year as I observed how on Mother’s Day and on Father’s Day, they instinctively thought of celebrating us. On their own initiative, they prepared cards, gifts, and even singing and dancing routines for us! For Mother’s Day, Emmis prepared a delicious dinner for me and all the other mothers who help us here—Mary and Patty (full-time volunteers) and several of our beloved workers. The girls had us stand in front of them as they recited a poem about mothers to us that they had learned at school, and then they threw confetti on us!

Reciting a poem and getting ready to shower us with confetti!

We were then showered with homemade cards and gifts (whatever they personally owned from their individual boxes)--stuffed animals, cut-outs, toys, and even toothbrushes, combs, and soap!

On Father’s Day, I felt bad because I had been so busy the previous week that I hadn’t had a chance to prepare anything for Emmis for Father’s Day. I was so, so grateful and relieved when upon arriving home from church, I saw that Mary and Patty had prepared everything to have a very special Father’s Day dinner for Emmis—hamburgers for the kids and steak, baked potatoes, and guacamole for the adults (some of Emmis’ favorite foods). I ran to the store and bought him his favorite cake—tres leches (made with three different kinds of milk). Then the kids performed a dance/gymnastics routine that they had choreographed for the occasion and had been practicing for at least a week. (See video below or click here to view the video)

There are few things more moving than to know that we hold such a special place in these children’s hearts :)

Simple Faith

noreply@blogger.com (djl) — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 03:14:00 +0000

I want to share with you about the series of Bible stories that we’ve been teaching at the orphanage recently. A couple weeks ago, I decided that I wanted to children a series of evangelistic lessons, since several of our children had not yet made the decision to receive Christ as their Savior. So, we taught them more profoundly about Christ through several familiar stories--”I AM (Jesus is...) the Good Shepard (the story of the Lost Sheep), the Bread of Life (Feeding of the 5,000), the Resurrection (Raising of Lazarus), the Light of the World (Blind Bartimaeus), and the Way (The Upper Room with Disciples). The personal application for the children from these stories was that those who do not know Christ are lost because of their sin; however, Jesus came to save us from the darkness of our sin, to offer us forgiveness, and to be the one true way to heaven. On Monday, five different children wanted to pray to receive Christ. Before we prayed, I asked them to explain to me what it was that they wanted to do, and when they explained to them in their own words that they wanted to pray to ask God to forgive their sins, save them, and come into their hearts, I was touched by their simple yet very real faith and understanding. Praise the Lord for these precious souls.


Adrian, Blas, Joselyn, Daniela, and Luis

"Yo soy la luz del mundo"
(I am the light of the world)

Adrian with his artwork of John 14:6
"I am the way, the truth and the life.
No one comes to the father but through me."

"We'll see each other in heaven"

noreply@blogger.com (djl) — Fri, 27 May 2011 02:13:00 +0000

About two weeks ago, we received an unexpected phone call from DIF (the Mexican social services) informing us that they had made the decision to move all the children available for adoption from the different orphanages in Juarez to one orphanage in the city. We weren’t sure about the reasoning behind this decision, but this meant that five of our children, four of whom had been here at Rivers of Mercy for 2-3 years, were going to have to leave and be taken to a different orphanage (Angel, Beto, Alejandro, Said, and Bere).

We were shocked and heartbroken. When we told the kids, they cried--after being at Rivers of Mercy for almost three years, they were very accustomed to life here with us. I’m sure they were nervous and scared about such a drastic life change. We knew we had to do something very special for them before they left. We celebrated with them. We had cupcakes and candles, played fun games, watched slide shows together of pictures from the last couple of years, and showed them very special photo books that we had made for them--individual homemade books filled with photos with fun and special experiences of there time here, as well as notes and drawings from the other kids.

Then Martha showed the kids a selection of crafts that they had done over the years with Bible stories we taught them, and the kids remembered and talked about what they had learned. The most special moment of the evening was when we looked at the last craft--a picture one of the kids had painted of heaven--fluffy white clouds and golden mansion on dark blue paper. We all had tears in our eyes as together we talked about how even though we may never see each again here on this earth, we can be comforted and encouraged knowing that we will see each other in heaven someday. One of the students from Emmis’ dad’s Bible institute was here that evening. He had grown close to Said, one of the boys who was leaving, and with tears in his eyes gave him a big hug and said goodbye. Said saw his sadness and told him, “Don’t be sad. We’ll see each other in heaven.” We have no doubt that we will see these kids in heaven someday, and they will be our crown and joy in which we glory in the presence of the Lord (1 Thess. 2:19).

Spring Break at the Orphanage - 2011

noreply@blogger.com (djl) — Sat, 14 May 2011 22:40:00 +0000

Our kids just recently finished up a two-week long spring break - what did a two-week-spring break mean for us? It meant that all of our 33 kids were going to be here at the orphanage all day long every day, so we were going to have to come up with lots of fun new games, activities, and outings for them! I’d like to share about it with you...

One day, a lady from our church stopped by the orphanage and told us she had enough tickets for all of us to go to the musical performance of Peter Pan at the Cultural Center that afternoon. What was sort of a last-minute thing for us turned out to be so awesome! We got to watch a complete theatrical performance of Peter Pan in a large, beautiful theater. There were awesome lighting effects, songs sung by the actual performers, elaborate costumes, and best of all, Peter Pan, Wendy, and her brothers actually flew! The kids were each given a small bottle of soda and a bologna sandwich on the way out by the people who put on the event. This was such a special treat!

Ever heard of the TV show “Minute to Win It”? We used quite a few ideas from this show for our evening theme of “extreme games.” The kids were given some sort of crazy challenge and attempt to succeed at it in a limited amount of time. In one of the games the kids had to knock over lego towers with tennis balls hanging from panty hose on their heads.

For this same theme, we also did lots of “Survivor” games. One night we did a gross food-eating contest--the goal was for each team member to be the first to successfully chew and swallow a gross-tasting food item. You’ve have to watch Angel in this hilarious video! (If you don't see the video below, you can click here to watch the video on YouTube.)

Lastly, April 30th is a national holiday here in Mexico--Children’s Day, when everyone celebrates children! We were blessed to have two different groups of people from here in Juarez came to the orphanage and have parties for our kids, which included jumpy houses, nachos, pizza, pinatas, cake, balloon figures, clowns, and more! Check out another hilarious video of one of our boys, Yair, dancing at the clown’s orders. (If you don't see the video below, you can click here to watch it on YouTube.)

One of the groups brought lots of groceries and household items for the orphanage and intends to continue to do so on a regular basis. It is so neat to see how God provides!

More spring break photos...

Are we going to talk about God with you now?

noreply@blogger.com (djl) — Wed, 04 May 2011 01:43:00 +0000

Our children just finished a two-week spring break. During their spring break we decided to take them on a special, all-day outing to “Central Park”--a huge, beautiful, enclosed public park here in Juarez. Central Park is so beautiful that when you’re inside the park, you actually forget that you are in Juarez. There are lots of trees, grass, sidewalks, forts & swings for the kids to play on, man-made ponds, a fountain, boats to rent, concession stands, and a strange assortment of animals--lots of ducks, two ostriches, and one giraffe! The kids wore bright, tie-dyed shirts and name tags so that it would be easier to keep track of all of them. All of our workers and Patty went with us. The children especially loved seeing the animals.

After our picnic lunch, I taught the Bible story to the children, who were sitting on blankets in the shade. It was only a couple days before Easter Sunday, so I used the Resurrection Eggs and some other visuals to tell the story of Christ’s death and resurrection.

Most of our children have heard this story many times and have already accepted Christ as their Savior, but that day I had Blas’s sisters in mind, since they are relatively new at the orphanage and hadn’t yet heard the message of the gospel (see the story about Blas and his sisters in our previous blog). After finishing the story and we were walking to a different area of the park to play a game, I put my arms around Rosa and Barbara (Blas’s sisters) and asked them if they had ever prayed to ask God to forgive them of their sins and save them. They thought about it for a moment and then answered me that they hadn’t, but wanted to. Since I knew I wouldn’t have a chance to talk and pray with them at the park, I told them that we’d talk when we got home.

When we arrived back at the orphanage, it was 5:00pm and all of us adults were exhausted. As soon as we got home, Rosa asked me something. However, Rosa has speech problems, and I couldn’t understand her. She was persistent and repeated her question to me several times, and then I finally understood. She was asking me, “Are we going to talk about God with you now? ¿Ya vamos a hablar contigo de Dios?” Even though I had forgotten, she hadn’t. I called her sister Barbara over and I pulled out the Resurrection Eggs again. After reviewing the Bible story and making sure that they understood the message of the gospel, I invited them to receive Christ. Usually, I have the children repeat after me as I lead them in a prayer to receive Christ. However, Rosa and Barbara sincerely and whole-heartedly prayed on their own, in their own words, to ask Christ to save them and come into their hearts. I rejoiced with them!

Barbara and Rosa

" ¡Blas, tus hermanas! "

noreply@blogger.com (djl) — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 02:26:00 +0000

Over the past several weeks, we’ve received quite a few new children here at Rivers of Mercy. Some have come from DIF (the Mexican social services), while others come to us through circumstances outside of DIF (we recently received a six-year-old girl and her three-year old twin siblings, children of a mother fleeing from her abusive husband). A few days ago, DIF called us and asked us if we could receive three new children. We said yes, and when the big white DIF van arrived that afternoon to drop them off here, some of our kids suddenly began to shout, “¡Blas, tus hermanas!" (Blas, your sisters). Several of our children who had been at another orphanage before coming to Rivers of Mercy had recognized three of the girls in the van from the former orphanage. They were three older sisters of Blas, a five-year-old boy that we’ve had here at Rivers of Mercy since before Christmas. He and his seven siblings had been separated by DIF after being found on the streets of Juarez. Blas immediately ran to the gate and eagerly looked to see if what was being said was true. He and his sisters began to shout and wave at each other. It turned out that these three girls were not the three children who were originally going to be left here at Rivers of Mercy, but after the realization that the girls were siblings of one of our boys, the social worker let them stay here. Needless to say, Blas has had an ear-to-ear grin on his face ever since his sisters arrived.

Jocelin (8), Blas (5), Rosa (11), and Barbara (9)

We just discovered that Blas’s sisters don’t know how to read or write, so Patty and I have our work cut out for us. I also have some exciting news about Rosa and Barbara, which I’ll share in the next blog. For little Blas, being reunited with his sisters was God’s specific answer to his heartfelt prayers.

Building His Kingdom

noreply@blogger.com (djl) — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 02:54:00 +0000

Last week, in lieu of teaching Bible stories, Martha and I shared with the children about the missions trip that we recently took to a small pueblo south of Juarez. We showed them pictures and talked about what we had done and how God had worked on the trip. Then, we wanted our children to realize that even though they are young, they too can go somewhere else and share the good news of the gospel. So, we had the children help us plan and carry out an outreach event in a different colonia here in Juarez where one of Pastor Julian's mission churches is located.

First, the kids helped us determine what the program would be. We decided to go with the same theme that we taught about on our missions trip--the Wordless book. I would teach the gospel story using the wordless book, we would have them make heart necklaces using the five colors of the wordless book, we would play “hot potato” with water balloons of the five colors, and we would give out transparent bags of dyed popcorn (see a previous blog) for a snack. I also wanted to teach the kids a mime called “Resurrection” (to perform at the event) that I used to participate in on short-term mission trips. So for several days, the kids worked hard practicing the mime, coloring invitations for the event, and dying and bagging popcorn. We did the event on Monday, April 11, in an area of the city about 40 minutes away from Anapra. We wanted the people who received Christ at the event to have some sort of follow-up after the event, so we held it in a neighborhood park near where a mission church of our home church is located.

Our kids from the orphanage performing the "Resurrection" mime

The event was a huge success! We only passed out 60 invitations in the neighborhood about half and hour before the event was to start, so we didn’t expect many children. In a short period of time, however, lots and lots of children and their parents showed up. All of them heard the message of the gospel taught in a simple and captivating way through the wordless book.

Martha and Kristin sharing the Gospel through the Wordless Book

As we directed the game and craft with the kids, Pastor Julian took the opportunity to share a message from the Bible with the adults. At the end of the event, several of us adults were able to talk more with men and women who had attended, and many prayed to receive Christ as their Savior. Several families gave Pastor Abel (the pastor of the mission church) their addresses and asked him to pick them up for service at his church on Sunday. One woman was so blessed by this event that she asked if we could do this every two weeks! She said that other events had been done in that area before, but there had never been such an enormous response as there was that day. Praise God for how He is able to use even children to build His kingdom!

Emmis praying with the Resurrection mime team

In Capable Hands

noreply@blogger.com (djl) — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 02:47:00 +0000

As you recall from our last blog, several weeks ago, a great group of brothers and sisters in Christ came to help out at the orphanage for a week while we were on a missions trip further down south in Mexico. They did such a wonderful job--it was obvious that they spent a lot of time and hard work into preparing Bible stories, school lessons, crafts, meals, and more. So, I want to share with you about some of the awesome activities that this group did with our kids. One day, the group did a science lesson with our kids on insects and used a projector to show lots of different types of insects. After the children colored print-outs of different insects, they all went outside to catch insects for the terrariums (animal homes made from containers) that they had made. The kids haven’t stopped talking about this activity. What could be better to them than catching bugs!

On another day, the group did a lesson on the solar system. The kids laid down on their backs on the living room floor and the group used a projector to show them photos of planets and other elements of our solar system on the ceiling. Too cool! Then the kids created replicas of the planets by painting foam spheres. We currently have all of the planets hanging in our dining room. Also, one of the Bible lessons that the group taught was about God’s Word being sweeter than honey. To help reinforce the truth being taught, they made delicious chocolate cupcakes and had the kids decorate them. The “cherry on top” was a small piece of edible sugar paper which had the memory verse printed on it--"How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth" Psalm 119:103. We couldn’t have asked for a better group of people to be responsible for caring for and teaching our kids while we were gone. To the group members--thank you for all of the love and hard work you put into the week you were here with the kids. We praise God for you!

Some of the volunteers at the end of a long week :)

Mission Trip to Estribo

noreply@blogger.com (djl) — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 10:14:00 +0000

Last week, me, Emmis, Martha, and about 30 other people from our church and mission churches went on a week-long missions trip to a small village called Estribo near the city of San Pedro, about 12 hours South of Juarez. Emmis had been there before and saw a great need for the preparation and training of men and women in the church to teach children about God. So, our plan was to teach a Sunday school teacher training class each morning and do a vacation Bible school in the evenings. When lots of other brothers and sisters in Christ joined our team, we were able to plan other ways we could serve and evangelize while we were down there. Martha and spent hours each day for several weeks planning and preparing everything for the trip. Martha’s fiance and good friend of ours, Roberto, came down from Albuquerque, NM, to run the orphanage for us while we were gone, along with a group of about six other adults from his church. Emmis and I decided to let our three-year-old son, Joel, spend the week with Nanna and Papan (my parents) in Rio Rancho, NM, since we knew that we would be super busy on the missions trip, and this turned out being a great decision! The Lord worked through us mightily during our time in Estribo. Martha and I had a group of about thirty Christian men and women who attended our Sunday school training class each day (see photo).


Our Sunday School Teacher Training Class

"Hands On" Training

They were very interested and enthusiastic, and told us that what we had taught them would be very beneficial and helpful to them. One of the pastors who attended told us that he planned to teach this same class to a group of people from his congregation who hadn’t been able to attend.

During the afternoon, some members of our group did visitation--actually going house-to-house to talk with people, pray with them, and share the gospel with them. Martha and I and others worked on preparations for the VBS all afternoon--there was a lot to prepare!. VBS was from 5-7 pm each day. Our story for the VBS was about a little boy named Samuelito who hears the story of the wordless book (five different colored-pages represent different gospel truths) from a missionary lady and comes to know Christ as His Savior. So, we wanted every aspect of out VBS to reflect our “wordless book” theme! Our games, snacks, decorations, and crafts all incorporated the five colors of the wordless book (see photo of the popcorn we dyed!).

We had planned for 150 children and 40 women, and approximately 200 children, 80 women, and 10 men attended VBS each day! It was a bit overwhelming, but we were thrilled that so many people had the opportunity to hear the gospel, and many prayed to receive Christ.

VBS in Estribo

When VBS ended each day, we did a nightly “event,” which was somewhat like a concert (Emmis, his dad and brother, and another man sang and played guitar together) followed by an evangelistic message given by Pastor Julian.

One of the Evening "Concerts" in Estribo

It was a great trip, but back at home, we’re still trying to recover from the exhaustion and sleep deprivation! Roberto and the group that stayed here at the orphanage with the kids did such an amazing job--more about that to come! Praise for the privilege of being used by Him to take the good news to all the world (Mark 16:15).

Sunday School Teacher Training

VBS Game Time!

Patty

noreply@blogger.com (djl) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 11:50:00 +0000

We are excited and grateful to have another full-time volunteer here at the orphanage, Patty. After retiring from 20 years of teaching kindergarten in Albuquerque, God led Patty to live and serve at Rivers of Mercy. She has committed to be here for at least a year and a half (hopefully longer!). Patty is a kind person and a wonderful woman of God. She has become a good friend to us and is a great help here at the orphanage. Her ability to speak Spanish and her experience as a teacher are big assets! Patty helps me (Kristin) teach my group of children school here at the orphanage two mornings a week. I am loving having an assistant to help me out in the classroom and with the preparation of materials, and I’m also looking forward to learning a lot from her! In the afternoon, Patty works individually with two children, Blas and Berenice, who both seem to have learning disabilities (see photo). This one-on-one reinforcement is just what they need.

On mornings when she doesn’t help me in the classroom, Patty takes care of the toddlers (little guys Danny and Joel) in the playroom. They do teeth-brushing, potty-training, and lots of games and activities! Danny & Joel run straight to the play room after breakfast—they really enjoy their time in there with Patty. Patty also helps with laundry, cooking, and clean-up, and often accompanies Mary to El Paso to run necessary errands. Praise God for Patty’s love for Him and her desire to serve Him through loving children here at Rivers of Mercy. We love you, Patty!

Mayte's Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (djl) — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 10:46:00 +0000

I have to share with you just how special our kids feel on their birthdays and I'll do so by sharing about our recent celebration of Mayte’s birthday. Abuela Mary is known around here for the beautiful, delicious , personalized cakes that she makes. The children always put in their personal cake request when they know their birthday is coming up--a Tinker Bell cake, a Spiderman cake, a Barbie cake, a flower cake, and much more. Mayte requested a “Beauty and the Beast” cake. Mary invests a lot of time and effort in preparing each child’s birthday cake--it is evident that she really loves this part of being “grandma” here. She wants each child’s birthday to be very special for him/her. Several days before Mayte's party, Mary and Patty (another full-time volunteer here) went to a second-hand shop and found an elegant yellow dress that resembles the one that Belle danced in, in the movie Beauty and the Beast. They bought it, and Patty made the necessary adjustments so that it would fit Mayte. Mayte was delighted! That night, all the girls wore princess crowns and everyone danced and ate delicious “Beauty & the Beast” castle cake. Thanks, Mary and Patty, for helping us make each child feel so happy on their special day.

Mayte and her birthday dress

Mayte's Beauty and the Beast Birthday Cake

Another example of one of Mary's cakes -
3 year-old Danny and his "car" cake!