The trip to the orphanage was on! We decided to cross the border into Reynosa on foot since there was heavy security returning into the US which was causing long (several hour) delays. After we crossed into Mexico we were picked up by a staff member of the orphanage. It was a short ride – the facility is right in the middle of the city. The orphanage houses about 55 children, ages 2-18, along with a school and a church. It is unusual for one of these children to be adopted so most will always call this complex “home”. While there is always work that need to be done (they are currently finishing off several apartment units which house children in a more “family unit” setting), it was a lovely oasis of calm (and dare I say, cleanliness) in the midst of a city that does not always reflect those qualities. We visited the classrooms (and got to share some hugs), and met the ‘little ones’ that are not yet in school. The kids were amazing! The staff there is really dedicated to being Jesus to them and we were blessed to be able to visit them even briefly.
One of the beautiful little ones…
We walked back to the bridge in the rain, but it was a great trip!
It’s hard to believe there are only 2 days left of our project here in Hidalgo. Gary is still working hard on totally remodeling a bathroom, the other guys have been hanging drywall and building shelves. We girls started painting some outside doors and building trim, and are now trying to finish off repainting their sign. It’s three sided and concrete, so we were painting it “on location”. Since none of us are even craft painters, we were pretty nervous about the job, but we tackled it nonetheless. Here’s a picture of the six of us in front of “our” sign. (Hopefully we’ll get a chance to get a group shot when we have actually changed out of our paint clothes!).
It’s been a fun project (dental work notwithstanding!), and we’re glad to have been here. One of the outreaches of Calvary Commission is the Josiah and Bethany Orphanage in Reynosa, Mexico. (Named for the two children of Keith Green that were killed with their father in a plane crash). Hopefully we’re going to visit the orphanage on Thursday. We’re all looking forward to that!
And what is next on our journey? From here we head just about 15 miles north to the town of Pharr for our March Project - Grace Community Church/School. We’ll stay here through the weekend, though and just enjoy a little down time (although there is a trip to our favorite dentist on Friday to look forward to!). Maybe we’ll even fit in a trip to something more interesting than Home Depot!
And the dental work goes on and on! Today Gary got the last of 6 teeth pulled. “Looooong Rooooots” is about all they can say. He’s taken some great painkillers and has hit the sack. Next week he starts on the crown/bridge process. It hasn’t been much fun, but he’s trying to keep the prize in sight - good teeth and saving thousands of dollars!
As for me, my time at the dentist was spent looking through the only English magazine in the waiting room ( a 1998 Harper’s Bazaar) and watching a Mexican soap opera. Next time I’ll remember my book!
Tomorrow is a regional Quilt Show - so I’ll be a happy camper. And as long as those pain pills continue to work, Gary might get some projects done here at the ranch!
I highly recommend these three day weekends!
P.S. Here is some other good news - we bought gas this week for $1.88/gal - and just tonight saw it as low as $1.80! Diesel is still high, but since we’re moving around in the truck these days, we’re taking the blessing when we can get it!
First of all this is not about that Hawaiian delicacy “poi”, but rather about what our mapping program affectionately calls Points of Interest. Now these POIs could be Walmart and the closest gas station, but we like to only consider those POI’s that really are I. (Interesting!).
We’ve seen some pretty interesting things along the way – from the snow measurement in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (390 inches total in 1978-79) to the Pickle House, also in the UP.
And we’ve run across some grand POI’s here in The Valley. Over in Harlingen is the original sculpture from which the original Iwo Jima Flag Raising statue was commissioned. There is an interesting museum there dedicated to that battle and is often hosted by an Iwo Jima survivor. It was an impressive monument to great heroism –
And here in Hidalgo, within walking distance of our current home, is that huge Killer Bee. As mentioned before, Hidalgo has the honor of being the first point of entry (or at least the one where the bees must have checked in with customs) of the Killer Bee’s march north. This is a pretty impressive statue – and an interesting item to market as the town’s claim to fame!
Other Conrad News – Gary made it back to the dentist on Friday. This was a very different experience (I’m happy to report!). Another two extractions – but it was all over in under a half hour! Whew! He’s recovering nicely, has gotten over the initial trauma, and so on with the dental work we go!
AND….we have a bona fide offer on the house! Actually we had TWO – go figure. Everything looks good, so we’re hopeful that this will actually result in us no longer owning the house! Praise the Lord!
The project has officially begun! The guys are working on a couple of construction jobs (building walls, replacing walls with doors, and other fun stuff) and we ladies are painting! We’re finishing up the easy stuff tomorrow (doors) and will move to the more challenging items ( their sign!) later in the week. Should be interesting!
But…I really wanted to point out a couple of new pages, over there on the right hand side of the site. They are my attempt at making figuring out where we are easier. Since we don’t move too fast these days, I thought I could handle a monthly (or bi-monthly even) update! Hope they are helpful!
..later!