Sat 3 JUL 2010

Wow! What a day! Today AJ and I, along with Rachel (a Salvation Army Missionary), her two friends, Tanya and Jorge helped a single mom, Yolanda with her "home". Yolanda lives with her 4 children in one of the squatter settlements outside Mazatlan. A squatter settlement is an area where homeless people are allowed to pick a spot on the property and create a home. Yolanda's home, much like many of the homes there consisted of tree branches, blankets, cardboard, and some black plastic. A few days ago with the heavy rains, her "home" was ruined. All their belongings...a few clothes, a couple bibles and 2 mattresses on the dirt...were drenched.

Rachel had collected donations and so we took our truck to Home Depot and another store to get some lumbar and "lataments" - tar rectangles like what we'd put down before putting shingles on a house....and drove (quite far) to Yolanda's home. It was hard work and Yolanda ended up being very knowledgable about the "how to's" to rebuild her home. We got most of the sides of the home rebuilt and part of the roof. Tomorrow, another group from Hogar de Ninos will head over to complete the project.

For those of you who participated in this year's 30 Hr Famine...notice the photo of the baby next to the white bucket....it was the only water they had...and yes....it looked like the water during our Tribal Game about clean water....the baby was trying to get a dirty plastic pediolite bottle into the bucket as he was thirsty. The water was brown from dirt and other???

During the school year,Yolanda's 3 other children live at Hogar de Ninos in order to have a roof over them, 3 meals a day and transportation to get to school. To them, Hogar de Ninos is a haven for them.

Then tonight after we got back to Hogar de Ninos, all of us (Candi - Director, Lulu - Assistant Director and her 2 boys, Rachel, Mimi (cook) and her daughter Natalie, Christian, Juan y Luis and AJ and myself went over to the condo for Molly & Steve and their kids to celebrate 4th of July. We had a big meal and then went swimming and late at night we sang, "God Bless America". It was a fun way to celebrate 4th of July!!!

It's hot and humid and late at night.....taking a shower will not cool us down. (the swimming pool helped though tonight.) As I am here in the girls dorm, I'm thinking and praying for Yolanda and her family. Yolanda's husband was a window washer....the ones you see at stop signs in Mazatlan....when there is a red light, they go around and try to wash the windows of cars and in return receive a small donation. Her husband was killed by a car a while back. Now because she has a baby, she is unable to work. From the time we spent with her today, she is quite capable, intelligent and hard working....my prayers are for a better life for Yolanda and her kids....I feel confident once her baby is old enough to be at Hogar de Ninos, Yolanda will be able to support herself and eventually find better housing for her family.

We are so blessed to have been born in such a rich country as the USA. Lord, please be with those less fortunate than we are.

Amen,

Barb