Home Again, Home Again...

We've just returned from a six-day trip down to Una Esperanza, and it's always nice to sleep in our own beds again. Lots of cool things happening down in Kilometer 33. We flew to Santa Barbara and picked up Dylan and Matt, two architects who are helping us out with drawings for the girls home and overall site plan. These two guys have such great hearts and just jumped right in, playing with the kids and giving of themselves.

We also brought down a blow-up pool and had hairwashing/bath day (wearing their shorts), which was a fun time for the kids. We could only fit 10 kids in at a time, and by the time we got all 60 or so through there, you should have seen the water! Definitely makes me give thanks for a hot shower and clean water. Please keep a well in your prayers. Right now, we depend on a truck to deliver water once a week (when they actually come), and due to the many mouths we feed and drinks we supply for the kids, many times we run out several days before the truck is due to return. We've been told it would cost around $30,000 to drill a well. That's a lot of money, but the need for a clean water source is so evident.

We established a new friendship with a little girl, Anna, who lives in one of the broken-down buses across the street from our playground. She's four years old, and just a little heartbreaker. Like most of the Tarahumara kids, she's tough and takes care of herself, but when she allowed us to take her in, she slept like a baby in Brad's lap for several hours. It's amazing to me to see how these kids actually rest when they feel safe.

We also took about 30 of the kids to the nearby aqua park, as many as we could fit into a minivan and the back of a small pick-up truck. With temperatures near 100 degrees already in Juarez, this is always a big hit with the kids. We brought five pizzas and chips with us, and even introduced them to making 'smores on the barbecue - always a hit in any language.

So, that's a bit of what we've done the past week or so...

We've had several children accept Christ as their savior in the last few weeks, which is such an encouragement. It's awesome and humbling to see what God is doing among these people.

Also, we just wanted to pass along a link to a podcast that has been so encouraging to us. As we fly back and forth to Juarez, we often listen to sermons by Francis Chan, and we would thoroughly recommend him if you have a little drive time to listen or even if you want to watch the video podcasts online. You can either subscribe through iTunes or go to the church website and go to the media section to download for free. God really has His hand on this man, and he speaks very passionately and bluntly about loving God and living for Him. He doesn't pull any punches, but is so biblically sound. And he's pretty darn funny, too.

Oh well, over and out for now...have a blessed Father's Day!