Quienceañera & More!

This past weekend we had a quienceanera for one of our girls, Karla.  Unfortunately, my camera wasn't charged for the occasion so the only picture I have from the day is the one above.  But it was beautiful!  We all spent the day decorating and that night we had the party.  And I finally had a reason to wear that dress I love so much!  Even though you can't tell I'm even wearing a dress in the picture.  (And yes, Stephi, I stole your picture.  :) I love you! haha!)

Also this week another one of our girls, Yessi, graduated from Kinder!  It was such a cute graduation.  I felt like a proud mom as I watched her go up to get her little certificate and pictures.

I rode Lucero yesterday on our street a little ways but he got bored and ran with me all the way back to the main gate and waited for someone to open it.  THEN he proceeded to run all the way back to his pin and wait for me to put him back.  I think he can only take so much of adventure.

This past week we started our new schedule.  There are lots of activities since the kids are out of school.  I teach four different kids how to play the guitar and ukulele, we have group singing, singing before bed, I help monitor some swimming classes & sports, and I help with Lucero.

Today, Ceira (a fellow staff member and friend) and I went to a market for our day off and ate tacos.  It was so much fun to just get out, walk around and look at all of the fabulous artisans in the area.  Later we went to the movies and watched Snow White and the Huntsman, which was pretty good!

Anyway, I just wanted to give you guys a little update!

Here are some things you can pray about for me:

•Patience
•That I continue to seek God's will first
•To be a good witness
•That my sinus problem goes away!  It's dreadfully hard to sing with a clogged throat and nose. (My dear doctor, Bob, has given me some extra medicine.)
•That I fall in love with Jesus all over again every single day
•That we grow as a team here and trust God fully

I love you guys!  You mean the world to me! :)

Erin.

Lucero

This week I learned how to take care of Lucero, our horse here.  He's about 12 years old and super gentle and sweet.  I have always wanted to learn how to take care of a horse!  I don't know if it was the "My Little Pony" episodes I watched when I was younger or the plastic, toy horses that were made in China that I played with, but I have always been interested in horses.  I learned how to get him out of his pin and into the field, brush him off with 3 different brushes, saddle him, put his bit in and ride him.  The last time I rode a horse, I was probably in the 7-13 range.  When the little kids get on him, Lucero goes really slow, but when the older girls or I get on him he tends to automatically speed up.  He loves to follow us around.  We don't even have to have a tether on him and he will nudge us and follow us around the field.  We try to get him out at least once everyday so that he can get some exercise.  (I'll make sure to get some pictures of the kids riding him in the next couple of days.)

Lucero was a riding horse at one time and possibly a race horse, but in his later years he became neglected.  He is a rescued horse and we are taking really good care of him.  He is now in a really good home. 

The kids really love riding the horse, swimming and singing.  Which brings me to my next topic:

I have started giving guitar lessons to the older girls (13-17 years)  I will be teaching 5 girls how to play guitar and/or ukulele.  I made out my lesson plans for the girls earlier this morning.  All of the older girls LOVE to sing!  It's amazing how I can pull out my guitar and they will all congregate around me and start singing.  And one of my favorite things to do is sing them to sleep.  I hope that when I sing them to sleep that they have beautiful dreams and not ones about the things that have unfortunately happened to them in the past.

On Monday, I did a lot of the driving.  I drove the kids to school (Kinder, Primary, & Secondary schools)  All of these schools start and end at different times, so I really got to learn my way around the city better that day.    

Wednesdays and Thursdays are my days off, so today I'm just hanging out and resting up for the next week.  I'll probably work on learning more Spanish later today.  It can be a little frustrating sometimes not understanding what everyone is saying, but I will say, I am learning so much more everyday!

Thank you so much for your prayers and financial support!

I love you all! <3

Erin.

Life in Mexico

When I first arrived at La Ola, I felt like I was dreaming.  I had seen so many pictures of the new place that I felt as though I were having an out-of-body experience.  Things here are excellent!  On the property we have many fruit trees (pomegranates, mangos, bananas, coconuts, grapevines, and other Mexican fruit that I can't pronounce yet.)  We also have a small horse named Lucherro (and that may not be the correct spelling)  He's 12 years old and really sweet.  I walked over to the small field yesterday, and he started walking toward me when he saw me.  It was so sweet!  The kids love to ride him and a few can ride really well.  One of the girls, Ana, takes lessons for therapy, and she can get up to a good canter on him.  Mili, the youngest girl likes to piggy back on me instead.

My Spanish is improving, I hope.  Sometimes one of the house mothers talks really loud to me, but I don't think she's angry or anything.  I think she's just trying to make me understand what she's saying by talking louder.  I just laugh sometimes and she tries again or just gives up! haha!

Can I just say that Skype is one of the greatest inventions ever?!

I will start giving music and guitar lessons today at 2:00 p.m.   I'm pretty excited because the older girls are really excited about learning.  They really like singing songs in Spanish and English.  And they LOVE, My Heart Will Go On, by Celine Dion.

At night I sing them to sleep, and they ask me to sing mas mas mas!  haha.

Well the kids just got back from school.  I'm gonna go down and talk with them for a bit and get some lunch.  I'll update more soon and with pictures!

Love you guys!

Erin.

Two Months...

Hi everyone!

It's been a while.  A long while...but I'll keep things short.

I just wanted to update everyone on what's going on with me right now.  After much waiting and prayer I finally have big news!  Without further ado, I give you the second week in June 2012!  :)  The second week of June 2012 is when I will be making my way back to Mexico to stay for 2 years or longer.  It all seems so surreal, and I know I probably won't realize what's happening until I get there.  The same thing happened when I went to Africa and also when I visited Mexico last July.

It's been such a long time coming as well.  I graduated college in December 2008 and since then I have been wondering where and when God would have me serve others.  It's been 3 1/2 years since then.  I can't believe how slow AND fast time can seem to pass.  Now, at this very moment in time, I feel like time has flown by.  On the other hand, I remember through those years thinking that time was crawling along.  But here I am with only 2 months or so left here in the good ol' US of A.

I can't wait for this new journey to begin!  It's amazing how God has come through for me with money, sponsors and people who are praying for me frequently.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support.

I love you all! :)

It's Hard Waiting in that Field!

Hello friends,

Every single time I come here to post a blog, I always stop halfway thinking that what I've written isn't any good.  So I'm gonna have another go at it. 

I had a chocolate covered strawberry fundraiser at church recently and it was a huge success.  I made a ton of strawberries and if I can get a picture up here of them, I will.  Half of our dinner table was covered in the strawberry goodness. 

I'm going to be having a spaghetti dinner and a singing at the church sometime soon.  I still need to get all the specifics down so I can get that going.  So, that's exciting!  Please pray that tons and tons of people show up so I can get back to Mexico to stay.

So, in our Women's Bible Study we are reading, "Becoming More that Just a Good Bible Study Girl."  We learned about David a few weeks ago.  And I've never read the David story like this before.  It was a totally new way of looking at it for me.  We learned that when God told Samuel to choose David as the new king, that David had been watching the sheep in the field before he was even invited to come inside to be considered as the new king.  (Kinda, in a way, like Cinderella when you think about it, don't you think? haha)  But after he was chosen to be the next king, David went back to the field and watched those sheep.  We were thinking that David was probably wondering why he wasn't going to a nice "King School" or why he wasn't being trained someplace better than a boring field.  But God had other plans.  When David went up against Goliath, he had all the proper training.  While he was in that field, David killed a lion and a bear and he told Saul about this when he was preparing to go against Goliath.  And because of the training David had in that field, he was courageous enough to kill Goliath. 

Now, I wonder what would have happened if David hadn't been trained in that field?  If he hadn't waited and been patient...

But I gotta tell ya'll, it's hard to waiting in that field!  I'm in that field right now being trained up, preparing for what God has for me in Mexico.  But man, it's hard.  Especially, when you dream about Mexico and those kids at least once a week (and that isn't an over-exaggeration either)  It can be really difficult waiting when you know exactly where God wants you to be and you aren't there yet.  This is the first time I've experienced this so strongly.  I know where God wants me to be and right now the only way to get a glimpse of that place is through my dreams.  And believe that God sends me those dreams, so that I don't forget or lose my passion for that place.  So please pray that I don't lose heart and continue to let God mold me and train me up in his ways.  I want to continue to patiently wait upon Him during my time in the field.

Well, that's about all I have time for today.

See ya in the funny papers.

Erin.

We Are Such Stuff as Dreams Are Made On...

"We are such stuff

As dreams are made on, and our little life

Is rounded with a sleep."

 

-William Shakespeare, The Tempest 

 

 

Ahh, William.  What a beautiful writer. 

 

Since I left Mexico, I have had about a dozen dreams about getting back there.  One where I went back only to visit, one where I taught school and guitar lessons, one where I lived my life there, many others and one where I had to go through an alligators mouth to get to the orphanage.  (Yes, I realize the last one was a little weird, must be from all the Swamp People I watch, but I have had many many many odd dreams in my life.  Ask my family...)

 

I've been learning Spanish like crazy.  I've put up labels throughout my parents house that say all kinds of things.  Cuchara-Spoon  Cuchillo- Knife  Lampara- Lamp  Hundirse- Sink  They really have helped because I just remembered what all that means!  I'm getting to some tough parts in Spanish where you have to flip words around and conjugate and all kinds of crazy stuff.  Sometimes I feel like pulling my hair out, but I WILL LEARN SPANISH AND SPEAK IT FLUENTLY!  I will!  (< . >)

Anyway, just thought I'd update.  I'm paying my loans as quickly as I can!  I'm gonna have a yard sale when it cools down and hopefully a dinner.  

If you would like donate to my trip back to Mexico, just hit the Donate button at the top of the page.  

 

Also, I'm selling scarves at    http://www.etsy.com/shop/eeperry86     (I'll have more up soon!)

Love you all!

 

Back from La Ola Orphanage

When I arrived in Guadalajara, Mexico I was expecting a whole lot more danger than what I ran into.  The stories that people had scared me with before I left America had rooted in my mind.  I got off the tiny plane and walked into immigration.

"You," said a man, looking at me and pointing to a desk a few feet away.  I walked to it quickly as though I would be wasting their time if I walked slowly.  The lady at the desk said something in Spanish, and I quickly regretted not spending every minute before I left Tennessee immersed in learning Espanol.

"Hablas Espanol?" she asked.  I knew what that meant.

"No, sorry," I said, guilty.

"No problem," she said and stamped a piece of paper.  I thanked her and continued through customs where a man in a green uniform, with a machine gun hanging loosed over his arm, searched my guitar and bag.

"Beautiful guitar," he said in English.  He chatted with me for a few minutes while he searched for drugs or what-not and then let me pass.  When I walked through the door I saw my new friend, Abby immediately and we walked to a rusty red van and rode to the orphanage.

The children greeted me sweetly when I arrived and Abby and I began working on lunch.  Tuna with everything on a tostada.  The kids lined up and got their food and ate quickly.  They started asking questions in spanish and no matter how hard I listened, I just couldn't understand.

"We're going swimming at a friend's house," said Abby.  I suddenly wished that I had packed a swimsuit.

"You can ride with me," said a woman, with a personality just like mine.  I knew we would be fast friends.

"Great," I said, following her to the car with some of the older Mexican girls.  It took no time at all to get to the house because Barbara and I talked the entire way.

"I fit here.  I really fit here, and I just arrived," I thought quietly, as I got out of the small car and walked inside the gate.  An entire table of wonderful looking people greeted me and beckoned me to sit and talk with them.  Some told jokes and other told stories about the military and service experience.  They told me about the kids and how loving the Mexican people were towards them.  We talked for hours, and I listened to their stories about how they came to be in Mexico and before I knew it, it was time to leave.

The next day after church, one of the girls, Nayeli came up to me as I finished lunch.  "You go swimming with me?"  She had snagged me.  I was a goner.  I would most definitely be coming back to stay.

"Yes," I told her, thinking it had been a good idea to bring my thin, brown shorts.  I changed and she grabbed my hand, leading me to the rusty red van.  We looked like a can of packed tuna as we rode to the park pool.  And I looked like one of those sharks that has those little sucker fish all over him when I got in the pool, because six girls clung to me as we swam in the green water.  It was amazing how much Spanish I learned in those few hours.

That night before bed, Esme, a seven year old bundle of responsibility asked me if I would sing and play them a song on the guitar.  "Canter, Canter," she said, pleading.  I pulled out my sunburst guitar and strummed lightly as the girls climbed in bed.  Esme looked over the top of her bunk (my bunk was below hers) and watched as I picked out "Wonderful Tonight," by Eric Clapton.  I climbed into my small bunk when I finished playing and all I could hear was soft crying coming from the bed above me.

A few days later a four year old girl, Jessie, fell asleep on my lap on the porch.  She started shivering, even though it was 70 plus degrees outside, and I grabbed a small blanket to cover her.  While she slept, I helped fix dinner and get plates out for the kids when they got home from school.  I saw Jessie stir, get up and head to her room.  I gave some plates to the children who had just walked through the door and went to check on Jessie.  She said something in Spanish but I only caught a few words.  Ropa=Clothes  Pee pee=Pee pee.  I helped her clean up and put her in the shower.  I washed her hair and went to get a towel while she finished.  When she was dressed, she asked if she could eat and I lead her to the kitchen to get her a plate of food.

"Gracias, Mommie," she said taking her plate.  I stood in shock as she ran happily outside to eat, tears filling my eyes.  "This is what it's all about," I thought.  "Letting these children feel safe and loved.  And I want to spend my life doing it."


***
Sadly, I don't have time to write every single story on here today.  I'll probably write more later though.  But I had the most wonderful time.  Thanks for keeping me in your prayers!  :)

Now roll the pictures!

Esme, Millie, Rahina & Ana Karen

Campfire Songs before it rained

View from the orphanage

Me and Rahina

Nayeli

Carlos, Roderigo, Maria & Marla

Esme, Rahina, Noelia & Nayeli

Millie & Jessie