Ines - March 16, 2012 - September 11, 2012. Gabriel House is thankful for the opportunity to have kept her safe and comfortable in her last weeks with us, and we are rejoicing as she dances with her father in heaven alongside Luci, Gabi, Rosa, and many more. Please pray for the staff and kids as they process this! They'll be okay but it's always hard to lose a daughter/sister. 

Victor's feeling much better after a nasty stomach flu. Poor guy! I was so happy to see his funny faces last week!

Gabriel House has a baby again...a three and a half month old, 6.5 pound baby. She is TINY! And falling out of her 3-6 month baby clothes. She's the cousin of one of our boys, Jaime, and comes to us with significant malnutrition and hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus is caused by an imbalance between how much cerebrospinal fluid is produced and how much is absorbed into the bloodstream. We had a shunt donated for one of our other kids that won't be able to use it, so hopefully it will work for Ines and we'll be able to drain the fluid. 

I was at Gabriel House last week and was able to take care of her as everyone continued adjusting to having a newborn in the house. I also went to the doctor with her as we Please pray for her health as she's already been to the doctor a few times for bronchial issues. Pray for Angelica who takes care of her at night and then works a full day as the director of Gabriel House, and pray for the other kids, that they would show her the love and grace that's been shown to them.

I just got back from almost 2 weeks at Gabriel House!
Words can hardly do justice so I've included lots of pictures...

Poughkeepsie United Methodist Church stopped by for an afternoon while they were in Ensenada serving with Mexico Outreach. It was so great to see them - it felt like a little taste of home! Even though they were with us for just a few hours, the students jumped right in and made strong connections. I was able to visit them later in the week and their leader said that kids on their team were still talking about Gabriel House. Always a good thing - I love when people can't get the kids out of their heads! It means they need to come back :) Or find a different way to not forget them!

Hopefully they'll be able to come back next year...

Another group I worked with was from Reality, a church with several different locations in the LA area. They've been several times before, which is always great because we can just jump right into working and playing with the kids. This time we really stepped it up - we created a water park for the kids! It was madness...but the best kind. 

No one wanted to get out...

Sergio loves his bananas!

A couple from the Reality group came down to help fit a lot of our kids for wheelchairs. It was amazing - this tends to be a frustrating process of trying to make a chair fit a child that it was never intended for. There are always adjustments to be made, parts to be yanked off or taped on, and so on. This weekend was one that we will never forget, because every chair fit each child almost perfectly. Jim and Meg couldn't believe it as they put child after child in his or her new chair and there were no more adjustments to be made. Needless to say, it was very encouraging for us and the kids!

One of our newest boys enjoying the sunshine and swings.

This area used to be soft dirt and rocks - now the kids can play on their scooters!

Absolutely necessary for any summer night - S'MORES!

Teddy took this very seriously.

  After that, the GH kids and I hosted a team of 12 from Charlottesville, Virgina for the week. No one in their group had ever been to Mexico before, although they did have lots of other international missions experience. It was an incredible week. They had a lot of high school boys who were eager to do some work projects, of which the group started and finished many (no small feat!). The wonderful thing about this group though, and it's my desperate prayer for each group, is that they'll get it. That they'll understand how important and meaningful it is to "just" hang out with the kids. How their 10th trip to the park is just as exciting as the first time they went. How being held for half an hour is so much more than it seems. How a conversation between two different teenagers from very different places who speak very different languages is something that at least one of those teenagers won't forget soon. All that to say, it was great! Exhausting but incredible, both for the team and for the GH kids. "I can't believe this is my job!" was a phrase that I often had running through my head. A good way to start things off, I'd say!

Calvary Chapel of Charlottesville, VA. We loved having you with us!

Friends from college and faithful supporters who came down for the day! We made a crucial stop for tacos...

Leaving tomorrow for 10 days at Gabriel House! I'll be with a team from Santa Barbara for the weekend and Charlottesville Virginia for the week. Then I'll make a quick trip back to the States to pick up my wonderful friends from Michigan (okay, I'm not picking them up from Michigan...they'll already be in San Diego) and bring them to Gabriel House for the first time to be part of the life changing experience God gives us through the kids. I'll post stories and pictures when I get back!

I have a confession to make, and along with that an apology.

When I officially started fundraising on May 5, just two short months ago, my plan was to be completely funded and ready to be full time with Mex Med by July 1. I shared this with people along my journey, about how I would spend the month of May driving back to New York, visiting with family, friends, and churches along the way, and then spend the month of June fundraising in California with churches and friends out here, with the hope that I would have everything done by July 1.
People laughed at me. I know they weren't trying to be hurtful but it was their initial reaction nonetheless. After about a week on the road, after quite a few appointments and even more phone calls, I stopped giving the date of July 1. It was just too hard to explain to people, especially the overly skeptical. Over time, I stopped believing it too. It was just silly to think that in 2 months I would have the monthly commitments I needed! I've heard of people who spend years fundraising (plural. years)

The confession is that I stopped believing in my initial goal. I gave up on July 1. Best case scenario, I figured, was I'd spend the whole summer fundraising while working as much as I could at the office and bringing a few teams down to Gabriel House in the midst of all that.
Well, this is where the apology comes in. The apology goes to our Creator, who is capable of more than we could ever ask or imagine, and despite my unending doubt (when will I learn?!), will continue to fulfill his promises.

I am so excited to share with you that as of July 1, I am 85% funded. Meaning I'm $450 away from my monthly goal! This is HUGE. No, it's not 100%, but it's pretty darn close.

I certainly don't mean for this to come across as conceded, and to be perfectly honest I don't completely understand why God allowed this to happen so quickly. What I do know is that this allows me to focus my full attention on Gabriel House, which couldn't need it more than right now. So for that I'm very grateful! 

Today is my first official day in the office, and it's on! I'll be full time from here on out. I have one last trip planned up to Northern California next week to speak at a church and meet with a few friends/family, and then the rest of the summer I'll be hitting the ground running.

Thanks for your all of your support and encouragement so far! I am SO excited to be here :)

And just because I know this is really why you checked the blog...here are some pictures!

A very cranky boy minutes before this picture was taken...but once he got on the trampoline, he was all smiles!

Jamie is SO determined to get around on his own!

Teddy showing me his homework - very proud of his math skills!

Buckle up because this is going to be a good one!

Since the last time I wrote, I've come back to San Diego, been to Gabriel House twice, unofficially started working part time with Mexican Medical, seen several kids make significant progress in the past two months, and hit the 50% mark in fundraising - a huge and exciting milestone!

I left New York after about a month of traveling and intense support raising. I often had 2 or 3 appointments a day and while I had a wonderful time with family and friends, I got back to San Diego and was exhausted. I mean just so, stinkin, tired. I realized that it was more of an emotional exhaustion than physical - I was constantly pouring my heart out, multiple times a day, about something that I am so passionate about and want people to understand and love the way I do. So while it was a good kind of tired, it was still tired. I took a few days off after I Skyped with a ChristCare group and really focused on resting and being renewed by the Spirit. It was so refreshing.

I met with Steve and Jan at Mexican Medical and we talked about the next couple of months and decided that the most practical thing for me to do is begin working with MexMed immediately, as often as possible. Summer is so busy with trips going down - it would just be too hard on MexMed (and me!) if I wasn't available. So I'll be doing as much as I can with them while continuing to fundraise - hoping and praying that it doesn't take much longer than the summer months!

I was at Gabriel House twice last week and saw some wonderful things. I got to bring down some friends of mine who Lourdes introduced to Gabriel House - one of them is in a band that has led worship at the Mexico Outreach camps, another has leads a homeless ministry in Sacramento, and they brought their friend who had never been to Mexico before (!). Emissary Band has a huge heart for Gabriel House - they've donated so much over the years, including a van! It's always fun to be there with them. Also really exciting to be bringing teams down and hosting them as they serve at Gabriel House - this will be my life for the next few years, at least!

When we got there, I did a double take as I was looking for one kid in particular who stole my heart many years ago. Jamie was born without disabilities but contracted encephalitis when he was two and has been in a wheelchair and basically nonverbal ever since. He's got some muscle control but is very spastic and unpredictable. Anyway, our physical therapist has been doing some incredible work with him. 3 times a day, at least 5 days a week at meals, she works with him as he learns to feed himself. It's a tedious and messy process, but he's making significant progress. He also used to be totally strapped into a wheelchair. Literally, the only thing he could move was his head. He just wasn't able to keep himself upright if his chest wasn't strapped in. Well I walked into the yard when I arrived and stared at him for a few seconds because it just didn't look like him, and I couldn't figure out who it was. But it was Jamie! In a new wheelchair, with only ONE seatbelt...on his lap! As I continued staring, he put one hand on the wheel AND STARTED WHEELING TOWARD ME! I couldn't believe it! I have to admit, I never thought I'd see this day come. I mean, I was there for a year and he had never made progress like this. As I continued playing with him, he would speak - never more than one word at a time, but words that showed me he was totally aware of what was going on and what he was saying. AMAZING! Lots of therapy, perseverance, and prayers have gotten him to where he is today. And ohhhh, what a place for him to be. 

Sitting up in the wagon? Never used to be possible...we'd have to wedge him in between two other kids so he wouldn't fall over!

I'm glad to be back! Looking forward to bringing more teams down to Gabriel House and helping them experience this wonderful place. It will be a busy summer but an exciting one. I'm headed up north next month to speak a few churches in the San Francisco area, and will hopefully be at a few near LA this summer as well. 

Thanks for your prayers. I wouldn't be able to do any of this without them and you!