Hola amigos y familia!

Just stopping in to update you all! Things have been going really well. It feels as though the dust is settling and we are fitting into the framework here, becoming part of the base and seeing the ways that God wants to use our family in Mexico.

 Benjamin and I are finishing up  Kindergarten and I am so proud of all that he has accomplished this year. Averic is looking forward to "doing school" with us next year. (I got him some numbers and shapes workbooks And Deacon is making his first attempts at crawling! Nathan started teaching English at the prison this week and said it went very well. We also made our first trip to Minsterios de Amor last week, an orphanage for boys in Guadalajara. It is always a moving experience visiting an orphanage, but this time was different.

We are accustomed to the orphanages on the border that are very well maintained and highly supported by Americans. Most of the orphanages in Reynosa receive visits from American teams each  summer who help paint, repair and build additions to their facilities. Ministerios de Amor was not like the orphanages on the border.

We found that only two or three of the almost 40 boys there had shoes that fit. Most of them had cut the end of their shoes open to be able to continue wearing them. I did not see one child wearing socks. The facilities need some serious TLC, not a single bed had sheets on it although most had blankets. For the cribs there were not even blankets. There is not a suitable dining area for the boys so they were sitting here and there, on the ground, in the "living area" and all around with plates in their laps. The orphanage receives NO funding from the government although the government places children in their care. (This is typical of Mexico) There is no playground equipment of any kind, no grass in their courtyard, and not alot of organization in general it seems.

The ministry has recently changed directors and we were so impressed with the evident love they have for these kids and for the Lord. I would love to take these little guys shopping for shoes and put sheets on their beds...anyone want to help? If your church is looking to serve this summer, helping out this orphanage would be an EXCELLENT opportunity to be the hands and feet of the Lord. We are looking forward to spending every Thursday with these children and just holding them and loving them. We are praying that God would show us specific, practical ways we can serve there and make it a better place for these precious forgotten ones...please pray with us for the boys of Ministerios de Amor.

In Him,

Amey