Happy New Year!

In two days we begin the long drive to an orphanage, called Casa Hogar, near the gulf coast of Mexico. The purpose of the trip is to love the kids at the orphanage and to build a relationship with the people there. We will be bringing supplies, gifts, games, crafts and a desire to spend time with them. So far we only know the names and ages of the children. There are 25 of them. Most of them aren't actually orphans, but have parents who are not able care for them because they are in jail or high on drugs. Some of the kids have learning disabilities, which has made them particularly vulnerable to abuse from their struggling parents. Others who have visited Casa Hogar have given beautiful reports of these children. We are eager to meet them and hope we can teach them as much as they will teach us!

Our traveling companions, Egla and Will, have arranged for us to travel in the US with a Mexican-Minnesotan man who makes this drive frequently. Another Mexican man, who used to live in MN and attended our church, will meet us on the Mexican side of the border and accompany us the rest of the way to the orphanage. These guides are a relief as we were concerned about safety while driving, particularly in Mexico.

The primary reasons we accepted the invitation to take this trip are

1) To expose Charles and Daniel to a different life style. Whose heart and mind can possibly grasp that they are privileged until experiencing differently?

2) To further our Spanish skills

3) We are able to! The timing worked out perfectly as Duane will not be teaching next semester.

We cannot imagine a better way to begin 2010. What a privilege to begin a new year with a dream already coming true!

In the meantime, we have many names to learn. There is Brayan, Eduardo, Alfredo, Gustavo, who is new to the orphanage, America, Rosalinda, Erika, who has cerebral palsy, Cherlyn, and...