Things About Me

Being tagged by Evan, I decided I had better buckle down and do this. So here it is. Make of it what you will! ;)

Eight years ago: I was 15 and trying to get all my school done every day so I could read, read, read! I believe somewhere around this age we were also practicing folk dances and we had a Civil War ball. Evan, you were really short at that time and Courtney and Bethany were quite little. Also during this time, I was preparing to go to Mexico on a mission trip, which would forever change the course of my life!

*5 years ago I was: 18 and full of independence. I had a job, a car, and I really thought I was something! I had just graduated, and was trying to decide what to do with my life (hey I am still doing that) !

*1 year ago I was: Living and working at an orphanage in Mexico surrounded by “my kiddos”, my older girls, my friends from church, and my best friend.

*Yesterday I: went to Nacogdoches to run a ton of errands, then came home and was entertained by the Yerkes family coming to visit. We had a practice round of impromptu speeches, and then Evan and Caleb discussed their ideas of costumes for the costume party ( I am not giving anything away guys)! It was quite amusing.

*5 songs I know all the words to: Dios de la Creacion (Eddie Woolsey), Esperame (Jesus Adrian Romero), Brave (Nichole Nordeman), Pan de Vida (Jesus Adrian Romero), Held (Natalie Grant).

*5 things I would do with 100 million dollars:
Tithe
Build and run my own orphanage
Provide for my family and my second family in Mexico
Invest
Buy myself some decent clothes

*5 things I would never wear:
Anything with polka dots
A mini skirt
A naval ring
Shoulder Pads in clothes(I hate them)
Well I can’t think of anything else

*5 bad habits:
Procrastination
Taking the offenses of others on myself
Not always being patient
Letting my emotions dictate my moods (not all the time!)
Getting annoyed when Caleb is hogging the computer! :)

*5 biggest joys:
Sensing God’s leading and presence during my quiet times
Being surrounded by all the people that I love (this applies in Mexico, or here in Texas)
Witnessing to people and being there when they actually accept the Lord
Blogging and e-mailing my friends as well as working with pictures online.
Working in a foreign country on the mission field

La Gringa Loca

Checking In

The days have melted into weeks, and it is now almost a month since I have been home. It is very hard to believe. I haven’t sat around doing nothing since being here. I have been discovering just how busy my family acutally is. There are Boy Scouts, Speech/Debate classes, Co-op, 4H, Horse Shows, etc… I have been running around with them, so there really hasn’t been much time for moping! :) I have also enjoyed helping my mom out with the wash, cooking, and cleaning. It is nice to have a sink to wash dishes in. For 2 ½ years I had to wash my dishes in a little plastic tub.

I got several calls from my boss today asking me how to do things around the office, and this made me a little "homesick".

Anyway this is just a short post to let everyone know I am still alive. I will be posting more later.

La Gringa Loca

And now for some more recent pics. This is "the two towers" at the victory party for Wayne Christian 

This is my "second family". Teo is Leydi's (my good friend) brother. This is his wife Lety with their two kids Jair and Abi. 

This is my "little brother" Guito (George). I was very sunburned that day because I had attended the kid's sports competition. 

These are some of my friends at the church I attended in Juarez. On the left is Priscilla and on te right is Daniella. 

This is me and Jair (some of you remember that he was the little boy who had cancer, but God healed him). He is Leydi's nephew, and is like a nephew to me as well. He is 3.  

The "hermanas (sisters)" threw a goodbye party for me at Hermana Martina's house. Top left is Martina, Paty, Lety Me, Leydi, Norma, Tita. On the bottom is Denise and Sonia Edith (one of the older girls).  

This is a picture of my last night at the Ranch. This is the older girls, a few of the younger girls, and on the front far right my best friend Leydi. They are singing "Siempre Seremos Amigos (We'll Always Be Friends)"  

Thoughts

Things are getting steadily easier. The ache in my heart is now a dull throb instead of a sharp pain. I am adjusting to once more being a part of my family and American culture. I am enjoying hanging out with my brothers and sister’s friends and seeing how they have changed as well. Many of them I have known since they were little kids, and some I used to baby-sit (you know who you are!!!!).

I wanted to write down my recollections of my last night at the Ranch. It was a night of sadness, but also of joy and reconciliation. It was held in our big library/church. I really didn’t know what to expect. As the older girls filed to the front and lined themselves up, I wasn’t sure what they had planned. They begin to sing, and in English! They sang the song "Thank you for giving to the Lord" with hand motions. Needless to say, I cried and cried. Then they sang a song called "Siempre Seremos Amigos (We’ll Always Be Friends). It was a very special time. When it was testimony time, and Dean called for anyone who wanted to say something about me to come to the front, I squirmed in my seat. I was sure all my troublemakers were going to come to the front and tell about all the times that I had disciplined them. As I watched my two girl troublemakers (who are 16 and 15) walk to the front, I wanted to run out the door. They are the two girls who over two and a half years have tried my patience so many times and even at times made me cry. But what they had to say was a surprise. They both asked my forgiveness for all the times that they had said, "I hate you" and for all the times that they had been disobedient. It brought a real healing and reconciliation between us. Many of "my kids" went to the front and said things about me that I hadn’t even known they had noticed. All I can say is that I will never forget their words. Even Hermano Erick went to the front and commented on how he is always late to sign his checks, and how I always signed them for him. He turned to me and said, "Who will sign my checks?" That got a big laugh! Dean presented me with an 11 x 14 matted photo of all the kids and leaders at the Ranch and everyone had signed it with little messages!

Here are the moments that broke my heart: Jonathan (a little boy who I had always called "my son") sobbing as I held him, Sonia Edith (one of my good friends among the girls) crying as she spoke about our friendship, saying goodbye to my best friend Leydi and seeing her cry, and knowing that unless God intervenes I might not ever see some of "my girls" again if they leave the Ranch. It is getting better like I said, but you don’t get over something like that overnight or even after 2 weeks. It is a slow process, and I know that I will never forget them. They will always be in my heart.

Anyway I am blogging again one little post a time.

La Gringa Loca

Coming Home

It has been quite a while since I have taken time to put quill to paper, oh wait fingers to keyboard, and update this blog! Since the last time I wrote, I have made the long journey home to East Texas and am now restored to my family (I think I have had too much leisure to read Jane Austen novels since coming home!).

I left on March 1st, and although I am writing this with humor it was heart wrenching to leave. The younger kids and the girls sobbed, my best friend Leydi and I sobbed, and the older boys ate donuts! :) As I got on that airplane, I thought my heart would break. The older couple sitting next to me observed my tears, but thankfully didn't pry. My emotions were so raw and still are, although, I am doing a better job of hiding them.

On a happier note I am getting to see all the changes in my brothers, sister, and niece. It is very funny to see how grown up they are now. So much changes in such a short time. If we blink, we miss it.

It is hard to write much more without crying, so I will save the post about my final days at the Ranch for later. It's sufficient for now just to be home and trying to adjust. My post on how weird it is to be once again immersed into American culture will be forthcoming!

La Gringa Loca