What's going on at Dulce Refugio
I know that many people have passed through this orphanage and left their mark at Dulce Refugio. I want to keep all of you informed about what is going on with the kids and the construction process. Please remember to keep us in your thoughts and prayers; I hope you continue to help us out here at Casa Hogar Dulce Refugio. Gracias amigos!
August has come and gone and so has the summer. The kids are now back in school and we are starting to return to the regular routine. But we had lots to do and lots of activities planned so they could finish their vacation on a fun note. And as always, there are never a lack of things to do in the construction.
In the construction...
We finished tiling the 2nd of 4 rooms on the 3rd floor. Once again the black grout stained the tiles pretty bad so I had some of the boys help me clean it. We have to scrub each individual tile with an acid cleaner so the extra hands were much appreciated.
And a special thanks to Gabriel, a local from Aguascalientes, who has been showing up regularly to help out. He is helping put in the grout in the 1st picture.
I started tiling the hallway on the 1st floor. I didn't get to finish this month but I plan on making the hallways looks really nice with some tile artwork. That open space in the middle will have some cool images. I hope to post them soon.
We are really decorating the front of the school and giving it some life. We bought a tree (a Brazilian Pirul), which will grow really tall and give lots of shade. This tree was planted right in the middle of the courtyard and we also made some concrete curbs and planted other smaller trees that will grow and give color. We plan on putting in lots of grass, and colored stones. It should look really pretty when it's all finished.
This month we didn't receive any new children but we did say goodbye to 3. Angel left suddenly and I never had a chance to say goodbye. And brothers, Salvador & Manuel returned back to a different orphanage here in Aguascalientes.
Angel
Salvador & Manuel
Kyleigh has left. After being here for 2 months helping out it was time for her to go back to Ohio and go back to school. She was a tremendous help while she was here and it was so nice having another set of hands around at the orphanage...responsible adult hands! She is very dedicated to the work and to the children and she will be missed. The kids really love her. Thanks again Kyleigh and we hope to see you again soon.
Adilena (Adi) with her face covered in concrete.
Nate and Kate Burkhardt, regular volunteers of Dulce Refugio, stopped by on their honeymoon. They spent a week at the beach and then came to Aguascalientes. They hung out with the kids, helped paint, and helped pour concrete. Congratulations Mr & Mrs Burkhardt! May God bless your marriage and may you guys live happily ever after. Thanks for stopping by.
Some of the kids had a little fun painting their faces (and our clothes) with concrete as we worked...this kind of stuff usually tends to happen when they are around during working hours.
MORE BUNNIES!! I bought a tiny black bunny for a whopping 50 pesos (around $3 US) and a friend donated 2 HUGE female bunnies. The friend said he is going to donate a full grown male bunny so we can start having lots of babies in the coming months.
A group of friends of the orphanage got together to plan a fundraiser for us. Lots of people showed up and there was lots to do. We had games, food, candy, dancing and even Spider-Man showed up...the kids loved that! (My personal favorite was the taco stand). Recently, this group has been regularly helping us out and showing lots of interest in being part of the work here at Casa Hogar Dulce Refugio. We really appreciate all of their efforts. It is a huge blessing for the kids and the staff.
The last week before school the director, Marce, planned a bunch of activities for the kids. They did dare challenges, played capture the flag and another game where they basically just threw paint and flour all over each other....I stayed far away from that game. It was their last chance to "go crazy" before they had to get serious and go back to school. They had lots of fun (and got really messy) but it was a good way to finish the summer.
For the dare challenges some had to dress up like "senoras" (older women), some got buckets of water dumped on them while in their clothes, and others got a whole bunch of stuff in their hair: eggs, mustard, mayonnaise, dirt, etc....I also stayed far away from this game!
Philip & Jennifer Ardrey came down to visit. They are regulars here at Dulce Refugio and they are in the process of adopting one of our older girls, Fernanda. They took Fernanda out for the weekend and had a great time in a different city. They visited Leon, Mexico and went to a big waterpark. Hopefully the long adoption process will be over soon so Fernanda can start her new life in the USA with Philip and Jennifer.
We started a music class. A group of professional musicians have decided to come 3 days a week for the next year in order to teach some of our children singing and piano. Lots of the kids showed interest and many signed up to take lessons.
Also, a special thank you to the company Donaldson, who donated a brand new piano/keyboard for our music program.
Has it been 6 months already?!? I had to make the biannual trip up to the border for my car permit again. 20 hours in a car only to spend 20 minutes in an office. It's a lot of work but at least I'm here legally. AND the Mexican government can't keep my $400 US deposit that they hold in case I overstay my deadline.
On August 30th I flew home to San Diego. It has been about 4 months since I've seen my family so it was about that time. Also, I get to meet my NEW NEPHEW!! Ryder Isaiah Seski was born August 3, 2017. He's such a lil cutie! It'll be good to see family and rest for a little bit. I'll be back down in Aguascalientes in about 2 weeks.
