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!
Kyleigh and Junior gave our dining hall a Christmas makeover. They turned it into a Disney wonderland and it looked beautiful for the kids and all of our guests during the holiday parties. It was a great way to get us all into the Christmas spirit.
Merry CHRISTmas and Happy New Year to everybody! December has been a great month and was full of fun & activities. We have been very blessed and our kids really enjoyed themselves during this holiday season. Thank you to everyone who donated to the orphanage this month and this past year! None of this would have been possible without your help.
We had TONS OF POSADAS (Christmas parties)! Just about everyday there was at least one party. The kids got lots of gifts and the orphanage got lots of donations. It is a HUGE blessing for us because many of the donations that we receive in December help us throughout the year. The kids performed dances for the guests, unwrapped lots of presents, broke open lots of piñatas, enjoyed a Christmas concert by a professional choir, laughed at the clown shows and much, much more. Good times!
Most of the posadas were at the orphanage but we got invited out to a huge event. The company, Donaldson, one of our biggest supporters, had their annual Christmas party and we took all of the kids. This is always a fun event for everybody. There's food, snacks, tons of astro jumps and activities for the kids. It's good to get everyone out and enjoy the change of scenery. Also we are very grateful for Donaldson's support and thankful that they invite us to this special occasion.
In the construction...
Amidst all of the partying I was still able to get some work done. This month was plagued with plumbing issues. Many of our drains all became clogged at the same time...when it rains it pours! I didn't get to advance as much as I would've liked to in the school, but these plumbing problems became top priority and I had to focus on fixing them. There were some nasty jobs and I'll spare you the details but hopefully everything will be functioning just fine for a long time.
I had some of the older girls help out because they were the ones throwing stuff down the toilets, instead of the trash cans, which led to this problem in the first place. They were great helpers and definitely "got their hands dirty!"
I installed 4 windows...2 in our guard house & 2 in the library. Winter is here and it gets COLD at night. The guards were asking me for windows to block the wind so I got right on it. I also put in a light and an electrical outlet so they could charge their phones. The library won't be used for a while but the windows will help cut down on the dust and keep everything looking nice for the opening.
Kyleigh painted some murals on our new wall. As a thank you to some of our biggest supporters, we painted their logos on our wall and revealed them to the companies when they came for their Christmas parties. We really appreciate their support and are so thankful for all they do to bless Dulce Refugio.
I got a lot more of the 2nd floor hallway tiled. I wanted to finish but due to all of the plumbing issues, I didn't get as much time to work in the school as I would've liked.
We received 4 new kids this month:
Luis is an older boy and had a tough time adjusting. He did not want to be at Dulce Refugio and kept to himself for the first week or two. He is finally coming out of his shell and asks me all the time if I need help with anything. He's a good kid and I plan on working with him a lot around the orphanage.
Pandora, Benjamin & Caleb are brothers and sister and are very young. They require lots of attention and our staff is up to the challenge. Pandora & Benjamin are quiet and sweet but the youngest, Caleb, has an attitude. Hopefully he will start to come around soon and smile more.
We said goodbye to 4 kids this month:
Jorge & Maria (Luz) have been with us for almost a year and were both such joys to be around. Jorge is a very sweet kid and was always willing to help me in the construction. His sister Maria was hyper and always laughing. She almost shouted when she talked and I would always joke with her to "stop yelling at me!" She is such a cutie. I really wish them the best and hope they end up in good hands.
Marco & Israel were only with us for less than a month but they are a great testimony to the job we are doing at Dulce Refugio. When they showed up it was one of the worst cases I've seen. They were screaming and crying and pretty much had to be ripped from the car. BUT in just a few weeks they were crying when they left because they enjoyed being with us so much. I'm glad they liked being in our care and hope they are headed to a nice home.
After all the kids had their parties, it was time for the adults. The staff had its Christmas party and we had a nice carne asada dinner, fun with piñatas (I broke it in one stroke...good thing we had multiple pinatas), a secret Santa gift exchange and lots of laughs. It was good to get away from the kids for a bit and have a fun, work-free night with everybody.
I got to go home to San Diego and see the family for Christmas. I actually got to have two Christmases with the family. The 1st in San Diego with my brother and his family and later with my sister and her family in Phoenix, Arizona. It is always a blessing to go home and see everybody. I hope everyone else enjoyed the holiday season and that 2018 was a great/blessed year. Thank you to everybody for your support & prayers and I look forward to sharing all that God is doing down in Aguascalientes, Mexico with you in 2019.
