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!
March has been exciting. I started a new project that is going to be a tremendous blessing to the Casa Hogar and I have some volunteers to help me get things done at a much faster pace. I really appreciate all of the support from my home church, Horizon, and from everybody for making so many of these projects possible. May God bless you guys abundantly just as you have blessed us here at Dulce Refugio!!
This month was full of goodbyes. After 2 1/2 years Eli decided it was time to start a new chapter in her life. Eli was in charge of the boys' dorm and had a lot of love in her heart for the kids. She was a hard worker and a big blessing for the orphanage. She will always be a part of the Dulce Refugio family and will be missed. Eli and her 3 boys (Abner, Abimael & Abraham) moved to a house a couple of miles away and we will still be able to see them when they stop by to visit. God bless you guys!
We said goodbye to Pilar & Cesar. Pilar was on staff for the last couple of years and helped out in so many ways. She lived in the girls dorm and was heavily involved with the kids. She did lots of administrative work for the director and helped organize lots of the daily details here at Dulce Refugio. Pilar and her boyfriend Cesar, who also helped out a lot, have decided to live off site with their son Leonel. We wish them the best!
Also I was able to finish the fence in front of their yard. It was the least I could do for all of their service over the years.
And Kika also decided to move off site. Kika grew up in the Casa Hogar for many years and recently became part of our staff. She is going to college and wants to become more independent. We are praying for her that she will stay on the right path and accomplish all of her goals & dreams.
On a side note, please pray for us! We have lost 3 staff members in one month and are currently very understaffed for all of these children. We want to provide the best environment possible for our kids and we need Christians who have a heart to love and serve in this ministry.
We have gotten some more help. Two young men/brothers, David & Isaí, from the church that I attend have moved on site and are helping out where they can. Isaí is full time with the boys and has been a HUGE blessing! David has a full time job outside and helps out on the weekends when he has free time.
We received one new boy this month. His name is Brian and he is a happy kid with a good attitude. I'm looking forward to getting to know him during his time at Dulce Refugio.
In the construction...
We started making a garden. I'm excited for this project that I've wanted to do for a while now. It is a big piece of land 18 x 10.3 meters (60 x 35 feet) and will soon be full of fresh fruit and vegetables...the kids are really excited about the vegetables haha!!
I got 2 new volunteers this month:
Michelle is from Canada and currently lives in Aguascalientes. She found my blog on the internet and decided to show up and help out. She helped paint the wood for the garden with lacquer and has a big heart for the kids...especially for our youngest boy Caleb.
Nick is from Florida and has been showing up a couple days a week to help me with the garden project. He has been a big help with pouring concrete, putting up chain link fence & building the boxes for planting vegetables. Praise God for the extra hands to help out!
A group of 25 people from a local bank came and helped out for a couple of hours. We got a lot of work done in a short time. They dug a bunch of holes where we are gonna plant the fruit trees outside of the garden. We also put up a lot of chain link fence and they sealed all of the wood for the garden boxes. Gracias "Compartamos Banco!"
I got started on installing the door handles for the school. 5 down, 13 to go.
I took some of the older boys out shooting (BB guns of course) and we had a great time. It's nice to hang out with them outside of the orphanage and away from work.
And to end on a personal note, I had my dog Canela fixed. Having dogs spayed here isn't really the norm so people kept asking me "why would you do that?" My response was: "She's a nun. No dogs are touching her!" Anyway, she is now fully recovered and back to her normal routine.