Jesús ha resucitado! Aleluya!

A very happy Easter to all. I hope this finds you all well recovered from all that rejoicing, Easter egg hunts and jelly beans. This monday, life is back to business at El Santuario as we are busyly preparing for the return of more of our children from vacations and the arrival of new ones. Easter and the days leading up to it were lovely here and oh-so-latino, I loved it. I will insert a photo from Palm Sunday where the people of the town put a statue of Jesus on a donkey and then lead a procession before Mass, you know, Jesus ¨entering Jerusalem on a donkey with palm fronds across his path¨, yep, we acted it out, it was amazing. Then we the Masses for Holy Thursday and Good Friday with stations of the cross acted out by some of our older kids and then our really long but pretty cool Easter vigil Mass Saturday night and our Easter day Mass yesterday morning. Lots of Masses, lots of processions, lots of love for the risen Christ - it was unforgettable and my words can never do justice.



Our trip to Cuenca was a mild success, we were impressed with the foundation, met with the director and got to see one of their homes. But, they can´t take Jamil right now. We have hope that in June, when they are supposedly opening a new facility, it is then that they have promised to take him. In the meantime we will continue to look for other options for this precious baby. Please continue your prayers for that.

I have four more weeks to spend in this place that I love so dearly and I am trying to spend them well and get a few projects done. I need your help with one of these. I need to come up with $3,000 in the next few weeks so that some of our kids can stay at home with their newly rehabilitated families. It takes $50 a month to support a family with schooling and groceries. I am looking for 5 kids ($600 per kid) for a year, equaling the $3,000. If you can help, please go to www.missionsantamaria.com where you can pay with credit card or bank transfer and then please send me a message so that I can have that money set aside from the general account. Whatever you can give, whether be 1 time donation of $20 or a promise of monthly support, it would be so very much appreciated.

Off and running to get back to the children and misioñeras that I love. I am so sorry that I cannot better express to you how wonderful a place this is and how much it means to me. Suffice it to say that as I sit and stare into the Pacific ocean and think about being on the other side of the world away from it all, all the love that I have for this place presses against my chest and threatens to explode. The difficult thing is that I know that I am going back to new and exciting things and people I love as well, I just don´t know how I´ll ever say goodbye here. Jesus, I trust in You.

Felices Pascuas from the flipside...

Return from the Jungle/Beginning of Goodbyes

Hello one and all, as always, I beg pardon for the delay in blogs, I think I´m losing my blogging-steam.

Much new to report from this end of the world. First, the mission to Tena with the FUS students was awesome and grace-filled, thanks to all of you who brought so much zeal and love for missions, it was great to see you all. Second, it´s official, my mission compañera of six months has left. Mariya has returned home to study for the MCAT as she feels called to apply to med school. It was a very sad goodbye and we still miss her very much, I am not looking forward to telling the children (who are now returning from vacations) that their beloved nurse has been lead off by the Lord down another road. Pues, hagase tu voluntad Señor (be it done according to your will Lord).

Next, my news. I have been recently accepted to the grad programs at both Georgia State and Kennesaw State Universities. I am planning on entering the program at KSU and am excited about this new adventure. The sad news is that, while I thought I would be beginning much later, I actually have to be back April 23rd for orientation and then classes May 12th. It is bittersweet. I am excited for grad school but am heartbroken to be leaving this base that has become my home and these misioñeras who have become my family. I am blessed to have at least one more month with them and that time to wrap up some of my projects here. Please pray that I am able to find enough joy to enjoy these last few weeks at the most beautiful place I have yet to encounter on this earth.

We are off tomorrow to Cuenca to investigate a foundation that can potentially care for one of our babies, Jamil, who has cerebral palsy. It is a foundation that specializes in children like Jamil and can provide the therapy and education that he deserves. I am also in the middle of the investigatory phase for a new program for local young widows with small children. Mamita Isabel has seen a great need in this regard in the area, as once the husband dies they are often left with no income and few skills/opportunities, and so we are hoping to educate them and provide them with some skills to learn how to support themselves and their families. So, the next few weeks will be busy ones and hopefully blessed.

That is about all that I have for now, not feeling all that inspirational or deep at the moment. Perhaps after this last week of spiritual ¨dying¨ my blogging motivation will be resurrected with the Lord, haha. A prayerful holy week to all and a very blessed Easter, more later, as always, from the flipside.