Saying Goodbye

This last weekend was a challenge. We started with a going away party Saturday night for Lisa and Casey, followed by a few movies with compiled photos and video clips about our memories, stories and good ‘ole times. That was hard, emotionally, for some.

Sunday night was the departure of our famous couple, Lisa and Casey Hann. They have lived here at POPPYS House for the last 2.5 years –making and seeing lots of change. The girls have formed deep bonds with each of them, and some recognize them as their parents. Seeing them depart and knowing that it will probably be a long time before their return created a sad atmosphere.

The Hanns have been incredible in the program here. They have helped turn it around from one that was struggling, to one with structure and a future. Kelly and I have been very fortunate in learning from and working with, both of these guys. We, ourselves, have grown very close and will truly miss their remarkable presence. Casey and Lisa are heading back to Texas to start a family and find a teaching position. We pray for God’s guiding hand in their future and that of little Caleb Hann.

God places us all in positions for a reason; often ones in which we have no clue or understanding. Sometimes he calls us to do modest things, other times grandiose things. God does not always call the equipped, but he always equips the called. We know that God will continue to provide for POPPYS House like he always has, but in His time.

Here, Lisa and Casey are with Sarai and her mother, Olga.

Lisa was rubbing her belly on Kelly in hopes that it would get Kelly baby ready - hopefully that does not come true, yet.

Kelly and I were able to sneak in a photo as well.

Here is a group shot of everyone that showed up at the airport. TONS of people came to day goodbye. I imagine that many others wanted to come.

A few crashes too many

This last Sunday, Richard, Casey and I went out dirt biking. We made it about 45 minutes into the trip when the road became quite muddy and Richard ran into some problems. Three crashes later we decided to head on over to the ER and get Richard cleaned up. He walked away with a few scrapes (one which was stitch worthy), a couple of burns, a sore body, and an ER nurse who took a liking to Him which in turn gave us a discount. Not too shabby of a day…

This is accident No.1
This is accident no.2
This is the final accident, No.3

Final resting position, on the ER table.

¡Bicicletas!

Thanks to some friends in the USA, we have some bicycles for the girls. There are some little bikes for the kids, and three larger frame bikes for the girls. There have been a few minor crashes, but overall, the girls seem to be quickly learning to find their balance –and they are most thoroughly enjoying themselves. Here are some photos:

Here is Nelcy (on bike) and her sister Vanessa.

Here is Milagros posing for a shot.

Sarai is being a little shy on the bike, while Marcos is still trying to convince her it is his turn.

Here is Rosany stopping briefly to let me take a photo.

Leading out in Sabbath School

Through our church, we have a small group that meets every Friday night, and it is called, “Daughters of Destiny.” The ironic part is that it is lead by Casey and me. Our group was asked to lead out in Sabbath school –apparently all the groups do at some point. Due to some miscommunication, it took a few Sabbaths to get it right, but we finally did. It went a little longer that it was suppose to, but I think everything went as best as it could. Here are some photos:

Here is Lisa giving the mission story.

Singing.

Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo! What a cool day! Why? First of all, some battle happened in Mexico and it is hugely celebrated in the US. And...it´s my birthday!!! It was an awesome day (still is!) which started with a surprise presentation of a bunch of moustached girls singing me a Mexican song (might be the anthem) led by Princess. They crowned me with a sombrero and my own personal moustache. So cool!Above is our ¨revolutionary¨pose. Below, I´m Pancho Villa shooting my guns. Viva Mexico!

Dinner with friends

Many friends have been made while being down here and, sadly, many are leaving soon. A few nights ago, the Hanns and the Linfeet went out to eat with our good friends from church, Cleveland and Betzy. They have been a wonderful support for us down here and we have been so grateful for their friendship. Casey and Lisa are leaving for the USA in a few days. Betzy and Cleveland are moving to Lima in a few weeks. It was a wonderful evening laughing together and saying goodbye. We hope to see them again someday in the future.

Kindergarten’s day out

On Earth Day the Kindergarten classes paraded down the streets of Santo Tomas singing songs and learning about nature. Here is a shot of them walking by our front gate.

Stitches

The room next to ours is lacking a few things. It has taken some time, but the room is becoming more and more livable. This last week we have been putting in a ceiling –the final piece. During the process, one of the ceiling support boards decided to fall down from its anchor and come to rest on my head. Thus, I now have two, awesome, stitches.

The ER doc who gave me the stitches came in saying, “Nice. Give me five minutes max and you will be out of here.” I should have known. It turned out to be a rough process. After being anesthetized (so as to not “feel anything”), he was so determined to tie the stitches so tightly, yanking my head around, that it felt like he was trying to tie together two ships, with rope, during a storm. This all happened after vigorously cleaning my wound, or in a process as Kelly describes, “Scrubbing burnt, charred food from the bottom of a pan using steel wool.” And, surprisingly enough, it took roughly 5 minutes. But hey, I can’t complain, apparently the other hospitals in town don’t normally use anesthesia.


The picture below was taken after the ER trip and the blood shown are the streaks that dried up from dripping down from the edges of the wound. It just looked scary.

Mohawk Time

Every few months we go through and de-lice everyone. Here is a picture of Marcos rocking out while waiting to rinse out his hair.

Floating Bridge

Every Sunday two of our girls head over to Santa Clara for pathfinders. The bridge between us and this near by town has always been, well, rickety. Now it seems to have downgraded a little more. We now have a floating bridge with a maximum weight capacity, per section, of one, big gringo. When this capacity is exceeded, well, you sink into some smelly water. Here it is…

Pathfinder Sabbath

Recently, the churches put on a Sabbath run by the Pathfinder groups (Conquistadores). Ermelinda and Rosany participate in the group in a neighboring town, Santa Clara. Here are a couple pictures of them participating in the Pathfinders program at church.