MCC Kits brighten some faces

Last week, Abby and I were privileged to distribute some MCC newborn kits to pregnant women and mothers with newborns in San Pablo, a community in which we work. The list of women was not exclusive; it didn’t matter if they were evangelical or Catholic. If they had a need, they were included.

The newborn kits include:
# 2 gowns/sleepers (flannel or similar warm, soft material)
# 2 undershirts/onesies (short or long sleeves)
# 4 cloth diapers (flat-fold preferred)
# 1 receiving blanket (light weight fleece or flannel; minimum 92cm / 36 in)
# 4 safety pins (5cm / 2in)
# 1 large bar mild soap (leave in wrapper)
# 1 pair of socks
# 1 cap
To help make a kit or donate supplies, go to http://www.mcc.org/kits

As the womens names were called and they timidly stepped forward to receive a kit, I couldn’t help but notice the babies, dirty, skinny and sometime wearing nothing more than a rag for a diaper. The children wandering around were also dirty, barefoot and very curious, but none wanted to hold still for a photo!



After receiving the kits, they profusely thanked us and slowly walked back to their homes, laughing and talking excitedly amongst each other.

Lent

What to do for Lent?

Lent came up so quickly, before I realized it, it had already started, and I had yet to decide on what to give up for Lent. I really felt like I was supposed to give up something...and put that time towards seeking God.

Lent is generally a time of searching for God. So this is a special Lent for me, as this season of my life is looking ahead to many changes, and I feel like I have so many questions for God. Where will we live? What kind of work should Steve do? What do you want as our vision, for our family? For ourselves, personally? For the rest of Lent, I hope to spend some time on my knees, and seeking God as we embrace our "new" life back in the States.

In some ways, we feel more afraid and unsettled of moving back to the US than we were when we came here. Will we fit in? Will we adjust to our new way of life? Will we forget our Spanish? and what about school for the boys? There are SO many unknowns.

There really aren't that many choices, since I don't do very much here. But in the end, I decided to give up Facebook and the internet in general, when I'm at home. I decided to put my time towards my boys, my spouse and God, while I'm at home.

So if you haven't heard from me in a while, yes, I'm hiding. Hiding with my little men and in search of the Almighty.

This is the way we wash our clothes...

Just a quick peek into how we wash and dry clothes...without washers or dryers.



The first step in washing clothes is to soak them.



Then you put them on the lavandero (the concrete washboard) and scrub them with another type of bar soap, and then hang them to dry. Repeat for as many pieces of clothes you have!



Meet our washer...also our cook, floor sweeper and occasional babysitter.

Making a Splash!

Less than 5 months left, do we buy one..or not? That is the question we ask ourselves whenever we are tempted to buy something here. Our time here is quickly drawing to a close and so, everything we buy will soon have to be sold or hauled back to the US.

So do we..or don't we? But with the intense heat, we finally decided to buy our first, and last, kids pool. We figured that with no rain and only intense heat for the next 3 months, it would get lots of use.

So we managed to squeeze in the pool into our tiny space of a patio, amidst the plants and drying clothes. The boys love it and spend most of their time playing and splashing. Sebastian isn't too sure yet...he's not a water lover like his brothers. But with the temperature already climbing into the 90's and only threatening to get worse in the coming months, it was definitely worth it.

Below, Jacqueline (our housekeeper) watches Seb and Than.