And then there were two...

I´m a numbers person. Not in the fact that I´m a math person, much to my mothers dismay (A math brain seems a little more reliable in today´s job market :-), but in the fact that I´m a detail oriented person: How many gallons of koolaid for dinner? How many colored tickets do I need for the clothing handout this week? Well this week, CHI was blessed with the presence of 47 servents from Pennsylvania and North Carolina. The sentiment in the title reflects how quiet this place seems now, with only BJ and me.

It was so awesome to reaquaint with old friends and faces, and meet dozens of new ones. This group accomplished so much, brought so much energy and they will all be missed. With so many people, this group had a little bit of everything. Many jobs were completed, and so so many smiles graced the faces of the children. En lieu of the usual nightly game of futbol (soccer) this group ended each night with a massive dance party that included Little Sally Walker, Cotton Eyed Joe, and YMCA. It was great to see everyone let loose and just be silly.These little moments I know I will always remember, and I am so blessed to have a front row seat at this place that so many people love. At the end of each week, when we say good-bye to each group, I get to stay. I do not take this for granted. I do realize how unbelievably lucky I am to be serving God in this manner, and I thank Him every single day for calling me to Reynosa once again.


I´m a numbers person, so it has not escaped my eyes that BJ and I only have three weeks left. I pray for strength to make it to the end, and even more, for the strength it will to take to drive away for the last time, knowing the summer has ended. I hope to live every moment, whether dancing in the cancha, spending time in a morning devotional, or fumbling through my Spanish. Thanks once again to all who have made it possible for me to be here, doing what I LOVE.

Dios les bendiga!
Eliza

Perla came for a visit, just thought I would post this so old friends could see a familiar face! She´s doing well and about to start working.

¡Pura Vida!

I've been state-side for the past couple of days, helping out at the office in Pharr. Above are some of the faces I miss, but it is always a welcome opportunity to reconnect with the American side of the ministry. As much as I LOVE living at the home in Reynosa, it is so so so important to remember that we could not have the children's home in Mexico without all of the work done here in Texas. I send my thanks out into the abyss for each volunteer that has put their heart and soul into Children's Haven in whichever way God has called them.

I'm awaiting the arrival of our GRUPO GIGANTE. This week we have groups coming from three separate churches, totaling at a whopping 47 people. Anyone who has spent a week at the home can imagine what shower time will look like in the dorms :-) I ask for your prayers for the TEAMS safe arrivals from Pennsylvania and North Carolina, and that we may be God's hands for the week, doing His work at the Children's home.

I've had a very pleasant week of rest and I am so excited to get back to Reynosa and get EXCITED! A large portion of the kids have been gone for the last couple of weeksto visit family members, and it will be so so good to have the homes filled again. We are celebrating the arrival of two "new" sets of House Parents, Tios Mariano and Silvia, as well as Tios Jorge and Lucy. As well as the joy that comes in seeing these past members of the home return (Both sets of Tios have worked as House Parents at some point in the last 5-10 years), this week brings some bittersweet feelings as we say goodbye to Hugo and Rosa Ortiz Rodriguez and their daughter Dalia who have been Tios at the home for the past six years. They will be moving back to Tampico, MX where their family lives and I ask for your prayers for them, as they say good-bye and transition back to life outside of Children's Haven.
That's all I've got for now! I have crossed my halfway mark, and I cannot believe how quickly this summer is flying by. I hope that you are all having safe and blessed Julys .

Hasta pronto...
Eliza

Falcon Dam

July 4th brought sunshine and fun to the members of Children's Haven International. For my first 4th out of the U.S. I didn't stray too far from my native soil. Falcon Dam bridges the border between Mexico and the states, so although I wasn't technically home, this lake created by the dam is the closest I've felt to MN thus far. After a great day of fun in the sun, with a grilled lunch for all of the children, staff, and volunteers, we packed up and thought that we were all headed back to RIN. A right at the exit of Falcon park would keep us in Mexico and take us back to Reynosa, we took a left. We were smuggling dozens of Mexican children into the United States! Not exactly... but we did go and spend a few minutes at the actual border between these two countries, and the kids were ECSTATIC. At first they couldn't comprehend what we were saying, that they were going to the U.S. This idea is so taboo that they continued to clarify as we were headed toward the border. As a United States citizen, with my magical passport that is rarely, if ever, questioned in any country, it was extremely humbling to remember how blessed we are to be from a country that so many people trust. I hope that you all had a blessed Independence Day weekend, full of all that makes America great and I hope that we all remember how lucky we are that we were born North of the Rio Grande. Being a citizen of the U.S. is a gift, and if we all realized that and used that gift to care for those less fortunate than ourselves, we would all live in a better world.

The children had an awesome 4th of July. We weren't celebrating American independence, but I was celebrating all that makes the United States of America great, while sharing it with our neighbors to the south.

Dios les bendiga los Estados Unidos de America y los Estados Unidos Mexicanos.
God Bless the United States of America and the United States of Mexico.

And may we remember that we are all citizens of one world, God's world, God's children.