Dear prayer warriors,

I feel your prayers keenly. Amazing doors are opening here. Two weeks ago Mother Virginia asked if I could have a talk with the older girls, something from the Bible, maybe a verse or two, please? I thought perhaps I forgot my hearing aid (just kidding). I didn’t do anything the next day, probably because I was afraid the girls would laugh at the idea. I underestimate God. After the first talk, Doris said, “Lily, I liked your talk.”

So far we’ve had three “platicas”(talks). I am trying to keep them informal, and let the girls share as well, about their favorite food, one of their dreams, etc. I am using the “Bridge Illustration”to share the plan of salvation. Trying to keep them from interrupting has been my biggest challenge. Lupita loved talking about the church she attended where they jumped around and spoke in tongues, and Irazema insisted on informing us about purgatory and some other level of hell. Pray that God’s Spirit would move. I need His abundant wisdom to answer their questions.

On a lighter side, tonight we caught three mice in our kitchen, within one hour. I got Roy to take them out for me. I think he liked the ”macho” job. The four older boys need a role model so badly. Even the boys in the nursery, Larry and Angel, need a man. Tonight they were jumping on me and beating me up until I felt rather bruised.

I marvel how happy the children are. After I took Perla to the nursery this morning, I stopped to give Jenifer a hug. With a twinkle in her eye, she said, “Which would you like, pizza or cake?”

I said, “Pizza.” She reached into her sweater and pulled out the ”pizza.” I pretended to eat it with a lot of gusto. Later she offered me Spider Man candy and Hello Kitty candy and Barbie candy. I always refused the Spider Man candy, much to her delight. Where does she get her imagination? I think of all the verses that talk of God’s care for the orphans, and I feel like I am being first witness of their fulfillment.

Last Tuesday Gordon took us to see the old people’s home/shelter they have been helping. A lot of the people were sitting outside, and it wasn’t a very warm day either. Lisa, Gordon’s visitor, had taken some caps and scarves, so we helped her hand them out.

Have you been thankful lately for a hot shower? How about water? The man in charge of the home has a $700 water bill, and he’s afraid they will shut down the water if it doesn’t get paid. I can’t imagine a place like that without water. They often go without hot water as well, because they can’t afford the propane.

We took a four day vacation over Thanksgiving. Imagine taking a shower without wearing sandals! And sleeping in the morning without hearing little boys at 5:45! Our Thanksgiving Dinner was a little less than traditional: breakfast at Denny’s :-). Sharmen’s friend Twyla Dueck and Twyla’s co-teacher Susanna Miller came from Arizona. We visited some of the children that Twyla and Sharmen had worked with at Shining Light orphanage, went material shopping, etc.

Today I was discouraged/depressed again about conditions here. Unkindness. Deception. Unfairness. Uncaring. Haphazardness. Sometimes I can block it all out. Sometimes I can’t. I’m not sure which is worse. I hope I never become callous to the conditions here, but sometimes blocking it out is easier on my health.

God bless you all with His presence. Don’t forget to thank Him today for water, for food, for a hot shower, for kind friends, for an insulated house, and for a mom and dad who love you. You are blessed.

With my love,
Liliana

Dear friends,

Last week a twenty-seven year old girl from San Diego landed in our
orphanage. Her Mexican parents had been in United States legally for years, but for some reason they had never done the necessary paperwork for Olga. Suddenly last week the police showed up for her and deported her to Mexico. Her mother had been a regular supporter of this orphanage for years, so she knew Olga would be safe here.

Very safe, in fact. Olga needed permission to join us on our evening
walk around and around the patio. She needed permission to do a lot of things, really. Just a few days before this well-dressed American girl had a good job at a Mexican restaurant in San Diego, and suddenly she finds herself living in a noisy, dirty orphanage.

We were very happy for Olga when her parents came for her after a few days. They had been trying to work together with their lawyer to get the necessary paperwork for her. As they were leaving, I asked Olga if all the paperwork had been taken care of. “Kind of,” she said, and she was gone. I would love to know what that meant. How did they got her back over the border? Olga’s story puts a human face to the immigration “problem.” These are real people.

Visitors here are almost as rare as green grass, but last week we were blessed with visitors three times. Tuesday Curtis and his dad, Isaac, were passing through, and took us to a restaurant for some tasty Mexican food. The next day they brought Corey and Dolores Yoder to see Sharmen, and we had a little coffee party in our colorful kitchen (each wall a different bright color). On Thursday Jacob and Amy and Ian were doing some work here, and bought pizza for lunch. Spoiled missionaries, don’t you think?

Maria is the thirteen-year-old girl who is often in charge of opening
the gate. A month ago we were relieved when her pregnancy test came back negative. Lately I have been spending about an hour a day teaching her a few things about the computer and the Internet. But Maria will be transferred to another orphanage in a week or so. I have been using part of the “Bridge Illustration” to share the plan of salvation with her. Pray that God would open her heart and that I would have uninterrupted time with her (no bells ringing to open the gate) to finish it.

We have organized the girls’ clothes for the second time since we are here. This time we actually labeled the shelves and narrowed the categories to three sizes: large, medium, small. We also got all the barrels of underwear out of the dining room. Good plan, don’t you think??? After four months of living here, I still fuss and fume at
the mix of things we find in the wrong place. Boys’ clothes, girls’
clothes, sheets, blankets, old curtains, afghans, and stuffed animals
all conglomerated in those overflowing barrels.

At one time we thought Perla was not normal. She seemed listless,
never talked, and often sat by herself. Slowly her personality is
unfolding. When she comes back with us in the evening, she gibbers
and jabbers and makes towers from the blocks. I think all the extra
attention she gets is making a difference.

Keep praying that we could make differences here that would last for
eternity. Pray for wisdom to know how to do that. Also pray for
Julieta. She is a mom that has a lot of authority here, and she
causes a lot of sadness. I have seen tears from both moms and
children because of her. I wonder what past hurts in her life could
cause such callousness and uncaring.

God bless you all with His presence, and thanks so much to all of you
who are still praying.

Only because of Him,
Liliana