Mission Trip-Building a home in Mexico

Colleen went to Mexico over Christmas break with the church she is attending while at college. They took a team of young adults and built a house through the group Casas por Cristo. This organization uses volunteer teams and donated materials to build houses for families in and around Juarez, Mexico. I was so nervous to have her going to Juarez, but I tried to hand my worries over to God while she did His work. I tend to be an overprotective mama, so this was a growing experience for me too.

Some neighborhood girls

Colleen was so excited to find that she spoke Spanish well enough to serve as one of the group's translators. She was minoring in Spanish, but now is thinking of changing to Spanish Education. She learned so much and was truly blessed by going on this trip.

Colleen and one of the littlest family members.

Here she is working on the inside of the home. They do not have running water inside the home, but they do have electricity. It's built on a concrete slab the team poured the first day. This home has 3 rooms and was built in 3 days. The homeowners were given instructions and supplies to mud the drywall inside after the team left.

Helping a little homeowner drive a nail.

Jill and Colleen stucko the outside. Jill also grew up in our church and is dating our son.

Done!

The family's children putting handprints on their new front stoop.

New homeowners!

This is what it's all about.

The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."
~Galatians 5:14

Happy Hiefer International New Year!

I think our New Year's family fundraiser for Heifer International was successful. As you might recall our family decided not to exchange Christmas gifts among the cousins and aunts and uncles. We've had some lay-offs and downturns in business in the family this past year, so it was time to rethink the gift exchange. Instead, we threw cash into a basket...could be any thing from the change lying around the house to whatever you would have spent on gifts...totally up to the giver.


Then we had the kids sort and count the money. They took their job very seriously. It turned out to be a fun activity for them. I don't think most of them had ever handled so much money.


Here Jacob is using the cowboy's rifle to hold up the bank. LOL



Counting....

Counting.....We totaled up 580 dollars.

Then it was time to figure out what animals the kids wanted to buy. I put up pages from Heifer's catalog describing each animal, how it would help a family, and the cost. They picked a llama, pig, 6 rabbits, goat, sheep, flock of ducks, flock of chicks and honeybees. The adults were thrilled to have a more economical Christmas, less fuss trying to find presents for kids who already have so much, and we wanted to show the kids how important it is to help others. The kids seemed be excited that they were helping kids around the world have a better life. We were a little worried that the little kids would miss the presents, but they were excited about what we were doing and they want to do it again next year.


Of course, we were not just counting money all night....we were having a party too!

A different kind of Christmas giving........and a request for party ideas!

Times are tight with lay-offs and all the talk of the economy. Some of that has already touched members of our extended family so we thought we might try something that will simplify our giving, and enhance it at the same time.

Normally we buy gifts for all the aunts, uncles and cousins. This year instead of having the usual gift exchange we are going to gather for a New Year's Eve celebration and bring contributions to throw into a common piggy bank. Other friends usually come for New Years and they will be welcome to add to the gift too if they wish. Then later in the evening we will have the kids count it and decide what kind of animals we can buy through Heifer International. Our town has a big First Night celebration and we thought the we could mail off our gift when we go uptown for the entertainment.

Not sure what Heifer is all about? From their website:

"Heifer’s mission is to end hunger and poverty while caring for the earth. For more than 60 years, Heifer International has provided livestock and environmentally sound agricultural training to improve the lives of those who struggle daily for reliable sources of food and income. And since 1944, we have helped 48 million people through training in livestock development and livestock gifts that multiply.

Every gift of an animal provides direct benefits such as milk, eggs, wool, fertilizer, as well as indirect benefits that increase family incomes for better housing, nutrition, health care and school fees for children. Recipients “pass on the gift” of offspring of their cows, goats and other livestock to others in an ever-widening circle of hope.

Heifer currently works in more than 57 countries, including the U.S."

Now, I'd like to make this fun for the kids...especially the little ones who are still in grade school. If you have any ideas themed around farm animals, I'd love to hear them! Just leave me a comment with ideas or links to them. Thanks!

Painting the Garage and Fireball Run

I painted the garage about 8 years ago. It was definitely time to do it again. Our son has been home lately because he is laid off from his job for, hopefully, just a few weeks. He is an apprentice pipefitter and the slowdown in construction in this economy is coming home to roost. Here the garage is...he has already scraped it.


This is the backside which never did get painted the first time. We keep ladders stored by hanging on this back side.


He's got it this side primed today before he had to leave for school. It's looking so much better already.


Tonight Joe and I gave Hawkeye a haircut. We clip him short...and then he gets more and more lamb like as it grows back. The haircut lasts longer this way, and the burrs are a lot easier to get out after romp in the country. I hate using a flash on dogs....you always get that doggie "red" eye.

Here's another fun thing we did lately. The Fireball Run stopped in our town for lunch. It's a scavenger hunt done by people who have some really awesome cars. It's kind of like "The Amazing Race" but across the US and done to publicize the plight of missing children...and hopefully find them. One of the goals is to pass out flyers with missing children's photos in as many places as possible. This is my son and Dot's son by the car from the movie Back to the Future II. Our little town was full of Jaguars, Lamborginis, Ferraris, and all kinds of cool vehicles.

Cleaning Up...and all

Our town is cleaning up after the flood. Many homes have huge piles of all their ruined belongings on the curb. Now carpeting, drywall and such is appearing in those piles as well. The Red Cross is in town giving assistance to those who need it. I don't know how they are going to clean up some of the homes....such a mess. It really makes me think about what the south is still dealing with after Katrina. Our flood was so small compared to Katrina, but many families are dealing with losing so much that is important to them. We were very fortunate at our home. Our garage flooded and we are making our pile of stuff that was ruined, but we had no damage in our home.
I've started a short term project and I'm making pretty good time on it. I'm crocheting a blanket for Tricot du Coeur. We are making blankets for Victory Junction Camp. Children with many different health problems get to attend camp free...it looks like a fabulous place. Each child also takes home a Teddy bear and a handmade afghan. The only requirement is size and bright colors. The deadline to donate through Tricot du Coeur is March 30 so if you have time you might want to check it out. I'm pretty sure you can donate a handmade blanket at any time directly to the camp as well.

Since this is a ripple blanket, I'm also joining the Ripplealong gang.