Ninos de Mexico: Day 6

Feliz Cumpleanos, Lilliana!  Today we helped celebrate the birthday of Lilliana, one of the girls here at the Genesis house, who turned 19 today. Lauren made brownies and Steph wrapped fingernail polish for each of the girls as a party favor and the box of beads and another storage box we gave to Lilliana.  It was fun to surprise her and share in her special day.  Work project progressed as Wes finished painting the office; Tim, Greg, and Jackie continued painting the dining room and kitchen in the girls' area; Dave and Chris had some fun jobs with plumbing; Lori and Lauren finished cataloging and filing curriculum; and Steph and I made a Wal-Mart run for presents and helped out here and there in between.  About 4:00 we headed over to the Bethel House, which houses boys ages 3-22.  This is a house with a lot of personality.  We've gotten to know several of the boys as they have been working at the Genesis house during the day.  They are all typical teenagers in their interactions with each other and guests.  A couple of them are quite the characters!  Victor, a past Ninos kid and trained chef prepared an amazing meal for all of us.  You'll get the English description since I don't remember the names of the foods in Spanish - tortilla soup, pasta salad, chip/beans, and a sort of chicken cordon bleu with a chipotle sauce - very yummy!  We got a little bit more of culture as we went to watch several of the boys from Esperanza and Bethel play in a league semi-finals soccer match.  The "road" leading off the main street to the field was more a series of ruts, holes, and rocks which rolled the van pretty well as we dodged everything.  The game didn't end in our favor, but it was great to see the guys in their element.  We closed the day with a devo by Steph and Lauren reminding us of where our treasure should be and what we've seen this week to be treasure in heaven. 

Thank you all for your comments and encouraging notes!  We don't have much time to be online, but everyone wants to know who has responded to the latest blog.  We are loving our time here, enjoying each other as a team, and grateful for the different ways God reveals Himself to us.  Can't believe we only have one more full day before we head home. 

Diana