Welcome Home!

We left Guatemala and flew home to Pennsylvania on September 29. We were grateful for the opportunity to serve with Orphan Resources for two years. It was a privilege and an honor.


We were surprised to find a group of folks from Blue Ball Church of the Brethren waiting to greet us at the Newark airport. What a wonderful welcome home!

Emily's Birthday

Emily celebrated her 13th birthday on September 20. We invited the Freeds over for cake and ice cream.


Wow, a teenager!

Good-by Rosa de Amor

Yesterday (Sunday) afternoon we visited the Rosa de Amor orphanage one last time. I prepared an activity for the kids, as they love crafts.


Maria and Kati


Charlie and Emily with little Rosita.


I also gave each child a coloring book and crayons, thanks to Ron Good and his "coloring book project". Miguel asked Alisha to help him color.


Here I am with most of the children who live at the home. Oh, how hard it was to say good-by!

Roller Coaster

Last Sunday after church we went to the Carrion mall for lunch with some friends from church.


This is the first time we've been to this interesting mall in Guatemala City. There is a roller coaster inside the mall!


Everyone except Maria and Emily went for a ride. Even Tony went, although he told me that he only enjoyed the straight parts.


There were also bumper cars. Tony rode with his friend, Jarod. He had a blast shooting the laser! If you hit the target on another car "bumpers" came down and bopped them on the head.


Charlie and Maria rode together in another car.


There was also something I'd never seen before, huge plastic balls in a shallow pool of water. Tony was the only one small enough to go for a ride inside. He climbed inside, they inflated it, and he crawled around on the water. We really enjoyed our afternoon at this fun mall.

Operation Rescue

On Wednesday, September 1, a group of us visited a feeding center and school called Operation Rescue, located in Guatemala City near the dump. ORI donates food to this organization on a monthly basis.


Monday through Friday the children are bussed in from the slums and the dump. The day we visited 95 kids piled off the bus. We lined up and they greeted each one of us as they entered the facility.

They serve the kids a hot breakfast each morning. We helped serve pancakes the day we were there.


Charlie found two little friends. The kids just loved the attention we gave them.



After breakfast the children went to their classrooms. The younger children, 130 of them, attend morning classes. Fifty kids attend high school in the afternoons.

Rosa de Amor

On Sunday, August 29, our family (minus Nick and Ben) took the teenage girls from Rosa de Amor out for lunch. We were celebrating my birthday and Yolanda's birthday, both in August. We had a fun time getting to know the girls a bit better.



We went to a restaurant in Antigua called La Estancia. I was saddened to realize that of the five teenagers, only one was able to read the menu. These dear girls have had so few educational opportunities in their difficult lives. We were thankful to have one of the orphanage workers along, and she helped them order their food.


We also had two babies along, the girls' children. Little Rosita was an angel the entire meal.



When we returned to the orphanage, I had a craft for all the kids. We made animal masks. Every time I take an activity the teenagers want to participate, too.



Some of the girls proudly wearing their masks.



Tony - the gorilla.

Lost

We saw this truck in San Lucas Guatemala. I think he is slightly lost. Not sure if that message will get delivered.