The neighbor boy, Ian, recently got a small four-wheeler and sometimes gives Tony rides up and down the street. Tony loves it and goes running when he hears Ian starting the engine.
Tony loves to read books. He talked Nick into reading him a story.
Charlie often fixes the boys' bikes at the orphanage. The guys come dragging their bikes to him, gesturing and speaking in Spanish.
Ben holding Juan at Fundaninos.
There are currently 11 children living at Los Gozosos, which is at full capacity. They do not have the funds to take in any more children.
Maria with one of the little girls.
Daniel was very friendly, and one of the few children who is mobile; most are in wheelchairs.
This tiny building serves as a schoolroom for four of the children.
Charlie supervised part of the Nova Scotia team. They built a fence to enclose a playground for the toddlers at the Fundaninos orphanage.
Ben spent several days helping with the project.
Charlie allowed several of the children to help. This boy was so proud to be using one of the cordless drills.
Charlie also served as bus driver for the group. On Thursday he drove them to Antigua for a morning of sightseeing, and the whole family tagged along. Here we are - eating lunch in the courtyard of McDonalds.
We saw this lady weaving in the artesian market in Antigua. I don't know how long it takes the weavers to complete a piece, but the fabrics sell for around $10 -$12 U.S.
I made Alisha's favorite cake, chocolate with chocolate icing.
Alisha was delighted with all of her gifts. The teddy bear was a gift from her sister, Emily.
We invited the Freed family over for Alisha's birthday supper. Nick is holding the Freed's foster daughter, Shyanne. (And yes, Nick did shave his head!)
The weekend of May 1-3 ORI board members, Jay and Rosene Hurst, visited the in-country staff. They brought us lots of goodies, gifts from our family and friends back home. We had so much fun opening all of the presents! A special thank you to everyone who sent us gifts!
A full motorcycle! Charlie took the whole gang for a short ride around the "colonia", our development, one Sunday afternoon.
Charlie and Ben built a wooden swing for our front "porch". The children love to play on it. Here Tony is going for a ride with Gabby and Maria Weaver.
Nick giving Andres his bottle one afternoon at Fundaninos, as one of the twins looks on (I have no idea if it is Michelle or Andrea).
Abby, Alisha, Emily, and Risa sitting in the toddler's chairs at Fundaninos.
The children were beaming as they helped to unload the food from the truck and carry it into the kitchen. The director was so grateful that she thanked us again and again.
There are currently 18 children at this orphanage, including several with special needs.
The grounds were lovely, very lush and tropical. The weather was hot and humid, very different from the mountainous region where we live. We stayed in an "apartment", which was a large room with bunk beds, a table, fridge, and stove. We were thankful to be able to do our own cooking, as the nearest town was an hour's drive away by dirt road.
El Faro had its own private beach. The water was very warm, and the girls spent a lot of time swimming. They also had fun catching crabs, snails, and clams. Tony didn't like the water and was content to play in the sand. 
One day we hired one of El Faro's boats and a driver to take us on a trip up the Rio Dulce (Sweet River). It was fun to be on the water. Charlie was really wishing for a pair of waterskis!
On our Rio Dulce trip we visited the Castillo de San Felipe, a restored Spanish castle on the mouth of Lake Izabel. The castle was filled with small rooms, narrow winding passageways, and steep staircases. The children had fun explorings. We even found an underground room with bats.
