Pavilion Party

 Long at last we have a pavilion. We have wanted a covered area for as long as I can remember. It is hard with 23 kids on rainy days to find something for all of them to do. They need to run and jump and get their energy out and it isn't so easy to do with so many kids inside the house.
There are three ladies here from Borger Church of Christ who brought the funds from their church to build the pavilion.The ladies along with many others worked a good hard week to get the pavilion done. Once the pavilion was built they all worked hard to get the concrete work done. Steve did a great job over seeing the pavilion and making sure it was built before he had to leave.
On Wednesday the ladies wanted to have a pavilion party! Games, hot dogs, balloons, coke floats, pinatas, water fights and lots of candy!!!!! The kids loved it! Thank you to all of you who have worked hard on the pavilion. You can be sure we will use the pavilion for shade daily and we hope to get to use it on rainy days too. I am already looking for someone to make us some nice picnic tables and get us a grill to have for cookouts. If anyone is interested with helping out let me know.

 The finished pavilion

 Olman

Sisi and Cindy racing to see who can get their balloon blew up the fastest.

 CASA kiddos

 Any, Nohemy, and Cris enjoying their hotdogs and chips.

Doris enjoying her coke float (thanks Pat and Kim)

Some how I missed out on taking pictures of all of the hard work the kids and groups put into working on the pavilion. Check out Terri Tindalls blog for more pictures.

www.terriltindall.blogspot.com

Happy Birthday

Birthday Girl, Cindy!!! Happy Happy Birthday Cindy!!! She has came a loooooonnnnng way in the 6 1/2 years she has been here. God has worked and molded her little heart. I still pray that there continues to be healing upon her heart in places that are wounded.

I am proud of you Cindy Lou!!!

Soccer teams

 In April a group was here and they donated to CASA some soccer uniforms.The kids became very excited about their new uniforms. Although I wasn't too sure when we would get to use them because I didn't want them to be play clothes. I the kids had their way they would be wearing them every day. We set one set of uniforms aside for CASA and donated the others to the local school.
Last week a team took the kids out to eat and to play soccer after church. Bryan had the idea that they could wear the soccer uniforms, finally. After church many of the kids were scrabbling to change their clothes and get their soccer uniforms. The kids wore their new uniforms with pride.

GOOOOOO TEAM CASA!!!!

Daniela, Korbin, and Fernando (above)

Sisi and Rosy (below)

Cindy, Bryan, Jose, Jackson, Sisi, Korbin, Daniela, Rosy, and Josue

Cris

Happy Birthday Cris Anderson!!!!!!!

Indians

 July 20th here in Honduras they celebrate a hero Indian Lempira. In all of the schools here they learn about Lempira but on July 20th they take this special day to remember their hero. Several of the kids got dressed up as Indians as they had special festivities at school today. Hope you enjoy some of the pics of our CASA Indians.

Maryuri (above), Fernando (below)

Lupe

Cindy

The boys! Cris, Fernando, and Jose

Daniela

Yair

Yair got enrolled in Teleton this year. He is a little delayed with his speech and other aspects or a 3 year old. So they are working with him to improve his speech and such. A few weeks ago he got put in pre-kinder class at Teleton. We were a little worried about how it would all work out because it meant going to Teguc every day or his appointments. Although we have an excellent staff member, (Deborah) who helps with most of the Teleton appointments. He loves getting to go with Deborah on the bus. They leave here most mornings around 6:30 and get back around 1:00. The class is only 6 to 8 weeks I believe. Hope that this helps him in his development.
This was Deborah and Yair this morning before they headed off to catch the bus.

Reina

Reina has been in Teleton for several years now. Although last week she had her graduation.
Because of her age she is no longer going to be attending Teleton. She is 14 and that is the age limit. So we will be looking for other things for Reina to do. She does continue to go to school every day with the other children. She attends the 4th grade class.
Nicole is looking for other options for her. As we might put her in a special trade school in Tegucigalpa. As for now she will be working with Deborah once a week and learning how to cook.
Reina has had a lot of mixed emotions through all of this. She is excited that she graduated but at the same time she is sad she will not continue to get to go to Teleton. She has formed a special bond with the employee (Deborah) that takes her to Teleton. So she is sad she will not get to be spending and more one on one time with her. So that is why we made the choice to let her go cook with her once a week.

So proud of Reina and all that she has accomplished and is becoming.

Bryan

Last month at visitation Bryan's mom told him she had went to the judge's office and she hoped to soon have Bryan home with her again. Which meant he would be leaving CASA. I don't have a lot of say in that at times. His mom went off to the bathroom and he told me he really didn't want to go. I told him he needed to tell her but he said he was afraid she would be mad at him. The judge is the one makes the final decisions. Well Bryan's mom told me she had already went to the judges office and that she needed a letter of recommendation from me. She wanted it that very day but I told her I didn't know how the judge exactly wanted the letter that she was asking for. So Bryan and I made plans and we were going to go to the judges office and talk to her. 

Bryan was very torn about what he wanted and scared about what might happen. He said he would make the choice and talk to the judge about what he wanted and hoped the judge would listen. Don't get me wrong he loves his family but he just knows for his education and such he needed to stay here at CASA. 

One day last week Marc took Bryan and me to the judges office. We came to find out the judge was on vacation and we would have to come back next week. So Marc went back with him on Monday and the judge talked to Bryan and Marc. She asked Bryan what he wanted. He said he wanted to stay here to they wrote up an act and had Marc and Bryan sign it stating that Bryan would continue to live here at CASA. 

That was a huge relief for Bryan. Now he is dreading seeing his mom next week at visitation. He's not too sure how to tell her that he doesn't want to leave here. He is afraid she will be angry. So praying peace over his heart and understanding for his mom as they see each other next week at visitation.

Maryuri

Happy Belated Birthday Maryuri! She has been here with us now at CASA for 6 1/2 years. She has spent more of her life here than with her mom. She is 9 years old. Trying to encourage her and have her take more responsibility. She can be very lazy, defiant, and challenging at times. We are struggling in general with her over all attitude in school, teleton, and at home. Praying that there will be a break through

. Happy Birthday Maryuri Alejandra!!!!!

new playground

Summer groups have started. This week there is a group here from Columbus, Mississippi and they had bought a playground in the states and sent it down on a container. Well they had some delays with getting the container out and then they were held up a whole day because they lost the box of screws to assemble the playground.
Well after all of that being said today there is lots of laughter and excitement coming from outside as the kids play on their new playground. Thank you Columbus, Mississippi group!!!!!!!!

Visitation

Rosy and Sisi had quite a suprise waiting for them today. Rosy is off all week for student week, and Sisi I told her I needed her to stay home from school today. After getting all of the kids off to school. I took both of the girls aside and told them that there was a possibility that today their parents were coming to visit them. Something that they both have waited for the 5 years they have lived here.

Sisi has really struggled with not having a mother and father in her life. Rosy doesn't communicate much to us about her needing or wanting her parents in her life. Sisi has cried many days asking, "Why her mom didn't love her and why did she never come to visit her and Rosy." Every month when the other kids look foward to their parents coming to visit they always have their heads hung low and wondering why no one comes to see them.

This past year IHNFA (children's services) were going through all of the children's homes and making a list of all of the children who have no one to visit them. They are working on trying to put these kids up for adoption. Well Sisi and Rosy were some of those kids. They started getting paper work together and such and working to see if they could adopt them. Well part of the process is putting in the newspaper their pictures and a little blurp stating that if there is any family memeber wanting these kids to report to the judges office.

Well that is exactly what happened. Their aunt saw their pictures in the paper and called their dad to tell him he needed to go to the judges office. INHFA called me yesterday telling me that Sisi and Rosy's parents were there in the office and that they would be here tomorrow to see the girls. We usually don't make any exceptions for visitation. We have our set day for all of the parents to come every month. Although IHNFA told me that I needed to let them see the girls today.

So today was the big day! There were lots of smiles. Sisi told me tonight it feels like it was a dream. Their dad told them that he hopes to continue to visit them every month. Their mom is not too sure how often she will be able to make it to visitation. Although she hugged the girls tight and told them how much she loved them. I really hope that their parents stick to their word and come to visit them every month.

 

 

Happy family!!!!

Trip to town with the twins

Nicole and Terri usually do all of the appointments with the kids. They both have made many trips to town with the twins along with Nicole's little Emma. So they very well know what it is like to have to take care of three babies. Well this week it was my turn. We had an appt with the dr and psychologist at IHNFA (children's services). I decided to take Mirian (the house mom for the twins) with me.

The babies just don't do well with change. They are getting better but really get nervous and get tense when around new places and people. They did so so with the psychologist but they both did horrible with the dr. By the time we got in the car and were on our way back home I had a headache from all of the screaming and crying.

 

Olman and Korbin fell fast asleep on our way home. They were worn out. I couldn't get all three of them in the picture but little Jouse was fast asleep too on Mirian's lap too.

Katy

Our fearless Katy Lourdes!!! She is afraid of nothing. She is for sure our so called "tomboy." She is slowly growing. She is still so little for her size. She is in 4th grade. She is as sharp as can be but very hyper active and can't seem to sit still for very long. Right now we are being diligent with her about learning her times tables.

Happy Birthday Fernando!!!

Happy Birthday Fer!!!!!

 

Fernando had a super hard time finding out he was only 9 when he got his birth certificate the other day. We had made up a birthday for him since we didn't have anything to go by. With the date we gave him he would be 11 right now, but instead he just turned 10. So he went back a year. He was sad and upset about it for awhile. Yesterday he was sure to tell everyone he was 10!!! One happy 10 year old. Here at CASA the kids 10 and up have different privilages and chores than the other kids. So being 10 makes Fernando a happy camper.

Puddles

No school + puddles = FUN, FUN, FUN

 

After last nights rain there were many puddles of water everywhere this morning. Olman (one of the babies) decided he was going to venture into the water and stomp, splish, and splash in the water.

Well it didn't take long til most of the other kids wanted to play in the water too. They layed and wallered in the water for an hour.

 

 

 Doris slowly but surely getting wet.

 

 Josue, Daniela, and Maryuri seeing who can splash the most.

 

 

They got the old trampoline tarp out and after words and were sun bathing trying to dry off.

 

Yair and Josue

 

 

Korbin and Fernando

Nohemy

Nohemy got glasses back in March when she got her vision tested. Well those glasses didn't last long. I think one of the other kids broke them. So Terri took Nohemy to town this afternoon and they got her a new pair of glasses. Rosy and Maryuri also have a pair and they don't like to wear their glasses. Although Nohemy likes to where hers. So these are the new glasses she picked out yesterday!

Doris

Doris has been at CASA now for 6 years. She has made A LOT of progress.
Although as she is in her teen years and with all of the hormones and everything she is feeling she doesn't quite know how to express how that she is feeling. We think she is falling into depression. It is a constant struggle we have with her to get her up and going and motivated. Some days she doesn't want to eat, get out of bed or even be around anyone. Other days she just doesn't want to do her chores and she runs to her bed and never comes out so she doesn't have to do them.
Everything that is going on inside of her head is a lot for her. She doesn't have a way to talk to us or express all of what she is feeling. We do usually know if  she is happy, mad, tired etc. Although we have no clue why at times. We wish she would communicate with us better. It hurts my heart for me to see her sobbing or not get out of bed, and just plain out having to deal with this yuck she is feeling.
Say a prayer for Doris today and that God's hand could be upon her and bring her a peace that only HE can bring.

Olman and Josue

 Eating their morning snack tortillas with crema.

Hard to believe that they will be 18 months old this week. The have grown so much in the last year and half. Considering how little they were when they first got here to Casa. Josue still has a ways to go to catch up to where he needs to be. He is slowing building up strength and learning to do more and more things by himself all of the time. As for Olman he is finally starting to learn to be around other people beside the people in his house that take care of him. He is learning to play, laugh, and just let us love on him. Before he was so up tight, angry and serious. Now he is able to come outside to play without screaming his head off and he even plays with some of the other kids and toys.

Continue to pray for their progress.

Josue (below)

Olman (above)

 

Rosy

Continue to pray for Rosy as at times she still struggles to fit in with the rest of the kids. She has good and bad days. Some days she is all about teaching us sign language and other days she wants to be left alone. Some days it is a struggle to get her to do her homework from school or chores around the house. She is already very strong willed and then to top it off the communiate barrier we have with her. I pray for her heart and that she can feel loved, special and that she does fit in with the rest of the kids.

Teenagers

Our kids are growing up and facing many challenges and decisions. We our trying our hardest to give them advice but not hammer them and preach to them. Some of them are having a hard time in the middle school/high school. They are learning their choices have consequences. They are not making the best choices.
We covet your prayers as we go through these teenage years with the kids.
Right now we only have three of our kids in middle/high school. I can't even imagine in a few years when we have a handful or two there.
Oh lord give us the patience, wisdom, love and guidance to grow these children up in YOU!!!!