Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Happy Birthday!

Last week we were thrilled to be able to celebrate 'E's' 8th birthday. 

Presenting the birthday boy! 


Here I am! 


He has been counting down the days 'til his birthday since I arrived in October! He was very excited.


Looking pretty grown up! 



He really didn't want his face pushed in the cake, so instead he very politely bit into it. 


I guess I only got pictures of the cake. But the day included presents, tacos, all the girls coming for lunch and visits from the volunteers.

All in all, it was a success! 


Friday, March 08, 2013

First Day of School!

Well, after a fun summer vacation, a few weeks ago it was time to head back to school. Here are a few pictures of the boys as they started getting ready! 

B was a little sleepy, he wanted me to let him put the belt on his pants before he put his pants on. After a summer of sleeping in, he's not enjoying these early mornings! 


Still working on the pants.


Almost ready, just missing the shoes! 


Socks and Shoes


D, not so sure how he feels about this early morning photo op.


But the ever photogenic E will show him how it's done! 


All ready! 


And what better reward to being ready for school early? A few ipod games?!

School is now in full swing and we're getting better at the 5:30am wake up calls! 

Please pray for the kids as they go to school. Pray that they will continue to do will and learn quickly!

Thanks!
Kaley









Tuesday, March 05, 2013

Mowing....

This past saturday I was really missing the Sweetwater team as I looked out at my lawn and was met once again with a jungle! 


Dan and Al working so hard in the yard! (above)


But thankfully I didn't have to tackle this project on my own. I had 8 more than willing helpers! 


And with a little supervision we got the job done! 







Saturday, March 02, 2013

The Team!

Time has once again gotten away from me and my recent lack of blogposts is proof of that! Lots has happened since I last posted (in January!). One of the biggest things was the Sweetwater team!

It was so amazing for me to be able to share my life here in Cochabamba with members of the church family in such a hands on way! 

So here are some highlights of the trip.


One of the biggest blessings that the team brought us was through the VBS that they put together for all of the big kids of CDA. Above shows the kids singing for the team before we began a day of VBS.


Everyday there was some fun snack (sometimes with cool food that was imported all the way for the USA) that had to do with that days Bible lesson. Foot shaped sandwiches over a sea of blue twizzlers depicting Jesus walking on the water, a treasure hunting trail mix, etc.


This was a favorite snack. Fish that each child had to 'catch' themselves and put into their little boat! 




It was lots of fun! Even Tia Ana Maria wanted to join in! 


Of course we also had Bible Story time where the kids learned about the theme for the day. (below)


And then came crafts. Boats, canons, treasure maps, super cool working light houses and so much more!





Once VBS was done, the team started on work projects. We painted, fixed various electrical and plumbing problems, painted, attached the jungle that was our backyard, painted and helped the tias around the house. 


I somehow don't have any pictures of the painting project (there are some on Facebook) but I was so impressed and grateful for how hard the team was willing to work! THANKS GUYS!

They were able to sand, prime and paint all three boys bedrooms that really needed some help. We are all enjoying the pretty new rooms! 





The rest of the time was filled hanging out with the House 2 and 3 kids. Spending some time at House 1 with the babies and seeing a little bit of Cochabamba. 

 The team was also able to help with the seasonal task of CDA newsletter stuffing and labeling. They were such fast workers! 





Another really cool outcome of the trip is that two of the team members (Tia Gretchen and Tia Mary) decided to sponsor CDA kids!



Mary is now the proud sponsor of 5 year old 'D'


I think they were both pretty happy about that! 


And Gretchen decided to sponsor precious 7 year old 'S'.


Child sponsorship is such a special thing and it's so neat to be able to personally know the child your are sponsoring! To learn more about our sponsorship program, you can get in touch with Denise at denise@casadeamor.org


It was an awesome trip. The goodbyes were hard on both Tios and Kids alike, but I'm so glad that everyone was able to have this time together. The kids are going to remember this group for a long time and I'm sure the team will not soon forget them! 

Please continue to pray for the kids as they are growing and changing everyday. Pray that they will grow not only in stature but also in wisdom, so that when they are grown they will not turn from this foundation that we are building in them now. 

THANK YOU! Thanks to the team for coming and working so hard and thank you church family for supporting them and enabling them to come! 

Kaley