No More Kids

This week I have delt with no running water, a cricket who kept me up all night, and now the kids will be going home tonight for two weeks. It is not the same when the kids are not here. The is an errie silence in the air. We love Fridays because we are not responsible for the boys, but then by the end of the night we find ourselves missing them.

This is a sad weekend for me as well, the volunteers who have become my family are all leaving this weekend because their year of service is finished. I will miss them dearly and even though I have only know them for three weeks, they are the ones who I have relied on for everything. But I am anxious to meet the new vounteers in August. And they will be my new family who I will rely on for the next year.

I have grown to love the ninos more and more each day. But it has been challenging because I want so badly to help them anyway I can. And as the current volunteers leave they share their experiences with me, and how our sole purpose to be here is to be a teacher to these boys. We take the role of their parents during the week, and it will be hard to separate what it means to be a parent and to be a friend. Because I know I can talk to my parents about anything, but growing up they were my parents and not my friends, because they had the authority. And soon enough I will have that authority over 20 boys, and it will be hard for me to separate the teaching and the fun side of being a volunteer. But the other volunteers claim that after several months when the boys get use to their routine and the rules, it will change. I am still very grateful God presented this opprotunity to me, because I have learned some very important things about myself through the kids and my experience thus far.

I have completed week 3 of my Spanish Classes, and I am becoming more and more confident each day. We go to mass 3 times a week so my prayers and order of the mass is coming quickly to me. My prayer life is still growing here with the walks to and from español classes, the morning and night prayers, and the multiple trips to Church. We have a visiting preist at our church because ours is in France. But Hermono Julian told me he wish he was in my shoes and could not understand the homily becuase apparently the Priest just tells stories from his past, and they are in no relevance to the Gospel. I got a good laugh out of that one, plus he makes all the volunteers laugh including the Hermanos, which I get a kick out of seeing them laugh threw the Homliy. The Hermanos are wonderful here and I think I would consider being a Brother if I were a man and got to do the wonderful things they do everyday. On Fridays we say the Rosary and it is a real eye opening experience, and I enjoy it. I am quickly learning the Hail Mary.

I wish everyone a Happy 4th of July, and be safe. Gladys, Sandi, and I will be celebrating the 4th of July with hamburgers and a Mexican driving lesson. So keep me in your prayers as I take on the streets of Mexico!