We're Here! (Stacy)

We made it! (Well, two days ago, but the wifi has been down so this was our first chance to login to the blog:P) The flight here was by far the worst flying experience I've ever had, but we are here, so all is good:). 

I know this sounds cliche, but I honestly mean it, I fell in love with this place on the very first night. If you ever get the chance to come to Ninos, do it! It’s amazing. We have learned so much about the culture of Mexico, the history of Ninos, and the way they function from day to day, 

Yesterday (Sunday) we went to church with some of the Niños leaders and boys from one of the houses. After that we had lunch with them and then went to a hacienda. I still don't understand what a hacienda is, but I liked it! Lol. We said our goodbyes to the boys (which was hard!) and then went to Walmart to buy some gifts for the kids here at Niños. 

Today was our first day of work. We got up early, ate breakfast, and drove to one of the girls’ houses, called Agape. We had to scrape, wash, sweep, and reseal their roof. The roofs in Mexico are mostly flat, so it wasn't scary or dangerous or anything (in case my dad happens to read this:P). They don't have very good water pressure here, so its not as simple as bringing a pressure washer up on the roof and spraying it off. We had to fill buckets of water down on the ground, carry them up a ladder onto the roof, and have one person pour water while the other three scrubbed toward the drain with push brooms, then repeat many, many times. We finished washing and sealing about half the roof today, it was neat to see our finished product. Hopefully that will be a blessing to the girls and house parents and will stop the leaks. 

After working, we went to one of the girl’s houses, Jireh. We ate lunch (which is served at 3;30 here) and played with the girls. They were so happy to have us there and loved playing with us. Most of us aren't able to communicate with them, but that definitely wasn't a barrier in our play. It’s amazing how you can communicate fairly well using only hand motions. One of the little girls that I was playing with covered her eyes, started counting is Spanish, and then motioned for me to go hide. All of the girls wanted to sit on our shoulders and they would yell “otra vez” (again) and “rapido!” (Faster). We ran all over the courtyard with them on our shoulders. I’m not sure I’ll be able to walk tomorrow, but seeing their smiles was definitely worth it:). Tomorrow is another day of work, hopefully we’ll be able to finish the majority of the rest of the roof. 

I wish I could accurately express how wonderful this place is. The kids are so well-loved and cared for and they are so happy here. You can tell they are grateful to have a home, a warm bed, food on the table, and people who love them dearly. 

Tim, Olivia, Amelia, Jeremiah, and Max, I love and miss you all! I can’t wait to tell you all about the trip and show you pictures. Give Escher hugs and kisses for me<3.