May update

May Update from Mexico

Hello Everyone, For a while now, I've been enjoying the songs of a cheerful Mexican bird in the mango trees. One of the workers at the orphanage says it is singing for the rain. We've had some rain, but rainy season hasn't arrived for real. We are getting ready though. Our clothes line has been hung up inside near an air conditioner. We have been here 4 months now. So many changes have taken place that I am sometimes surprised when I remember my initial actions, thoughts and feelings here. For one thing, our Spanish continues to improve. People who know us tell us that we are speaking more Spanish. We don't feel so lost when having a Spanish conversation. We can hear the individual words and tell someone which words we don't know. Of course, precise details are always an opportunity for a misunderstanding. “Were we suppose to wait for them to pick us up or did they understand us when we said we could drive ourselves?” Also more complex subjects are not easily discussed which is a frustration for me. I have attempted conversations about genetically modified foods, or explaining foreign parenting habits of Canadians with limited success. My consolation is that people keep trying to talk with me even when I trouble them with such conversation topics. Another change is the purchasing of a family vehicle. After four months without a vehicle, we are fit from all the walking, but very happy for the convenience of our own vehicle. This allows us more freedom to travel past army check points (this was a problem with our previously borrowed un-licensed car) and to no longer depend on others for transportation. At one point I was feeling like my ancestors, born, raised, and diseased in a few square kilometers. Thank you for your prayers, as getting a vehicle was not as simple as purchasing one in Ontario. This month, Bill, Sam and another brother from the church traveled to another state to met with an expert on fish aquaculture. He was extremely helpful in his advice and knowledge. He has offered the help of his teaching assistants to set up the initial tilapia ponds at the ranch, and supplying the stock. We are very grateful for all his help! The necessary grading of the land in preparation for the first ponds has been completed. This too is a great step forward, as it has been a whole year of waiting. We are also aggressively investigating getting power(aka “hydro” for Canadians) to the ranch. This is a prerequisite for the tilapia, both for fresh water supply and aerating the ponds. Recently two new workers have joined the staff at El Faro. The orphanage has been understaffed for a number of months so their presence is greatly welcomed. Other changes have been made to the staff, shifting areas of responsibility to better match the abilities and interests. For now, these changes are helping make the work easier for everyone. Just last week, Rebekah celebrated her first birthday. She is a bright cheerful little girl, waving enthusiastically in greeting. The doctors have advised Bill and Tammy that decisions need to be made regarding her leg. As many of you know, Rebekah was born without a femur. There are different options available for her to help her walk, including the amputation of her foot to allow for a better fit of a prosthetic leg. Please, pray for Rebekah, that the condition of her knee and hip will be optimal (the disorder, Proximal Femoral Focal Deficiency, has various degrees of severity). El Faro's website is finally up:  http://lostandfound-mexico.com. You will be able to read updates from Bill and Tammy there. Enjoy! We also have a website for our family. It is www.dielemanabroad.ca. We will still be sending monthly update e-mails, but we'll also try to post weekly on the website to give you a bigger picture of our life in Arriaga. Here are a few animal pictures for the nature lovers, and not:      Sam saw these baby crocodiles when he visited the expert on aquaculture.  They are being raised to be released into the wild since native populations are so low.  They were also raising manatees, but we don't have a picture of them.     This iguana lives with its family in the yard of our friends.  They eat grass and spend the day lazily grazing on the lawn - sort like cows.     Our house was fumigated last week and these were just a few of the remains that Hannah and Jude collected.  While I'm not a fan of spraying pesticides in our house, I am also not a fan of sharing the house with so many insects.  One day I watched a stream of ants leave a little hole on the floor, tramp up the wall, across a table, back onto the wall, and into an outlet.  The stream was at least 4 m long and it wasn't single file.  Fumigating the house also helps prevent scorpions from moving in.  Sadly, the men who sprayed the house did so without any respiration devices or protective overalls.  When they began spraying, they began coughing too.  We appreciate your prayers and letters from home. In the last month or so we have missed some important events of family and friends. Thank you for keeping in contact with us. It helps us feel close even though we are 4500 km away. Love Sam, Wendy, Hannah, Jude and Jeremiah Prayer requests: El Faro needs a Mexican worker for the babies. We will increase our Spanish vocabulary. God will give wisdom in making choices about Rebekah's leg. Prayer updates:Ronnie and Ivonne Mouser had their baby boy Judah. Both mother and baby are healthy. We have a vehicle now. Maylin, the most recent child to arrive at El Faro, is fitting in very well. Two new Mexican staff members have begun at El Faro.