Hola Everyone,
A beautiful view from a little "mountain" near the ranch.
We have been here for half a year already! My journal has increased in volume and value because these have been some of the most unique months of my life! I do not want to forget the many testimonies of God's goodness and life changing lessons gained here in Arriaga.
Recently we headed to the Mexico / Guatemala border to renew our visas. It was a lovely drive along the Pacific coast. On one side of the road were cloud covered mountains and on the other side fields and tropical forests. We drove past gigantic trees, numerous groves of palm trees and banana orchards. Even when we had to stop for construction, the butterflies along the roadside were amazing. It is a great privilege to be seeing a very different part of God's beautiful creation.
Many people have told us about the heat and dryness of Ontario. They are half apologetic about mentioning the heat, but we have been getting use to the heat here. Anything under 30 degrees feels cool to us. We continue to get rain every day, usually at night, which helps to bring down the temperature (while raising the humidity). An natural result of all this rain is mold-- it is growing everywhere, even inside our car.
All the children and workers at the orphanage were blessed with a vacation in Tuxtla. Swimming in the hotel pool, watching movies, playing games, visiting the zoo, shoe shopping, chicken pox . . . The three days were packed with fun and great memories. The highlight for our family was an ultrasound appointment. We got to see our baby moving in 3D! Even Jeremiah watched the screen and chimed, “Baby.”
Recently we headed to the Mexico / Guatemala border to renew our visas. It was a lovely drive along the Pacific coast. On one side of the road were cloud covered mountains and on the other side fields and tropical forests. We drove past gigantic trees, numerous groves of palm trees and banana orchards. Even when we had to stop for construction, the butterflies along the roadside were amazing. It is a great privilege to be seeing a very different part of God's beautiful creation.
Many people have told us about the heat and dryness of Ontario. They are half apologetic about mentioning the heat, but we have been getting use to the heat here. Anything under 30 degrees feels cool to us. We continue to get rain every day, usually at night, which helps to bring down the temperature (while raising the humidity). An natural result of all this rain is mold-- it is growing everywhere, even inside our car.
All the children and workers at the orphanage were blessed with a vacation in Tuxtla. Swimming in the hotel pool, watching movies, playing games, visiting the zoo, shoe shopping, chicken pox . . . The three days were packed with fun and great memories. The highlight for our family was an ultrasound appointment. We got to see our baby moving in 3D! Even Jeremiah watched the screen and chimed, “Baby.”
The Tuxtla zoo has only animals which are native to this state of Mexico. (No sweating polar bears!)
A donation of books was given to the orphanage and the children have been challenged to read throughout the summer. The new books, along with prizes for incentive, have many of the children with their noses in books. It is a delight to see the children reading because many people in this town are unable to read or are uninterested in reading.
Sam has been teaching some cabinet building skills to the older boys by fixing kitchen cupboards with them. The orphanage has a beautiful kitchen, tiled counters and local dark wood cupboards. However, as the orphanage grew, so did the traffic in the kitchen. What would have served a family well, has begun to wear out. So with the help of some of the older boys, Sam has been making repairs. The kitchen staff is very pleased!
Sam has been teaching some cabinet building skills to the older boys by fixing kitchen cupboards with them. The orphanage has a beautiful kitchen, tiled counters and local dark wood cupboards. However, as the orphanage grew, so did the traffic in the kitchen. What would have served a family well, has begun to wear out. So with the help of some of the older boys, Sam has been making repairs. The kitchen staff is very pleased!
For a number of years, I have been making Japanese bound books by hand. They have been unique homemade gifts and a creative outlet for me. Now I am teaching this technique to the older girls. It is important for the children to learn various hand-skills (like book binding or carpentry know-how) as these can lead to valuable sources of income in a community with few employment opportunities. We will share pictures of the finished products next month.
This is an example of a Japanese bound book.
Since arriving in Arriaga, Sam has been eager to work at the ranch, but for various reasons the ranch building projects have been moving very slowly. We're glad to say that construction on the ranch will continue again with full force! We recently ordered a machine to produce concrete blocks for the construction of the many buildings in the children's village. In the next couple months, we hope to finish the bunk house, to accommodate work teams. The first big step in this process will be getting electricity (called “Hydro” in Ontario) on to the ranch. This usually involves a lot of bureaucracy, so we earnestly desire your prayers during this whole process.
Our family has been doing very well. Hannah celebrated her ninth birthday at the end of July. Jude was wowed by the tigers paraded through town. These were accompanied by a blaring speaker advertising the circus. Jeremiah is beginning to speak more and more in both English and Spanish and our very littlest son is growing, moving, and making his presence more obvious. Thank you so much for your continued prayers and support.
Hannah with her birthday cake at El Faro. (Don't worry, there were two cakes so everyone got a piece!)
Love Sam, Wendy, Hannah, Jude, Jeremiah and Baby Dieleman
Prayer Items:
Guidance in making the right choice of education for each child.
Relief from on going, bothersome car troubles for the orphanage.
Wisdom for decisions concerning baby Rebecca's leg.
A Mexican worker for the babies is still needed.
May the bunkhouse be completed before we leave.
God's directions in short and long terms plans for our family.
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