Gearing Up...

Today after we finished school, Erin went to a friends house I went shopping to pick up craft items we are bringing to Mexico in a couple of weeks when we are there on a short term mission trip. We prepare many activities while we are there and this year is no exception. We will be making name bracelets for the kids and they will finish them with the beads. In the past we have made name tags for them but they think is is funny to collect the name tags and wear different ones everyday. It is quite funny but defeats the purpose of them having one. So, the team thought it would be good to do name bracelets figuring the kids wouldn't want to loose there bracelets. We'll see how it goes. We are also teaching those who want to know, how to crochet. Of course that is something I enjoy so I will certainly be in on that. We have many more things planned and we link in a Bible lesson with each craft.



The major project we are doing with the kids at Esperanza Viva is the Memory Books. Memory Book Club is a club that was started by one of the ladies in our church, Tamara Farris. She has designed these scrapbooks for kids who are grieving the loss of something. The kids in the orphanage are all grieving someone. The theme song is "I Am Somebody" which goes on to say that "I know that my worth is not found on this earth, I'm a child of the Most High God." It is a place for them to discover that God knows their name and that He has a plan for their lives. Tamara started with them in Africa where so many children are living in refugee camps and have lost parents or loved ones to AIDS. The books are now in seven different countries and five different languages. We helped in getting them traslated to Spanish. She donated 100 books for us to bring down. God is so good! We are so excited to bring them to EV. I am hoping that we can continue the once a month memory book club with them with the staff there or perhaps when we are their full time.
So, things are really coming along. We are down to only 3-1/2 weeks till we go and we will be there for nine days - seven full days there and two travel days.