Here in Mexico, there are many holidays that are celebrated that are not observed in the United States. One of those is "El Dia del Niño (Children's Day). The Primary schools cancel classes and normally celebrate with a school party. At the orphanage, we wanted to do something special for the children of the home too. So it was decided to have a "Track and Field Day."
     THe children were up bright and early, excited for the day's events. One of the girls asked her caregiver to lend her a watch and to set the alarm for 6:30 am. She wanted to be ready when the truck left at 7:00am for the running track!
     All the children were divided into 4 groups, each according to ability. Each group participated in the short race, the long race, the high jump, the long jump, and the ball throw. Then, prizes were awarded to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place participants in each of the categories.
     Some of the caregivers made a special lunch, topping it off with a delicious dessert. Everyone had a great time, and our hope is that the children felt loved and special!
     "And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein." (Luke 18:15-17; KJV)

Last Sunday, we had a joint service with a Mennonite church from Ahome (3 hours away). We had a great time of fellowship! Below are some pictures.

We are excited that the director's home is completed (other than some painting and landscaping)! The Miller family is now moving in, which will free up the whole upstairs level at the orphanage. Some of the ladies and girls plan to move upstairs then, making more room downstairs. 
    A big "Thanks!" to those who donated and made this project possible!

   It has been a while since I have posted an update. I will try to summarize the most recent events below.
* 2 1/2 weeks ago, we received an 8 year-old boy named Israel. Please pray that he would learn to obey and submit.
* 2 weeks ago, Brianne Coblentz arrived to help out at the orphanage for about 6 months. We are glad to have her back again (she served for 5 months at the orphanage back in 2009).
* On Sunday, we had a church baptism! At the request of Joel (the brother getting baptized), the baptism service was held in his village which is about 1 hour away. Please pray that the Lord would give Joel the grace as he begins this new and wonderful journey!

     There are also many changes looming in the near future.
* Rebecca Duerst leaves on March 9th after serving at the orphanage for the past 2 1/2 years. We are grateful for all that she has invested in the ministry and desire the Lord's blessings on her(and Brandon's) future!
* Brian Esh arrives tomorrow (March 7th) to study Spanish for a month. He then flies back to the States for Mission's Training in NYC before returning to take Brandon Coblentz's place at the orphanage. You can pray that Brian's month of language learning would go well.
* The director's home is nearing completion, which means some more change ahead for the Miller's and the orphanage.
     We would appreciate your prayers for the ministry as we face the changes ahead!

     It was after 4 months of courtship that Brandon Coblentz and Rebecca Duerst officially announced their engagement! We appreciate their godly example throughout the courtship, and desire the Lord's continued blessing on their relationship.

     Happy new year to everyone! May the Lord give every one of you a blessed year of growth in Him. 
     This last week has been a flurry of activities. The DNI board arrived on the 5th for their annual visit and were such a blessing and encouragement to the team and the church!
     On Sunday, Allen shared 2 sermons at the joint church service held at the orphanage and many were encouraged and inspired!
     We are grateful to have a new worker on the team: Alicia Tello. She agreed to a two year term of service at the orphanage, and it is an added bonus that she speaks fluent Spanish!
     Thank you to all of you who are praying for us! We would appreciate your continued prayers as we begin a new year --- may all we do this year be for the glory and honor of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Happy New Year to everyone. I just want to let you know that the website has been updated with new articles, pictures, and information. So enjoy!

     It has been a while since I have updated you all on the director's home and just thought I would give a brief update. Last week we poured the roof which is always a huge part of the construction. A lot of people pitched in and  we were able to pour it in about 4 hours. 
     We are hoping the house will be ready to move into in another month or two, and I will continue to post updates as the project progresses.
    We are also excited that enough money was saved up by the local church to purchase some land in "San Pedro." We met there for the first time on Christmas day for a church service/Christmas celebration and are hoping to build a church building soon.
     One last announcement: between now and Friday, the 31st, expect to see a lot of missing content on the website as I am deleting a lot of the old pictures and articles. On Friday afternoon though, I plan to have all the new, interesting articles, and some fresh, new pictures on the website, so check back soon!

Hi there. I just want to apologize to those of you who weren't able to access the homepage last week some time. There were some issues with the web host, but it is resolved now. I also want to let you know that I plan to be adding a lot of new stuff for the new year, so keep watch!
Merry Christmas to everyone and a happy New Year!

     We are excited that the construction on the new orphanage schoolroom is finally completed. We still need to paint and furnish it but other than that, it is ready to be used. A big "thanks" to those of you who donated money to make this project possible.
     I also wanted to let you know that we have a new feature on the "Our Team" page. If you scroll down to the bottom of the page, you can now see all the past workers that have served here at the Mexico team.
     May you all have a blessed Thanksgiving as you remember all the blessings our Lord has given to us. We are so blessed!