July Trip to the States

By far the highlight of July was getting the opportunity to go back to Chicago! I got to spend time with family and friends, including my sister and her husband and my beautiful niece, who came in from North Carolina...
Faith with her mommy and her godmother :) after her dedication at my church

Also I went to St. Louis with my parents to visit my sister's family again, where Lance was working. We got to take Faith to the zoo and it was so much fun!

Then back in Chicago...

at the park with my cousins

hanging with my best girl friends back in Chicago

Also, my time in Chicago wasn't all just fun and games. At the end of May I asked for donations from several schools to be able to bring back supplies for my kids in Mexico. The response was INCREDIBLE!! My sister brought back several boxes of supplies and books from schools in North Carolina, and also we got many donations from the school where my mom used to teach. What a huge blessing!! So I spent a lot of time with my mom in her garage organizing and separating and packing boxes to send down to Mexico. I think we sent over 40 boxes of donations for the Circle! Wow!

organizing school supplies to send down to the kids in Mexico

What a great time of sharing with my family and friends, I only get to come back to Chicago about twice a year, so I fully enjoyed it. See you all again at Christmas!

June in Review

Wow, I can't believe summer is already coming to an end... It just started to get hot here!! With only about one week of 80+ degree weather under our belts here in Tijuana, the kids in the colonia are already going back to school and I've got a bunch of new 3rd graders in my group.But first, let's take a look at what you missed in the life of Susie this summer in Tijuana, starting with June...

1. Mexico goes to the World Cup!

Me, Silvia and Sandra dressed like the Mexican flag to watch the World Cup

Ok, so I know no one in the U.S. cares about soccer, but here in Mexico it is the national sport. So when Mexico made it into the World Cup this summer, it was a huge deal! I'm talking about classes being cancelled and work being put on hold so EVERYONE could watch the matches. We definitely moved around our schedules here on the base also to be able to take part in this. That includes waking up at 7 AM to watch a game! It was totally worth it! Well, we didn't win, but there's always Brazil in 2014... :)

2. Adios Luisa!Luisa's goodbye party
(I can't believe I got Sandra to wear a dress!!)

Also in June, we said "Adios" to Luisa, the founder and leader of the Circulo Andante ministry. She and her husband moved back the States to pursue higher education. She was an amazing leader and teacher for us this last year, and helped pioneer the tutoring program that we do with the children in colonia Antorcha. It was a great privilege to work and minister alongside her. She will be dearly missed here in Tijuana!!

Now, you may be asking yourself, "who leads the Circle now?" Answer: ME! This summer, I took on leadership of the Circulo Andante ministry, a role that leaves me with more responsibilities to the base, the staff and to the children in the colonia. I'm excited to see where God takes this ministry in the next year, and I am so blessed to be able to be a part of it.

3. Casas de Esperanza in COSTA RICA!Me with the family that we built for - First Costa Rican family to ever receive a Homes of Hope house!

At the end of June I had the amazing opportunity to go to Costa Rica and host the first Homes of Hope team EVER in that country. What a privilege! The staff at the YWAM San Jose base in Costa Rica was really welcoming to me and Manuel, a builder that came from the TJ base with me. We had a great time working with them, teaching them about our progam and then learning how to adjust it to the "Tico" or Costa Rican way.

Our Homes of Hope team, including staff from TJ and Costa Rica (I'm in the green!)

So in TJ when I go on a house build, I usually serve as translator and painter extraordinaire. But in Costa Rica, for all the staff this was their first time building so we had to teach them everything . Basically I got bumped up to B builder, helping the main builder on the site by making the window and door frames, nailing up siding, and more. And of course I was the master painter as well ;-)

Getting the siding up on the house on Day 2

In TJ, our builds take 2 days, which in itself is amazing to see how teams come together for the common goal of blessing a family in need. In Costa Rica we took 4 days to finish the house, but through no fault of our own... we were building in the middle of rainy season!!

me and Manuel, a builder from TJ, caught in a downpour one afternoon of our build

One of the best parts for me of this build (and every build) was getting to know our family. Adita, a single mom of 7, was living in a house built for her by the government almost 20 years ago when her husband died. Her wooden house with a dirt floor wasn't holding up very well after so many years of the rain running through it. She found out about Homes of Hope from one of her older sons who volunteers at the base in San Jose. Her sons helped us get the roof and dry wall up while her daughters painted a special design on the front door. Precious Adita made us delicious Costa Rican food for lunch and offered us coffee each afternoon after we got soaked in the rain. Tears of joy flooded down all of their cheeks as they walked into their brand new house. What a privilege to be a part of giving this family such a huge blessing!

Manuel and I, with Adita and her 5 children after receiving their new home

So there you have it - 1/3 of my summer updated. Stay tuned for more summer fun!