no tv? no internet? what do we do?!

 

We play a version of paper-football except with the garlic salt! haha! This game went on for more than one day!

                                      12 time in a row garlic-salt champion.....nurse Ashley!

 

Let's go fly a kite!

Blue sky, nice breeze, perfect day for kite flying! Rony is one of our very inteligente y creative kids. He showed me how to make a cometa (kite) out of plastic bags, fishing line, and sticks!

 

                        Oh life at the Finca! This guy was on the wall behind me all through lunch!

Galletas (Cookies)

Making cookies for the first time in the outside oven. Quite an ordeal but so vale la pena (worth it!) One of the visiting missionaries brought chocolate chips so of course the cookies needed to happen :) I made 3 batches. The first batch was a bit toasty after 5 min so I left the other 2 in for 3 min a piece. ¡Que rico!

My first sola breakfast!

 Banana pancakes, watermelon (which happened to be bad, despite how it looked. Lesson learned always try fruit before you put it out),  pineapple, Kool-Aid and a bowl of M&Ms (great donation!)

 

Missionary Life Update

 

Sorry it has been so long. A lot has been happening. The "oldies" left this week. Nine old missionaries finished their commitment and for security reasons we're asked to leave a few weeks short of their official end date in December. Needless to say it's been a bit emotional in our house. Our house is 11 now. It has been very different these last few days. The most noticeable changes are more work and more food :) We miss you oldies! Thank you for all you have taught and shared in your time here!

The movie below is a short goodbye video made for the oldies with all our kids!

T-shirts FUNDRAISER!

https://www.booster.com/farmofthechild/receipt?checkout_id=372859419#captured

Fun Farm T-shirts to support our kids!

Kitchen Rountines

Moating- maintaining one's food, especially sweet bread/cakes free from animals including rats and ants of all species. (water on the bottom pan, food in the middle, and a book on top to keep rats out!)

This is what we call moating!

Rat Race-old school trap. still works though! sorry friend.

cooking chart

my 3 cooking tabs

I'm on lunch Saturday for the first time by myself! Good thing we only have rice and bean for Sat lunch!
 

Life of a missionary update

 

Sorry this entry will be short and sweet. Just a quick update. We went on a retreat over the weekend in a nearby pueblo up the mountain called Buena Vista. I will sketch out a simple draft for you. So I thought our life here was fairly simple...17 people in one house, sometimes working water, and electricity. Try,  all 11 girls in one room, with 1 shower, 2 toilets ( that you flushed old school with a bucket of water), and doors that didn't close. Oh I can't forget there wasn't a light in the bathroom. One thing I will definitely not miss is having to wear a headlight to the bathroom and check for scorpions. However uncomfortable this things made me feel, it is interesting how you just adapt and do what you gotta do.

They were many beautiful sharing's over the course of the weekend but the one I enjoyed most was a simple, and sincere prayer of Kiddissa, a fellow missionary. She works is one of the teachers in the school. Her daily pray is, "Lord help me to love them the way you love them." This truly touched the most all weekend. I have prayed so many times Lord help me to love or show me how to love, but to ask our Lord "help me to love them the way You love them." Wow. How simple and sincere.

I know I have shared a lot of surface and simple things with you about logistics and life here, but there is so much more and I'll share just briefly for now. November 1st I officially take over responsibility of my houses. (There are 6 house in total and there are each separated by sex and age) I will be responsible for all the girls over this next year. I have been reading through the charts to familiarize myself with the histories of the girls. Not sharing any specifics, the histories of these girls are heart-breaking. I am amazed at their strength and courage and their will to continue on. I ask you to please pray for the healing of all the children here, and I may be an instrument to serve and love them they way they need to be loved.

-Your sister in Christ,

Natti

P.S. The Rat Race is over for now. My team did not win...

P.P.S. Latest exciting news there's a crab living in the pipes of the girls shower! There was an attempt when he was sited to pull him out with tongs! Thus far we have not been successful...never a dull moment:)