The Best kind of Bath Time

Casa Hogar Douglas has found itself without water for the past 2 days. This happens time to time due to power outages or if something big and expensive breaks. Regardless of the cause behind the lack of water, the effects are often stinky in the little boys dorm. So yesterday I offered to bathe whoever they wanted over at the Back2Back property. Of course, they gave me without question the 4 youngest boys who did not need to spend the afternoon doing homework.

These boys need a bath everyday... without question - EVERY day. They literally had dirt all over their sweet little faces. Marcos hit Oziel in the car on the way over and Oziel was very angry. The 4 minute drive from Douglas to the B2B property always feels like an eternity with the little ones in the back - who are SUPER excited, didn't have a nap, and dirty.

my sweet dirt covered Oziel

David (above) knowing exactly where he's going - the B2B pool

DONATION NEEDS: if you live in the Cincinnati area OR are coming down for a trip with B2B anytime this year - we really really need little BOYS swim suits - sizes 2T, 3T, 4T and 5T. It's the end of summer - maybe they are on clearance at Target or walmart or your own kids are out growing them? These children's home kids also think that the sun-guard swim shirts are about the coolest thing on the planet. (we really do NOT need girls suits- we have millions of those for some reason. we have NO boys suits). If you have some and want more specifics in how to get them here - leave me a comment or email me at ceburns@ufl.edu -- GRACIAS

Transitions

The month of August involves many changes and transitions for most of the children in the children's homes Back2Back serves, the teens in the Hope Program, and our staff. This August, Casa Hogar Douglas has seen new workers come to take care of the kids, new children get dropped off, kids start school again, 12 of the youngest kids are now enrolled in a different school and a completely different homework/tutoring program has begun. The Hope Program has welcomed 10 new students from 5 different children's homes. August can also be a bit crazy because most of our American staff go to the states for a week or two to try and raise support for the next year.

Right now is definitely a big transition for me. I'm not the primary care giver for my 14 this month. There is a new staff couple to take care of them. I've been over there everyday since I've been back though. The kids are kind of confused. They want me to bathe them, brush their teeth, sit with them, play with them, and put my movies on for them. I'm trying to walk the fine line of respecting the new workers yet being there for the boys. By this weekend, I think I will have worked out the specific hours and days each week I'll be doing child care at Douglas. For now, I think I'll be in charge of one dorm each day when it's that worker's day off. So I'll learn how to take care of GIRLS as well- i'm confident that has GOT TO BE EASIER than boys. My only desire is to see the kids getting the hour by hour care that they need. However I can help make that happen, I'll be happy to do.

But it's kind of strange right now. I'm trying to back off and wait to see what the new workers need or want help with. Today was a "good day" for me in this transition period because I got to spend the entire day with my kids somehow. I woke up to find my 2 year old on the B2B property and needing someone to play with him. We watched Veggie Tales in my apartment and ate animal cookies. He was stoked. The photos below are of our morning play session...

I went over to the children's home in the afternoon because we were told that 3 new little girls were about to be dropped off by their mom. That didn't turn out to be true but it meant I got to spend hours with my boys while we waited. I got to snuggle them and bathe every single one of them. I even cleaned up the dorm a bit. I've been eating most days at Douglas with the kids... I need to work on better meal planning for myself.

Best part of my entire day was realizing that Oziel, who was sitting in my lap as I rubbed his back.... was holding LIVE BUGS in his hands and then killing them when he felt like it as he watched spongebob. That child - I love him so very much. I told him that bugs were really gross and holding live bugs in your hands was yucky and he said, "no it's not! Look! I killed them."

Please pray for me:

1. that God would clearly show me how I can best use my time each week to serve the kids in a way that uplifts the other workers

2. that my car would get fixed really soon. Hurricane Alex seems to have destroyed my transmission. Found that out today. Maybe I'll buy a bike at walmart? Seriously considering that.

3. For the new workers at Douglas - that they would feel appreciated, supported and energized.

The love of Christ

"In The Weight of Glory by C. S. Lewis he is trying to show us that what God uses to awaken desire is not necessarily what we've been longing for. The things "in which we thought the beauty was located will betray us if we trust to them; it was not in them, it only came through them, and what came through them was longing. These things... are good images of what we desire; but if they are mistaken for the thing itself, they turn into dumb idols, breaking the hearts of their worshippers. For they are not the thing itself." They are not what we are longing for. It is not that specific man or woman we desire, but what they point to, what is coming through them. They are a picture of what we long for." ~ from Walking with God by John Eldredge.

I read that last night with uncontrollable tears streaming down my face. My 14 boys faces flashed in my mind. I thought of the immeasurable love that God has given me for each one of them in the past few months. I absolutely long to be with them right now as I'm still in the states, away from them. I love them. But perhaps, God has used these precious orphans so show me how much HE loves ME with some tangible, in my face examples that I can understand. You see, when I look at Oziel for example, I straight up just melt. I adore him with my entire being - all his imperfections, the ways he bullies the other kids, and yells at me because he doesn't want to bathe. And that's exactly how God looks at me. God sees my imperfections and loves me obsessively anyways. God longs to be with me when I don't want to pray to him or spend time with him.

Ephesians 3:16-18 has entirely new meaning and depth to me today, "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ."

I need YOUR help

Hello Blog Followers....

Thank you for visiting my blog or for being one of my blog official "followers." These past couple of months have been radically different than the rest of my first 2 years living and serving in Monterrey. I'm LOVING the opportunity to provide more full time child care for these kids and looking forward to whatever this next year has in store for me... wherever I'll be living, whichever kids I might be caring for and in whatever capacity. Stay tuned because in about 2 weeks, I think I'll know more of what that will look like...

I'm currently in the states to try and raise financial support for the next year. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN JOINING MY SUPPORT TEAM, EMAIL LIST, OR PRAYER TEAM.... shoot me an email at ceburns@ufl.edu and I'll send you all the information you need.

Thank you and God Bless!

Fields of Grace

This week, I'm in America. Yesterday, the thrill of my day was shopping for my boys in Walmart. I bought 8 new DVDs for them and some fake converse shoes which they think are the absolute coolest. I miss them. Go figure. Today in church, we sang the song about "dancing with my Father God in fields of grace." I thought about the lyrics as we sang and all I could think about was what do "fields of grace" look like? What does that mean? There is a book about orphans titled "fields of the Fatherless." And then I thought about my fatherless little guys and all the many hours I have spent in the fields, literally, with them trying my best to give them grace when I'm exhausted, in pain, hungry, thirsty and annoyed. If you'd like to "dance" with God in some fields where there is much need for extended grace - come on down to the Douglas fields. The lost boys will be there. They like to collect bugs and put them in coke bottles and then release them inside my dorm when I'm not looking and they refuse to not stand in the ant piles.