Transitions

Last week was the first week back to school for our kids. We have two in 6th grade, two in 5th grade, and one in 1st grade (and one happy little 4 yr old who is excited for all her siblings to be off at school so that she has me all to herself!) And of course, Gabe is back to teaching the second graders at school.

How is it going so far? It has had its ups and downs. It isn't as easy as it sounds to re-enter a school (even a super small one such as ours) after a year's absence. Our kids are finding that some of their friends have changed over the course of the year and are now closer to other classmates than they are to my kids (understandable, but still hard to accept when you are a pre-teen). Also, the older girls are all on the middle school side of our school now, and they feel a bit overwhelmed. Now that they are middle schoolers, there is a lot more emphasis on personal responsibility (my reaction:YES!) and more actual work involved. They enjoy having a bit more freedom during lunch and between classes, but it's also intimidating sharing the halls and lunchroom with the high schoolers. For Eli, everything here is new and different than in Mexico. Eli missed out on being here for kindergarten (and he never went to a preschool either) and so he doesn't have any friendships here to build on. He also didn't know how to get food in the cafeteria during lunch and even got on the wrong bus to go home the first day of school, as this is all brand new to him. It has been a bit hard on me hearing that he was wandering around alone during recess and nobody from his class invited him to join in their play. I am sure it won't last too long and that he will make friends quickly, but it definitely tugs at my heart a bit.

One thing that is quite different this year is the addition of sports. Until now, we haven't ever signed up our kids for any sports. This Fall, we have Eli playing on the 1st-2nd grade community soccer team, Naomi and Autumn playing on the 5th-6th grade community soccer team, and Shay is running with the middle school cross country team. I am now in charge of keeping track of 3 different practice/game schedules and making sure my kids get to where they need to be with everything they need to have. I am thankful for our huge desk calendar that we have hanging on our kitchen wall, as it is the best way I can see it all at a glance! Hopefully we can find ways for at least one family member to make it to each game, even if we have multiple games on the same day (I am thankful my parents live in our town, as I am sure they will be happy to jump in and attend games if they are able). I am happy that my kids get to experience at least a season of sports here in the states, as they won't have the same opportunities when we return to Mexico. At the same time, I sure miss the slower pace of life that we had last year. I don't really enjoy being pulled in so many different directions. Such a shame they couldn't all do the exact same sport (and be on the same team). That would really simplify things. Wishful thinking, I know!

We are still really missing our kids in Mexico. We find ourselves stalking the facebook pages of the staff that is still down there in hopes that they will post pictures of the kids we know and miss (which is how we got the picture below of the three sisters we personally sponsor). We have been able to video chat with a few of the kids down there (thanks to the cooperation of staff) and that has been fun, but it is definitely not the same as being there in person.

One change that is in the works is that we are going to be transitioning our finances from Cord Ministries to FFHM. FFHM (Foundation For His Ministry) is the organization that oversees our orphanage (and several other related ministries) and directing our financial donations through them will essentially cut out the middle man and streamline the whole process. Currently Cord keeps 10% of the money donated to us to cover their expenses (which is really a very nominal percentage compared to some other organizations), but FFHM will not keep any portion of our donations since we will be working for them! However, we need to submit a budget and get approval before we can officially open a donation site through their organization. In the meantime, Cord is willing to keep our donation page up since we are actively planning on returning to Mexico. Now that school has started, Gabe will be back to earning a paycheck, so our finances should pick up a bit and we aren't dependent on the donations of others. However, we have heard that some of our donors would like to continue donating money throughout this year to go towards our return to Mexico. If you are interested in continuing to donate, you can make donations through Cord's website for the time being and we will update everyone once we fully make the transition over to FFHM for our finances. I want to assure you that all donations made to us during this year go to a separate account just to be used for our ministry (such as mailing down supplies to the kids there, visiting at Christmas time, and moving expenses next summer) and will not be used for our normal expenses in the states.

In the meantime, we are enjoying catching up with everyone stateside. If you live near us, you are always welcome to stop by and chat for awhile (especially since most days I am home alone with Hannah and could use some adult conversation!) We are always open to company!