Locks of Love - Part Deux

Remember this post?  How time does fly.

At that time, Abigail was adamant that she was not donating her hair. She actually cried about it one night.  That's an entirely different blog entry.  A few months later, after she and Maddie had combed the Locks of Love website and saw how they improve young girl's lives, she changed her mind.  

She began feverishly wishing her hair to grow....refusing even a trim over the past year.  "I need at least 10 inches Mom!"

Well, today was the day.  Here's a before shot of her eating a s'more at our campout this past weekend. (sorry 'bout catching you with your mouth full Abbs!)

And here she is a few minutes ago when we arrived home.

She was so proud to accomplish her goal.  And I am so proud of her!

Honduras - Part 4

Here are a couple of my little girlfriends from one of the schools we worked at near Pena Blanca.  They would run home at noon (when school let out) and change into clothes to come back and help paint.  One day during recess, they gathered all their friends and danced around me singing a song.  The interpreter came over and told me they were singing a song to my baby!

On the last day they presented me with a card that read, "Felicidades Por El Nuevo Bebe"

(Congratulations on your New Baby)

I heart these precious girls.

Honduras - Part 3

This little guy is helping my brother, Kathan mix cement.  He was my little buddy.  

One day he helped me pick up all the trash around the new school.  It was hot in the sun yet he persisted the entire time.  We probably picked up 20 bags of trash.....more 2 liters of coke than I had ever seen in one place....hundreds of them.  It literally made me sick.  

(the men drink the 2 liters as if it is water - it is very cheap in Honduras)

Honduras - Part 2

So, it seems that an in-depth blog on the trip is looking bleak. 

I'm spending all my time leisurely reading books with my feet up  getting back into something that resembles a routine.

Plan B is to post a few pictures every day or so explaining more about the mission.

We worked with Schools for Children of the World.  They build and renovate schools in the Honduras area.  

Here is the community center where more than 350 (!) children attend school in one room.  The room is partitioned (if you can call it that) into 3 sections.  

(warning:  building does not appear smaller in photo)

Here is one of the sweet, sweet girls that attend the school.  She walked down every day to ask when the new school would be open.  

She inspired us to work even harder....I mean, who could possibly resist this adorable face?

Home from Honduras!

Home again.  Home again.

I will definitely be blogging about my Honduras missions trip.....just as soon as I make my way through the laundry.

In the meantime, I had to give you a quick preview of a little bebe I fell in love with.  Tell me you don't want to squeeze her cheeks?  (I might have actually done just that)

She was hanging out with her big sis at one of the schools we worked at.  Isn't that the coolest? 

Let's Help the Saunders Family

Update:  1/31

Go to THIS LINK to enter a blog give-a-way and help the Saunders.  Blog about it on your site for additional entries.  Read the post and enter today!!  :)

Update: 1/25

More than 200 persons/families took the time to write a comment about why the Saunders deserve an EHM.  THANK YOU!!!  

(EHM should be reviewing the application soon so keep praying!!!)

Linn and Dwight Saunders are the amazing parents of 10 (T-E-N) children. They recently brought 2 children home from Uganda and they are awaiting a daughter from China...who will be coming home very soon.

Last week their home burned to the ground and they lost everything. Every. thing.  

Although I do not know them personally, my SIL Amie knows Linn and what a great woman she is and what an amazing family she has.  We would like to do whatever we can to help them during their time of need.

How does this involve you?  Thanks for asking!  ;)

First and foremost, they need a home to live in.  There are a TON of people petitioning ABC's Extreme Home Makeover to help them re-build their home.  Please visit here and leave a comment to show your support. (the people petitioning ABC will be sharing these comments)

If you are so inclined, you could email ABC yourself.  If you happen to have a connection over at EHM, or perhaps you are BFF with Oprah, please give me a shout.

Please visit The Saunders Family blog to get to know more about this amazing family!

 

Stephanie - Our Missionary Friend

Madeline saw the post with her "missionary" picture and said, 

"Mom, you should have put Stephanie's picture with mine so they could see her too."

Here you go, Love.

Here's Steph in S. Afghan.  She is sitting on a Toshak (a form of mattress) - she rarely sits at a table or on a chair.

This is Stephanie near the Iranian border.  She is wearing a Chudar Namaz - all black. Sometimes she sends pictures of her with other women and makes us guess which one is her.  It's tough!

Throwback Friday

Our friend Stephanie recently returned from doing missions work in Afghanistan.  In January, she returns for another full year.  The girls adore her and especially love when she is dressed in her full garb.  Here is a shot of Maddie in her chador....pretending she is a missionary in Afghan.

Steph, this one's for you.  

Cookies....but not the kind you're thinking of....

These are dirt cookies.  Literally.  Dirt.  Pressed into cake shaped "cookies" and eaten by Haitians who have no other options to fill their bellies.

As I tried to explain this (and our abundance!) to the girls today, Abigail says, "Why can't they just go in their pantry and get something?" 

If only it were that simple.  

For more on this story:

Haiti's poor resort to eating mud as prices rise