I have to say, this weekend ended up being a lot better than I thought it would be. For those of you that know everyone, the people that ended out going were Jordan & Jared G., Michelle M., and my mom, sister, and niece. Needless to say, I thought it would be a really interesting trip due to the mix of people. However, everyone got along really well, and it ended out being great.

First, I'll start with my mom. She did really well for the most part. On Saturday morning, after she woke up, I gave her a tour. As I was showing her around, I introduced her to kids as I greeted them. I would always tell her their names, but then I would forget to tell them who she was. Oops. :) One time, she said, "Now tell them who I am." A little bit later, we were by other kids, and they asked her her name. She actually asked me, "should I have them call me Hannah's mom or by my name?". There's the mom I know and love! Oh, and yes, she did the "I'm her mom" normal routine - but only a couple of times. Yet, she's a total goof, so she was telling a story about how one time a mariachi band was playing, and she waited for the most perfect spot to say "Ay ay ay!" really loudly. She got everyone saying "Ay ay ay!" and "Ay chi wa wa!" At first, it was funny, but it got kind of old. However, I'm glad that it helped her connect with kids. At this time, she thinks that she would probably go again, but she's not sure. She did have fun though and was glad she went. She did ask me though on the ride home if I would actually be happy living down there. That was kind of disappointing, but that's to be expected. It was her first time down there, so it's always a little uncomfortable at first, and she didn't get to see all of their personalities and hearts.

Since my sister came down there and she sponsors Margarita, I decided that we should take Jesus Humberto (the boy I sponsor) and Margarita into Magdalena with us. Our group has never taken either of them off of the property, so it would be a special time for both of them. We took them to lunch where Jesus ate a whole chimichanga (they're pretty big) and then ordered 2 quesadillas. Margarita started with 2 quesadillas and then ordered 2 more. They were totally stuffed. After some people commented about how much Jesus ate, he looked at me and said that I ate more than he did....lol He's so cute. Side note: he didn't finish the quesadillas... He didn't even eat half of one. After that, we looked at some of the shops. He wanted an air soft gun. We had a 5 minute conversation about how I didn't think it would be allowed, but he did. He then ended it with, "we just don't have them because we don't have the money". Nice try kid. He ended out with settling with a am/fm radio that you can buy from a dollar store here. Margarita wanted shoes, fake nails, necklaces, and a purse. After I saw how long Margarita took to shop and how fast Jesus was, I realized - Wow. My sister and I really have similar personalities with the kids we sponsor. Jesus even likes to put things together. He helped me and Jordan put together the crib without being asked to help. He loves to play games, and it's just really kind of weird how similar we are. It's even freakier how much Sarah and Margarita are alike... Anyhow, we got ice cream and then went home. I think they had a good time, and it was interesting to see how they were outside of their normal element. Jesus was a lot shier and just more laid back. Yet, I could tell he was comfortable. The two of them don't usually hang out together, but they were so good.

After we finished setting up the crib, I went and got the "mom-to-be". I showed her how the drop down side worked, and then went and got the rest of the donations. I gave her some shoes from a girl I met on a previous trip and the clothes and bouncy chair from Mandy. She was kind of speechless at first, but then she said "Thank you." It's so cute how they say it in English when they are really thankful.

Jesus Guadalupe (Keith's boy) also loved his shirt and was happy to get a letter. He totally remembers and reads Keith's letters. When I was starting to tell him about Patti's mom, he interrupted me and told me she was sick. He totally understood and was excited to hear that he was planning on coming soon.

Juanito, Angel, and Manuel's mom is taking them home next month. It was good to talk to her, and now I'm so glad that she has been visiting them weekly. She's so excited to take them home, and I'm sad that she won't bring them to church there so I can still see them. :( I'm selfish, I know... but I just hope she continues to bring them up in the ways of the Lord and that she has a safe place for them.

It's really super weird to meet mom's after you hear their kids stories. This mom has 3 kids (not the same ones in the story above), and she was visiting them. I have met her before, but I just found out why they are there on my previous trip. She was scared that someone would steal them, so she would lock them to inanimate objects like chairs and tables so that no one could steal them. She told them that it was because she loved them. It's weird to see her, greet her, and be nice to her knowing this. I honestly think she does love her 3 children, she just doesn't understand everything correctly. Mentally, she's just not stable enough to raise them, so they were taken away from her. Yet, it was just really interesting to see her interacting with her youngest daughter after knowing their family history.

Well, I think that's about it. I'm going to make a trip on the 9th with some people from another church, and then our church's trip is on the 15th-17th. Here are some pictures of Margarita with my niece, Lily, and then Jesus (in the Cardinal's hat) and Abraham.