Right Now

Greetings, once again, from Refuge Ranch! Want to know what's happening...right now?! It is 9:52 a.m. and here goes:

Victor: preparing his sermon for church this Sunday (He preaches periodically.)

Julie: writing this blog (duh!)

Angie: drying dishes

Diana: caring for Caleb, Ruth, Ana and Daniel (Each of the older girls cares for the little ones a different day of the week.)

Martita: washing breakfast dishes

Martha: in school

Fidel: in school

Josiah: playing outside trying to get out of school until I get there!

Jocelin: clearing the breakfast table(s)

Caleb: outside with Diana and his youngest siblings (They are going on a bird-feeding expedition in an open field in front of the main house.)

Ruth: on the bird-feeding expedition

Ana: on the bird-feeding expedition

Daniel: on the bird-feeding expedition

Mark: dry walling the apartment in the basement
Lucy: in school

Aaron: in school
Joanna: in school

Ashleigh: canning pickle relish
Magda: running personal errands in Mexico City

Erika: in school

Cirino: eating breakfast

Bernabe and Berenice: eating breakfast with their dad

Rosa: cleaning up from breakfast and starting lunch preparations

AND...

Two very special visitors: Jerry and Troy from Indiana are here working on dry walling the basement apartment and laundry room! Yeah!

Jerry is a member at Shiloh Christian Church and Troy is from Upper Deer Creek Church and they both heard the Lord calling them to come and help with the dry walling of the Marshall's apartment and the laundry room in the main house. Praise the Lord!

They arrived Saturday night, after a two hour delay in Houston, and enjoyed a relaxing Sunday with the Marshall family and Ashleigh visiting Popo (the volcano near our home) and an abandoned hacienda also near Refuge Ranch.

Yesterday they started the drywall process! How exciting! It is always slow going on the first day of a work team as the workers adjust to new and creative ways of working here in Mexico, so they are looking forward to making lots of progress today.

We thank the Lord that He provided for the drywall through the sale of Mark and Lucy's home in Indiana. Marshall's tithed off that sale and were able to purchase the drywall supplies. As always, we continue to pray for and trust in the Lord's provision for the remaining money needed to finish the apartment and laundry room.

Troy and Josiah playing checkers, no, maybe it's chess, no, I think it is a new game invented by Josiah, but they had fun nonetheless.

Mark and Jerry playing UNO with Jocelin while Lucy looks on.

May the Lord richly bless you all with His peace, presence, purposes and provision in this Christmas season and beyond!

With love,

Julie Zaragoza