Fogata

In January we had Joel's parents and aunt here, along with David Miller (founder) and his two brothers. The visitor's floor was quite full. I invited my friends, Los Caimanes, to come and play music. We had a fogata (bonfire) and made s'mores (or at least it was close to s'mores.) It was a fun night!

David Miller, Abel, Tom Miller and Chuck Miller

Joel and Robyn leading the dancing

Yulianna, Jerry and Jackie

Cuzco

Jerry and Jackie blessed us with a trip to Cuzco (including Machu Picchu) and the five of us enjoyed 4 marvelous days in the land of the Inca's.

Family Visit

Joel's parents (Jerry and Jackie) and his Aunt Jan came to visit us for a few weeks. It was wonderful to see family!!! Along with lots of hugs, they brought us some special gifts and comforts of home (including Jackie's fudge, DVDs, and pictures from home.) We were thrilled to share our lives at the orphanage with them! We took our trip to Cuzco and then spent a week and a half introducing them to the children, working on various projects and visiting the sights around Trujillo. Goodies from home.

Joel, Jerry, Jackie, Jan and Robyn at Huaca de la Luna - Moche Ruins

Jackie and Jan help groups of kids make mobiles for their casitas.
Jerry and Maria make new shelves for the storage closet.
Jan helps a madre tutora pick new clothes for the children. The clothes were donated from friends of Hogar de Esperanza in Canada.
Robyn helps translate the guide's English at the Chan Chan Ruins

Jan on a tutora reed boat (caballito) in Huanchaco

Jan and Robyn on their caballitos at Huanchaco Beach

Churros, Churros, Churros!

Evening chats on the roof watching the sunset...

...and there it is... hasta luego!

Chito Goes Home

Chito is the 3rd child we've said goodbye to since the first of the year. While we will all miss his smile and the way he added 'itito' to every word, we are happy because he is going home to live with his parents. Chito's parents are back together, they both have jobs now and have a place for them to live together. This is a huge success story! His mother was thrilled to have her son back and we are excited to have a family reunited!