WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN??????
8 Comments Published by Boys Town on Wednesday, January 30, 2008 at 12:59 PM.
This seems to be the most commonly asked question these days, as well as the most common subject line in my email inbox, as well as the most common post on my facebook wall. So sorry!! It has been an unusually busy time here in Reynosa and in my life. But that is no excuse for neglecting this little blog of mine. So, I'm back. And I will attempt to catch you up on all things Boys Town...
November was great with the ground-breaking, and all the surrealness (is that even a word?) that goes along with a building project. I'm still not totally convinced that I will live there one day...it is like a dream come true. The end of November brought Thanksgiving and an amazing visit from my parents, as well as my aunt and uncle all the way from Washington state! It was my first Thanksgiving dinner to cook ever, and I have to say it went very well. My friend Sonia was able to come, and it was so great to have her in my home with my family. She told my mom that she reminded her of her own mother, who has no idea what she does for a living. Sonia talked about how great it was to be with such a "beautiful family" for days. I felt so incredibly grateful for my own family, and that God has created a space for my family to love my friends in Boys Town. So cool.
December was B-U-S-Y! I had friends coming to visit and birthday parties to throw for the girls, and then the coolest thing ever: my parents, my sister, my brother-in-law, the niece and the nephews all came to Mexico!! We were all crammed into my tiny house for what felt like the best Christmas ever. I was so incredibly honored that my family would come all the way to Reynosa (of all places) to spend the holiday not just with me, but with the beautiful people of Boys Town. My mom and sister made a ridiculous amount of cookies, and the whole family joined in decorating them, bagging them up, and tying ribbon to deliver to Boys Town on Christmas day. We waltzed ourselves on in to Boys Town on Christmas morning armed with such small tokens of love...I have never felt so proud of my family in my entire life. They all acted like they were there every day and like it was normal for them. To be able to share the most precious things in the world to me with each other...such a gift from Jesus. One of my friends in BT, Frank, walked out to meet my family. (He is actually from the US and used to be a pastor.) My dad gave him some cookies and told him merry Christmas. All Frank could say was, "I can't believe she brought her whole family to boys town...the whole family!" He was a bit overcome with emotion and had to walk away. Another girl named Margarita who always asks me for things (vitamins, shampoo, money, food, you name it) was so overcome that my sister and her daughter were there, that she ran to her room to get a gift for them! She gave my sister a shirt and my niece some pesos. I couldn't help but wonder if Margarita was thinking of her own children who live far away, and how she just wants to be a normal mom.
Things were kind of beginning to break down for the kids at this point...we narrowly avoided a major melt-down. :) They were real champs, though!
January has been full, as well. Getting back into the post-holiday swing of things has been a challenge, especially with lots of friends coming for visits. I love having people in my home, and January has been a great time for that. Lots of interesting things happen here on a regular basis - I think I'm starting to get used to a weird life (sometimes). Here in Reynosa, I have a friend named Wes. I have no idea how Wes ended up on our doorstep one day last spring, but he did. He is an American who had been living at a homeless shelter in Reynosa so he could share the Gospel with folks. Wes is getting married in May to a wonderful girl from Georgia, and they were planning to live at the shelter until God provided something else. I'm simply not as hard core as Wes, and couldn't bare the thought of him and his new wife living in separate rooms at the shelter, so I offered to let them live on my land in what will basically be the 24-7 prayer room, with a kitchen and a bedroom. He was so ecstatic, that he decided he would go ahead and live on the land now! Mind you, there is a roofless brick structure there, and that's all. No water, no power, no nothing! So, Wes is in the middle of a 40 day fast, living in a tent in the not-quite-finished prayer room. He prays all day for the land and the things that God desires to do there. Incredible. I cannot even wait for it to be a "real" prayer room one day soon. God has done amazing things in bringing people (though a bit strange, to say the least) to my life here to help walk out the path He has laid before me.
Okay, I realize this post is getting to be quite long, but I want to ask that you would pray for a few things: I am in desperate need of a long-term team here. The wonderful Emily Sengel will be here in October, and she has committed for two years. But when I think of all the work that is to be done here, I know we will need more than just lovely Emily, Wes and his wife, and myself. At the moment, I could begin a nightcare facility for children if I only had more people to help. I know of at least two mothers who would be incredibly grateful. A couple of weeks ago, I found a woman in BT who was at least 90 years old, had been living in there for more than 50 years, and was completely unable to care for herself. She was wearing diapers that were not changed very often, could not feed herself or walk. I was overcome with emotion upon finding her. We were able to find a place at a nearby nursing home for her, but she died the morning she was scheduled to leave. Her name was Josefina, and it breaks my heart that her life went unnoticed by so many. If i had more people here, we could possibly have taken her into our home temporarily, and simply read the Bible to her, brushed her hair, and listen to her talk about better days. We could have simply shared the love of Jesus with her. Being one person here who is trying to go for longevity, I know that I can't do everything. But I could certainly share the load with a few others who are willing to give at least two years of their lives to love the forgotten, to love Jesus in Boys Town and in Reynosa. I'm looking for people who can speak conversational Spanish (or who are willing to learn), and can commit to at least two years here. If you are interested, or know someone who is, feel free to contact me at kellykgreene@yahoo.com.
I seem to be having trouble uploading photos...I will try again in a few days.
Love and hugs to you all from Mexico,
Kelly
November was great with the ground-breaking, and all the surrealness (is that even a word?) that goes along with a building project. I'm still not totally convinced that I will live there one day...it is like a dream come true. The end of November brought Thanksgiving and an amazing visit from my parents, as well as my aunt and uncle all the way from Washington state! It was my first Thanksgiving dinner to cook ever, and I have to say it went very well. My friend Sonia was able to come, and it was so great to have her in my home with my family. She told my mom that she reminded her of her own mother, who has no idea what she does for a living. Sonia talked about how great it was to be with such a "beautiful family" for days. I felt so incredibly grateful for my own family, and that God has created a space for my family to love my friends in Boys Town. So cool.
December was B-U-S-Y! I had friends coming to visit and birthday parties to throw for the girls, and then the coolest thing ever: my parents, my sister, my brother-in-law, the niece and the nephews all came to Mexico!! We were all crammed into my tiny house for what felt like the best Christmas ever. I was so incredibly honored that my family would come all the way to Reynosa (of all places) to spend the holiday not just with me, but with the beautiful people of Boys Town. My mom and sister made a ridiculous amount of cookies, and the whole family joined in decorating them, bagging them up, and tying ribbon to deliver to Boys Town on Christmas day. We waltzed ourselves on in to Boys Town on Christmas morning armed with such small tokens of love...I have never felt so proud of my family in my entire life. They all acted like they were there every day and like it was normal for them. To be able to share the most precious things in the world to me with each other...such a gift from Jesus. One of my friends in BT, Frank, walked out to meet my family. (He is actually from the US and used to be a pastor.) My dad gave him some cookies and told him merry Christmas. All Frank could say was, "I can't believe she brought her whole family to boys town...the whole family!" He was a bit overcome with emotion and had to walk away. Another girl named Margarita who always asks me for things (vitamins, shampoo, money, food, you name it) was so overcome that my sister and her daughter were there, that she ran to her room to get a gift for them! She gave my sister a shirt and my niece some pesos. I couldn't help but wonder if Margarita was thinking of her own children who live far away, and how she just wants to be a normal mom.
Things were kind of beginning to break down for the kids at this point...we narrowly avoided a major melt-down. :) They were real champs, though!January has been full, as well. Getting back into the post-holiday swing of things has been a challenge, especially with lots of friends coming for visits. I love having people in my home, and January has been a great time for that. Lots of interesting things happen here on a regular basis - I think I'm starting to get used to a weird life (sometimes). Here in Reynosa, I have a friend named Wes. I have no idea how Wes ended up on our doorstep one day last spring, but he did. He is an American who had been living at a homeless shelter in Reynosa so he could share the Gospel with folks. Wes is getting married in May to a wonderful girl from Georgia, and they were planning to live at the shelter until God provided something else. I'm simply not as hard core as Wes, and couldn't bare the thought of him and his new wife living in separate rooms at the shelter, so I offered to let them live on my land in what will basically be the 24-7 prayer room, with a kitchen and a bedroom. He was so ecstatic, that he decided he would go ahead and live on the land now! Mind you, there is a roofless brick structure there, and that's all. No water, no power, no nothing! So, Wes is in the middle of a 40 day fast, living in a tent in the not-quite-finished prayer room. He prays all day for the land and the things that God desires to do there. Incredible. I cannot even wait for it to be a "real" prayer room one day soon. God has done amazing things in bringing people (though a bit strange, to say the least) to my life here to help walk out the path He has laid before me.
Okay, I realize this post is getting to be quite long, but I want to ask that you would pray for a few things: I am in desperate need of a long-term team here. The wonderful Emily Sengel will be here in October, and she has committed for two years. But when I think of all the work that is to be done here, I know we will need more than just lovely Emily, Wes and his wife, and myself. At the moment, I could begin a nightcare facility for children if I only had more people to help. I know of at least two mothers who would be incredibly grateful. A couple of weeks ago, I found a woman in BT who was at least 90 years old, had been living in there for more than 50 years, and was completely unable to care for herself. She was wearing diapers that were not changed very often, could not feed herself or walk. I was overcome with emotion upon finding her. We were able to find a place at a nearby nursing home for her, but she died the morning she was scheduled to leave. Her name was Josefina, and it breaks my heart that her life went unnoticed by so many. If i had more people here, we could possibly have taken her into our home temporarily, and simply read the Bible to her, brushed her hair, and listen to her talk about better days. We could have simply shared the love of Jesus with her. Being one person here who is trying to go for longevity, I know that I can't do everything. But I could certainly share the load with a few others who are willing to give at least two years of their lives to love the forgotten, to love Jesus in Boys Town and in Reynosa. I'm looking for people who can speak conversational Spanish (or who are willing to learn), and can commit to at least two years here. If you are interested, or know someone who is, feel free to contact me at kellykgreene@yahoo.com.
I seem to be having trouble uploading photos...I will try again in a few days.
Love and hugs to you all from Mexico,
Kelly
