Summer Fun with Grandkids

These are just a few of the pictures of things going on last week with the grandkids. We celebrated grandpa's birthday early since we were all here.
Josh was kicked back in the pool.
Andrew will try anything, at least once!Gillan and Gracie are excellent swimmers.
There they go....where is Josh?

Part 3: A Call To Missions

This is Ivy (my new friend) on the left with me and a young teen who attended the "festival" in Chihuahua. Notice the splint on the boy's hand...this young guy was brought to our area because he injured his hand with a football, but apparently he had some incident at home previously and the football caused further trauma. He had pain, bruising and swelling. The doctor saw him briefly at the clinic and then had me wrap it. This was our one and only "nursing care" experience on the trip. I was feeling pretty good about getting some help for the boy, but in a very short time noticed he had taken it off to go swimming. The boy took up with us, more so with Ivy. She played ball with him and they just connected and became very good friends.
Now, I really want to focus on Taylor....if you remember from the first post...the 25 year old Occupational Therapist in the pink shirt... is just an amazing young lady. She has been given amazing gifts and talents. She sings, plays the guitar, and has written a song (maybe more, I don't know). Taylor is great with children and all of the people she encountered in Mexico loved her. When she was in Mexico doing her O.T. internship, she financially and physically helped with building a room on for Martin', who is the young man paralyzed from polio. This girl just saw a need, stepped out on faith and contributed most of her life savings to help him. How many of us would do that?? There is so much more to this story, but it is just too much to try to relate here.
Above, Taylor is leading the children in a song with hand motions.
I just want to relate a final word about Taylor. She has a true heart for missions. It is her burning passion to be able to move to Mexico as a missionary. She learned some of the language when she was there the first time. She shared with me that she was not really able to speak much when she returned home to Texas. She felt that she lost what little she learned during that stay. When she returned to Mexico with us, the Spanish just flowed from her. Folks, that can only be a "God thing"...I couldn't seem to grasp and retain a single word of the language.

Taylor has much to do to accomplish the call she has to Mexico. She will be required to be licensed in the U.S. and Mexico, and have insurance in both places. She visited with a lady while there who encouraged her to go through the International Mission Board. I know that God will honor this call and find a way for her to serve and fill her heart's desire. Please keep Taylor on your prayer list. I will update if and when I know more. Thank you Taylor for blessing our hearts while we were there with you.

Part 2: Mission Trip to Mexico

As usual, I have the "cart before the horse" here. I started my story below and then added pictures which posted above my story... and I can't seem to get the blog to copy and paste the information. Anyway, the pictures below are only a small glimpse of the job presented to us while in Mexico. Read on and you "might" understand what I am talking about.




Sorry it has taken so long....I hope you have not stopped checking the blog. Briefly about my activities in Mexico..... Ivy, a nurse from Texas and I worked several hours in the attic above the medical clinic in Aldama. Remember I said it was very hot in Mexico? I was told it was about 110 degrees, but I didn't ever see a thermometer. Anyway, it was hotter in the attic, but the doctor at the clinic needed massive amounts of donated medical supplies/equipment sorted in groups of like kind. It was an overwhelming request, but we did the best we could. Being the Type A personality I am.........I wanted micro-organization/labeling/inventory lists, etc.....Ha! Not possible and the doctor did not have those expectations. He just needed the items grouped.

Ivy and I wanted to be part of the Vacation Bible School activities with the rest of the group too, so we did not miss a session and we were needed. The medical supplies were sorted as time and the heat would allow.

I am going to close here and begin a new post in order to get things in order. Thanks for hanging with me.

Mexico Mission Trip-OH MY!

I had a few inquiries about why I have not posted about the trip yet. Just tired really, but I have also been trying to collect my thoughts. The trip was long and hot! I did not come home with a call to foreign missions, but I learned a great deal about the Mexican people. The children were beautiful, fun, and loving. I found the families to be very loving and caring people, as well.

The greatest impact of the trip for me is the young lady pictured above in the the pink shirt. I could write a book about her. Our group picked her up in Weatherford, Texas. Taylor is 25 years old and a fairly new graduate in the profession of Occupational Therapy. She has passed all of her exams and is to be licensed soon. Taylor did an internship in OT in Mexico for 4-5 months starting last January. It was there that she fell in love with the people. When she learned that we were going to Mexico, she drove 2 1/2 hours to meet us for the ride down.

These pictures speak a thousand words. The young man pictured in the two pictures above had polio as a young child and is paralyzed. His two brothers pictured below take care of him. They have been living in a small, one room house, and all three sleeping in the same bed. The brothers work and come home to turn their brother during the day. There is not even room to get him out of bed....no wheel chair, no bathroom or kitchen....NOTHING!

One of the brothers cut some cactus...you can see it in Taylor's hand and in the background....the yard of the new addition to their home. The cactus was a gift to all of us in gratitude for the whole group coming to visit. And, yes I did eat raw cactus twice.......it was really good! No, we didn't get the chicken. I am going to leave you hanging here with this story and continue later.....I know you can hardly stand it, but it will be worth the wait.

Here are some of the cute little girls we taught in Vacation Bible School. They called it a "festival" there, but you know it as VBS. To be continued.....

A Note From Mexico

Hello Everyone,

Just a note via the blog to let you know I made it to Mexico. It is HOT and DRY....desert dry! I spent this morning in the attic sorting donated medical supplies......isn't that how everyone would like to spend the day¿ Sorry, I can't locate the real question mark symbol. I am in a Web Cafe trying to use a computer with mostly Spanish symbols....whew! I hope all is well in Oklahoma. This has been a very interesting trip, but very hard. Details will follow when I return....and I am anxious to return. I have met some great people that traveled from different areas for this mission trip.

I have to go...the time is running out and my ride is waiting. I will try this again if possible.

David I love and miss you. I miss all of you.

LaNell

Mexico Bound!

hola! Just a note to let you know that I am off for Mexico early in the morning. I am so excited about the trip, but also a little anxious. I don't believe I have ever been away (10 days) from David that long, unless it was when he did his student teaching....that was a long time ago. Katie said she did not have any sympathy, since she was without Craig much, much longer during his tour of duty in Iraq.

I woke up early this morning with much to do. It has rained for a couple of days, so it is too wet to mow the grass. A couple of sheep were in the yard and I went out to run them away, when I side tracked to the garden......next thing I knew I was cultivating and then on to the south flower bed to complete a project that had been lingering....that led me to several other outside things calling me. Two Rose of Sharon bushes have grown so fast ....they were growing up against the raised flower bed. They were trimmed drastically. I was out for hours and came in filthy and soaked with sweat. Maybe this will toughen me for the trip.

I don't really know exactly what to expect on the mission trip. I will be traveling with several people I do not know. A festival is planned or as we would call it here - Vacation Bible School. I have been requested to give some short health lessons, i.e. personal hygiene, handwashing, dental care, immunizations, and/or maybe something about parasites...ugh! Head lice is my favorite topic....I have become quite knowledgeable about the little critters from years as a school nurse. I will have to have an interpreter and will probably be presenting these lessons to the parents........since I don't know a word of Spanish...no I do...."taco", this should be very interesting. I have enough trouble speaking and slowing down long enough to get English out...at my age, I will probably loose my place waiting on the interpretation. Well, it should be interesting and I hope we are able to share the love of Jesus while we are there....and I will make some new friends.

Pray for safety and that all will stay well while I am away. I will miss everyone....especially "grandkids". I will give a report on the events when I return. Stay tuned.