Well things are packed and ready to go. Thank everyone for the donations. We have many challenges facing us when we return such as finding a new location asap. It is hard to leave our land and family here. My daughter who lives in our house with her husband is expecting her first baby of Oct. 8 and I would love to be here. But I have to get the other kids started back in school and find the new hogar location so I will officially meet my new grandson on Nov. 20th when we return home for the holidays. Leaving family is the hardest part of this work for me. I have missed the kids at the hogar and my two dogs, a beautiful lab and a beautiful German shepherd. The lab almost died while we were gone, but Pedro , my great hogar director pulled him thru with the help of a vet. We have about 15 new kids at the hogar that I have not met yet so that will be fun. I am also looking forward to picking up our new little baby girl that is paritally blind and deaf. When I was a teenager I used to spend my week-ends working at a home for retarded children and I think they can be really special spirits. Altho I have an adopted downs son and he is just a normal bratty kid.
Evelyn and her sister with Pan en la boca are coming down the first week in Sept. to see how they can help us. The middle of Sept., my daughter and 6 onth old grandbaby will be in guate to sign some legal papers that only she can sign. Then the end of Sept. Mandala adoption services will pay us a visit.
Vicki
http://www.safehomesforchildren.org
Casa de Sion is a charitable program based in Guatemala, and is part of Safe Homes For Children, a 501(c)(3) non-profit org. We help improve the lives of Guatemala’s least fortunate children with nutritional, educational and medical initiatives. You can help us make an impact in these poor Mayan communities through your donations and volunteerism.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Bofore I start with the news, everyone check for the attachments. We are sending you pics and short bios of 30 of the children who need sponsors as well as our sponsorship/donation form. Ask everyone you can thing of to help us get these children sponsors.
Our time in the states is almost up. We fly to Guate on the 1st of Sept. [ again I would like people to know that none of our personal expenses are taken out of orphanage money; they are all paid for by our personal money. Anything you donate to the orphanage goes directly, 100%, to it and the kids.] I am a little nervous as the elections are on the 9th of Sept. and there has been alot of political violence. But old timers have assured me that Panajachel, where we will be living is safe and we will only be in the city for an hour. Some of you have sent donations and I want to first thank you and second tell you they are packed and ready to go in one of the 24 rubber made tubs we will be taking down with us. My family has a big job when we return turning our house into a home. If you remember we were chased out of our last house a week before we left in June. We found a great new one in Pana a few days before our flight out in June, but our belongings were just tossed in there and I only saw the place for a total of 20 minutes. When we return we have the job of turning it into a home for us and our 10 kids. It needs a new frig and some beds and some drapes I know, but it is a great place in a SAFE location. My kids start school soon after our arrival.
We have received several new children at the hogar. A sib set of 4 and then single kids varying in age from 11 to 15. I accepted a 1 year old this week with microcephalia [ not sure of the spelling ]. Anyway her brain is small. She is partially blind and deaf, but supposed to be a sweetheart. I will pick her up when I get back down there. She is currently at an orphanage that only does adoptions. Pedro, our new hogar director , has done a super job while we were gone. His big project now is looking for more beds as we are full up. Again thanks to Harvey and Rod Martin with Orphan Resources as Harvey is looking for us.
Our land that I want so badly so that we can become self sufficient and not have to worry so much about fund raising may be bought by someone else this week-end. The realtor called me and said the owner had told him this. Maybe it is true, maybe not. We have borrowed the $100,000 for the land, but do not want to spend it until we have enough for at least two of the major buildings [ which is about $50,000.00 ].
We are slowly getting child sponsorships, but need to get more people on board with the fund raising. We have one group doing an auction in Oct. and have a great musical group ready to do a concert in early Dec. If any of you can do any kind of fundraiser or write any kind of grant for us, please email me at 20.vicki@gmail.com
Thanks again for all the volunteer help we received this summer while I was gone and all the donations people have collected and sent. They are great. We have a great kids store in Apex, NC giving us some wonderful clothing donations.
Volunteer Missionary Movement is supplying us with a Registered Nurse starting in Dec. Alicia is making a two year commitment to us and we are very excited.
As soon as we get back to Guate and I can find my internet hook ups [ my new house has high speed dsl so no more internet cafes, I hope ] I will be writing the blogs on Mon., Weds., and Fri. I am also going to start adding pics to them as it will give you a much better idea of what is happening. In the meantime go to this new website www.isamundo.org. We are one of their projects and if you click on Casa de Sion, you can see some pics of the kids.
Thanks for your love of these children
Vicki
Our time in the states is almost up. We fly to Guate on the 1st of Sept. [ again I would like people to know that none of our personal expenses are taken out of orphanage money; they are all paid for by our personal money. Anything you donate to the orphanage goes directly, 100%, to it and the kids.] I am a little nervous as the elections are on the 9th of Sept. and there has been alot of political violence. But old timers have assured me that Panajachel, where we will be living is safe and we will only be in the city for an hour. Some of you have sent donations and I want to first thank you and second tell you they are packed and ready to go in one of the 24 rubber made tubs we will be taking down with us. My family has a big job when we return turning our house into a home. If you remember we were chased out of our last house a week before we left in June. We found a great new one in Pana a few days before our flight out in June, but our belongings were just tossed in there and I only saw the place for a total of 20 minutes. When we return we have the job of turning it into a home for us and our 10 kids. It needs a new frig and some beds and some drapes I know, but it is a great place in a SAFE location. My kids start school soon after our arrival.
We have received several new children at the hogar. A sib set of 4 and then single kids varying in age from 11 to 15. I accepted a 1 year old this week with microcephalia [ not sure of the spelling ]. Anyway her brain is small. She is partially blind and deaf, but supposed to be a sweetheart. I will pick her up when I get back down there. She is currently at an orphanage that only does adoptions. Pedro, our new hogar director , has done a super job while we were gone. His big project now is looking for more beds as we are full up. Again thanks to Harvey and Rod Martin with Orphan Resources as Harvey is looking for us.
Our land that I want so badly so that we can become self sufficient and not have to worry so much about fund raising may be bought by someone else this week-end. The realtor called me and said the owner had told him this. Maybe it is true, maybe not. We have borrowed the $100,000 for the land, but do not want to spend it until we have enough for at least two of the major buildings [ which is about $50,000.00 ].
We are slowly getting child sponsorships, but need to get more people on board with the fund raising. We have one group doing an auction in Oct. and have a great musical group ready to do a concert in early Dec. If any of you can do any kind of fundraiser or write any kind of grant for us, please email me at 20.vicki@gmail.com
Thanks again for all the volunteer help we received this summer while I was gone and all the donations people have collected and sent. They are great. We have a great kids store in Apex, NC giving us some wonderful clothing donations.
Volunteer Missionary Movement is supplying us with a Registered Nurse starting in Dec. Alicia is making a two year commitment to us and we are very excited.
As soon as we get back to Guate and I can find my internet hook ups [ my new house has high speed dsl so no more internet cafes, I hope ] I will be writing the blogs on Mon., Weds., and Fri. I am also going to start adding pics to them as it will give you a much better idea of what is happening. In the meantime go to this new website www.isamundo.org. We are one of their projects and if you click on Casa de Sion, you can see some pics of the kids.
Thanks for your love of these children
Vicki
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Well our time in the states is quickly coming to an end. I have been to the foot doctor as I had a severe broken foot in Guate two years ago and needed the steel plates and screws checked and to the eye docter as I needed my glasses updated. I have two more appointments with the dentist and my regular doctor.
I have had a wonderful week at music camp with some of my family and friends.
Last week we had our family summer reunion; we had one at Christmas. All 18 of our children came, all the married kids spouses and nine grandbabies [ three were in utero ]. In other words, everyone came. It was awesome. We did a baby shower for the baby boy due in Oct., a baptism for our 8 year old and birthday parties for two daughters. We went on hikes, had picnics and ate all our favorite foods. On Sunday, we added my sisters' family and my dad to our already large numbers. My three oldest granddaughters[ 4, 3 and 2 ] have been here with me this week and that has been great. Tomorrow, my husband and I take grandkids home and take some time for ourselves. We are spending tomorrow night at an inn that has been in existance since the 1700s. We spent the first night of our honeymoon there 30 some years ago. Then we will go visit the kids who have bought new homes that we have not seen. That way when I talk to them in Guate, I can visualize where they are. My hardest part about being in Guate is missing my family, especially the grandbaby's births. I think newborn come out so wise and with such spiritual vibrations. I love to hold them and soak it up.
The orphanage is now empty of volunteers for a short while. Ryan W., one of our great friends, is taking a gang down the end of Aug. and Bob, a regular visitor is coming again. We received 4 new children yesterday. A sib group ages 15, 13, 8, and 5. They came from one of the three new courts who have checked us out in the last month. I expect to be full to capacity shortly. Please help us increase the amaount of capacity to 100. Attached is a sheet listing cost breakdowns and the current kids [ minus the last four ] and their ages and sizes. If you can do a full or partial sponsorship [ it costs us $175.00 a month to pay everything for one child ] of a child please do. Or contribute to our building fund. Or do a fundraiser or collect much appreciated donations. Or come and volunteer. We love you for any and all you do.
Vicki Dalia
Director of http://www.safehomesforchildren.org
I have had a wonderful week at music camp with some of my family and friends.
Last week we had our family summer reunion; we had one at Christmas. All 18 of our children came, all the married kids spouses and nine grandbabies [ three were in utero ]. In other words, everyone came. It was awesome. We did a baby shower for the baby boy due in Oct., a baptism for our 8 year old and birthday parties for two daughters. We went on hikes, had picnics and ate all our favorite foods. On Sunday, we added my sisters' family and my dad to our already large numbers. My three oldest granddaughters[ 4, 3 and 2 ] have been here with me this week and that has been great. Tomorrow, my husband and I take grandkids home and take some time for ourselves. We are spending tomorrow night at an inn that has been in existance since the 1700s. We spent the first night of our honeymoon there 30 some years ago. Then we will go visit the kids who have bought new homes that we have not seen. That way when I talk to them in Guate, I can visualize where they are. My hardest part about being in Guate is missing my family, especially the grandbaby's births. I think newborn come out so wise and with such spiritual vibrations. I love to hold them and soak it up.
The orphanage is now empty of volunteers for a short while. Ryan W., one of our great friends, is taking a gang down the end of Aug. and Bob, a regular visitor is coming again. We received 4 new children yesterday. A sib group ages 15, 13, 8, and 5. They came from one of the three new courts who have checked us out in the last month. I expect to be full to capacity shortly. Please help us increase the amaount of capacity to 100. Attached is a sheet listing cost breakdowns and the current kids [ minus the last four ] and their ages and sizes. If you can do a full or partial sponsorship [ it costs us $175.00 a month to pay everything for one child ] of a child please do. Or contribute to our building fund. Or do a fundraiser or collect much appreciated donations. Or come and volunteer. We love you for any and all you do.
Vicki Dalia
Director of http://www.safehomesforchildren.org
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