Go, Margot!

Margot does her part in the dances. By far the most studious of our kids, Margot has her eyes set on being first in her class here at San Lucas. I think the Valdictorian from each school has a shot at entering the University system. A real incentive as 2 yrs. ago there were 10,000 students taking the entrance exam for some 2,000 spaces! Go, Margot.

Helping Out

Rosita,one of our "educadoras" or houseparents from San José, helps out at the San Lucas bash selling tickets and plate lunches. Thanks, Tía Rosita!

Judge

María Perez, director of Casa Hogar San José, was asked to be one of the dance judges this year. (No small committment as the dances can last 4 hours or more!) She attends the parents meetings, picks up the report cards, and checks regularly with the teachers on our kids´ progress. We try to fulfill the role of parents as best we can. Of course with 24 Casas kids in San Lucas, we represent about 13% of the enrollment. All our educadoras help out, too.

Dance Outfits

We joined in going to the celebration of the San Lucas anniversary and watched the dances. Padre Ron includes a substantial amount in the budget for renting these costumes annual for the big blowout as they can cost up to a day's wage of S/20!

Take Time

I guess we aren't really very good about taking time to "smell the flowers" or "enjoy the view," but occasionally we do- usually in our garden! What a wonderful world our Lord has given us!

Song of Solomon 2:12
Flowers appear on the earth;
the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves
is heard in our land.

SUCCESS!

The St. Philip's team debriefed at the Robertson's after arriving back in Arequipa. It sounds like their trip was a great success. All were safe and sound, albeit somewhat nipped by the sun and plenty tired. People in Cabanaconde are beginning to realize that St. Philip's is in there for the long haul. And apparently NO ONE got sick on this trip-a first! We know Padre Alejandro was blessed to have them there. Great job,Todd! Well done.

Pinch Hitter

At the last minute Vicki stepped in to help out Padre Juan Carlos and San Lucas with the music for their first communion eucharist. The event had already been rescheduled thinking that Bishop Godfrey might be present, but it was not to be. Everything came off without a hitch and Vicki was impressed with the good behavior of the San Lucas kids in general.

Saint Philip's, Frisco

Saint Philip's, Frisco passed through on their way to Cabanaconde for a week's work. Here they are at a restaurant in Arequipa planning strategy and recuperating from the trip this far! Several decided to try cuy(guinea pig)for the first time. They had a few hours to get used to the altitude as well. The high point on the trip to Cabanaconde is 16,108 ft. Also, Vicki has been able to raise up other locals who can now help with making travel and lodging arrangements for this team. We´ll pray for your mission!

Speeling Beee

San Lucas English teacher Mary put her students to the test with a spelling competion. Padre and Vicki were brought in to be native speaker judges. Students read a word in English and then spelled it in English. We had some discussion of how to do some letters- like "W". In Spanish you have two choices: double "U" or double "V". Not so in English. Also, what do you do about our Brits who help here? They use "zed"! After figuring these issues out, we had a great time. Secondary winner: Margot from Sagrada Familia. Primary winners: Waldir from San José and a María de los Santos who nearly passed out from the stress of competition! A hug from Miss Vicki helped restore her confidence. Our winners´photo didn´t turn out.

Olympiad 2008

At 9:30 day before yesterday we had the Olympic at San Lucas. The whole works from flag ceremony to torch to competitions in soccer and races of 50m, 400m and 800m. Kids had a great time being outside. Happy chaos reigned!

Corazón con Esperanza

Our San José kids got to come home EARLY from school recently. Boy, were they excited. A medical group out of Los Ángeles called Corazón con Esperanza, was able to come down and checked out our kids while they were in town. Hearts and teeth. We were pleased to get a clean bill of health except for a couple of extractions that we needed. Thanks, guys, we want to keep everyone well!