Fish Spa...take 2!

So I visited the fish spa again on Friday night. This time I went with some girl friends. As you an imagine there was lots of giggling and screaming going on (with 13 women, what else can you expect?). Some people were able to tolerate having their feet chewed on better than others. While I was there I saw the same girl who had taken Greg's and my picture the last time we were there. She recognized me and told me she had tried to send the pictures, but that they hadn't gone through. I kind of figured that must have happened (I had give her my school email and sometimes it won't let pictures go through due to their size). She was kind enough to have printed them off for me so she gave them to me. They aren't the best quality, but at least you can see a little what it's like (both photos are clickable so you can make them bigger to see a little better).

I didn't take my camera on Friday night so "stole" this pic off someone's facebook...I hope she doesn't mind! LOL!

Fun times! :-)

Sailing, soccer and a concert

Today my good friend, Athy, took me sailing. It was the first time I had done anything like that and I had a good time. We didn't go far from shore really (so we weren't gone very long) and the day was gorgeous with lots of sunshine and fairly clean water (for around here). Her husband managed to get a few photos of the event and I also took some of the girls and KL on the beach. They had a good time playing while I was out (the images below should be clickable to make them bigger).

Here are some very nice shots of KR.

With friend.
Also, this past Wednesday KL had a soccer game. It turned out we missed half of it (took us longer to get there than we had anticipated, plus they started the game earlier than we were told), but at least we got to see him play some. He is among the smallest and youngest on his team, but he's scrappy and a go-getter so he's fun to watch. Here are some pictures from that. Sorry they aren't better. I didn't have a good angle to take them from .

And finally, on Tuesday KD has his first band concert of the year. I'm mainly posting the video for Grandma (who is a music person) and Grandpa, but anyone reading this can feel free to watch it. I'm sorry I only mostly got the top of his head. I didn't have a good seat at all when it came to being able to take photos and video. So unless I stood up in front of everyone this is the best I could do. You will just have to close your eyes and listen rather than watch! lol!

Happy Birthday (yes, another one!!)

Stink, I am a day late wishing my nephew, Donovan, a very happy 12th birthday! I really was going to try hard to be on time so that I didn't have to send another belated wish out! Oh well, I hope he knows we were thinking of him yesterday and wishing him a very special day!!

Here he is (the one in front) with his family taken this summer. This is the best, most recent photo I have of him.

Hugs and kisses from us all, Donovan :-)

Rick Warren on Orphans

As most of you know orphans and their plight, are very near and dear to my heart. Although KJ wasn't/isn't a true orphan, she still needed a new mommy and daddy to take care of her. Having her with us has radically changed me and my heart for children who have no parents to take care of them, love them, protect them and raise them. If you viewed the video above you will see that Rick's main focus is on HIV orphans. I can't watch the video without my eyes welling up with tears at the thought of all those children without parents. How can we, as Christ followers, not do more for these children? Don't their faces just break your heart? It's so easy to watch videos like this and then go on about life like you had never seen them...But I don't want to watch them and forget!! I want to do something. I know what I am supposed to do (that is to care for orphans)...I need to walk the talk! I just don't know where to start and what I should be doing. The needs are so overwhelming. Tonight I decided that at the very least I am going to post this to start my "walk". If it educates even one person about HIV then it has accomplished something. This has been subject I have been wanting to blog about for a while, but just haven't taken the time to do it. Then tonight I stumbled across this video and I knew it was the time to get this posted.

To go along with the above video, here are some facts about HIV in case some of you are interested in the facts (as opposed to the misunderstandings that are still out there) taken from the blog of a mom with two beautiful HIV+ children:

-HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus, and it is the virus that if left untreated, can progress and develop into AIDS. AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, and occurs when HIV advances and weakens the immune system to the point that the body can no longer fight off illness and infections.

-There is currently no cure for HIV or AIDS, however, the medications that are now available to treat HIV are highly effective. HIV is now considered a chronic yet manageable condition in the United States and in other countries where treatment is readily available. Children who receive the proper treatment and medications are expected to live well into adulthood and have close to normal or normal life expectancies, and many people are now living with HIV for indefinite periods of time without developing AIDS.

-While the term "HIV+ child" usually makes people imagine a child that is very sickly, the reality is that children who are HIV+ and are receiving the medications, look just like any other child.

-When HIV+ children are receiving proper care and are on their medications (when needed), they enjoy very good health and do not need to be isolated from other children or be treated differently.

-HIV+ children are NOT a risk to people around them, as HIV can NOT be spread through causal contact. HIV is not spread through hugging, kissing, shaking hands, sharing toys, sneezing, coughing, sharing food, sharing drinks, bathing, swimming or any other causal way.

-It has been proven that HIV and AIDS can only be spread through sexual contact, birth, breast milk and blood to blood contact (such as sharing needles). Children who are HIV+ can share food, drink, bath tubs, swimming pools, towels, beds, toys and all other household items with their family members and friends without risk. HIV is not transmitted through urine, stool, snot, tears or sweat.

-While it is recommended and wise to handle the blood of an HIV+ child with care, it is also helpful to know that the risk of transmitting HIV through a bloody nose or skinned knee is very minimal. This is especially true for a child that is on HIV medications, because the medications can reduce the amount of HIV in a person's system to the point that the HIV is considered "undetectable", meaning there is only a very tiny amount of virus in the person's system.

Below is some information from the CDC (Center for Disease Control) and a link is provided for more detailed information:
How is HIV passed from one person to another?
HIV is not transmitted by day-to-day contact in the workplace, schools, or social settings. HIV is not transmitted through shaking hands, hugging, or a casual kiss. You cannot become infected from a toilet seat, a drinking fountain, a door knob, dishes, drinking glasses, food, or pets.
HIV is not an airborne or food-borne virus, and it does not live long outside the body.
HIV transmission can occur when blood, semen, pre-seminal fluid, vaginal fluid, or breast milk from an infected person enters the body of an uninfected person.
Intact, healthy skin is an excellent barrier against HIV and other viruses and bacteria.

These are the most common ways that HIV is transmitted from one person to another:
* by having sex with an HIV-infected person; * by sharing needles or injection equipment with an injection drug user who is infected with HIV; or * from HIV-infected women to their babies before or during birth, or through breast-feeding after birth.

HIV also can be transmitted through receipt of infected blood or blood clotting factors. However, since 1985, all donated blood in the United States has been tested for HIV. Therefore, the risk of infection through transfusion of blood or blood products is extremely low. The U.S. blood supply is considered to be among the safest in the world.

- People who are HIV+ deserve to be treated with love, respect, support and acceptance as all people do. If anyone wants more info on transmission, there is great info on the Center for Disease Control website at http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/factsheets/transmission.htm

Walking the talk...

This school year our theme is "Walk the Talk". I know we are not the first ones to think this up, but it sure can be a very challenging way to live. Throughout the year we find ways to challenge our students (and ourselves) to live the theme out in our lives. Last week was Spiritual Emphasis week. Our guest speaker this year was a man by the name of Frank Reynosa and he came to us from Orlando, Florida. He also visited us a couple of years ago during this same week. I don't know a ton about his background since I missed some of the day sessions, but I have copied and pasted below some of what the director of our school had to say about him at the conclusion of our week with him (found in the original context here -scroll to the bottom of the page):

Frank grew up in New York City and by the age of 13 had run away from home and was living on the streets. For the next ten years Frank made his living by selling drugs. During that time he became an alcoholic and addict who was shot at, stabbed, and overdosed a number of times. He fled New York because of a bad drug deal that resulted in two guys planning and trying to kill him.

He ended up in Orlando, Florida and while waiting to find out if he had AIDS prayed to God, “If you save me I’ll serve you!” After finding out that he did not have HIV he went back to an addict’s lifestyle but that prayer continued to echo in his mind. A short time later he started attending a church and eventually committed his life fully to Jesus Christ. Since then he has been living out his first prayer in so many different ways.

Today Frank is serving God daily through a number of different ministries. He serves as a chaplain at the House of Hope which is residential program for troubled teens. House of Hope’s mission is to restore children back to their parents and they have around 50 kids who are being saved from a life of drugs, witchcraft, prostitution, and other life-destroying choices. Through the House of Hope he also works with a program called “The Last Wave” which is a club for teenagers in Orlando.

But that is not all that he is doing. He also ‘works’ with FCA – Fellowship of Christian Athletes which has him involved in speaking to teams and young athletes all over the country. On top of that, two years ago he started a church that is very focused on making a difference in the community and has its members involved in street outreach and feeding people as well as a jail ministry. Frank serves in these various capacities and yet does not receive a salary from the different ministries he works for.

This week the students at Dalat have been drawn to Frank for many different reasons. One of them is that he is a man who is “Walking the Talk.” There is no doubt that Frank’s testimony of going from a life on the streets of New York to saving kids in Orlando is a powerful one. It is an example of someone who is living out his faith and what he believes through his actions, behaviors, and choices each day. When I talked with him earlier this week this was brought home by a very powerful statement he made to me, “Your testimony is only as powerful as the way you lived your life today.”

Is that not a HUGE challenge to each of us??

The most exciting news from the week is that many students made committments to Christ during this time. And lots of other renewed their committments as well. Personally I was challenged and encouraged during the week, even though the main focus is the kids.

One more birthday wish...

...it's belated, but I wanted to wish my nephew, Wyatt, a very happy first birthday! His special day was the 1st. Wow, I can't believe it's already been a year. Here is a sweet picture of him taken this summer...

Catching up...

I can't believe it's already been a week since KR had her birthday party...and I still have not blogged about it! Ugh. It has been a busy week around here, but not that busy with anything big...just little busy, I guess.
So, yes, KR did have a sleepover last Friday night to celebrate turning eight. She invited three of her good friends to come over after school for some coloring fun (Littlest Pet Shop) then they all headed to the pool for some swimming. Supper of hotdogs, chips and carrot sticks came next followed by ice cream and some playtime back at school. Presents and cupcakes followed by a quick bath and a the new Barbie movie "The Diamond Castle" finished off the evening. The girls were in bed by ten and asleep by 10:30...not too bad for a sleepover, if you ask me. They did get up pretty early on Saturday morning, but they managed to stay pretty quiet and not wake up the whole household until about 8 or so. Then I made them some puppy dog pancakes (with chocolat chip faces) and they went home about 10. Overall, I was very pleased with how things went, and I know KR had a great time with her friends. Here are some pictures of the evening...although I didn't get as much variety as I should have...sigh.