Boom-shocka-locka and some sense

Explanation for the title of this blog: A house blew up a few blocks away yesterday morning! (I wish this was a joke!) It was SO LOUD, and so forceful, that I literally thought a car ran into my building...or that I was all the sudden in a war zone... Anyway, they think it was from the gas tank, and the second floor of the house is gone.  Happy Monday Morning...

Anywho, I'm starting to get settled here in Dulce Refugio, and what's a better way to describe my current life according to my five senses:

Taste:
Delish. Honestly, I don't know what I had for lunch today, but it was good! I <3 Mexican food.  I've been eating lunch with the workers here, and it's so far one of my favorite times of the day! It's quite a Spanglish conversation hour, and mostly I'm just taking it in trying to follow along with what's going on! ...Well, the food is mostly delicious anyway-- my own cooking has been quite the trial and error! I've been having breakfast and dinner on my own, and I'm having fun scrounging around the group kitchen to find food to conjure up. The good news is, I finally figured out that I needed matches for the gas stove here--better news-- I found some! (I burnt some pancakes this morning, and a grilled cheese last night, but I succeeded with spaghetti this evening!)

Sound:
Mostly during the day, it's the sound of children's voices and laughter... one of my favorite sounds in the world!(*pure joy!)...But that's not all I've been hearing--loud trucks roar and dogs bark through the night, the "gas noel" truck can be heard driving by at any time of the day, and all kinds of construction noises fill my ear as I've been listening to Gungor, Needtobreathe, Phil Wickham, and Jack Johnson... ear drum overload!

Smell:
Dust...? I'll have to get back to you about this sense!

See:
Oh my! Well, the view from my bedroom window is that of the front of the comedor, so I can always see a few people hanging out on those benches :).  I see progress-progress being made on the boy's dorm, and more to come! I see growth--this being my fourth time here in three years, I've seen tremendous growth here! When I first came to Dulce Refugio--the kids were still at the old small orphanage downtown... and we were still painting the girl's dorm. (It would take too long to truly describe all the growth here--just believe me!) This place is not the same! Along with growth-- I've seen many of these kids grow beautifully!

Feel:
Dry. My hands are SO DRY from grouting in the bathroom for the past two days! I may use up my month's supply of lotion in the next few days at this rate!...And the air here is still pretty dry, considering it's the rainy season! (I'm willing to bet it's much more humid in Ohio right now!)


6th Sense..."The other kind of feel":
So many things! Excited. I'm happy to be here. I'm anxious about wanting to jump right in and be useful and helpful and be a part of everything-- God is reminding me that one of His Fruits is patience... oh yeah! I'm in need of some of that! I'm also feeling like I'm learning what it's like to be an introvert-- it's different being here without a team, without Leah or Julie of Mama Fe to hash out the days happenings with as we pillow talk ourselves to sleep! Honestly, I'm excited about this. I think I will learn a lot about myself, and more importantly, I pray that my dependence on Jesus will be strengthened through this! (I just hope I don't get too used to these quiet evenings, a team will be joining me on Sunday, and Sarah comes July 5th for the rest of the trip!) Lastly, I feel loved--by God, and by the kids. I just know that He is here with me, He always has been, and always will be. It's hard to describe it, but I feel His love on me. And I will never get over the love of children--their hugs, their hands reached out for mine, their trust, and their joy.

**Sorry for no pics again today. Hopefully another day this week I'll have a post with more pics.

Tara:)