AUG-SEPT 2005

Albergue, Misión México, Dando Amor, Vida y Esperanza. AC

Tapachula, Chiapas, México.

Hola a todos,

It is hard to believe it is almost September. The children here are ready to start their new school year, all excited and eager to get back. We have been fortunate to receive four new scholarships for the private school and we have chosen Jose, Antonio, Hector and Juanito to fill these places. That brings the total to seven at this paticular school. Jose and Antonio received diplomas at the end of year celebrations in July. They are excelling and eager to learn and we feel the extra hours at this school is exactly what they need. Hector is six and very intelligent and will commence grade one and little Juanito, who is full of beans, will be in the final year of Kinder.

There will be sixteen others at the public primary school.

Our first graduate from primary school will commence secondary at a school quite a distance from the house. Even though Merril's final exams in primary were excellent he had to sit for an entrance exam to secondary school and was not able to do this, therefore we had difficulties getting him into a school and this is the only school that would accept him after many meetings and desperate pleading.

We hope to start his older brother, Moacir 16 yrs, in senior high but we are still having problems with papers for him.

Leonel 15 yrs, will continue in his Adult school until he completes primary and then we will put him in with the others.

It is a nightmare organizing it all but when you see the results, it is worth all the hard work.

Over the school vacations we managed to put all the older children into additional classes for a few hours a day. There were children in theatre, dance, piano, plasticine moulding, painting and chess.

It was amazing how much they developed in these classes, some incredible work was produced and two boys went on to enter a chess tornament.

Chess has become the favourite game in the house and now some younger children are challanging each other.

Our Sundays at the beach are special. It is one day that we can relax a little. We are still 'on duty' doing our 'bay watch' but the children are happy and keep themselves occupied all day with water play. We do give swimming lessons and the children are really coming along with their strokes. Sometimes there is a waterpolo game which is always a lot of fun. After lunch, which is usually simple, we have our traditional football game and then another spell on the beach where the children learn surf skills.

Our friend John is a big part of this and has been for some time. I feel we have taken over his life! Each Sunday, John transports half the children and some volunteers in his van and we take the other half in ours. We virtually have a permanent Sunday booking on his house at the beach!!

We can't thank him enough.

We have been so fortunate for some time now with volunteers. Ryan Roberts, 19yrs from Noosa spent three months here interacting with the children and taught the older children how to surf. He also managed to change a few nappies!!

Another volunteer, Wyatt gave music lessons to some of the older children and played some great games with the little ones.

Shannon Anderson has returned and is doing a wonderful job teaching the children. Word is getting out and others are offering to help, some have come and gone while others are here for the long haul. Richie and Megan Lounsbury and Annie Brothers from the U.S. Cian Johnson, Wendy Chan, Jan Kennedy, Mignon Steel and Morgen Figgis are here from Australia.

Also, Veronica Lake from Aust. has managed to get our old sewing machine going again and has made curtains and is in the process of doing all the repairs. Luke Thomas from NZ is our 'camera man' and has been helping us to get a portfolio together.

These people are wonderful to give up their vacations and do this work and their help is invaluable, such a blessing. The children are getting the attention that they need and Alan and I have had a little more freedom to organize other things.

 

The children received a puppy for children's day a while back, which for me, was a lot of extra work. The children at first, played far too rough and the little thing suffered a bit. One boy, Isaac was mean to it, so much so, that one day I punished him by giving him the job of cleaning up after the puppy, which believe me, was a lot! Gradually Isaac learnt how to take care of this animal and soon began to love her.

A short while later she got sick. She picked up some virus that got into her bones and she couldn't walk. After taking her to the Veterinary Clinic we had to learn how to give injections.

This poor dog was in so much pain that I got no sleep. She would whimper every half hour to an hour for me to turn her over. I was using a seringe to give her water. During the day Isaac looked after her and did a wonderful job.

Matilda, as we called her, would improve for a few days and then she would go down again. I took her to the vet the forth time where we agreed that the best thing to do was to put her down. It was a hard discision but we couldn't go on like this. I cried as Moacir carried her to the car and drove her to our new block where we buried her.

We couldn't bring ourselves to tell Isaac and pretended she was still at the vets. A couple of days ago Isaac walked into the kitchen and put his arms around me and started sobbing saying how much he missed Matilda. When the time is right we will tell him.

 

Teaching the children how to value things is an ongoing task. These children were not taught these qualities of life. Their lives were never valued so we cannot expect them to easily understand this concept. It takes time and patience.

They have all grown so much and we are very proud of them. It has been a long hard road and they have come a long way but still a long way to go.

 

We have 32 children in total, a new girl arriving last week. Her name is Paola and she is 15 years. The police found her on the streets and bought her directly to us. We don't know her full story but she said she ran away because she was abused.

 

Well, time has got away once again. It is now the 28 th August.

 

We would like to inform you that Alan and I are very fortunate to be able to take a trip to Australia together for the first time in five years. We will be in Oz for September and October to try and raise the funds we need to complete the new refuge.

We have a number of speaking engagements in Sydney and the south coast and will also be visiting Melbourne.

We will be on the Sunshine Coast at different times during this period.

Mexican Independence Day will be spent on Sydney Harbour with the Mexican Australian Welfare Assoc. I. Email address, larslohmann@ozemail.com.au

 

During our absence, here are a number of volunteers to help out and a lovely couple who are taking over the responsibility of being the house parents while we are away.

Organizing everything has been a nightmare. There has been a lot of paperwork to get in order for the commencement of school, birth certificates and other legal documents but slowly everything is coming together.

A couple of the older girls have been crying at the thought of us leaving saying, 'It won't be the same without you.' How sweet they are.

 

For those of you who don't know, we now have a web page. There are lots of photos and information for you to browse through.

 

www.lovelifehope.com

 

We have been intouch with the sub editor of Women's Weekly who has interviewed us by phone and has stated that they will be running our story in the October edition.

 

 

God bless you all,

Pam and Alan Skuse