Maria & Daniela

     On September 14, two babies arrived at Grace Babies’ Home. Their names are Maria and Daniela, and they are both 8 months old.
     Daniela has a huge personality. She always wants to be the center of attention. If you stop looking at her, she screams and cries. I wonder if maybe she was just starved for attention, and now that she gets it she loves it. When she first came to us, she could not sit up by herself or stand on her legs and bounce. After the first two weeks she was here, she was doing both of these. She is also in a stage of copying our facial expressions and sounds that we make. You can see these in the pictures below. We are pretty close to getting her to say “uh-oh”.
     Maria was a little more behind than Daniela when she came to us. She was also sick. She had a very bad cold for the first week and a half. Her cold is gone and she now can sit up by herself for the most part, and entertains herself with the toys she grabs. Maria has more of a “there you are” verses a “here I am” personality. She doesn’t scream or cry like Daniela does when you put her down on the ground or stop looking at her. She is always content. She likes it when you lift and hold her up in the air. My dad is really good at doing this.
      Grace Babies’ Home is a two-story building with our house on the second floor and the home for babies is on the first floor. My mom and I have been sleeping downstairs with the babies since they arrived. We get up with them in the night (or hopefully the morning), change them, feed them, and then play with them until their morning nap. Even though I have to do school, I try to help out with them as often as I can during the day.
     Before these two babies arrived at GBH, I was feeling kind of depressed. I kept thinking about the fact that I didn’t really have any friends to hang out with and that I was not really doing anything besides school and swimming. My life seemed really uneventful. When Daniela and Maria arrived, I felt I had a job to do and that I was needed. It really feels good to be needed. Whenever I start to think about the friend situation, I realize that I don’t really have time to hang out right now. I have a job to do that God gave me. I think he brought Maria and Daniela at the perfect time.

First Week in High School

Last week was my first week doing online High School. I took the orientation class on the first day and then started my real schoolwork the next day. The classes I am taking are: Bible, Physical Science, English, Math, Health, and French. My teacher’s name is Mrs. Russell.

Every morning I have to log on and read a devotional. After I read the devotion I have to post a comment or respond to another student’s comment about the devotion. This is how they take attendance every day.

In all of my subjects I have a Discussion Forum. This is where all of the kids in my class post comments about a question. For example, in Physical Science one of the questions was, “When doing an investigation, if you made a mistake, what would you do?” All of the students post what they would do and can also respond to other student's posts. The format for discussion is much like the devotional.

We were recently asked to define Christianity in our Bible Discussion Forum. After reading everyone's lengthy definitions I was hesitant to answer, but this is what I wrote: “John 3:16 says, ‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.’ That only son is Jesus Christ. Christianity is believing in Jesus Christ and having a personal relationship with Him.”

My favorite part of this program is that I can work at my own pace. I am the kind of person who would rather finish it fast and get it over with, instead of waiting until that last minute to do it. Once a week I have a meeting with my teacher in an online classroom that works like a chat room. In the classroom we can hear each other talk, and even see each other if we choose to turn on the video. I can work fast and finish my school work whenever, as long as I finish before the meeting.

I am very thankful that I can do this online High School. I think it is going to be a good school year.

Funny Thoughts & Feelings

        I am always thinking of funny things. The other day I was wondering what would happen if our dirty, old, green minivan - Sally, met a bright, red Ferrari? What would they talk about? Would they discuss the different things they see while driving? Would they compare how different the conversations are that they hear from their passengers? Would they talk about the different roads they drive and things they see while on those roads? 
        Sally would probably tell the Ferrari that she lives in Mexico, but in her lifetime she has seen just about everything - the beach, the mountains, the desert, and the snow. Now the Ferrari would probably tell our minivan that the only places it’s ever been are expensive cities and neighborhoods. Then Sally would talk about all the music it plays, such as Jana Alyra or Rob Biagi. She has heard our family talks and arguments, and little kids screaming and crying. Sally would explain how she has basically raised our family, getting us from place to place. 
        The Ferrari would tell the minivan that it has listened to every type of music except the music the minivan has heard. The conversations the Ferrari has heard have always been business conversations or boring adult conversations. The Ferrari has no idea about families and the things that happen in them. He has no idea what life looks like from Mexican roads. He maybe starts to feel like he’s missing out. 
        Then I started to think what our shiny, new Honda Odyssey – Jazz, and our old, green minivan – Sally, talk about now (they are parked next to each other). Does Sally say, “You are going to love the Struttons!” Does she say, “Mexico is the best place to be!” I wonder if Jazz will even like it here, or will she miss her old family, the old roads, and her old life? Does Sally feel rejected by our family? Or does she understand she still has an important job – serving babies at Grace Babies’ Home. 
        When I think about all these silly car conversations, I remember my feelings when we visited an outdoor market while on vacation last weekend. I walked around all the little shops, but as I kept looking around at all the girls my age I felt like our old, green minivan on a highway of Ferraris. I knew that on the outside I didn’t look much different, but I could feel something different on the inside. We had a meeting spot where my dad was hanging out in case someone got lost. So after walking for a little bit, I went back to the meeting spot and hung out with my dad. I didn’t really have the nerve to tell him then the reason why I didn’t want to keep shopping. So when he asked, “Couldn’t find anything you can’t live without?” I shook my head and said, “Nope, not really”. 
        The Bible says that our home is in heaven and until we get there we are not going to feel like we belong. I don’t know about you guys, but I know that I really need to remember that. God put me here in Mexico for a reason, and I sure am glad He did!

Major Award!

           I started swimming in August of 2010 and ever since then I have loved everything about it. Practice starts at 5:00pm and goes until 7:00pm, 5 days a week. We run for 40 minutes before we get into the pool. I swim all four strokes, but my favorites are breast and fly.

            This past week I didn’t go to practice because my friend from Encinitas was staying with me. My coach found out that the Rosarito Chamber of Commerce wanted to give me an award. After trying all week, he finally got a hold of me yesterday to tell me about it. When he first told me I thought he was joking because he said that I was the only one on the whole team who was going, then I realized he was serious! I told my dad about it and he said he would go with me.

            We met my coach at the pool and followed him to where the ceremony took place; it was called Plaza Festival. From the front, it had a huge joker. It looked like a place I would NOT want to go into. When we got to the top of the stairs, we entered a room with fancy tables and chairs. We sat down at a table towards the front of the room. At the very front was a long table for the important people (this is how most events are organized here in Mexico). From the time we sat down to the time the event started, an hour passed (this is also normal for where I live). Finally all the important people showed up and sat down at their table.

            They started off by saying a few words, and then gave out the awards. This is when I learned that I was receiving an award for being the athlete of the month for all sports for all of Rosarito. When they called my name I went up and shook hands with all the important people, got my picture taken with some important guy and then walked back to our table.

            As I was walking back and examining my plaque, I realized how lucky I am to have parents that will pay and drive me every day to the pool and to my meets. Swimming is definitely my sport and I love it. That ceremony encouraged me to try harder and train harder. Thanks God for this sport.

            PS – Those of you who love the movie “A Christmas Story” will understand my title;)

Important Guy & Me

My Awesome Coaches & Me

Natalia

           Three weeks ago, we got our first baby in the baby home. Her name is Natalia. She came to us with the chicken pox and some respiratory problems. Even though she was sick, we all loved her. My mom and I took her to the Red Cross and the doctor gave us some medicine. After a few days she looked ten times better.

            We got a crib donated and I put it together in my room. The next couple of nights Natalia slept with me. I got up in the middle of the night and gave her a bottle and then put her back to sleep. It was a ton of fun! Then she got a bad cold. My mom wanted to hear her in the night, so she went back to sleeping in my parents’ room.

            She was just getting over her cold and feeling better, when my dad got a phone call today. He told me that Natalia was leaving. She had gotten adopted and they were coming to pick her up in 30 minutes. I was heartbroken. I really didn't want to see her go. I went and told my brothers and we all went downstairs and said our goodbyes. By that time I was in tears.

            Thinking about her now still makes me cry. But Donna, a missionary who recently moved here from Jamaica and is helping at GBH, told me something. She said, "When Moses' mother couldn't take care of him anymore and had to put him in a basket and send him off, she trusted that God was still with him and that He had a purpose for his life." That makes me feel a lot better. Knowing that God will never leave Natalia and that He will always love her. He even loves her more than I do, and He will always take care of her.

            Even though I miss Natalia so much, I know that God is always watching over her. My mom told me that every time I think of her, I should pray for her. I love you Natalia!

Bible Study - For Such a Time as This

          At the beginning of the summer my mom asked me if I wanted to do a summer bible study. We decided to do a Beth Moore study on the book of Esther. My mom suggested inviting my friend, Brittany Struska, and her mom to study it with us. We try to meet every Monday at 7:30pm, but both our families were really busy this summer so we are just now a little more than halfway through it. They come over to my house and we go over our answers to the study. Then we watch the video and talk about it. During all of this we eat popcorn and treats and laugh a lot.

            Since I can remember, my mom always sits in bed at night and does her bible study homework. I have always thought, “Why would anyone want to do extra homework that is not required by somebody?” I don’t know, but it didn’t seem worth it to me. So when my mom suggested doing a bible study, I was a little hesitant. I wasn’t sure if I could fit all the homework in with swimming and home school, or if I even wanted to do it. But I decided to try it out since it would just be the four of us and I could be honest about whether I understood it or not. After these weeks, I would say that bible study does take a little bit of extra work, but it is totally worth it! The Esther bible study has been amazing to me. I especially love the way Beth Moore explains things. She makes it easy to understand and keeps it so interesting. After we finish this one, I really want to keep doing bible study.

            Brittany Struska and her family are missionaries with YUGO as well. They live on the YUGO Ranch and run the house-building ministry in Tijuana. Brittany and I are in the same youth group together so we see each other on Sundays at church. We also hang out with their family a lot. Brittany and I get along really well. She likes the same music I do, and we make up dances to it all the time. I have enjoyed studying Esther with Brittany because I am so comfortable around her. 

My Vacation in the Sierras

        The past three weeks I have been staying at a home that my grandparents own in the Sierra Mountains. I get to stay for weeks because I brought all of my schoolwork with me. Anyways, here are some things I've done. 
        One of the first fun things that I did was go hiking. The first hike we did was a hike up Rock Creek. My Auntie Lynn came on that hike with us. We saw three lakes in total. One of the lakes had golden trout in it. From way up high they looked really pretty. Another one of the lakes had a little waterfall that was flowing into it; that was really cool to see. The last lake we saw had a little bridge. It crossed over the creek that was running into the lake. Auntie Lynn, Mamaw and I took our picture on it. It was a super fun hike. We also took Darby my aunt’s dog. She had a lot of fun too. 
        The other hike that we did was just Mamaw and me. This time we hiked up to a lake called Grass Lake. It was a little bit harder than the hike up Rock Creek. It was up a big hill. I counted 25 switchbacks. When we got to the top the lake looked beautiful! I walked down to the waterfront and caught a frog! It was such a small little frog. We also saw a tiny little water snake! I think I liked that hike better. 
        When Mamaw and I weren’t doing anything, we would watch T.V. That is one of the cool things that we get to do when we go visit her since we don’t have cable in Mexico. Two of our favorite shows are House Hunters and America’s Got Talent. The night Papa (my grandpa) came up with some friends, we stayed up watching T.V. until midnight waiting for them. The next morning I slept in till 10:30! 
        Another thing we did was go down town. Down town we would go shopping and eat. One time we went and got shaved ice! I also got my hair cut and a pedicure. I would say going down town is one of the best parts of staying with my grandma. 
        One of the best things I did these past weeks was go to the Bishop Fair. Cardinal Village is a little store and café right down the street from my grandma’s cabin. Anyways the family that owns it has three boys and they took me down to the fair. We got these wristbands so that we could go on all the rides. My favorite ride was the Zipper. It’s like a bicycle chain but connected to the chain are theses cage like chairs. You sit in the chair and the chain rotates and so does your seat. You can do so many flips! The cool thing was that I got to meet and get to know a lot of kids. 
        Next time I come up to the Sierras I know that I will have a lot of fun with all of those kids. I am so glad that I got to come up here all by myself to spend some alone time with my grandma. I had a great time!

Auntie Lynn and me after our haircuts. 

Auntie Lynn, Mamaw and Me hiking Rock Creek.

Mamaw and Me on our hike to Grass Lake.

Out to eat.

Pedicures!