Thank you WHITTIER FAMILY & FRIENDS!

I went to Whittier for a day last weekend and say my extended family, church family, YMCA family, and even my mama flew down from Idaho for a surprise Christmas gift. I love Whittier and the support this city has shared with me when I was living their 3 years ago and how everyone is continuing to support me and my endeavours as a missionary in Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico at Rancho Sordo Mudo (www.ranchosordomudo.org). My day trip was jammed packed with the Whittier Christmas Parade, breakfast with Papa and my mom, Aunt Terry's 4th annual Christmas Cookie Party, Inouye Family, Caver Family, Edmaru Street. It was such a joy to have time to share with my other home away from home and let everyone know that I am well and God's work is fruitful at Rancho Sordo Mudo.

May you all be blessed this Christmas as you spend time with your families and enjoying some of your favorite traditions. Thank you everyone for all of your continued support. A special thanks for the Plymouth Whittier Handbell Choir, who I played with (LOW DING ZONE for 2 years) for preparing gifts for all of the staff, as well as the YMCA Spin class, who I would spin with at 6am Mon-Wed-Friday...you all have made myself and all of the staff feel very loved and appreciated. We are truly blessed for your friendship and support. Thanks for thinking about us all down here in Mexico. I am so happy to share this experience with you all and I look forward to hearing more from you this year and next year!

Keep Smiling :) Erin "Love never fails." 1 Corinthians 13:8

Feliz Navidad - Merry Christmas

Every year Christmas comes and I look forward to sharing with others the traditions that make this month special. A few traditions shared around the Ranch are: playing games, cards, exchanging gifts, preparing tamales, eating sweet bread with cocoa Christmas morning, and anticipating the arrival of many parents and families for our Christmas Program.

This year we changed our typical tradition of one drama with song, and dance and handed over most of the responsibilities to the kids. Since Thanksgiving the kids have been busy creating art pieces that represented images of the CROSS, BETHLEHEM, HEAVEN, and JESUS'S RESURRECTION. The paintings, drawings, aluminum art, and scratch art all turned out amazing. The art was displayed in a maze which was constructed on the lower level of the gym. In the middle of this maze is a door to our TV/Movie room where the parents entered to see a mini stage set up for a black light performance of Jesus' life story. Again all done by the kids with some direction of course, but the kids did it all.

While some of the families were viewing the art 2 other groups of families were busy either visiting the classrooms or listening to testimonies shared by some of our older students. The tour of the classrooms gave the parents an opportunity to learn about the different things their sons or daughter are being taught in school. The entire day was full of sharing, joy, peace, love, and laughter. All of the kids did a wonderful job leading their families around the Ranch and showing them pictures of the true meaning in which we celebrate Christmas. We even had a few kids dressed up for our live nativity scene.

We may not have snow down here at the Ranch, but in exchange we have lots of glitter, love, and of course chili peppers!

Have a wondeful Christmas and New Year's! Hugs from Mexico!

Psalm 23 : Salmos 23

A challenge to memorize Psalm 23 : Salmos 23 for the year was proposed to all the staff and kids at the Ranch by Dennis Sheritt from Rancho Del Ray. And...as I listened to Dennis share God's word I understood that this verse is talking about how Jesus is in our heart, and he is our shield, protector, our Superhero. Verse 4: "I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me," we are like sheep following our shepherd (LORD) and when we need some guidance he will use his staff and rod to direct us. He wants us to learn how to love others and serve others with love. It is great to have be reminded that we are loved so much by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and that he is with us always.

Psalm 23 : Salmos 23 A psalm of David.

¹ The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
² He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
³ he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
⁴ Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,^{a]" style="font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 0.5em; ">[a]}
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
⁶ Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

Salmos 23

¹ El Señor es mi *pastor, nada me falta;
² en verdes pastos me hace descansar.
Junto a tranquilas aguas me conduce;
³ me infunde nuevas *fuerzas.
Me guía por sendas de *justicia
por amor a su *nombre.

⁴ Aun si voy por valles tenebrosos,
no temo peligro alguno
porque tú estás a mi lado;
tu vara de pastor me reconforta.

⁵ Dispones ante mí un banquete
en presencia de mis enemigos.
Has ungido con perfume mi cabeza;
has llenado mi copa a rebosar.

⁶ La bondad y el amor me seguirán
todos los días de mi vida;
y en la casa del Señor
habitaré para siempre.

Many things to be thankful for...

Well another Thanksgiving shared with my Ranch family. We all were blessed by an annual group who has been faithfully coming to the Ranch to prepare all 50 of us a delicious Turkey dinner with all of the fixings. I was thinking about many different places I have experienced Thanksgiving (Spain, Cancun, Canada, Whittier/CA, Coeur d' Alene/ID, Friday Harbor/WA, Louisville/KY, and Aspen/CO). In all of these places I have enjoyed a great meal with friends from all over and with each Thanksgiving the best thing shared are the memories. I appreciate Thanksgiving this year because we had several of our staff's family come share their favorite part of the holiday. It is always a great time to reflect on the numerous blessings that God has given us all. This year I am just privileged to be surrounded with people who share the joy of serving others. I love my job and I am thankful that I get to love on 31 kids everyday. I wish everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with the ones. Giving thanks each day!

Psalm 33

The steadfast love of the Lord. The staff devotion today was about God's love and how it is present before us all, and he desires to be connected with us. A love that endures forever and ever, and I am the only one that can get in the way of that love. (verse 22- let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.) A short story from this devotion shared by a wise man who serves with us at the Ranch.....each day we sit in these plastic chairs (the picnic ones) these chairs are used by all of us for 3 meals a day. We sit in them and really we trust that these chairs won't break. If we rock in these chairs or lean back we are taking a risk that they could break or even making them worse for the next person who uses them. "Faith-Chairs" We need to sit solid in our Faith, because if you tip back you're going to fall....sit up straight. Thank goodness our faith isn't made out of plastic, but instead our faith is in a God who is the ultimate creator, who knows all the hairs on our head, who watches over us at all times, and who never leaves us or forsakes us....a steadfast love.

Sharing my classroom and house with mice

Mice....not three blind mice, but 1 in my classroom and 2 in my house. So now I have 2 new roommates who are really quite, but not so clean. They don't know how to clean up after themselves once they have well you all probably get the idea. These mice are just looking for a warm home and I can't blame them we are getting cooler weather here at the Ranch. The mice may come as a bother to some, but even though I have caught a few and released them....I think they have made a home for themselves here. The other day the kids were tearing the classroom apart just to catch this mouse...it was a zoo. We were successful with capturing one mouse and then we took our new found friend on a trip to visit our Directors pet snake. It was a short chat and then the conversation ended with silence. Our own little adventures at the Ranch.

Daylight savings....get up and get going

From my daily devotional..."Strive to see God in all things without exception, and acquiesce in His will with absolute submission. Do everything for God, uniting yourself to Him by a mere upward glance, or by the overflowing of your heart towards Him. Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inward peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset. Commend all to God, and then lie still and be at rest in His bosom. Whatever happens, abide steadfast in a determination to cling simply to God, trusting to His eternal love for you; and if you find that you have wandered forth from this shelter, recall your heart quietly and simply. Maintain a holy simplicity of mind.

- Francis De Sales

Antonio = HUGS

HUGS

If you ever need a hug then you need to come down to Mexico. A sweet little boy named Antonio is great at greeting you with a hug...more like an embrace filled with love. Antonio will pick you out of the crowd and kids and make sure you have at least one hug if not more throughout the day. I certainly feel loved when a little guy like Antonio without a doubt shows his love through his actions. He is a light that will brighten up anyones day!

teamwork....on Columbus Day

Having Fun RUNNING

Running!!! It has been an adventure these last couple weeks in October. A week ago I participated in WetN'Wild 5K with Luke (Ranch director), Ray (staff), Alisha (teacher) and other supporters of Rancho Sordo Mudo. It was an event that was put together to share news about the Ranch and other wonderful ministires around the world. To name a few...Door of Faith Orphanage in La Mision, Mexcio; No-one-without- LA no1without.com; New Dawn Communities - Kenya; KidWorks-Santa Ana; Olive Crest-USA. It was a blessing to share with others and enjoy some fun in the sun on all the waterslides.
Another adventure with some Ranch staff was the Irvine Mud Run with friends and staff Amber & Johnny Thompson, and Alisha. We got muddy and finished strong as a team.
The other running that I have done has been here on the Ranch. The kids keep you busy and this past week we all enjoyed some fun celebrating Christopher Columbus Day. It was a great day as we learned about the history of Christopher Columbus and his journey to India...so he thought...but really turned out to be the island Hispanola, which later he discovered parts of Central America. As staff we communicated the history through a drama for the kids along with a problem solving game on the basketball court.....called Mission Impossible. The kids were separated into three teams the NINA, PINTA, and SANTA MARIA...the first ships Columbus sailed. They had a few tools to get themselves from across the rough Atlantic such as scooter boards, rope, sticks, but along the way they had to collect gold, food, and clothing to stay alive. It was an adventure and race to finish for all the teams as they carried their teammates safely across the Atlantic. Another great day at the Ranch.

generosity

September is coming to an end and before it does I would just like to thank everyone who has given so generously to Ranch in its first month. I have witnessed Rotary groups from San Diego, Churches, long time friends unload their cars filled with canned food, dry cereal, frozen meat....and the list goes on. The Ranch's food room is full and it is a joy to see Josefina (Luke's wife) who is responsible for organizing the food room, spend day after day delighted that God once again has provided food for us all. The generosity has poured out of many who are now and have continued to support me through prayer, finances, encouragement, emails, facebook, phone calls, and so much more. I couldn't do any of the things that I do here at the Ranch if it weren't for God's grace, and the friends and family whom have given me their many blessings. Just yesterday I witnessed one of our older boy assist our youngest (4 yrs) with his dishes. The older boy didn't have to help or assist, but he was leading by example as a brother. It is that attitude of generosity and giving of oneself that is shown itself this month and for that my cup overflows. Oh and it is raining today...literally my cup overflows....nothing like some Washington / Northwest weather to cool us all down a bit here in Mexico. Have a great day!

Hace calor!

It is a hot day at Rancho Sordo Mudo...maybe close to 100 degrees in the classroom. So today we all learned a lesson on patience as well as hydration. Wow the month of September has gone by fast. We have finished our Pattern Language Training to help the kids access their world of language through signing. This past weekend we were also blessed by the SHOE CHURCH aka San Bernardo Church, CA who buys 2 new shoes for all the kids every year at the end of September to kick-off the school year. Eddie Everett one of our Ranch Directors piles everyone into the bus to Ensenada for the day and we stop at 3 Hermanos shoe store....we take over 15 girls and 17 boy plus 9 staff. Great day for shoes, fellowship, and so much fun. The shoe that was a favorite for the little boys were the one's that light up when you walk, so all of our boys glow on the playground. The girls favorite were purple and pink sparkle tennis with flowers and butterflies. We almost have all of our kids here at the Ranch. We are still waiting for Miriam (14 yrs), Juan Carlos (12 yrs), and Ulises (11 yrs), each of them are from different areas in Mexico, Oaxaca, Tiajuana, and La Paz B.C. Please pray for their safety as well as their families as they venture back to the Ranch. Hope everyone is well. Hasta luego!

It is a great day to be alive. We are well into our school year! This past week all of the teachers started a training program called Patterned Language to help our children with reading and writing. As teachers we are learning a lot about how to help our children understand words and build their vocabulary. It is exciting to have Naomi who is an experienced teacher who has been sharing with us her time and resources to push our kids further and help them to further access their language. More training awaits us all next week!

Tamales

We are learning how to make TAMALES. Our Ranch cocinera Juanita and her mom are teaching our girls a lesson on making traditional tamales enjoyed by many here in Mexico. It was fun watching all the girls learn about kneading the masa, prepared the sauce, and putting the secret ingredient the olive (To traditional Christian believers, each tamale can be considered a metaphor or symbol for the Holy Virgin. After all, every real Mexican tamale must have an olive in it. On one level, that olive represents the Christ child waiting to be born -- as he is every year at Christmas. On another level, the olive represents the promise of the new year which will be reborn with the passing of the winter solstice, as days start growing longer (right around the time of Christmas) plus lots of love into each tamale. It was an experience watching 4 different languages shared in the kitchen (English, Spanish, American Sign Language, and Mexican Sign Language). Enjoy the video.

First Day of School!

It is a great day to be alive and welcome the kids who have come back to the Ranch. We are still waiting for 8 girls and 8 boys to arrive safely so please keep them all in your prayers as they travel with their families from the south tip of Baja (Cabo, La Paz), and as far as Oaxaca, Mexico. This year I am happy to say I wasn't nervous for the first day as compared to last years experience....which I cried not knowing what I was doing..how to teach...how to sign...nothing..nada. What a joy to be able to understand my students and pay attention to every detail that they had to share about their summer vacation. It has been wonderful communicating with all of the kids and sharing some of the exciting things that happened to me this summer. My classroom has also transformed to make more room for kids. Wow...not much more to say for now I am just blessed to share with these kids a new year of learning! The wheels are turning and I need to study myself as I prepare for this week. Next week all of Mexico will be celebrating their Independence Day and this year is very unique because it is the 200th year anniversary! Lots to be thankful for in Mexico....FIESTA indeed. Again thanks for all your support and prayers! smiles!

A new year at the RSM...nuevo ano en Racho Sordo Mudo

I am back at the Ranch after spending a wonderful summer filled with family and friends. I put almost 9,000 miles on my car traveling all across the country to catch up with mi familia. (Mexico, CA, OR, WA, SD, WY, MT, IA, AR, and CANADA) All those miles aside I finished my final road trip back to Mexico about a week ago to dive into a new year of teaching the deaf. It is very exciting to step back into the life of Mexican Sign Language and reconnect with all the kids. The school will start on September 6th and I will have a few new students in my class. I am excited to hear about everyone's summer, and begin planning for a new year, new subjects to teach, and even meet some new kids who don't even know any sign language. I believe this year will involve a lot of new changes that will allow each person who is serving here to share more of their gifts and talents, and I for one am excited to be the Ranch photographer, vitamin girl, and an encourager for healthy lifestyles for our girls and boys. The fun has just begun and I know this year our team of teachers, group leaders, directors have committed to living by example through these two verses: John 15:5-6 and Philippians 2:2-5.....Let the FUN BEGIN!

Rockin and at the Ranch

Happy Easter! Feliz dia de Semana Santa! I opened up my eyes to a beautiful clear blue sky. The sun was warming every inch of the ground and waking up all the flowers that were closed for the night. All sorts of colors are blooming around the Ranch and what better day than to have our Easter service outside in front of the rose garden. It was a day of celebration that Jesus has risen from the the tomb, and the great thing was that our kids even dramatized this event. This morning I watched them all race to where they had buried Jesus to find that the stone was removed and left empty, all that remained was the cloth in which his body was wrapped up in after he was carried down from the cross where he was crucified. All the kids were excited to see the tomb empty and were signing with joy. What a great day to be alive, worship with the kids, praise God, and thank him for his greatest sacrifice...HIS SON. Not only was it Easter, but here at the Ranch we felt an earthquake /tremor that was measured at 7.2 in Mexicali, which is about 3 hours east of us. We were all outside playing and all the kids were surprised to feel the ground moving under them. Before the earthquake happened one of our girls (Wendy), and staff (Alisha) were talking about sharing the gospel with others. Wendy was expressing her desire to share with her friends about God and what it means to ask him into your heart. But during their conversation is wen the earthquake started. After the earthquake was finished Alisha made a comment to Wendy that the earthquake was actually God dancing in heaven because he was so excited that Wendy wanted to share God's love and salvation with her family and friends. AMEN The rumble at the Ranch was a day to remember for Easter, and day to be thankful because we are all well and safe.

Liquid sunshine

For everyone who doesn't know what liquid sunshine is...it means RAIN. Oh what lovely rain we have been having down here at the Ranch. Almost 16 inches which is double from last year. Great news for our well, our plants, our drinking water, and much more. I had the opportunity the other day to visit another ministry here in Mexico called The Door of Faith Orphanage. They were hosting a grand opening for their new nursery building that was built. It was raining hard on the way over and my SATURN ION is no BAJA speed racer nor does it sit high off the ground, but I just want to say that despite the large pot holes, muddy roads, and bumps my little car drove 5 of use to this grand event. WAY TO GO MI COCHE! Maybe I will enter myself in the BAJA 500 this June...jajajaja. The event was great to see so many people from the community La Mision and from the States come to celebrate God's work at hand. Many orphans that they have were either abandoned or brought to this ministry because the State had taken them away from their parents. These kids all 100 of them from 3 months to 24 years of age were present smiles and all. Many of the kids who are older are in university. They operate at one big family through service, love, and caring for one another. It is great to see the support provided for this ministry "Door of Faith" and also be encouraged by the many friends and family who have supported myself and the staff that we have here serving at the Ranch. It really is a great day to be alive RAIN or SHINE. Each day is a day to give thanks. Remember to give thanks today.

Time FLIES....

Wow! I don't know about everyone else, but January and February have been busy months here at the Ranch. We all have busy with school, exams, Story night, Ranch Art Show, visiting groups, rainy weather, and counting our blessings that everyone has been really healthy this year. This past week I finished teaching our 3rd quarter of school and tested all of my students on what they have learned. I am actually excited to grade some of the exams because it gives me some assurance and proof that all of my students are working harder and paying better attention in class. My class of 10 students (4 girls - 6 boys) are all teenagers and like being silly in class, well to help them with distracting one another our school principal hung a curtain in the middle of my class to separate the boys and girls so that their eyes are directed to the front of the class and not each other. It is working! I see improvements in their own personal behavior and class is running smoother. This curtain example in my class has also brought to mind some of my own personal distractions that I have felt convicted by this year. I bet everyone has seen a horse with the blinders on their eyes to keep them focused on the road ahead, well sometimes I need to put some blinders on to focus more the task at hand and not get weighed down on all the things that I have not yet completed. Living for what is here and now...and what making sure I am I have the most important things first. (Priorities) My time thus far has been precious with each day I wake up to run and gaze across the green valley of vineyards. It is a beautiful sight to see. We are so removed from everything and I am enjoying the fact that I get to climb with the kids, share with them Bible stories, imagine with them as they draw, and listen to them when they tell me a funny story. It is the little things that make me smile, and it is the little things that we all do to show our love to these kids....each day each moment. Time sure does fly by, and as it does I am reminded to stop myself and listen before I dive into something new. One step, one moment, one day at a time.