Another Arrival

....nope, not a baby! :-) This arrival is about...6 1/2 feet tall?!

Dan is 19 and will be here a couple of months. It's his first time out of the US but he's doing well and, best of all, has a great attitude. (My Dad: "Can you build a room while you're here?" Dan: "Uh....yeah, sure!")

Tonight he met the kids of CDA III as I went with a bag of meds, and tomorrow he'll help with a medical outing for 15 CDA I and II babies/kids, so he'll quickly feel a part of everything! He has 7 siblings (including 5 younger sisters) which will be helpful as he becomes a part of our big families.

We often go through periods of great change around here, due to the transitory nature of our homes, volunteers, etc. I think it's safe to say we are in one now:

Between February 16 and March 17, four new volunteers have arrived. Funny how they come in waves like that--even their email inquiries about working with us. And even tonight as I try frantically to catch up on today's emails (25 at last count), the last two come from travelers in Bolivia who want to visit us later this week.

Five new babies/kids arrived between February 16 and March 3.

Two adoptions "began" (or is it "ended"?): one international and one local, yeah!

We've hired a new staff member, the husband of my social worker/administrator. Yeah, potentially awkward, but they don't cross paths that often and he's part time. (For now, although I'll probably have to increase his hours soon since he's replacing not one but two wonderful guy helpers who've had to leave Bolivia.)

My family is transitioning from life here to life back in the US. Their home here is almost dismantled, but we still have a volunteer fellowship there tomorrow night.

We got some awesome wonderful super great news tonight about CDA III but I'm not sure if its public knowledge yet so will share it later, but it does mean one LESS change for them.

Okay, back to the emails, which keep coming in...

Sorry there are no new pictures to post... I'll put a pic of Dan later. My day was insane until about now (nearly 11pm), same as yesterday. Pray for CDA III kids as the chicken pox hits them hard. Today three have a cough and two are confirmed with bronchitis, if not pneumonia, too. Tomorrow will be packed with doctor visits.

Picture posted 3/18
(our "little" outing for flu shots which turned into two hours of waiting because yesterday they sold our reserved vaccinations to another group who came in, grr...)