The Roof is On in Cajones!!

[Jzmackenzie]

Dear Patrons,

The Roof is ON!! The House that burned Feb 18 in Central Mexico became a home on Father's Day when 19 people came to "pour" the concrete roof. Thank each of you for your donations to this international community project.

Seeing the joy on the faces of four girls and their parents was priceless. They each did all they could to change cinders into a home. In typical Mexican style, then we all ate. That was a really positive house warming!

When day turned into evening, we all sat around the table in our yard and talked about this four month long project. Each of us has learned so much about the other's cultural differences. Friends of the family cannot understand what we "want" from them for having built them a house. In my opinion, after taking over 150 photos yesterday, I think each of you can clearly see that we promoters of education, empowerment, and hope "got" that from them.

The family's 27 year old niece, Isabella, worked as hard as any man. She is a college student studying mining and being tutored in English by Don.

Our landlord's seventeen year old daughter, Leslie, was back in Mexico for the summer before she returns to Texas to finish her last year of high school. She plans to attend college in the USA.

Lalo, who turned 17 this month, is learning how to program computers and repair them. We have known him for eight years.

Laura, the family's oldest daughter, is in her second year of high school. She travels to a nearby village 5 days a week to access a computer.

Samantha, Itzel, and Naomi are all speaking more English every day. Jolene is teaching them, and their friends how.

No question that these three gringos (Don, Jolene, and Jacquie) who came to a Central Mexico village to help marginalized youth gain access to education, to promote the value of an education, and to learn how to help teachers in the USA teach Spanish speakers, have all we came for and more. We have a life filled with extended family, and a wealth of smiles.

Thank you for helping in this project.