Monday the 17th

Whew!  What a day!  A long day.  We went into the States today around 8:30 a.m. and didn't get back until about 7:30 p.m.  I'll get more into that later.  First, a few business matters.

Some of you are still having trouble commenting on the blog.  I'm not really sure why.  I think if you create either a blogger.com account (which is free) or a Google+ account (also free), you should be able to comment on the blog.

Next, some of you have asked about donating to Door of Faith.  You have three options: (1) send me money through PayPal (button on my blog to do so), (2) make a direct donation of your choosing to DoFo at http://www.dofo.org/store.php#donations, or (3) send money or small gift items to me at the following address:

Door of Faith
Attn: Heather
PO Box 6434
Chula Vista, CA 91909

You'll notice that that's a U.S. address.  DoFo volunteers travel to the States at least 2-3x a week and bring back whatever is waiting there.  That being said, large quantities of anything probably won't make it across.

Someone asked if they could help Felicia and Charlie.  Yes, they would love the help.  Felicia would love some stuff for a garden, spices are perfect.  The orphanage hasn't been getting very many clothes donations anymore, so some of the kids could really use some new things.  Diapers are always in heavy demand, but I don't know if we can get them across the border.

If you want anything to reach me before I leave here, I suggest that you send in no later than October 1.  I leave about a week after that.

Ok, that's about all the business stuff.  Now onto the fun stuff!

As I said, today a group of us went to the States.  The primary purpose of the trip was to get Lauren (one of the volunteers) and Marco (one of the kids) to the San Diego airport.  Marco, as you may know, has a VERY rare brain tumor.  Fortunately, the tumor is not cancerous, but it is very aggressive.  Marco has already had two surgeries and the tumor keeps coming back.  The best possible treatment is called proton therapy.  There are only 12-15 hospitals in the States that have proton therapy available.  Sarah, who runs the medical clinic, was able to get a hospital in Chicago to take on Marco's treatment for free (an another hospital in Virginia also offered)!  To give you an idea of how huge that is, I'll put it in perspective.  A hospital in California was willing to do the therapy for the "reduced" cost of $90,000.  Yeah, 'cause an orphan -- let alone one from Mexico -- has that kind of resources.  In any event, Marco is off for his treatment.  I would love it if everyone would pray for him, his treatment and his recovery.  So far, he's a bit of a miracle, and it would be awesome if he could continue as such.

Marco is an amazing spirit!  He has already had two brain surgeries and lost the vision in one eye as a result of this tumor, and he is so calm and accepting of his fate and health issues.  He has this quiet way about him that is difficult to describe.  He's like any other 18-year-old boy: he styles his hair, cares about his clothes, has a girlfriend, etc.  But he appears (I say appears because I can't say I really know the kid after having known him for just a week) to have an inner spirit much older than his years.  He is patient and curious.  He laughs one of those real, genuine laughs.  He speaks fairly good English and I suspect his English will be perfecto! when he comes back.

Now you know the reason for the trip, so what was it like?  First, you need to understand something about travel between Mexico and the U.S.  People can get what the officials call "Sentri."  It's essentially a fast pass so that you can get into the States more quickly than if you didn't have it.  Sentri passes take about three months to acquire, but they are really worth it for people who live here and make frequent trips to the U.S.  If you are driving a car, everyone in the car and the car itself must have Sentri passes in order to use the Sentri line...or if you are a pedestrian crossing the border, there is a Sentri line there too.  In a car, crossing without Sentri will take two-three hours.  With Sentri, crossing at the exact same time will take about 5 minutes.

Well, Marco and I rode up with DJ and Lynette.  They both have Sentri and so does their vehicle.  We could've all waited together, or Marco and I could walk across in about an hour (so they thought -- apparently you can call ahead and see how long the lines are taking).  We opted for the shorter wait.  The thought of standing in the hot sun for an hour wasn't very appealing, but sitting in a car for two hours didn't sound any better, so DJ and Lynette dropped us off and away we went.  One English speaker with a Mexican and one Spanish speaker with a gringo.  This should be interesting.

The line looked enormous!  My first thought was actually in French, "Mon dieu!"  What had I agreed to?!  No turning back now though.  So, we got in line behind some lady using an umbrella as a shade (it's actually pretty common down here).  As we walked along, we passed several people selling newspapers, chiclets, food, beverages and trinkets.  Some were just standing there, some had little carts, some had complete storefronts and some were traveling up and down the line.  I expected some really nasty smell to permeate my subconscious at every turn, but it didn't happen.  Instead I smelled a fair. Ya know, greasy food, candy, and crazy flavored drinks.  It almost had a fair feel to it, but as though it was the end of the fair and the people running the fair had been at it for too long to really care whether you stopped at their booth or not.  I'd love to tell you more about my surroundings, but to be honest, I was more intent on getting to the end of the line.

Fortunately for me, it turns out that Marco's English was even better than he let on.  Boy oh boy was he patient with me too!  He taught me some Spanish along the way and we had a very pleasant conversation -- part in Spanish and part in English.   OK, mostly English.  :P

We were both surprised when we reached the end of the line and were standing on U.S. soil in 28 minutes!  DJ and Lynette were pretty surprised too!  I guess the phone is fairly accurate and when it says one hour you can usually count on it being an hour.  Clearly God was smiling on us this morning.

After the border, we ran some errands.  One of the important errands I had to run was to buy some clothes.  I know, I know, I packed light for a reason.  BUUUT, what I didn't even think about is the fact that I am serving a Christian based organization in a more conservative culture than America.  Spaghetti strap tank tops and "boob shirts" really aren't appropriate.  Oh, and those denim shorts I so love to wear?  Way too short.  So, I found some less expensive stuff on the clearance rack and a few regular priced items at Target.  Anything I can't take with me is something I can donate to the orphanage when I leave.  No biggie!  Besides, they can use it more than me.  :)

I was also able to buy some Sudafed.  For you readers in Oregon, I thought I'd clarify: REAL Sudafed, not the crap you can buy in Oregon over-the-counter.  For those of you not in Oregon, this is a big deal because we can't buy Sudafed in Oregon anymore because it is used to make Meth.  Thus, we need a prescription for the ordinary, everyday Sudafed.  Anyway, I bought two packages just in case, God forbid!, I get another cold while traveling.

After errands, some lunch and then off to the airport.  Marco had never been on a commercial airplane, so this was a whole new experience for him.  I half expected to see him standing in awe at the goings on in an airport, but he took it all in stride...didn't really seem fazed at all.

Afterwards, Sarah asked if I would ride back with her (she'd brought Lauren up), so I agreed.  It was a beautiful drive back along the coastline.  As an aside: when I arrived, it was dark so I didn't get to the see the beauty of the drive down.  Tonight, I could not only see it, but it was right there!  It.  Was.  Stunning.  The sun was just starting to set.  I could smell the warm salt water in the air when I rolled down the window.  If I could've stayed there in complete silence, I am confident I would've heard the waves crashing into the hillside and other sounds of the ocean.  There is something about water that soothes my soul.  I've always found peace near water.  In fact, in my old office, I was able to pick out my own artwork for my office walls.  I chose two things that involved water.  It's as though my conscious mind recedes and my subconscious mind FEELS when I'm around water (no, I don't mean water faucets and the like).  It's as though I can completely let go of every stressor, clear the cobwebs, really contemplate my current state of emotional well being, reflect on me and my life, embrace God in all His glory for the beauty He created, and think of all the positive, beautiful, wonderful things that life has to offer.

Halfway between Rosarito and La Mision is a giant statue of Jesus.  It's nothing like the one in Brazil, but it was fascinating enough that I snapped a couple pictures along the way.

I nearly forgot to mention Diego.  Diego is Jerilynn's dog (Jerilynn is one of the volunteers).  She is in the States for a couple days visiting her mom and bringing back some stuff for DoFo.  I offered to look after Diego while she's gone.  He is the sweet, LARGE dog that looks like something of a mix of a Husky, Shepherd and something else.  I don't really know.  He must weigh over 100 pounds! He is so sweet though and I am so grateful for the chance to love on another dog.  I miss my Ginger so much, and the nights are a little lonesome without my snuggle buddy, but at least Diego is giving a little bit of dog love.

Here's Diego:

Oh, and before I forget, Peaches apparently belongs to one of the orphans.  Peaches (I have no idea what the dog's real name is) was a gift to her.  I still don't think the dog is very well taken care of, but I have to remember to get rid of my American standard.  Animals are different down here and I have to remember that.

Well, that was my day, and it's now been a full week that I've been here.  I suppose it's time for some deeper reflection.  How am I doing?  How do I feel?  What progress have I made on my journey?  Am I finding my higher purpose?  Did I make the right choice?  Can I sustain this way of life?  Am I happier?

I'm not really sure of the answer to any of those things.  I think I'll have to sleep on it.  I also think I'm going to have to add pics tomorrow.  I'm so tired.  Weird.  I'm never this sleep at 10 p.m.  My body obviously needs rest.  Good night, all!