The Children from Nicaragua

A group of twenty children from Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos Nicaragua visited Phoenix last week, part of a fundraising tour sponsored by Friends of the Orphans. FOTO held its annual "Faces of Hope" fiesta at a Scottsdale resort, which included a dinner, auction and a performance by the children.

NPH now has children's homes in nine countries: Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatelmala, El Salvador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Bolivia and Peru. Next to Haiti, Nicaragua is the poorest nation in the western hemisphere. The children of Nicaragua lived on Ometepe Island until this past week when they moved off the island and onto the mainland to their new home, about an hour's drive from Managua. The volcano on the island has been threatening to erupt and it was necessary to move the children for safety reasons.

My sister Joan and I volunteered in the office prior to the fiesta and helped organize the silent auction items that had been donated. Brother Joe offered his house in Flagstaff where the kids stayed for one night on their way to visit the Grand Canyon, a treat following their final performance at Most Holy Trinity school. Joan and Fritz also hosted Fr. Ron Hicks in their home. Fr. Ron is the Central American Director responsible for the homes in Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala.

Next October, children from El Salvador will be visiting the Valley.

Time for a Face Lift!

There comes a point in your life when you start thinking "face lift". Out with the old. In with the new. Put on a new facade!

Since moving into the house eight years ago, we've made lots of changes. We've converted the carport to a two-car garage, remodeled the kitchen and dining room, turned the "Arizona room" into a tiled patio, resurfaced the pool, added a barbecue and fire pit, created a mosaic on the back fence, remodeled both bathrooms and tore out grass and planted desert loving plants. But one area was a bigger challenge than we were ready to face up until now. The arch in the front of the house was outdated, the planters had to be hand watered, and the iron gate had rusted off its hinges. It was time for a change.

The photos above show the house with the arch, my brother Joe (who is a contractor) beginning the demolition, and the arch partially destroyed. As I look out the window today, the arch is gone and the eave has been rebuilt. We've picked out stone for the front wall, and next week the new front door and side window will be delivered. The final steps will be stucco, paint and new pavers for the entryway. When the face lift is completed, I'll post a new picture of our updated look.