The home is turning green.

We have a group of 13students from Instituto San Cristobel, one of the Diocesian Schools, doing 80 hours of social service with us. The social service is one of the required things they have to do to graduate. Most of the kids are working on painting and we are being painted inside and outside. The outside hasn't been painted for 10 years and looks really nice - a light brownish pink. Inside we have changed the color of the walls to a light green and the columnes to a dark green. Along with the new paint we are getting some paint drops on the cement walk and on a few other things as well. These are beginning painters and they are enthusiastic. The school is bilingual so almost all of the talk to me some in English.

I have one young woman who is working just for me, sometimes with a helper. We took all of the books out of the bookcases (that is our library), mended a lot, organized them and she and another student made a list of almost every book we have - especially those that are from the same publisher. It is great. Now when I go to a book store I know what I have and so can easily add more.

At this moment the adolescents are at camp so we have only a few younger girls with us. Some of the Social service Students are working with them on some school reinforcement. Yesterday I took to the the swimming pool in Paraiso where we have gone every summer. The pool was not open because they needed a special piece for the filter. So we went and played on the climbing games at McDonalds and had ice cream. When we got back we took out our little pool and filled it up and the girls played in it contentedly.

One of the girls who went to the first week of camp said she had a really good time - not just good but that she had a real spiritual experience!

Next week I am going to go on a medical mission trip to help as a translator. I am excited and you will hear about it when I get back. I think I will be out of contact with the internet for the time I am away.

See www.padremickey.blogspot.com for some photos of his walk from home to church and also to read Martin Luther King's letter from prison.

Tia Sue