finally, back

well, i am finally up to writing again. the trip was fine, but the weather was not the greatest for mexico. the ocean and beach still show the effects of the last hurricane three years ago. our view was large sand bags in the ocean to recapture some sand that had been washed away. a reminder that good things lost can be regained but with work and patience. i am posting a photo gallery later so there you can see all the pics of the trip and family.
zoey has grown. she is now over 12 lbs. in her pics you will see she has some baby fat now. she has been teething, had a cold and fever, and has been driving Emily and Joe crazy. remember those up all night because baby has a fever and is teething!
elizabeth called today. pray for her. she may be taking a postion with Samaritan's Purse in Liberia for 5 months, july through Dec. they have offered her the internship and she is to respond Monday.

now for not so good news. last summer i had to apologize to my neighbor because i did not understand the seriousness of a situation here in the neighborhood. well, yes, now i really understand. today, another neighbor's dog, pit bull, attacked my lapsha. my dog was tied up in my front yard and the pit bull broke away from the child and ran into my yard. he grabbed jay jay by the neck. jay jay is short to the ground and long and fatter so this dog could not pick jay jay up and shake him as he did the dog last summer. my husband had to pull the dog of jay jay.
we had to get jay jay inside because this dog would not stop attacking. i gave jay a bath and found teeth marks on his neck and a cut just below his ear. he was soaked from the other dog's salvia. also his collar was bit in half right off his neck. i did not call the police or animal control because it will make life more miserable in our neighborhood for me and the other neighbors. and of course the neighbors offered no apology nor even came outside. that is probably good, because their language is not the nicest and they aren't known for taking responsibility. . .

girls had doctor's appointment yesterday. alphia med stays the same. anya was given a different med. it is more for her reactive moods. it will take a week or so to see if it will work. the doctor also suggested she get counseling from a man who specializes in teaching defiant kids proper social behavior. that is something i need to pray about because insurance doesn't cover the counseling.

i am still teaching esl to the italian boy at school. i also still teach esl at church. my last seminar was cancelled because the time was not good for people who wanted to take it. i am setting a new date. i took one of my Chin esl students to the eye doctor Wednesday. i knew her sight was bad but not this bad. in one eye, a nerve had been damaged and caused her to have 20/200 vision. that eye can be corrected to only 20/80. this is her distance vision. her reading vision is 20/80 and can only be corrected to 20/60. better than before, but not normal. the nerve damage, the eye doctor said would have been caused by a blow to the eye. she was in a refugee camp in malaysia when she left Burma. she needs prayer as her two front teeth were knocked out a few weeks ago "when she fell into a table"!!!! she was hopstialized for 3 days! she has a husband and 2 boys, 12 and 8. you get the picture!

no matter where we come from, drinking and domestic violence affects women everywhere.