Splish Splash!

Sarita and I playing at the pool! 

Yesterday I had the privileged to take Sarita and her family to the pool for the day! Sara lives in the Rio community with her grandmother, aunt, and little cousin. They don't often get the chance to get out of the Monterrey heat and go swimming, so yesterday was a very special day.

Sara

 Sara and I had been planning this day for weeks. A B2B supporter had sent down money specifically to take Sara out for the day. She had tossed around many ideas of what she wanted to do from ice skating to the zoo, but finally decided on the pools at San Benito. Sara also asked me if she could invite her family. One of the main things I try to do when working with the Rio families is help them to strengthen family bonds. Many of the children who end up in children's homes in Monterrey come from circumstances similar to those that Sarita lives in. Our goal in working in the Rio areas is to help prevent children from entering the casa hogares by bringing the transforming power of the Gospel, emergency relief, and investing in the entire family. So of course, we took Sarita's family to the pool with us :)

Playing in the fountain 

Sara had a blast! I don't think I have ever heard her talk so much! Usually she is very quite and reserved, but yesterday she couldn't stop the chatter. She bounced from pool to pool and slide to slide with more energy than I knew she was capable of! It was a blessing to see how much she enjoyed the day.

Sara with her grandmother

Sara loved the time she got with her grandmother, China, and her aunt, Chavela. It was good for me to see the way they interacted with Sara and to see Sara getting positive attention from them both, something she desperately needs.

Sara ready to go down some more slides

A fried chicken lunch with Sara's family

We played all afternoon on the slides and in the pools. We ate fried chicken and tortillas for lunch, played some more, and then headed home.  Sara was completely blessed and all of us were completely tuckered out! Praise the Lord because He has extravagant love for Sara and her  family.