Playing Santa

So I got a phone call one day in the office, and it was a lady who attends Ascension Lutheran Church in far west El Paso. She was calling because her office was in need of more families to sponsor for the Christmas season, and she knew we did some work with lower income families in the Colonias of El Paso County.

Basically, the people of her office would purchase gifts, food, and other items needed by these families if we could give them some information. Erin and I sprung into action and began calling many of the families you have already read about. We started with three families, got their clothing sizes and wish lists, and I sent off that information.

Later in the day, the needs of all three families had been sponsored by the office, and Sandy called me looking for another. I said, sure. We could not get a hold of this family, but we guessed their sizes and needs, and yet another family was sponsored.

Two days later, Sandy calls back and says the response is overwhelming, and did I have another family, it just so happens I did. So now we are up to five families that would be sponsored this year.

This past Wednesday, like five vehicles arrived at the mission full of all the goods. Each family had two large bags of wrapped presents, and one HUGE box of food, that probably weighed 100 pounds. That evening, after and between Doctor appointments, Erin and I delivered two sets of the gifts (Since we were both leaving town on Friday, and wanted to make sure they had it).

Erin put on her Santa hat, and off we went. We decided since each child had like three gifts, we would let them open one now, and save the rest for Christmas. We also let the family open their gifts, if it was space heaters that they had asked for, since it would help warm up the house.

One of the families, only the new boyfriend was home, so we dropped off their stuff, and she called the next morning to thank us. It was for Mayra and the Wild Fire house for those of you who may know that house. (Yes, her kitchen and bath have appliances).

We then went to the Garcia house, and the girls and mom were home.

The next day, after more Dr. appointments, we delivered the rest of the goods. Enjoy the pics and have a very Merry Christmas.

The Garcia girls with their new jackets. (Provided from the mission as part of the Christmas distribution).

Showing off their presents. That box that Nadia (In the middle) is on is the box of food.

Open sesame

Yay, heaters

With Erin and their coats

Hi

Letters to Santa, they loved that him and I were buds

Nadia found roller skates in her package

With some of the food

The gifts in front of the tree at the Morales house

Alejandra shows off her new sweater

Homero Jr. shows off his socks

Still digging

The Morales family (Minus Jesus the oldest son) in front of their tree

The Terrazas family, minus mom Maria with their goodies

Diego opening his gift

Dad Diego Sr. and youngest, whose name I currently forget

Erin with the Saucedos, minus Dad.

Norma and Kaila opening her gift

Number 16

This Thanksgiving, the annual pilgrimage from my home church, Our Father, in Centennial Colorado came loaded up with turkey and all the trimmings for the 16th year. As usual, the group planned to cook and serve meals on both sides of the border. They served here on Thanksgiving day, prepared food for Cristo Rey on Friday, and also served at San Lucas in Anapra on Friday, then served at Santisima Trinidad on Saturday.

Because of all the news about the Juarez, the group elected to avoid the downtown corridor, which meant the market would come to them here at the mission on Thursday and they would have a little extra free time for fun and homework if needed.

They also tackled some of the projects on campus we are working on. They were able to tile another room in the dorms (that reminds me, I need to go fix the door and put the threshold on that room), painted the parking blocks with reflective paint so people (ME) wont trip over them and almost have a bad fall, Painted the outside windows and doors of the kitchen and did a little cement work.

Pretty good for this group, but they seem to have it down to a science.

Enjoy the pics, I'll try and get some more blogs up soon, but I have 283 pages to read for school and 2 projects to work on, so who knows. Blessings on your week.

Natalie and Elise may have been a little tired from the drive.

Cake team.

Rolling silverware

Erin getting her "paint on". The paint crew was SUPER FAST

Chef Zach, who learned an important fact about Joe Sakic at dinner one night.

Jens was loving his apron

The line of people as we got ready to serve on campus

About to enjoy his meal

Serving team

Full house

They also made bags of candy for the kids at the mission sites. We used to pinatas, but that was very dangerous and people were getting hurt, so now each kid gets a bag. They get their hands marked and if they try to wash it off, Mireya would catch them.

One of the service projects for Friday and Saturday: tiling room B in YLM building #12.

Nick using his engineering skills

You have heard of where's Waldo? Well, where's Chris?

The service at San Lucas.

Getting excited for some Turkey

Happy diners

The salsa queen. Terry has become an excellent salsa maker. People don't believe it is homemade.

6 mo. old Luna (Panchis's granddaughter) and Abram (Gaby's boyfriend).

We like cake

Thank you

Passing out the candy through a window to keep it orderly

Serving at Santisima.

Genesis, we built a house for her Grandparents or Uncles or something. She is great.

OOOOH. I am full

The cake serving was getting a little out of control, so I had to step in and create order again. All ran smooth from there.

One of my new buds, he ate A LOT of turkey

Thanks to Erin for the pictures.

The Florence Cathedral

The Basilica de Santa Maria della Fiore was begun in 1296 and finished in 1436. The complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and contains the cathedral, baptistery, and campanile (bell tower). The cathedral is the 4th largest in the world and until recently, the dome was the largest in the world and is still the largest brick dome ever built.

The cathedral is built as a basilica with a center nave and four bays, each with a center aisle. The whole plan forms a Latin cross and it is 502 feet long, 124 feet wide, and 295 high to the top of the dome.

The facade is quite a work. In the late 1800's a contest was held to redesign the facade, and the guy who won made it a bit different than we are used to seeing. It is white, green, and red, and has several different sculptures and artsy stuff. The whole thing is dedicated to the mother of Christ.

Enjoy the pics, Almost to the last city. Hope you are enjoying these.

Shot of the site from a viewpoint on a hill

People on the dome

Baptistery

Bell tower

Facade

Some close ups of the different things on the facade

Bronze doors of the baptistery

Cool clock inside

Floor

Candles

Art inside

Stained glass windows

More art

More windows

Dome

Windows

Candles

More of the inside

Checking out Florence

It was during the reign of Julius Caesar that Florence came into existence, in the year 59 B.C. he established a colony along the narrowest stretch of the Arno, which is the point where the famous "ponte vecchio" crosses the Arno. After conquering the Etruscans, the Romans established Florence as an important trading center around the third century A.D.

In the fifth century, the peaceful and prosperous lives of these early Florentines came to an abrupt end as the Roman Empire of the West crumbled before the waves of Barbarian conquerors coming from northern Europe . The Dark Ages had begun, and with it was lost Italian unity for nearly 1400 years.

During these hard times, Charlemagne and his Frankish forces in the eighth century A.D. crushed the last of the Barbarian kings of Italy . But, this reprieve was short lived. In giving thanks, Pope Leo III made a terrible mistake that was to lead to another prolonged period of disharmony and conflict. To secure Charlemagne's loyalty, the Pope gave him the title of Holy Roman Emperor.

Most of Italy came under the rule of the Emperor, and this led to future conflicts between the Emperor and the Pope that was to drive the Italians into their own version of a civil war. The population of Florence was divided over their loyalty between the two factions. And so in Florence different factions formed, some Guelf who supported the Emperor, and some Ghibelline who followed the Pope.

Over the following centuries, control of Florence changed hands between these two groups. As blood flowed on the city streets, families built towers like the one's in San Gimignano, to provide protection from their enemies within the city. At the end of the 13th Century, with the Guelfs in control, their internal conflicts led to their demise and to the eventual end of the conflict.

Typical of the innovative skills and determination of the Tuscan's, throughout this turbulent history the region and Florence enjoyed a booming economy with a population of 100, 000. The mainstay of the local economy was the wool trade. At the end of the 14th Century, led by members of the wealthy merchant class, political life in Florence became the realm of artists and intellectuals that planted the seeds for the birth of the Renaissance.

During this period, the Medici family rose to power. As leaders of Florence , their dynasty lasted nearly 300 years. Cosimo de' Medici was a successful banker who endowed religious institutions with artworks. During the reign of his grandson Lorenzo il Magnifico, Florence was caught by an artistic and intellectual fervor that created the Renaissance movement.

After the Renaissance, a remarkably short period in time, over the following centuries Florence was ruled by a series of in-effective leaders that left Florence in the wake of the other great cities of Italy and Europe . During the re-unification of Italy in the 19th century it was made temporarily capital of Italy , until Rome finally joined the newly created Italy .

The city still relives those years when the likes of Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Dante, Botticelli, Donatello and many others helped change the world forever. Thankfully, the last of the Medici, Anna Maria who died in 1743, arguably gave the greatest gift to the city of Florence . In her will she bequeathed all the Medici property to the city on the agreement that they would never leave the city.

Enjoy the pictures, we are almost done, but not quite. Have a great weekend

First set of city walls

There are many nails in the doors of the city walls to prevent destruction by fire.

Santa Croce. Michangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, and many other famous dudes are buried there

Bell tower of city hall

Ponte Vecchio. Means old bridge. Only bridge not blown up by Hitler

One of the towers

To the Tuscan mountains

Florence and the Arno river

Another church

Florence buildings

Another tower

Ponte Vecchio and the other bridges leading into town

Tuscany

Another view

Another set of walls

Looking down the street

National Library

Walkway from Medici palace to city hall

Medici palace

More Medici palace

Looking at Arno river from Ponte Vecchio

The other way

Snacks

Gelato

More snacks

Looking at city hall while crossing Ponte Vecchio

This is a fake statue of David. The people love the statue so much, they have 2 fakes out in the city.

Statue of some other dude.

This is how they do Parmesan in Italy

Pesto Lasagna

Spaghetti Bolognese

Front of Santa Croce

Christian bookstore

Art in the Accadamia Museum, where the real David by Michaelangelo is.

Unfinished works by Michaelangelo

More art

The real statue of David

They felt an urge to ride the carousel

Sweet chalk art

Us with our driver, Mafi