Special Agent Update #5 - Ted & Jo in Mexico

Special Agent Skinny Santa:
Well there have been a number of Skinny Santa sightings in the Linares area of Mexico these days. On Christmas eve day he was seen riding thru town with his team of dream agent elves and making stops in the river district causing quite a stir with the kids who live there.

Special Agent Update #3 - Ted & Jo in Mexico

A Fairy Tale Of a Different Kind::
Once Upon a time, in a land of survival, there lived a man named Francisco. We came across him one day as he was busy building a castle for his queen. With many hours of scrounging and sheer determination,his labor of love began to take shape but construction came to a halt when it came to pouring the concrete floor. He had overcome incredible odds, but one thing he couldn't conquer was the few pesos it would take to buy the supplies for this phase of his dream.

Special Agent Update #2 - Ted & Jo in Mexico

The Three Amigos:
Meet Francisco, Edwardo, and Giovanni.These 3 guys had recently 'aged-out' of one of the local orphanages and are trying to carve out a life for themselves with not much more than the clothes they are wearing. Rick & Lisa have begun to take them under their wing and try to mentor them in this part of their journey.

Special Agent Update #1 - Ted & Jo in Mexico

Shop Shop Til You Drop
Well today we loaded up a family of kids from the poor section of town, took them to the local department store and gave them each a specific amount of pesos to spend and then turned them loose! We met these kids last year and they stole our hearts right away.

A Place at the Table

Posted by: Rick & Lisa Bursey, Mexico 

So this past week Lisa and I got invited to attend a hoity-toity political event given by the current party in power in our city.  Being as the people who invited us went to a lot of trouble to get us on the list, we were obligated to be there.  Those who know me know that politics and Rick don’t mix too well.  There was a whole lot of people schmoozing and kissing-up and making sure they were being seen by all the right people. 

Normally I can put up with this kind of thing and find something redeeming about the event… not this time… I was not happy.  This is Saturday morning after all!!

A Boy With a Dream

Recently, Lisa and I were introduced to a 4-year-old boy named Felipe.  Great kid...Full of life! He wants to be a policeman when he grows up.  Normal boy… sort of. 

A "family reunion" in Mexico

This week was a major victory for Lisa and me.  We got to spend time with our three kids at the orphanage where they are temporarily being housed.  They had just been released from the Social Services holding center here in Monterrey after 7 long months of struggle. For those who don't know, our little girl Fernanda almost died of tetanus this summer while spending time with her family during vacation.  Through a series of unfortunate events, she and her siblings were released into the families custody, had a concrete block dropped on her foot, was not treated soon enough and ended up close to death in the hospital in Monterrey. Because of the seriousness of the illness and other events surrounding it, the three kids were taken into custody and we and our friends Jim and Betty at Back2Back Mexico have been fighting to get them released ever since. 

Dia 2 - Team iam1ru Mexico

Another productive day at "the Quinta" (the nickname for Casa Posibilidades).  The daily tasks were divided up and the team got to work right after breakfast...laying block in the wall around the property, cleaning the palapa (gazebo), mudding the walls in the laundry room, sorting donations, hanging rods and bars for towels etc...etc...

Update from Special Agent Pauls - 04.09.12

Wow. I'm sorry folks, I have definitely been lacking in the bloggin' department.

Let me make it up to you :)

Update from Special Agent Pauls - 03.02.12

Hola!!
It has been completely 'loco' down here in the sunny south!!
Let me fill you in. The team from Napanee left Wednesday :( We will miss them greatly. This team was incredible!! They really came to pour into the people. They built a laundry room at the orphanage, finished painting the front wall of the orphanage, brought mattress covers for all of out mattresses, and brought TONS of donations and fun things for the orphanage and the kids in the community. One of the days that they were with us, we went to visit the children at Bethany orphanage. It was so cool to see how another orphanage is run and be able to play and enjoy the kids.

Update from Special Agent Pauls - 02.13.12

Well blog followers, it's cold here!!! Since I've been back, there have been maybe 2 nice sunny days. The rest are filled with clouds, rain and "cold-ness".
You should see us walking around here all bundled up with multiple sweaters, fuzzy socks and we are almost always seen with a hot beverage in hand!!!

Special Agent Pauls returns to Mexico...

Hola blog followers! It's been a while.

Well, since the last blog, I have helped Rick and Lisa move houses, enjoyed a beautiful Christmas and New Years with the Burseys, returned to Canada for a 'Christmas in January', and have now returned to Mexico safe and sound.

Wrongly Judging

In two previous posts (titled Judgement Calls 1 and 2), I outlined my thought process in regards to my interaction with the family at the river in Linares, Mexico.  I could go on and on about my back-and-forth thoughts over the last couple of days, but I will not overload you with all the details. However, I think I need to share a bit to give you some context for my response.

Meeting Place

Yes. An impromptu meeting outside the Starbucks in Monterrey just before boarding our plane to El Salvador. Rick & Lisa Bursey are doing an awesome job in Mexico and Casa Posibilidades is going to be awesome once it gets up and running. The property is awesome. We are patiently waiting for a few other government approvals. It should not be long before we start adding children. I cannot wait! Until then, there are lots of things to do to get the property in shape. The front wall was replaced last week by three hulking men from KW area and it looks great!

Judgement Call - Part 2

Okay. So I left out the part about this family being helped before. They have been helped by our Dream Agents and were visited by a nurse to explain hygiene procedures and such. So...they have not done one thing themselves to clean up. It is the same as always. Can you see the dilemma?
Sent from my iPhone

Judgement Calls

Yesterday we visited a house by the river that had been impacted by the hurricane. The mattresses they were using they had found in the riverbed after the flood. As I stood there I was dealing with so much inner conflict. You see, on one hand I wanted to get a dream together and get mattresses sponsored, but then I looked around and saw the garbage laying everywhere. I mean everywhere. I did not even take pictures it was that nasty. How much energy does it take to clean garbage in and around your own home? You see my dilemma? Can you sense my conflict? I wanted to help but they were not even interested in helping themselves. So I am interested....what would you do? I am truly interested. Why not make a comment.

Rick and Lisa Bursey

This is a video of Rick & Lisa Bursey and the three kids that will be the first brought into our new orphanage.

Concerned

Vee and I have arrived safely in Linares Mexico. However, we are both concerned with the possible effects of the sun on Rick Bursey's skin.

Christmas is a time of giving - Update from the Burseys

Christmas is a time of giving, sharing and loving. It is easy to give, share and love with the people that mean the most to us. It is kind of our obligation really isn’t it? True love does not confine itself to just family and close friends though… true love reaches out to all those in need, neighbours and strangers alike. Where there is need, there should be love. A wise man once said that we should love these people as much as we love ourselves!

Bloggin it up - with Lauren Pauls

Chao,
I have been given the task of helping prepare some of the musical/drama programs for the upcoming orphanage. If you know me at all, you know that I am practically a walking, talking Broadway Show!  haha  So this is a task I am more than willing to attack. Luckily, Rick and Lisa want these songs and activities to be in English to help teach the children, so it shouldn't be too hard. I already have 20 games ready for action, with rules and equipment and everything prepared.