Yo. Libby Kim here (I am 10 years old).
Today our group went to the clinic and gave many people checkups. Here were our jobs:

Libby (me) – height and weight
Grace – temputure
Emily – pulse
Dad, Mrs. Kim, and Dan – REAL doctor stuff

We got to meet lots of cute little kids and the best part was we actually got to help them!
After that, we went to a park with the kids we helped. We ate some tamales, and lemonade. Then we went back to the campus.
TTYL!
-Libby

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This is Catherine writing. WOW! I’ve learned today that eternal plans are always perfect and my plans may/can/often will get thrown out the window. Today we ran clinic in the morning here at the B2B campus for some sick kids and staff members. After that we spent some time with kids from the Children’s Homes (orphanages). I know that when I thought about spending time with “orphans” I always had cute little 3-year-olds in mind. I wasn’t super-fond of the idea of spending time with older kids as was planned for today. There’s a language barrier AND the older they get the more stand-off-ish they are (just like they are everywhere in the world). I was SO blessed by our interaction today with the kids, though.

Two specific kids stand out in my mind. One was Joel who was mentioned in the book “Reckless Faith” by Beth Guckenberger. He is the child who, at the age of 4, asked for dinner one night when there wasn’t any more food left at the Children’s Home. After they gave thanks for food that wasn’t there he asked if he could have, not just food, but meat. After that, he asked if he could have not just meat but STEAK. For those of you who know the story, you know how a miracle happened that night. The boys at that Children’s Home ate, not just steak that night, but the finest cuts of steak money could ever buy! These were donated by a business man who had brought many cuts of his finest meats for a convention and had leftovers that he donated. Anyhow, Joel played today at the park with us the way 8-year-olds usually do. Then he received a pamphlet about the “Four Fantastic Facts” which he picked up and started reading. He wouldn’t put it down. He was captivated by it. He read it while sitting at the park. He read it while walking back to the bus. It was a privilege to cross paths with this little man. I can’t wait to see the man he will become because I know he is destined for greatness.

Another child stands out in my mind. Her name is Mayte. She is 13-years-old and is a lovely young lady who I can tell is quite bright. She asked me to sit next to her. She played hand games with me. She learned a little dance with my daughters. All these children are still so tender-hearted even though they’ve been through so much. She told us that her birthday is this Friday. The entire day, every time I saw her, she had the sweetest smile stretched across her face. When we said good-bye and dropped the girls off at their Children’s Home there were hugs and kisses. As we pulled away from the home, Mayte was standing in the center of the doorway and had the saddest eyes and the blankest expression I’ve seen in a long time. It broke my heart.

There is so much to do and each of these children are so precious it makes my heart ache and I want to cry. We ate lunch with them today at the boys’ Children’s Home. It is at an old abandoned school with a chain-linked fence. Many of the doors and windows are broken. The foundation under the building is sliding down a hill; literally crumbling under them because of the rain. The Children’s Home is surrounded by a cement wall with broken glass bottles lining the top to keep people out. The kitchen is sometimes empty. The kids sleep in rickety bunk beds on cement floors.

I pray for strength to do what I am supposed to do each day. I am thankful that I am not responsible for the Grand Plan but only responsible for my part, day by day. I am eternally thankful that I can hold the hand of someone who knows the Grand Plan and knows exactly how to make it happen.

Pictures from today: http://public.fotki.com/dll15151/monterrey-mexico-2009/day-3/