reflections (brian at aldea infantil)

When am I really going to realize how incredibly blessed I am?

I was born to parents who love and teach their kids. I am going to school at an elite private university where education services and opportunities are available without parallel elsewhere in the world. I know how to access the truth and have a long long long long long long long ways to go before I will understand and comprehend how to use it, though I am trying to scratch the surface now.

I belong to a family where quarrelling, anger, spite, contention, and hate are not fostered; rather, love, charity, respect, patience, long-suffering, tolerance, brotherly kindness, forgiveness, faith, hope, service, selflessness, positivity, and sympathy and empathy are taught among many other values. I have family and friends who love and care for me without being asked. I am prayed for daily on multiple levels. I have a family who is willing to sacrifice for me to provide the brightest kind of future for me that it can.

I am currently learning how to love more than I thought I could before.

to me, this is what it's all about... (natalie)

A HUGE thank you to everyone who came to our annual banquet last Friday! I loved seeing friends from past expeditions and meeting new friends.

Thanks to everyone's generosity, we raised money which will be used for the construction of The Little Bug. Right now, The Little Bug (El Bichito) is a drop-in center, but we are helping them convert it to a home.

We had both a silent and live auction. Both fun. After the auctions, we told the story about little Delia shown here. Delia is one of our El Bichito children and she came for a medical exam with the doctors on our summer expeditions. They found a fairly large tumor in her ear that needs to be removed. Telling someone down there that they "need to see a doctor" does no good. They don't have the money so they simply won't see a doctor.

Last Friday we outbid each other for Jazz tickets, for vacation packages, for chocolates and other goodies. But when we simply asked people to help us pay for Delia's surgery without anything in return, several hands went up.

And that's when I cried.

So thank you. Thank you Annette Bell, Morgan Humphries, Ron Steele, Grant Southworth and Wayne and Pam Merrill. Thank you for taking care of Delia.

And I WILL keep you informed of Delia's progress.

Our 1st Expedition Winner!

Congratulations to Karen Auman who won our first drawing for a FREE expedition! We'll be doing another drawing tonight at our 3rd Annual Banquet - if you still want to get in on the drawing, send me an email at natalie@sxhu.org.

For every 20 entries, we pick a winner - so you have a 1 in 20 chance of winning!

We're excited for our banquet tonight. We're raising money for the kids at the Little Bug and for a few of the medical needs including Delia's ear operation and Daniel's testing.

Thanks to all for your support and for helping us take care of these little ones!

Natalie

Daniel (Brian at Aldea)

This week, I have noticed a few things. There is a boy named Daniel in the Aldea. He lives in Casa 1 with Tia Alejandrina and a number of younger children. He has some mental difficulties that affect how he behaves. It's not to say he misbehaves and fights with others. Just the opposite. He's socially awkward. He has a hard time listening well and chooses to ignore instructions at times when they are given, especially when he is being corrected for the better by the Tia who runs the house. He needs help. He's a good boy and the Aldea is waiting to accumulate funds to continue running tests on him to see what is wrong.

I talked with the Aldea nurse, Martha, this last week and she says the Aldea needs about 280 soles (about US $97) to continue running tests on him. There are also at least two other children with speaking difficulties who need some specialized attention from a Speech or Occupational Therapist. They are both under ten years of age and are the cutest kids you've ever seen. I know the nurse has seen these kids and that things are not progressing as rapidly as they could. The Aldea needs funding to run these kids through tests to get them to the therapy they need fast and the sooner the better. These two kids are growing up fast and the longer we wait to get help to them, the harder it will be to correct their impediments.

(Note from Natalie: we are creating a new medical fund at Southern Cross. If you'd like to donate to the medical fund for Delia or Daniel, please contact Natalie at natalie@sxhu.org or Laura at laura@sxhu.org or simply donate on our website. 100% of your medical fund donations will be used for the children - you can even specify which child you would like to help. Thank you!)

Live Archeology Dig! (intern Brian at Aldea)

Trujillo, Peru: While in Peru this past summer working as an intern for Southern Cross Humanitarian, I, along with Della Humphries and Kayla Barclay, had the opportunity to take part in a live archaeological dig.

During a weeks time, I gained a better understanding of Peruvian culture, both ancient and modern.

Under the supervision of the Head Archeologist, Doctor Cristobal Campana, we were able to be witnesses to the uncovering of ancient Peruvian relics including the uncovering of a human sacrifice. During this time we also helped the Peruvian people on both a national and local level.



At the archeological site the directors have created a program where children come to view their ancient ancestry and take part of it so that they will be culturally aware of the importance that these discoveries have in their lives.

We accompanied one such group of children through the archeological site and participated with them in discovering their heritage. Perhaps the most important thing that was accomplished was when Kayla used her title as Miss Utah 2008 to promote local and national involvement in the archaeology. Although interest in such archaeological endeavors has decreased amongst the Peruvian population in recent years, the archeologists were able to promote interest by showing that Miss Utah and other "gringos" were taking time out of their lives to learn more about the national heritage of Peru. In these ways we helped the Peruvian people while at the Archeological site of Chan Chan."

win a free expedition! (natalie)

If you've ever wanted to go on an expedition, but thought you couldn't afford it, here's your chance!

For each $100 donation between now and next Wednesday, you will be entered into a drawing for a Free Expedition. Expeditions are $1850 and do not include airfare. For every 20 entries we will draw a winner!

To buy a donation ticket:

· Go to Southern Cross website at www.sxhu.org under Donations and fax or mail in donation form with number of tickets (Fax:801-397-5579) (Address:1492 S. 800 W. Suite A., Woods Cross, UT 84087)
· Call the office and give your information over the phone (801-397-5578)
· Go to our Paypal account and send in donation with contact information
Pre-banquet winners will be drawn next Wednesday at our Executive Meeting and announced via email that very day!

Good luck!!
Natalie

we need shoes! (Brian)

ALL of the kids in the Aldea need a pair of good shoes. They all have sandals and some have casual shoes that get them by okay, but many of the kids only have a pair of sandals and maybe some pair of dress shoes for school and that's it. I know of a local church who has scheduled to come out on with donations for the Aldea. The Church will also be putting on activities that entire afternoon for the kids. I had the opportunity to meet with the adults in charge of this effort and recommended the need for shoes and anything else they can come up with. We talked as a group of at least 6 adults for an hour and a half or more about planning the activities, what to look for in donations and how to manage what is donated, and food. The kids are provided for with basics like food, basic clothing, beds, and shelter, but they lack in other areas (shoes, for example, and modest clothes that fit well). The Aldea also has a great opportunity to advertise itself to the community as a quality place that really cares for the kids who call it home, but that it is what it is in part because of the local community. This is EXCELLENT advertising and would build a stronger positive reputation for the Aldea. Thank you for your support and care! We all need more of it here!