Angeles looks beautiful in her quinceañera dress provided by Don Leach. Decorations and catering were provided by Mo and Lorene Kros. Dinner was accompanied by Mariachi music and followed by DJ music and dancing. If you were unable to attend, you missed a great party!

Chayo is a new resident of La Ola. She is 15 years old and has completed ninth grade. She was abandoned by her parents at age 4. She is a very sweet, smart girl. We’re hoping to find a sponsor who will make it possible for her to go to private school next year.

Gisela is a new resident at La Ola. She is 13 and in seventh grade. She is a very intelligent and sweet girl.

Ana Roberta has returned from Brazil for a second stint as a volunteer at La Ola. Ana recently graduated from law school. Congratulations, Ana Roberta and welcome back!

On Saturday, Feb. 9, La Ola took a day trip by bus to the Sierra Chincua butterfly reserve in Angangueo, Michoacan. Thousands of monarch butterflies were seen among the pines here at an elevation of almost 10,000 feet. It was a spectacular event. Some of monarchs are seen here landing on Erin and Yessi.

Wow! It seems hard to believe that 3 years have passed since we started La Ola Children’s Shelter. We started in a broken down house in total disrepair with no water, no electricity, no telephone. Water had to be trucked in every 2 or 3 days and stored in an underground container. It took 4 months to get electricity. We had to run a gas powered generator in the daytime and go without electricity at night. We lived on top of a mountain at the end of a horrible dirt road that damaged our vehicles and were surrounded by cows and a hostile rancher. We had virtually no support and knew practically no one in the area. Somehow by the grace of God we survived.

In the 3 years since then we have been assisted by over 150 new friends, volunteers and supporters. We have cared for about 40 children from backgrounds of poverty, abuse and abandonment. We have moved to a new property with ample space, beautiful gardens and a swimming pool. With the help of local sponsors we have placed four children in an excellent private school and 3 others in a respected technical high school. We have acquired a rescue horse and two dogs. We are truly blessed to have come this far in a short time. We are so grateful to all of you who have befriended, supported, encouraged and stood by us during this time.

Anna Kempster (l) and Samantha Dyer (r) have arrived at La Ola from Kitchener, Canada to volunteer for one month. Anna is 23, has a twin, and has studied early childhood education and fine arts and has attended Emmanuel Bible College. She has a heart for missions and says her 2 main purposes in life are to love God and love his people.

Samantha is 19 and loves to travel and learn about different cultures. Both recently worked in Thailand teaching English. We are so blessed to have these wonderful young ladies at La Ola!

Meet Marta Semrau, age 22 from Ztotow, Poland. She will be helping out La Ola for 3 months. She is a graduate of Technical University of Dortmund, Germany. She speaks German, Polish and English and is adding Spanish. She is a great addition to our volunteer staff!

Our home school teacher, Erin, enjoys a moment in the play house with Nayeli, Millie and Scooby.