Hi!

Many people are asking me how we are doing money wise in the project and I answer vaguelly that we are doing “good”.

Why the mystery? Am I hiding money from people?  

Certainly not!

I have three reasons not to tell the exact amount of the money collected before the project is finished and they all make sense… 

First: when I was collecting funds for my hospital, I had set a goal of 5000$. When I called a fellow doctor asking her for support, I told her “Please I am very close, I have already collected 4500$!!! She answered quite rudely:”Right, don’t you think you have enough!” and hung-up.

I told myself…never again!

Second reason is that when I imagined the project I had in mind a small school and I did a very optimistic estimation of the costs of building a school in Mexico. The project got bigger and the number of children served got bigger. Rest assured that ALL the money collected (plus all the money I am bringning in the project…) will go to the building of the school project. There is no way a penny collected will be used by a dishonest person.

Third, and last reason. Can you imagine if I walk into a hardware store and say I want to build a school. If they ask me what is my budget and I say for example 12 000$. Guess what their price is going to be? 12 000$ even! We’ve all been to a garage and know what it’s like! So, these are the reasons why mom’s the word!

Take care,

Nathie

P.s. I can tell you though that our financing campaign is going well…

Hi Nathie!

Since we are all in the business of sharing and caring (and I know it for a fact about each and everyone of you), I`d like to share what J. and B. did today!!!!

They showed up with 50 lbs of Rice and 50 lbs of beans for La Gloria`s and La Vega`s shared “Posada” (they are now speaking to each other). Plus a huge amount of boxes of candy and treats which I am going to bag and turn in to 150 “Bolos” (term used for candy bags that are given to each child at a Posada). Plus a gift card from HEB!!!! I called H. (the president of the colonia) and she burst in to tears when I told her about all the stuff!!! Now with all these gifts from J. she can use what little money she collected in to making a more substantial meal for the kids at the party. They were going to have creamed pasta and a small cup of Jello, but now she started to go on and on about how she now could make something with real meat in it, I wished J. had heard her.

B. whom I had the pleasure of meeting today, is an absolute doll !!!!!!, she brought 3 bags of ladies winter clothes and agreed to give them to L. (the single mother). We had enough time to go to La Gloria and they met. After that we went to HEB and she bought for L.`s little girl (yes! it will be a girl!) 3 Baby Mink blankets/baby bags, which I will wrap and deliver ASAP.

I am attaching photos of the gifts they brought and will follow up with more until I send you all the ones of the Posada. I hope J. shares the photos he took today!

This business of sharing and caring is addictive and it gives you a wonderful high, hehehe.

LH&K

L.

Here are some pictures of a home in La Gloria and the donation from a lady who brought rabbits to help them.

After changing building site three times for teh school (legal and ownership issues) we finally got a land donated for the school. Great!

Hi!

Served you right, why would you be able to go on vacation, Huh?  LOL

Good thing you let us know about the school supplies, I`ll only get the black boards and the benches then.

WE HAVE TOTAL AND COMPLETE APPROVAL TO BUILD IN EVARISTO PEREZ!!!!!!!!

Monday at 9 am I am going over to meet Lic. R. and she is going to give me the Approval Letter, The Oficial CONAFE Plans and all the paperwork, so I`ll be sending you the package next week.

I haven`t gotten your business cards yet………

Please let me know in advance when you plan to come down, so I can set up a reunion with the CONAFE and HEB people, maybe meet at a restaurant for dinner, It is very importante that they meet you before the whole buzz starts.

Ok, I am oficially cold seeing those photos, geezzz, we haven`t had many cold days, I don`t want to think what January and February are going to be like.

J.: this friday I am going to La Gloria, with more clothes, sheets, among other things and to deliver the gifts to Lety. I`ll send you photos of the gift delivery.

I`m off to celebrate my 10th Aniversary, so I`ll catch you later.

L.

My dear friends!

I apologize for my little absence. I was in Panama for a vacation. Funny part is that since it was a week of doing nothing, I got really sick for 4 days. Shows me I should only be enjoying myself while helping others!LOL.

Only good news from this side of the border!

M B.  has sent me a generous donation and plans to send me a second one. Our project is well on its way.

I had sent the sollicitation letter to one of my patients and she sent me a check and a letter telling me her husband has an art supply manufacture and is willing to provide us with all the pencils and coloring pens for the school. When I called her, she asked: will it be ok if I gather supply for 500 children? Do you need erasers? Pens?paint? Crayons? Sharpeners? I am telling you it felt like Christmas!! I told her to give me EVERYTHING she can.

I might have to do one special trip (going through Texas though because direct is really expensive) and bring some of the stuff I have because I am overloaded.

In answer to J.’s question about what I intend for the construction: I stick to my plan that I want the school to be up and fully functional when we leave on the 25th of April and that we open for classes on the following Monday. I know it is easily doable.

Big cold canadian hug to all  three of you (see pictures). I did not throw the snow at Stephanie. I was only taking the picture!

Nathalie

Hi Loani,

I have looked at your pictures three times. The rabbit thing is awesome! You are doing great.

I had yet another pleasant letter today: The owner of the big pharmacy in my city (equivalent to Walgreen) send me three checks in answer to my sollicitation letter: a check for 50$ a check for 500$ and another check for 500$. I did the dance again!

Good night (it is past 2:45 a.m. And I just delivered 2 babies)

Nathie

Hi everybody!

Sorry I haven`t written to you all, but I have been busy, busy with Nathalie`s La Gloria Project. All is going well and everything is getting in line to build her school and have it ready by the middle of April!!!!!

I am attaching some photos from today, I had talked to a neighbor (Mrs.  R) about the situation of the people in La Gloria and she donated 4 pairs of Rabbits (for breeding, selling and eating), plus 5 more females (talk about boy bunnies keeping busy), so H. (the president of the colonia) is going to keep an eye on all the bunnies and help the families breed and sell them, we all hope this becomes a good business for them or at least they will have some meat to eat. Mrs. M. spoke to them about feeding (grass and shrubs), water and other details and told them how to handle the breeding part, she was so good. When we left she experienced the overwhelming feeling of joy and sadness we all feel the first time and now she is all excited about continuing to help these people.

There are 4 families in La Gloria that are in extreme poverty and I have taken in to my hands to get them sponsors to pay for the delivery of a kilo of tortillas every day. I am going to sponsor Lety, she is a single mother-to-be, who lives in a……..God I don`t even know what to call it, it`s a room made of diferent materials, the furniture she has is thanks to Hilda, a sofa holds up the roof on one corner of the room (you will see it in the pic), she has a weekend job someone was kind enough to give her, but her baby is due in the middle of december, so God knows what she is going to do.

Pray that I find 3 more sponsors!!!!!!!!!

Take Care All

LH&K

Here is a happy email I sent my friends on the La Gloria project:

Hi to both of you!

I hope you have been well and happy.LOL

I got a letter from one of my wealthy friend…acompanied by a 1000$ donation for the school. I am doing the danse again!

I also got another 250$ in donations from friends and patients.

Things are going great,

Nathalie

I just want to share a little comment a friend sent me about the people that are just plain negative and spend efforts trying to sabotage the project or waiste our time asking irrelevant questions.