Christmas party and program with SMCA

Christmas at Bethesda Childrens Home

Last week a few of us went over to Bethesda to do crafts and read stories before bedtime. It was so cute as they all came in with pajamas and wet hair from their baths... They were so excited but gradually most of them fell asleep in our laps.

Christmas with friends

Dogs, dogs, dogs

My friends, Jeanna and Jerica, in Indiana, would be happy to know that I have become a dog lover. There are dogs everywhere in Mexico and most of them are wild and roaming the streets. I have my favorites and there are always new ones showing up. Our director, Todd, hates them and doesn't want any on our campus and has been known to pay people to 'remove them'. So, for Christmas this year, I made him a "Dogs of Back2Back Calendar".


My favorite dog, I named Patch

The dog who snuck in the gates and became a pet for a few days until he was caught

Jewelry making

Cathy Huffer and I decided to have an evening of jewelry making for the teen girls on campus. The ones who came made a few bracelets and came up with some creative designs!

Junior was one of the first teens to enter our Hope Program and now he just graduated from college! He got a graphic arts degree. We are so proud of him!!

Final night with the Womens Group

After a whirlwind week of all the Christmas activities we had a final event, a "Snow Ball" for the girls of Manatiel and Villa de Juarez. They came to Back2Back's campus and the women did their hair, makeup, and helped them feel like princesses. I was on the decorating committee so I got to make the place look like a winter wonderland. I painted a castle backdrop and we hung snowflakes all over. Then there was dinner and dancing!

Colo de Caballo

The family of Hope, the other teacher, came to visit and we went hiking at "Horse tail falls"... It was beautiful.

Happy 90th Birthday Grammy!

My grandmother, Blanche Moyer, turned 90 on December 3. She is living at Souderton Nursing Home in a skilled nursing room. The man next to her is her brother.

Christmas activities at SMCA

The Womens group didn't forget the staff children and brought crafts and fun for our school!

More Womens' Group

at Del Norte



ice skating with Rayitos de Luz and El Retiro Juvenil homes...
My friend here couldn't skate but was determined to be out there the whole time so I basically held him up and if I let go, he would fall...bless his heart

At the Rio making blankets with the women

Children at Imperio de Amor singing for us in English! - so precious

The First Week of Christmas - Womens' Group

Every December we have a womens' group from Cincinnati come to Back2Back and bring Christmas to all the Casa Hogars and our campus. They come and bring a gift for every child and bring decorations for the trees and crafts, crafts, crafts...It literally is a week of non-stop running but lots of fun. Every morning the women would split into gift wrappers, shoppers, and cookie makers and in the afternoons they would head out. That made it nice for me because a few afternoons I got to join them.
This day we were at Imperio de Amor doing crafts and handing out gifts.

november field trip

We headed to Saltillo, a neighboring town, to the Desert Museum for SMCA's November field trip. It took us 2 1/2 hours to get there, after much traffic, a bathroom stop, and a pull-over by the police...Luckily we took a bus with TV's and showed a movie to the kids on the way there. Once we got there, there was so much to see and then we sat in the sun and had lunch.