Castro Family Mission- Operation Water Well

Last summer, Neil and I both read a book that our church was going through together. It is called The Hole in Our Gospel and I think will change the life of anyone who reads it. At least that is what it did to us. It convicted us very deeply and left us asking, "God what can we do?"

We decided that one thing that we are going to do in response to that question is to do what we can to help build water wells in Africa. For those of you who don' t know, as many of 5 million people die every year of water-related illnesses. "A child dies every 15 seconds of a water-born illness which creates a no win sitution for millions of parents- they can watch helplessly as their children die for lack of water, or they can watch them die from diarrhea, because the only water they have is tainted." The Hole in Our Gospel

This left me with a haunting thought. What if I was not blessed to be born to Stan and Margo Papi? What if I had not been born in America, but in Africa?? What if I were the widowed mother of 3 boys living in Africa with no clean water, watching helplessly as my children kill themselves with the only water they have to drink while another mother of 3 boys in America wastes water getting the bath just the right temperature for her children? How can I sit by here in the comfort of my warm home with a water flowing freely from the faucets and not do anything for my sister who sits in agony in Africa??

The answer is: I cannot. I must do something. I know that I cannot provide clean drinking water for everyone in Africa, but I can for one woman, for one family, for one village at a time. So, Neil and I decided to make this our mission. We have decided to set aside a certain amount of money each month and put it toward the funding of a water well. When we get enough money, we will have a celebration, send in the money, and start over again.

Our desire is to build one water well a year for as many years as God allows. Did you know that one water well will provide clean drinking water (600 gallons a day) for an entire village (about 150 people) forever!!! The cost of a traditional well is $2,600.

Unfortunately, at this time, it is not within our means to be able to allot $200 a month to reach our goal of one well a year. But as Neil and I processed this, we realized that we know other people that are concerned about the same thing and that if 5 families decided to join us and set aside $40 each month (or $500 a year), then we could make one water well a year a reality. And if that number becomes more than 5, praise Jesus, we can help more communities!!

So, that is where we sit now. We have a jar above our computer that holds our monthly water well deposits and we pray that others would want to join us on our mission to build wells so that instead of it taking 3 1/2 years to reach our goal, we could have an annual celebration!!

Please join us in praying for those less fortunate than us who do not even have the luxuries that we take for granted daily. Or, you can join us in praying for 5 families to step up and join us in making our mission a reality.



God Bless!!

Matthew 25:

For I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink.

Lord, when did we see you thirsty and give you something to drink?

I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine,

you did for me.

Merry Christmas- 2010

This year for the Castro's could not be defined as quiet, boring, uneventful, or calm, but it was exciting!! We learned this year that nothing we can do or experience even compares to the abundance that comes from knowing and following Jesus as your Lord and Savior. He is able to provide for you in ways that are beyond your wildest dreams and imaginations.

One way that he demonstrated that to us this year was during a family trip we were able to take to Jamaica. We were blessed to go on this trip because Neil taught tennis in one of the resorts and it was there that God showed how He can make travel arrangements and coordinate experiences that absolutely take your breath away. Not only was our breath taken away in Jamaica, but also part of our heart was. As you can see in other posts, we were able to visit an orphanage while we were there and it was a day we will never forget. It has been my desire since that visit, that we will not forget what we saw and that we would not conform to the patterns of this world but that we would remember what we saw and allow God to use those memories to be his hands and feet and to accomplish His work.

Aside from that trip, our year was filled with many sporting events. Along with the usual soccer, baseball and basketball games, we added football, tennis and cross country to our repetoire of events. Neil and I enjoy every game, race, and match and love watching the kids do what they love.

On top of all of the athletic events that take up our time, Nicholas decided to take up French Horn in his school band and Cody joined the school choir. Lastly, Nicholas and Cody also were on a Robotics team for their school that competed with over 100 other teams from all over the valley.

Like I said, there is never a dull moment in the Castro household!!!

We would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a truly blessed Christmas season as we celebrate the birth of Jesus!!

Merry Christmas!!

Fall Birthdays

Nicholas turned 11 on October 3rd and Brett turned 8 on November 1st. Because their birthdays are so close, we often celebrate them together.

We had the family over for dinner, cake and ice cream and had a great time with all the cousins!!

Nicholas had some of his friends over for a party Minute to Win It Style....

And Brett had two friends over for pizza, movies and a slumber party and mommy forgot to take pictures!!

FIrst Day of School 2010

This is our annual First Day of School picture that we take in front of the Nelson Elementary sign. It is hard to believe that this is already the sixth picture I have in this spot.

This year Nicholas is in 5th grade, Cody in 4th and Brett in 2nd and we absolutely love Nelson Elementary!!

Fall Sports Recap

Well....we survived a pretty wild and crazy fall. Every other year the boys are just far apart in age that they all have to be on three seperate soccer teams. That happened to us this year. On top of soccer, this year Nicholas, as a fifth grader, was able to experience his first taste of football- with pads and all. Seeing him on the football field for the first time, outfitted in his pads and helmet was another slap in the face and reminder of how fast he is growing up. He looked way too big to be my son!! Although the team did not have a very successful year, Nicholas is warning us that football has become his favorite sport because, "It is fun to hit people."
Cody, as a 4th grader, got to experience his first taste of upper-grade sports: cross country. He did great and although he did not wear Nicholas's lucky yellow hat from the previous year, he did just as good as his brother did. He placed first or second in every head to head competition with the other schools and placed 10th out of 120 runners at the district finals!! He truly loves to compete!!

Cody also decided that he wanted to start playing tennis. So, we decided to enter him into his first tennis tournament out at Fig Garden Racquet Club to see how he would handle it. Of course, he loved it and asks us every week when he can play again. I think it really helped that he took third and got to come home with a trophy in his first tournament!!

Brett played Under 8 soccer again this year and was a star on the field scoring at least one goal in every game. His favorite position to play is forward and he had a great time on a team filled with all his favorite buddies.

Blossom Garden Recap

This is going to be a long one....I can tell. There are so many thoughts and emotions swirling around in my head that I can only pray that God would help me get them all in print so that I don't forget.

Our trip to Jamaica was an amazing blessing beyond what we ever could have imagined or expected. It was the best quality, family time we have ever had together. We were able to eat, play, swim, snorkel, eat, pray, read, eat and play some more with no demands of our time. We had the best conversations and I got more spontaneous hugs from the boys than I have had in a while. It was as the commercial says....priceless.

But, beyond a doubt the best experience of the trip was our visit to the orphanage. Not because it was so uplifting, but because it changed all of us forever. Leading up to the trip, I prayed every day that God would do a work in the hearts of my children. That their eyes would be opened to the needs of the world and that God would plant seeds in their heart and grab their hearts forever. I am sure that He did that and more. The boys did so good at the orphanage!! If you know my children, they are all pretty shy in new situations. But not there. As soon as we arrived and were told what they could do, they got to work. They actively played and interacted with the older children and in the baby room they held, rocked, fed and played with the babies. It touched my heart in such a way that I had trouble holding back the tears at times. Brett was in his element in the baby room. When babies cried, he picked them up out of their crib, rocked them, patted their back, read them books, whatever they needed to be consoled. It was as if he was 10 years older and had done this before.

But, what I was not prepared for was the way that God would rip my heart out of my chest. In a book I am reading it says that in order for us to make a difference in this world, God will break our hearts for the things that break his. That is what he did to me....completely broke my heart for these children. As we walked into the baby room while the director was showing us around the orphanage, a sweet little girl with big, deep brown eyes and a cute little button nose walked passed her caregivers, all the way across the room to my feet and raised her hands up to me for me to pick her up. She then wrapped her arms around my neck and laid her head on my shoulder. That was the beginning of the end for me.

What affected me the most was the realization that these children are not being held, loved, cuddled, played with, read to, and cared for the way they need to be. The caregivers are wonderful ladies, but with the task of feeding, cleaning and caring for 56+ children, the basic tasks of survival are what is focused on. And I am sure it is the same way at all orphanages. It breaks my heart to think what lies in store for these babies who are not receiving the love and affection that is so needed by children at this age. And it blew me away that at 12 months old, Natasha was able to identify that need and find a way to get it met.....by walking up to a complete stranger and begging to be held.

For the majority of the day we played, held, cuddled, read to and fed the babies that were in the baby area. We helped to feed all of the babies lunch and then had to leave right before they were putting them all down for naps. The director of the orphanage asked us how we had found out about the orphanage and why we had chosen to visit. After explaining to her about studying James 1:27 in church and watching Extreme Home Makeover, she was grateful for how God led us to Blossom Garden. We also explained how many of our friends and family had donated items and money and although she normally does not allow pictures to be taken of the children, she made an exception for us so that we could show all of the donors where their donations went. She was a very gracious, loving woman and although I would love to post the pictures on this blog, she made me promise that I would not post the pictures of the children on the internet.

As we were leaving the orphanage, she grabbed a group of children to pose with us holding some of the items we brought with us. I swept up one of the little boys in my arms for the picture and after the picture was taken as I was putting him down he tightened his grip around my neck. I told him "Go play with the kids because we have to go bye-bye." To which he shook his head no and grabbed my neck even tighter. He then pointed to the door we were going out as if to say that he wanted to go with us. When I could not pry his arms and legs off of me, one of the workers had to come and pull him away. I walked out the doors, sobbing, knowing that I had just left a piece of my heart at Blossom Garden.

Which leaves me where I am at now. I know for sure that we will be visiting more orphanages in the future and although I would love to, I don't think that it is realistic for us to bring home 3-4 children every time we visit one. So I sit, and pray and wait to see what God would have us do next all the while praying that we do not forget what we have seen or how it made us feel.

I am so grateful for the abundance that God blessed us with on this trip all while opening our eyes to the needs of His children. I also continue to pray that we will not let the insignificances of life get in the way of what should be our priorities. I do not want to get swept away by the current of busyness and forget about what is truly important in this life that passes by in the blink of an eye.

Preparing for Blossom Garden

At the Castro household, we have been very excitedly preparing for our trip to visit Blossom Garden Orphanage in Jamaica next month. Two weeks ago, we had a car wash at our house and many friends and family showed up to have their car washed by about 16 kids. It was a blast and we were able to triple the goal we had set for the day!!

Thank you to all who showed up.

With that money, we have been busy buying the supplies that Mrs. Brown, the director of Blossom Garden told us they were in greatest need of.

We went to Neighborhood Thrift Store (thank you to AP for giving us such an awesome discount!) to buy some clothes.....

then we went to the Dollar Store to buy toys and school supplies (Jacob and Andrew Rush went along to help us pick out all of the toys).

We also purchased some Bibles and books from Majesty and bath soap and shampoo from Wal-Mart. We already have about 4 suitcases packed for the orphanage and are getting so excited to deliver it to them!!

We are praying and expecting that God will do an amazing work in all of our hearts and that this will be an experience that none of us will ever forget!

Ringbearers

My cousin, Jason got married to the new Annie Papi this weekend and the boys were all ringbearers in the ceremony. Instead of carrying rings, the boys all carried wooden bats with their names engraved down the aisle. It was a very fun celebration and the boys looked so cute in their tuxes that I had to post a few pics.

Cody's Baptism

Well, because our trip to Jamaica was pushed back two weeks, Cody was able to get baptized earlier than we had anticipated. We were so proud of him and his step of faith to pubicly express his love for Jesus. So, last week, Cody and I sat down to write his story. I asked him if he wanted to tell it to me and I would write it or if he wanted to write it himself. He chose to do it himself and following are his words that were read by Nicholas as Cody stood in the baptismal.

I want to get baptized today because I love Jesus so much and because he died for my sins. I asked Jesus in my heart when I was five because I wanted my sins to be forgiven and so I can go to heaven. I am getting baptized today because I want to follow Jesus and because he is my Lord. My favorite Bible verse is Phillipians 4:13. I like this verse because it says I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. My mom has helped me understand who Jesus is by praying and reading the bible with me. That is why I am getting baptized.

We then left church and headed to Cody's last all star baseball game. Later in the day, our friends and family came over to celebrate the occassion with us over pizza and cupcakes. It was a wonderful day and Cody ended the day underlining his favorite verse in the brand new Bible that was given to him by Mimi and Papa.

Philipians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Blossom Garden Orphanage

Our family has been blessed with a wonderful opportunity to take a family trip to Jamaica in June. Last month as we were watching one of our favorite shows, Extreme Home Makeover, we saw a spotlight about a school in Jamaica. We learned from watching the spotlight that many of the children in Jamaica do not even own a pair of shoes. Upon further investigation, we learned that many Jamaicans live in squalor, with poor housing, limited food supply, and inadequate access to clean water, quality health care, or education.
Last month, in church we studied the book of James. James 1:27 says “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
That same week we realized that there is an orphanage in Jamaica only a few minutes from where we will be staying. Blossom Garden is an orphanage that houses approximately 70 children from the ages of birth to 7 years old. These are children who have become wards of the state and the orphanage, although it is state funded, still is in need of many basic supplies and support.
Our family has decided to put our faith into action and we will be visiting the orphanage to assist in any way we can by serving meals, playing with the children, blowing bubbles and reading books. It is also our hope that we can assist in supporting them by bringing along some of the items they are in need of. We were put in contact with the director of the orphanage through the Apostolic Christian World Relief organization and they informed us that they are in great need of:
· Clothing for boys and girls ages 5-9
· Bath soap
· Shampoo
· Small toys
But, we cannot do this on our own. It is our goal to fill many suitcases with clothes and supplies to leave at the orphanage. If you would like to join us in our project to be a blessing to Blossom Garden, you can donate any of the above items or make a donation that will go towards the purchase of the above items.
We will also be having a car wash at our house on Sunday, June 13th and a lemonade/cookie stand on the corner of West/Herndon on Friday, June 18th. Please join us at either event!
Thank you,
The Castro Family
Neil, Ann, Nicholas, Cody and Brett

Spring Break 2010

This year we were graciously invited to spend Spring Break at the coast with some friends, the Nishikawa's. They have two boys that go to school with our boys and they all five have a great time together. We got to make camp fires on the beach (Cody's favorite activity of the trip) and smores at night. The boys enjoyed their first real round of 18 holes with Jaret and Drew and we even made it to the Farmers Market in San Luis Obispo. We ate a ton and enjoyed the relaxation. Here are a few pics from the trip:

The boys hit the course. Funny how their golf swings look just like their baseball swings!

Making Smores

Cody and his buddy, Drew

Of course, I could not leave the coast without taking some portraits of the boys by the pier. This is Nicholas's 10 year old pic. Cody and Brett's pics are on the previous two posts.

Cody is Getting Baptized!!!

Two weeks ago, Cody got in the car after church asking questions about baptism. "What do you have to do, Mommy, when you get baptized?" "Who reads the story?" After I answered his questions, the conversation was abruptly ended.

I was a bit surprised because we have never discussed baptism with the boys. They have watched one or two at church, but it is not something we have talked about with them and none of them have ever shown any interest, that is, until that day.

The next week at church, as we were driving away, Cody announced, "I want to get baptized." This was the first Neil had heard of it because he was not in the car with us for the previous discussion. Neil asked him why he wanted to get baptized to which Cody answered, "I don't know." I decided to finish this conversation with him in private when we got home because Cody is a man of few words and not the most effective communicator. When he feels he is being questioned, he closes down.

So, when we got home I called him in to his room to try to feel out where this desire came from and to determine whether he understands the significance of this act. When I asked what he was feeling in his heart and why he wanted to do this, he continued to explain that he did not know. So I told him that Pastor Mitch would not allow him to be baptized if he could not explain what was going on in his heart. Mitch would probably tell him to wait until he is a bit older. To which he exclaimed, "It is because I love Him!"

That is all I needed to know....end of conversation. My man of few words communicated the perfect reasoning!! I am so proud of him and so excited to share in that special day with him. I will for sure post pictures, but he will not be baptized until August, so it may be a while.

Tender Moments....

Having three boys in three years- that are now all in school- definately has its challenges at times. For instance- the 3:30 to 8:30 scramble that takes place in our home every night. Let me give you an example. This was my day today:

3:30 get home from school and prepare the after school snack (sliced pears, chocolate milk and peanut butter pretzels)
Start homework and get ready for baseball practice

4:30 Leave for baseball practice

6:30 Return from practice
Start dinner

7:00 Eat dinner, do dishes, start laundry, feed the dog
Shower boys
Finish homework

8:30 Put boys to bed and read with each of them
Finish laundry, go through mail, get lunches and clothes ready for tomorrow


This time is a whirlwind and by the time 8:00 rolls around I am ready to crash in bed and I often dread having to read with the boys. I often rush the process and get frustrated when they get words wrong out of sheer exhaustion.

But tonight was different. When I was reading with the boys I relaxed enough to actually enjoy my time with them. We enjoyed the stories, laughed together and were even able to discuss the plot of the books. It was fun. When I was done reading with Brett, he said, "Mommy will you lay with me for a while?" My heart melted and of course I did.

As I laid there with his head on my chest and his hand on time of mine, I thanked God for moments like these and wondered why I don't enjoy them like this every night. It is so real to me that they are growing older much faster than I want them to, and I still rush through precious moments like reading together at night and miss them all together. But, tonight I didn't. I laid there until he fell asleep and I could feel him breathing deeply. Thanking God for opening my eyes to these blessings that I can experience every single night if I allow my self to slow down and enjoy them.

Papi Family Winter Vacation

This January, we were able to spend a weekend up at Tenaya Lodge in the snow thanks to Mimi and Papa. We had so much fun with Hannah and Logan making snowballs, swimming in the pool, sledding and just spending time together.

If Time Could Stand Still

I know that most of my posts seem to have the same theme....I am so sad at how fast the boys seem to be growing older. But, a friend sent me the following You Tube that again reinforced my fears that these seasons are passing way too rapidly for my liking. Watching this video, I began to wish that I could stop time right here and right now.

Don't get me wrong, I have loved every season we have been blessed with!! I adored having babies- holding, cuddling, nursing, feeding, tickling, rocking. I also loved the toddler stage- watching each of the boys develop into their own little person, temperament, will and all. I also loved the pre-school stage (even having three boys under the age of 4- three boys in carseats and 3 boys in diapers). I loved giving them rides in the laudry baskets, making bubble bath beards and mohawks, and laying in bed reading book after book.

But, right now is more fun than I ever expected it to be. I love being able to have real conversations with my boys and still have them enjoy being with their mom. I love it that they want to go to Starbucks with mom all by themselves. I love it that they still want me to tuck them in at night and that they remind me any time I forget to pray with them. I love it that they still climb into bed with me in the mornings and that they still give free hugs and hold my hand. I love being Nick's mom. I love being Cody's mom. I love being Brett's mom. I love watching them play basketball, soccer, baseball, and even cross country. I love baking cupcakes for their class parties or game snacks. I love slicing oranges and taking pictures at every event.

At times like this when I think ahead to the days when I won't have these same things to look forward to, I guess I have to trust that God will fill those days with blessings all unique to those seasons. I guess I do look forward to seeing how God grows these boys into young men and what lies ahead for them in their future. But, I do know that some day I will look back at these days and miss the times I am living right now. It is my goal this year to take more pictures, not of just the sporting events, holidays and school performances, but also of the game nights, movie nights, lemonade stands, and even the wrestling on the floor and video game playing in the playroom. One day I am sure it is even those sounds that I will miss.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olSyCLJU3O0&feature=player_embedded