If I could adopt a child right now...

...it would absolutely be this one...

   

Her name is Fernanda. She's five years old and has one of the biggest smiles I have ever seen. She is at the Salvation Army Children's Home in the Venadillo neighborhood of Mazatlan. I met her for the first time back in January when we came down on an exploratory mission trip with our church.

That's her, holding the kitten. Even though the furry creature might not reciprocate the love she has for them (the home has 5 cats), it doesn't stop her from picking them up and trying to pet them. In fact, when one of the dogs kept coming up trying to get me to pet him and I told the dog I like cats better, she went off to find me a cat to pet. She carried one over that- stretched out- was as long as she is. With that guy settled on my lap, she went in search of another and brought him over to me, too. The same one, I believe, that's in the photo with her from January.

 That's Esmokín and the other cat, the kids did not refer to him by name.

It was so precious to see her carrying the cats with a huge smile on her face. And it spoke volumes to me that just by hearing some American woman she's just met say she likes cats, she would go off and find the cats. As we were getting ready to leave, it broke my heart to hear Fernanda ask me if we would be coming back the next day. Saying no to that precious face was hard, but I have hope that I will see her again.

How could you NOT want to take that home with you?!

(P.S. This post was written by Lisa, I'm not sure how Ian feels about this little girl, but if it were up to me, money were no object, and adopting kids from Mexico was not so stinkin' hard... she would be ours!)