30 Days of Thanksgiving: November 12--Marlene

This is Marlene, and we are very thankful for her.  Marlene watches Charlotte 2 days a week so that I (Ruth) can volunteer at Clinica El Samaritano.  Watching Charlotte is not an easy job these days because she is very curious, has a lot of energy and LOVES the freedom of being able to run around our neighborhood, but Marlene does an excellent job of lovingly caring for her... probably better than I do in fact.  When I leave Charlotte in the morning, she is usually half naked, barefoot, and wild looking, but when I come home, she is dressed in matching clothes, has a barrette or braid in her hair and shoes on her feet.  Marlene also helps us around the house which we are extremely thankful for.  Unintentionally, she has also become my personal Spanish tutor.  She speaks no English, but she and I seem to communicate really well (mostly, I think, because she is very good at understanding bad Spanish).  She is not afraid to correct me, which I really appreciate.  We really appreciate her and she is becoming a part of our family.  Please pray for Marlene's dad... he is very sick and has been for awhile.  Marlene plays a huge part in caring for him, and this has been a difficult time for her and her family.