A Thousand Words? Easy

Last month, we announced that we had an opportunity to acquire a picture that could prove potentially embarrassing for a certain nationally syndicated talk radio host if it were to fall into the wrong hands. Wrong hands meaning our hands.

In order to be fair, we had a little fund raising challenge. Friends of the shock jock could donate money to protect his dignity. Those who wanted to see the picture could donate to help it see the light of day. All money raised would go to the Misericordia Orphanage. Here's a bit of history on that orphanage and an update from my last visit in December 2004:

The Misercordia Orphanage is located in the rocky countryside about fifteen miles southwest of Chihuahua City, Mexico. The orphanage was founded about ten years ago by Fidel Rubio and his wife Marianna with "only fives pesos between them." Over the years, it has expanded slowly and now houses over eighty children. Fidel is a passionate, visionary man of God who believes that the Lord has ordained him for this mission.

There are six churches in the United States that provide regular support for the orphanage, as well as a number of individuals. Fidel explains that, "God brings them. I never ask them to help, they just show up."

Fidel believes in more than just giving the children a home: he wants to give them a future. He wants to start a furniture building business there. An American church donated tools, and a local carpenter has been coming to teach some of the older boys to be craftsman so that they may someday leave the orphanage with skills that can serve them in life.

He has also constructed a greenhouse, where they are growing tomatoes and wheat. The wheat is used to feed goats which can they be used as a source of milk and meat. The tomatoes are currently being used to feed the children, but eventually Fidel hopes to grow enough so that some could be sold to raise money. He's a big believer in sustainability.

They have a small clinic that Fidel hopes to expand in the future. They take in many children from the mountains around Chihuahua, and many of these kids have communicable illnesses when they arrive. If the clinic were larger, these kids could be quarantined until they were healthier thus limiting the exposure of the rest of the children.

The electrical wiring throughout the orphanage is also in desperate need of updating. We are working on getting a list of the various projects, both short and long term and their estimated costs.

If you're interested in donating to the orphanage you can do via so Pay Pal here or contact me directly.

The good news (for all) is that that picture challenge raised a nice chunk of money for the orphanage.

The bad news (for Hugh) is that his crew failed to raise enough money.

Which means that tomorrow the picture will be posted. Now the real fun begins.