These next 8 months we are striving to focus on some of the other aspects of running an orphanage as well. We will be helping in the same 2 orphanages, but we will also be going to a girls orphanage (Kamami). This will be a great experience in working with girls and learning how to raise girls to become women of God.
We are also going to focus on reading various books/articles/sermons on raising children/youth in the Lord such as: Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp, Instructing a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp, Bringing up Girls by Dr. James Dobson, Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge, the Celebrating, Instructing, Educating, and Correcting Children sermon series by Mark Driscoll, etc. If you have any suggestions on material to study, please let me know (erika@enfoqueciudad.org)
We recently finished a diploma course (with Consejo Estatal-State Board/Council) on how to work with children who have experienced violence and we are going to start taking other courses with different government and non-government associations: Vivir para Compartir (a non-profit that offers courses to other nonprofits), DIF (protection of children's rights), Consejo Estatal (state board/council), IJAS (Institute of Social Assistance to the state of Jalisco), etc. These courses range from how to manage a non-profit in Mexico, the rights of children, orientation to the family, working with children from the streets, etc.
We are also in the process of designing the orphanage that we are starting. It is such an exciting time of really planning and organizing what we want it to look like. We are able to design it so that these children will feel like they are at home with their family rather than designing it as an institution. We are able to take what we have seen at the various orphanages we have visited and change/adapt certain aspects to our design. We are designing bedrooms, bathrooms, study rooms, dining rooms, living rooms, kitchens, offices, soccer fields, basketball courts. It is so much fun to really start working on our project by pulling together all that we have seen in our attempt to make a home for these children where they feel safe, welcome, and most importantly where they are loved and truly experience the love, grace and truth of Jesus.
Thank you all again for supporting and praying for us down here in the Lord's work of caring for orphans.
Here is a fun video of one of the kids I am blessed to work with daily!
