November Update

As Thanksgiving is right around the corner, I wanted to take this blog update to thank you.

I know there have been a lot of changes recently here in the ministry here in Guadalajara as Tania and I feel called to start an orphanage as we branch off from the youth program that the Enfoque Ciudad team is starting. 

Thank you for your encouragement in this transition.
Thank you for your generous financial support.
Thank you for your prayers.
Thank you for believing in this vision to start an orphanage.
Thank you for taking the time to read these blog updates.

There are a lot of different ministries and organizations to support and follow.  There are other organizations that have over 100 staff.  They have been together for over 10+ years.  They have hi-tech websites.  Thank you for choosing to support us.  We're not a big ministry.  In fact we're quite the opposite- we are a team of 2.  We don't have hi-tech websites.  I'm not the best with my words or at expressing the vision.  We're not great and amazing people.

But I can tell you one thing: we desire to be faithful to what God has called us to do-start an orphanage in Guadalajara, Mexico.  

I wish I could give you a time-frame and a list of definite answers, but I can't.  I don't know fully what it is going to look like or when.  But in the meantime we will remain faithful in serving at Kids in Victory Orphanage.  We are also participating in an outreach in El Humedo for a very impoverished community of children Saturday afternoons.  Tania and I plan to start a class on Saturday mornings for the kids who don't go to school and don't know how to read.  As teachers with an organization (INEA) we can teach them and they can earn their elementary and middle school degrees.  As we reach out to these communities, we will continue to make connections and contacts here in Mexico to start the orphanage. 

A couple of weeks ago we moved to a new house in a safer neighborhood, because unfortunately the old neighborhood has gotten pretty dangerous with a lot of robberies, car thefts, assaults, shootings, etc.  Unfortunately that meant moving farther away from the Kids in Victory Orphanage.  We still go quite regularly to the orphanage, but for the few days while we moved and got settled into the apartment we didn't get the chance to visit the kids.  A few days later we went to the orphanage and were greeted by a million hugs and kisses from the kids.  We had previously told the kids that we were going to move, so they understood why we hadn't come in a few days.

Coby

However one of the boys, Coby, didn't quite understand fully.  He was the first to greet me with a giant hug for a few minutes almost crying.
 I asked him, "Coby what happened?".
 He said in broken Spanish, "You no go home on airplane?"

He thought I was going back "home" to the US forever.  It broke my heart.  In these kids' lives so many people come and go.  They are used to being abandoned and left alone.  This is one of the reasons we want to start an orphanage.  We want to give these kids stability where they know they are safe and loved in a family.  We want to show them through our actions that God is a loving God who does not give up on us.  The Jesus Storybook Bible puts is so well:

"You see, Jesus was showing people that God would always love them-with a Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love. 

So they didn't need to hide anymore, or be afraid, or ashamed.  They could stop running away from God.  And they could run to him instead.  As a little child runs into her daddy's arms." 

The beauty of that quote above is that it doesn't just apply to the orphan kids.  It applies to us as well.  God's love for us never stops.  It is not based on what we do or say.  We need not hide or be afraid or be ashamed.  We can trust Him and rest in His love and grace.

Journey Home Orphanage

These past few weeks have been some of the most exciting and trying weeks of my time here in Guadalajara.  

As you know I have been serving here in Guadalajara with “Enfoque Ciudad” for 2 ½ years now and I have absolutely loved it.  We have been training and preparing to start an orphanage.  However God has given the 2 team leaders a heart for the youth and they feel led to start a youth program for boys who are 16 years of age and older.  I am very excited for them, as they feel called to work with that age group and I know they will do an amazing job with those youth boys.  However my roommate Tania and I feel God calling us to start an orphanage with younger children.  We’ve been praying for a while now about how to make this transition and we feel led to start our own 501c3 non-profit (Journey Home) in the US and a non-profit here in Mexico to start an orphanage. 

In general this is no different than what we’ve been doing already.  We’ll still volunteer with the same orphanages we’ve been at and we’re still planning on starting our own orphanage in the future.  However it is a challenge to start something new from zero.  We’re currently in the process of getting certified as a tax-exempt 501c3 non-profit.  We have filed as a religious corporation in the state of Arizona and in November we will be filing the “1023 form” with the IRS to gain “tax exempt” status.

 

There is a lot to do to get this all started up, but Tania and I are so excited to emark on this journey to start an orphanage and we have seen God start to put the puzzle pieces together as He guides us in this process of starting an orphanage.

The other day I came across an article that asked the question:

What would you be willing to attempt for God if you knew that you could not fail?

Starting something new is scary, because it is leaving the familiar and the comfortable to an unknown territory full of questions, new things and uncertainties.  Deciding to take this step of faith in branching out to start a 501c3  non-profit and a Mexican non-profit brought a lot of fears to mind.  We were in a comfortable position in where we were at and yet we had a deeper longing to start an orphanage.  Starting an orphanage comes with a lot of risks and trials.  It means raising a lot of money.  Trusting that God will provide enough finances, food, clothing, school supplies, housing, staff etc. to provide for an orphanage full of kids.  However our God does just that.  He provides for His children, especially for the hurting, the broken and the defenseless.  

Am I scared?  To be completely honest with you: Yes.  Scared that I might fail.  Yes.  Scared of all of the paperwork/legal things involved with starting a 501c3 and a Mexican non-profit?  Yes.  But the thing is, God is bigger.  A lot bigger.  Yes to be honest with you I worry about the little things, all of the unknown details.  But I'm trusting Psalm 37

"Commit your ways to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act."
Psalm 37:5

We are trusting in Him and waiting for Him to act.  I am so glad I don't need to find my worth and identity in what I do or in what I accomplish, but rather I am secure in Him.

In the meantime we will continue persevering as we are patient and persistent in this process of starting the 501c3 and orphanage.  Oh yeah, and we will continue to have tons of fun and love on these kids at the orphanage!  Thank you again for your prayers and financial support in making this dream possible to start an orphanage in Mexico!

Check out the photos below:

Ricardo's B-day

Birthday Waffle + Chocolate Milk

Coby posing on top of the washer

HW Time

 

Jorge writing a summary of "The Jungle Book"

Coloring Time with Brayan + Rodrigo

Being goofy with the boys

Brayan teaching Miguel how to read!

Mexican Independence Day

MEXICAN INDEPENDENCE DAY

This past Saturday Mexico celebrated Independence Day.  That afternoon we had a few kids over to celebrate at our house with baking + arts and crafts.  We asked them what they knew about Independence Day and they knew absolutely nothing!  So we had a quick little history class.  I asked the who Mexico gained independence from asking them "Did Mexico gain independence from Portugal?"  To my surprise two of the kids said 'yes'!  Eventually we were able to piece together the general history of Mexico's independence from Spain.  On the walk back to the orphanage though I heard one of the younger boys talking about how Mexico gained independence from Portugal! haha  It blows my mind the things kids remember and hold on to.  Out of the whole conversation, the kids incorrectly remember that Mexico gained independence from Portugal!  We had a great time talking about Mexico history, learning how to make banana bread and doing artwork for Independence day.  Check it out below:

Miguel + Rodrigo measuring the ingredients

Mixing the batter

Mexican Independence Day Art

Rodrigo drawing

CONSTRUCTION UPDATE:

I hope you received the construction flyer update this past week.  We are excited to see how construction is advancing.  Check out the progress below.  We're at the half way point now!  Please consider giving financially to the construction project for the youth orphanage.

Putting down the foundation

Foundation of a youth apartment

Finished front wall + gate

HP TOUR

Tour of Hewlett Packard (HP) with the orphanage youth 

HP Staff + Orphanage Youth

GAMES + STUDYING

Domino Fun

Rodrigo having a blast setting up the dominos

Teaching the kids strategy playing Rummikub

Algebra with Christian

Jorge and Brian reading stories together

Brian writing a summary of what he read

I've been learning and reflecting a lot on what my purpose here in Guadalajara is.  It is so easy to get caught up in the daily routine of activities.  Something that has really encouraged me these past 2 years here is the following:

"Trust in the Lord, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your ways to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act."
Psalm 27:3-5

My purpose is simple.  Your purpose is simple.  Trust God.  Do good.  Live in the land.  Be faithful. Delight in the Lord. Commit ourselves to Him.  Trust Him and wait on Him to act.

Oftentimes it is so easy to get caught up in all of the unknowns, problems, conflicts, uncertainties and we lose sight of what is most important.  We need only trust God and He will act.  And that is what we are doing here in Guadalajara.  We are trusting God and trusting that He will act as we build this youth orphanage.  We are so blessed to have the opportunity to trust God as we serve the kids and youth of Mexico.  Thank you for enabling us to do what God has called us to do.

August Update

*BACK TO SCHOOL + INEA

 When I was in elementary school, ok let's face it even when I was in college, I loved the month of August, because it equated to "back to school".  This Monday the kids go back to school and they are so excited.  New uniforms, new school supplies, new backpacks, new teacher, new classroom and for some a new school.  This summer we've been studying with the kids to keep them studying so their minds will be fresh and ready upon entering school.  We've also been traveling back and forth to the  National Board of Education Office trying to enroll 4 kids in middle school and 2 in elementary school.  We've been a total of 5 times and have only successfully enrolled 2 kids in the middle school we want.  It is truly amazing to see the lack of organization and bureaucracy that exist here in the Mexican government.  2 of the kids were enrolled into a middle school that is over 34 kilometers away from the orphanage.  You can all be praying that we can enroll the remaining 4 kids in the middle school and elementary school near the orphanage.

Through volunteering at the orphanage we've also seen a great need for youth and older kids who have never been to school.  They have no educational background, but because of their age they are unable to enroll in the traditional elementary or middle school.  We've been investigating and have found a program called INEA "The National Institute for Adult Education".  Tania and I have taken a class with them to become 'teachers' through their program.  We are currently in the process of completing a module and exam and we can officially start teaching the orphanage youth.  We are very excited to complete this process as it will enable us to teach and guide the youth and give them their elementary and middle school certificates.  It will also be a great way to reach out and serve the community of Tonala (future youth program-orphanage).  We are excited to be able to serve the people of Tonala and youth through this education program, providing for them the opportunity to continue studying and to earn their degrees.  We trust that it will be a huge blessing for them as well as an opportunity to build deep and lasting relationships with the community.

*BASEBALL
I absolutely love baseball and have missed playing/teaching it because down here in Mexico, the big sport is soccer.  My dad (a huge baseball fan) sent down a bunch of baseball gloves so the boys could learn how to play.  At first it was difficult because baseball involves teamwork and patience.  The kids had a really tough time working together at first.  They were constantly yelling at each other and calling each other names when they missed a ground ball, overthrew 1st base, struck out, etc.  I was surprised at the difficulties they were having at working together.  Even the players on the same team would break out into fist fights.  We talked about what it means to 'love your brother'.  They're not perfect, they will mess up, but Jesus calls us to love one another.   

Over the past few months though, we've done various drills teaching the kids to back each other up on ground balls, communication on pop-flys, and relay drills.  It has been a lot of fun to be able to teach the kids these very important skills of communication, teamwork, etc through such a fun game.

Choosing Teams... Who wants Chava?

Relay Practice-Working on Teamwork

Eduardo on 3rd, Coby covering his base

Batting Practice.  Yes, the tires are our bases.

*MODEL AIRPLANES
Normally the kids have an attention span of about 10 minutes, but...  a week ago we brought over model airplanes for the kids to work on in pairs.   We spent over 3 hours putting them together!!!  Check out the photos below...

*INVESTING IN THE KIDS THESE NEXT FEW MONTHS...
As we continue construction in Tonala, we are trying to truly invest well in the kids as we slowly start to transition into our youth program-orphanage in Tonala.  We've been having a lot of fun...

Making dinner for the youth working in construction

Gardening/Plants with the kids

Pancake Time!

Playing Battleship + other board games

Bible Studies + Art

Washing cars

English Class

  
*CONSTRUCTION
Check out the following updates on construction.
If you are interested in supporting financially: http://enfoqueciudad.org/give

At work

One of the youth at work

Driveway entrance to the land

Gate surrounding the land

Street view of the wall + contention wall

The 4 youth

Thank you.  I am truly thankful and gracious that we have the opportunity to serve.  Thank you for equipping us and supporting us as we invest in the lives of these kids and youth in Mexico.

Pre-Construction Stage has begun...

PRE-CONSTRUCTION OF ORPHANAGE/YOUTH PROGRAM!!!

The Enfoque Ciudad Team and the architect

A couple of weeks ago we started the pre-construction.  The 4 oldest youth at the orphanage (Christian, Chuy, Nestor, Edgar) are working on the construction project as assistants to the construction workers.  They absolutely love being out on the land and being part of the construction project.

It has been a lot of fun to get to know the youth better.  The weekend before they started construction, we took the kids to Tonala (the construction site).  We showed them the different bus routes and how to get to the land every day.  We walked around the marketplace (tianguis) to show the kids the little town.  Then I took the kids to our favorite breakfast restaurant in Tonala to celebrate their new job!  It was a very long day.  But I absolutely loved every moment of it.  I still remember what one of the youth said: "I will never forget this day."

 Edgar, Nestor, Christian

These 4 youth have really taught me a lot.  We've been packing them breakfast and lunch every day for work.  I remember getting home that weekend before they started work and I was absolutely worn out and exhausted.  Tania and I left the house at 8am and didn't return until late that evening: a day full of traffic, buses, shopping, planning a healthy menu, budgets, etc.  I've learned that everything in Mexico takes about 5 times longer than it does in the US! haha :)


That Sunday night before they started work I had them over at my house to show them the plan.  We gave them a map with bus routes, their new lunch boxes + backpacks with breakfast and lunch, a little note of encouragement with a Bible verse, construction helmets, water bottles, socks + underwear.  They were so stoked.  Their smiles, joy and excitement really reminded me why we're here serving in Mexico: to see their lives transformed by Jesus.

In construction we are currently working on the following 3 steps:

1. Excavate 50 2-meter deep holes in the ground below the street to build a contention wall.
2. Cement in 50 reinforced steel bar (rebar) castles for the construction of the contention wall.
3. Build 110 m2 (55-meter length, 2 meter height) rustic red-brick + concrete contention wall.

Edgar and Nestor at work!

HOW TO GET INVOLVED:

We are truly excited to be starting construction.  It is such a blessing to be able to serve here in Mexico.  Please consider giving a one-time donation to our construction project.

1. via Credit Card Donation:  www.enfoqueciudad.org/give
2. via Paper Check: Enfoque Ciudad 1802 Lima Dr San Luis Obispo, CA 93405  

Lunch Time!

Christian at work!

ELECTIONS IN MEXICO
As most of you have heard the Mexico presidential elections happened on July 1st.  Unfortunately there has been a lot of corruption and vote-buying involved.  Please be praying for the future of Mexico as it enters into this transition.  Read more about the elections:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jBUZHsuGgE
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/07/03/accusations-grow-vote-buying-mexico-election/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-18758321

BEAUTIFUL MEXICO
Also, I wanted to share this video with you about Mexico.  It is a beautiful work of art showing a different side of Mexico most of you haven't seen.

Thank you.  I could not be here serving in Mexico without a dedicated team of friends and supporters at home.  Thank you for being such an important part of our team.