*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.
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| Choosing Teams... Who wants Chava? |
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| Relay Practice-Working on Teamwork |
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| Eduardo on 3rd, Coby covering his base |
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| 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...
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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...
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| Making dinner for the youth working in construction |
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| Gardening/Plants with the kids |
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| Pancake Time! |
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| Playing Battleship + other board games |
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| Bible Studies + Art |
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| Washing cars |
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| English Class |
*CONSTRUCTION
Check out the following updates on construction.
If you are interested in supporting financially: http://enfoqueciudad.org/give
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| At work |
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| One of the youth at work |
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| Driveway entrance to the land |
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| Gate surrounding the land |
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| Street view of the wall + contention wall |
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| 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.
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.
