Jose

Last Friday our team was at Ministerios de Amor finishing up all of our renovation projects.  We were working on the last bedroom.  We took down all of the furniture and bunkbeds and transferred all of the kids' posessions to the new bedrooms in their brand new lockers.  So we were painting the new bedroom, taking apart bunkbeds, making the beds in the new bedroom, moving clothes, etc.  It was a definitely a crazy and long day.  A good 10+ hours working.

Jose

All of the kids went to school and we kept working.  I had 2 brothers who are fairly new to the orphanage and don't go to school helping me out.  These boys are so cute.  They are 2 brothers who have mental disabilities and are some of the funniest and most creative kids I know.  They were helping me move all of the clothes and helping me paint the wall with toothbrushes.  Yes toothbrushes.  The wall was a popcorn type material wall where a regular roller brush won't cover the wall entirely, so we had to go back in and cover all of the holes with toothbrushes.  What a sight!  The three of us with toothbrushes painting an entire bedroom.  :)

So after a good 4 hours of working one of the boys (Jose) turned to me and said "You're really pretty."  I started laughing.  We had been working for hours and hours. No air conditioning nor fans.  I was sweating.  Smelly.  Covered in paint.  Hair up in a pony tail.  In old dirty clothes.  I was a mess.  I laughed off the comment and we went back to working.

I started thinking about his comment a couple days later.  I was definitely not pretty in that moment, and yet Jose saw something I didn't.  

I was dirty. A mess.  And yet, Jose saw something else.

It made me think about our standing before God.  I am a mess.  I am a wreck.  I'm dirty.  I'm far from perfect.  I'm selfish. I'm sinful.  And yet God sees me in light of the cross.  Jesus dying for me has given me a right standing before God.  God sees me and He sees something I don't.  He loves me.  He says I am beautiful.  He calls me His daughter.

It is funny how such a small comment from a 8 year old boy can really rock you and take you back and analyze something so basic to our faith and yet so deep.

ONE ON ONE TIME, PIZZA + MOVIE

1 ON 1 TIME READING WITH THE KIDS:
From what I have seen in orphanages in Mexico, one of the things that the kids lack is one on one time with an adult or parent.  Growing up I had one on one time with each of my parents. Every summer my grandma and grandpa would have me over at their house for a week to spend time with them in California.  It meant the world to me to spend that 1 on 1 time and to know that I was special to the adults in my life.

I've been taking different activities to the orphanages (pop-up books, encyclopedias, bingo, coloring activities, etc) to do with the kids.  It has been so much fun to really get to know these kids on a deeper level as I get to spend more time with them.  The kids love it.  Everyday when I get to the orphanage, the kids always come up and ask if I brought my books with me.  It is great, because the kids are having fun and learning!  If any of you guys have kids books in Spanish, feel free to send them down! :)  I've been reading kids encyclopedias with the kids like:

1 ON 1 TIME WITH JOSHUA:

Last Friday we had one of our normal Bible Studies with the 10 younger boys at Ministerios de Amor.  Normally each study looks like:
-One kid from the Green Team prays for the study // We read and discuss a story from the Bible // The kids do an activity (usually an arts & craft) // We talk about practical application of the story to our lives // We sing a couple songs // We practice a key Bible verse from the study // One kid from the Blue Team prays to close the study.

One of the boys, Joshua, was sick and could not come to the study this past week.  After doing the study, I went in to check on Joshua to see how he was feeling.  He had a headache.  Right as I walked in the bedroom he asked if we could do the Bible Study together him and I.  So I went and got the materials and we did the study together one on one.

It was so much fun to sit down with him one and one and talk and go through the study.  It is amazing to see what a 10 year old understands.  God really touched my heart through the 45 minutes I spent with Joshua.  The study was based on Josiah who was named king at 8 years old and how he learned that he needed the Bible and God to rule the nation.  The activity we created for the study said "Josiah understood that he needed the Bible.  Draw and write something that you need."

Joshua drew a huge heart and wrote:  
"I need to have the heart of God."

So simple and yet so deep.  We all need to have the heart of God.  We all need to love others as God has loved us.

PIZZA + MOVIE WITH 8 KIDS:

Lorena + I with our 4 younger boys

This past weekend we took a group of 8 kids out for pizza at Costco and a movie at one of the coolest malls in Guadalajara.  The 8 kids that we chosen were the kids that have behaved the best in the Bible studies we have been doing.  Check out the photos!

Pizza + Coke @ Costco

Darren + Justin with 8 boys

Thank you for being a part of what God is doing in these kids' lives here in Guadalajara.

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters." 1 John 3:16

Vision Trip, Zoo Trip, Bible Study

Vision Trip with Jessie
Jessie came down last week for a 4 day vision trip to see the orphanage project and to see if this is something God is calling her to do.  It was a great time to really connect with her and share with her all that we have learned/experienced over this past year here in Guadalajara.  We talked until 1am in the morning sharing experiences, stories, and struggles.  She knew the first night that this is what she wanted to do.  All of her questions and concerns were answered the first day!  We are so excited for her to come back down soon!

Trip to the Zoo with Ministerios de Amor
This past week (Spring Break) we were invited to go with the orphanage Ministerios de Amor to the Guadalajara Zoo!  We broke up into groups and led the kids around the whole zoo.  It was a blast!  I took a group of 4 boys around with me, Jonathan (12), Hugo (11), Mario (8), and Juan (8).  It was a great experience for us to learn how to organize outings with the kids and how to divide into groups and plan lunch/ travel/ etc.

The boys.

Bible Studies @ Ministerios de Amor
We have been giving Bible Studies with the younger boys at Ministerios de Amor for a month or two now and we have been learning so much and have gained so much experience in how to teach and instruct children.  We are planning on taking out the 3 boys who have behaved/participated the best out to pizza and to movies.  So we have been keeping track of behavior, participation, attitude, etc.  Check out some of the photos below:

Folders we made for the boys.

Noah's Ark

How do you perceive God?

Group Activity.

Working together.

Singing a Song.

I really feel that this month we are starting a new stage in our ministry down here in that we are finally starting on our own project.  We are looking more towards our orphanage plans, designs, organization, etc.  Also, sometime this year we are looking to take a 1 month internship trip to the orphanage we visited in Aguascalientes (Dulce Refugio).  During this time we will live with the girls in the orphanage and see what daily life looks like at this orphanage.  We will also do a more in depth training with the director in office related tasks.  We are so excited for what God has in store for us.

Thank you so much for your prayers and financial support that allows me to serve here in Guadalajara.  I could not be here without your sacrifice.  Thank you.

"YOU THEN, MY CHILD, BE STRENGTHENED BY THE GRACE THAT IS IN CHRIST JESUS" 2 TIMOTHY 2:1 

Easter Project Video

GET INVOLVED.

If you would like to get involved in our Easter project for this orphanage #2 (Ministerios de Amor), donations can be made in the following two ways:

1. via check. Checks can be mailed to the following address:

Enfoque Ciudad 501c3 nonprofit1802 Lima StreetSan Luis Obispo, CA 93405

2. via credit card. Donations can be made using the following link:

 www.enfoqueciudad.org/give

Thank you for your support and prayers!

Trip to Aguascalientes-Orphanage Dulce Refugio

This past week we took a 4 day trip to Aguascalientes, México to visit an orphanage called Sweet Refuge (Dulce Refugio).  We had an amazing time with the kids and staff!

The orphanage was built by a group of Canadian churches.  They are currently constructing the boy's house and various offices on the land.  We had the opportunity to talk with the construction crew and the general contractor about the design of the orphanage.  It was a blessing to see how organized they are in the design and how they run the orphanage day to day.

We also had the opportunity to have various meetings with the director of the orphanage.  We got to talk with her about the various aspects of running an orphanage.  She also shared her experiences working with the kids, staff, government, schools, etc.  She is very excited for our project and was able to give us some good insights in our planning.  She is excited to come over to Guadalajara once we have our orphanage to learn from us.


We also were able to talk with the various staff at the orphanage to get a true feeling of the needs that exist in an orphanage for the kids and staff alike.  I had the opportunity to drive with a staff member to pick up the kids from school, so I got to talk to her about how they interact with the schools and teachers and everything education related.


While in Aguascalientes Lorena and I had the opportunity to talk with Anna, a Mexican woman who grew up in the orphanage we visited in Pan de Vida in Queretaro.  It was so insightful to talk with her to hear her perspective as a girl growing up in an orphanage to a woman who helps run an orphanage.  She was able to speak wisdom into our lives as women going into orphan work.  What a blessing to be able to talk to her and express our concerns and questions.



Government Conference with Institutions that work with Children and Youth:

Our team was invited to attend a conference put on by the government for organizations working with children and youth (mostly orphanages).  It was really interesting to hear from the panel of orphanage directors at the end of the conference.  The directors expressed their concerns and problems that they have with various organizations within the government.  I think that it really opened our eyes to what it is going to look like working with the government.