Hola!
Well, it's finally here! After being in Mexico for nearly two weeks we are finally getting around to putting out an update! Actually, it's been so busy that I haven't really had time to sit and journal everything going on but since I have two sick boys today, I am home with them and have extra time to write.
We arrived at the mission in Mexico on Sunday, August 3rd around 8:30pm. It was a long day but exciting. We were headed to our beloved Baja! I had spent a couple of nights with my sister, Lori, in Los Angeles and woke on Sunday morning early to head south. We met up with a team from Fountain Valley and began our drive to the border. We were the middle vehicle in a three-car caravan and felt pretty secure. Crossing the border is always a game of holding your breath. For some reason, you pass over and through the guards and have this sense that you're doing something wrong. What if they search your car and find something that causes them to detain you (even though there's nothing illegal in your possession)...it's the strangest feeling. You feel guilty as they stare at you even when you're not! In Tijuana, when you cross, sometimes you get waved on through and other times you get stopped and searched. Well, we were searched this time. It wasn't too bad since our suitcases were packed with nothing but the usuals but it was still a slight delay. Then we had to head over to purchase our visas. In Mexico, at least at the Baja border, when you cross you have to purchase a 6-month visa if you are going to be there longer than 7 days. Each visa is $25. That's not a lot unless you're multiplying it times 5 and are on a tight budget already. That extra $125 could go towards something better than a visa...like food/clothing for the poor. Anyway, I went in to purchase our visas and after taking care of mine, I asked the officer if it was really necessary for my children to have one. He said, "How long are you here for?". I told him 4 weeks and he said "yes" that everyone needed it if it was longer than 7 days. But then he said, "You shouldn't have told me that you were here for 4 weeks and then I would have let you cross without the fee"...to which I replied, "But the I would have lied and I don't lie". He paused, looked at me for a moment, and then said, "Just go on and don't tell anyone I did this for you". He stamped our passports and away we went. Total savings, $100. My faith-filled Anna said, "See Mom, God always provides". Yes, He does.
We crossed and began the drive to Vicente Guerrero. To the right, the ocean was beautiful and perfect. To the left, poverty abounded. God's handiwork vs. man's. What a contrast. For the next couple of hours we meandered through the countryside enjoying being back in Mexico and seeing all the sights. At Ensenada we took a little stop at McDonald's. One of the ladies in our caravan wanted to buy the kids ice cream. So, McFlurry's for all! As we were all gearing up to leave and begin the last two hours of our trip, I realized that I never went into WalMart (which was across the street). I had to purchase a couple of items to bring to the mission and couldn't go on until I did that. The team was ready to get going so I did the unthinkable (to everyone but me)....I told them to go on without me. Collective gulp! They asked if I felt confident to drive the last two hours on my own and I said, "Sure!". So, I did. Actually, it was right up my alley. A little bit of excitement always makes my trips more adventuresome! The last two hours of driving were wonderful as we followed the only paved highway on the Baja down to the San Quintin Valley. Once we cleared the mountains we new we were close as the endless western sky was ahead with nothing to stop it as it stretched out over the ocean. Pulling into Vicente Guerrero caused a burst of "I remember this" and "I remember that" from all of us....we were here....in a way it felt like we were home!
Monday morning came early and our day began as usual here...sala (the missions morning devotions) and work! We met with our dear friend Marisol and talked with her about the jobs that were available and then she asked what we wanted to do. It was finally settled and off we went.
Kate: In the past, normally Kate works in the Day Care. She loves being with the children but this year she wanted to do something different. So, her job is in the nut house! Literally! She works in the nut house! :) Here at the mission there is a macadamia nut orchard with over 2,000 trees. It's organic and the only business (other than the gift shop) functioning to bring in income. Other than that money, the mission survives on donations alone. So, the work done there is pretty important. We're nearing harvest season again and since last year's harvest was twice the harvest from the year before there is still quite a bit of work left over to be done. When we arrived Kate went through training and was taught how to sort through the nuts, determining which were superior from those that were good, bad and ugly (literally). Each having different functions ultimately. The superior ones are sold to a buyer in Mexico City and so they have to be top notch. Kate, through training and now working hands on with the nuts, has become quite the macadamia nut connoisseur. She works with two other people and has really been enjoying her job. Although she's not directly been working with the orphans, she feels like the Lord has been doing a lot inside of her and has been teaching her a lot about herself and Him just by working with nuts....I told her God's used a lot of nuts to teach me about Him, too, (and that I'm the biggest one!) :)
Anna: A few years ago when Anna began working in the Learning Center (House of Mephibosheth), God taught her the difference in serving the disabled in your own strength and serving in His. So, now when we come, her heart is to serve there. She's there every day from 8am until 1pm. She does everything from preparing snacks to tutoring. She's quite the busy little bee and loves every second of it. In the afternoons, she works in Children Evangelism. She leaves the mission with a teacher and some visitors (people who come and serve for one week and leave are called "visitors") and goes out into the communities nearby to bring spiritual and natural food for the children. The areas are impoverished but the people are beautiful. The evangelism team sets up a tarp, gathers the children from the streets, does crafts, tells stories, performs skits and does various other activities to communicate the gospel to these little ones. Then before leaving, they give every child a heaping spoonful of peanut butter and a glass of milk because vitamin D and protein are missing from these kids' diet. She loves being a part of this ministry. She misses dinner with the family every evening but always comes in with a BIG smile on her face.
Stephen: Well, this is a big year for him here. Normally, he works by Steve's side because he's been too young to have his own work assignment. This year, Daddy isn't here (yet) and so Stephen's been trusted by the mission to be on his own. He works with a dear friend of ours, Rafael (local Mexican) doing construction. He's been cutting tile for the floors that are being laid in the renovations for staff housing. He's been painting, grouting and hanging cabinets as well. He loves being hands on and has a huge sense of accomplishment when he looks back at what he's done. The other thing that Stephen has been doing is spending any free time with the boys of Casa 4 (House 4) and another boy his age in the next village over. These are boys that we have watched grow up that are comparable to Stephen's age. We love them all dearly and it's good for them to all spend time together playing football (soccer). Friendships deepen and lots of notes are taken - on both sides. It's a real opportunity for these boys to see how a young man is supposed to be (not that Stephen is perfect but he's being trained in righteousness by a father) and it's good for Stephen to see what happens when you go without that training and that he should not resist it. Proverbs says it best, "My son hear the instruction of thy father and forsake not the law of thy mother. For they shall be an ornament of grace upon thy head and chains about thy neck". Listen to your mother and father, Stephen, and Lord, give us wisdom!
Quick story: Last night one of the Casa 4 boys was over for dinner at our place and after being with us for a few hours we brought him home. When we arrived I asked the Casa mom if I could speak with her. She agreed and we walked outside together. (Note: Casa parents care for 8-15 children 24/7. It's really challenging to give every child everything they need ... most days they are just trying to keep order and keep the laundry done.) I had wanted to ask this casa mom if it was ok if when Steve arrived if we could take all the boys to the beach but the conversation quickly turned to her talking about needing wisdom and strength. Her heart to serve these boys is so beautiful but there aren't enough hours in the day to give each of them what they are lacking because of being orphaned and she sees that and is crying out to the Lord for provision. Please remember to pray for her. I'll call her Estella.
Nathan gets to work with Mommy and he loves it! My job is in the Cuna (nursery) this year. I help another woman care for 9 babies under the age of 3. It's a full time job but Nathan is right by my side, working as hard as I am! His biggest job is to play with those little ones, get the runny noses, gather sippy cups, and report stinky diapers. I don't know what I would do without him. As for me, as much as I love what I do, it's also heart wrenching. These babies are here for various reasons. Some are here because their parents were in an accident and died, some are here because social services took them from abusive homes, some are here because their parents can't feed or care for them any longer...in any case, these babies are orphaned. There are couple of children that won my heart instantly and I want to bring them home with me (but then there's that border crossing issue...) anyway, one of the little girls here arrived just a couple of days before we did and her transition was quite traumatic. She's three and spent the first week here on an emotional roller coaster. She quickly latched on to me and began calling me "mommy". Either I look like her mom or my role as a mom in caring for her causes that response. She's very petite and must have an american mother/father because she's very light skinned. When she came here from social services, her hair was cut short like a boy's but this little beauty is anything but boyish. She's a girly girl. She likes bows and ribbons and dresses and "zapatos" (shoes). There are serious signs of abandonment and abuse and in my anger I struggle to have Christ's heart for her parents but I know that Jesus died for them too. So, I ask Him for His heart to pray for their healing and salvation so that their family can be reunited and have a testimony to the faithfulness of God. There is also another another who has won my heart... a little man.
He's somewhere between 18 and 24 months old. Three days ago he was brought here by his father (who is a migrant worker). I assume that the father can no longer care for him. In the camps the adults work for 12-13 hour days and so the children are basically left on their own. There might be a few people left to keep an eye on them while the parents work but that really means the children do whatever they want all day long and are just kept within the camp's perimeter. I've seen these kids just wandering around all day long and it's heartbreaking. I'd like to think that this dad wants more for "little man" than life in the camp and so he brought him here to the mission. I don't know where the mom was. Maybe she's not around at all, maybe she was so heartbroken that they had to give him up that she couldn't bring herself to come to the orphanage. I don't know. All I know is that this little man is so precious. He's very dark skinned...Mexican Indian. His people are from the indigenous tribes of Mexico. His little black hairs stand straight up on his head and he looks like a little porcupine. His crooked smile melts my heart and his dark black eyes break it when they fill with tears as he holds his arms up for me to lift him into mine. I'm sure it tore his father's heart out to leave his son here and yet he must smile at the thought of his son being clean and having a full tummy and 24 hour care. Oh Jesus, this is such a broken world.
In another update I will tell you about Alma. She's a friend of mine who is in great need and is suffering quite a bit right now. Please keep her in your prayers.
As for now, I must go. Stephen and Nathan caught a bug that has been going around the Cuna (because all of my children are in there with every little break from work they get). So, the girls got the bug first (and me) and now the boys have it. The only good thing about it is that it has given me the chance to sit and write an update. Otherwise, I'd be too busy to write.
I'll post another update soon and until then, pray for the people of Mexico. They are beautiful people and in need of the gospel and His hands and feet. Pray about serving in this nation. It's our closest neighbor in need and I promise, it will richly bless you.
I pray your summer is going well and that you are enjoying all the benefits of being His....
Saved to love,
Kara and kids
