Sorry for the delay in posting something – the wireless internet at the House of Cornelius (HoC) isn't working so I haven’t been able to keep you updated although I’ve kept my thoughts current off line. Faith the office manager is graciously letting me use her PC to get a few updates in.
We started the week with a morning devotional in the chapel at 8 AM. We prayed together and then had a great breakfast of egg burritos and Starbucks pastries (they have ten boxes of them in their freezer!).
With our anticipation high we got on the bus around 10:30 AM and left about 15 minutes later to head to Mexico. The HoC in Fabens is about 30 miles from El Paso and we crossed into Juarez at about 10:30 AM (not a typo – they are not on daylight savings time so we lost gained an hour as we crossed. I immediately could see that we were going to sail through as the female border agent that came over to check us out had a big smile on her face. That was a big praise because Candi and Mark had told us that we did not have the right approval from the appropriate Mexican government official to enter.
The drive to the children’s home seemed like it took another hour. The poverty we could see everywhere was obvious. The nicest of houses I saw were not very good. And there is sand everywhere (which would be an issue later in the day). We also saw several military checkpoints and troops driving around making their presence obvious (which by the way has had a very positive affect as last Thursday was the first day in two years that there was not a murder in Juarez).
We arrived at the children’s home and while modest, it was very nice compared to others I had seen along the way. We unloaded the bus and set up a couple of canopies (which don’t do squat to protect you from blowing sand!). The children in the home came out after about 10 minutes, seemly leaving us alone so we could set things up outside. The first few minutes reminded me of a dance in junior high where the first interactions seem a bit forced or uncomfortable but that really lasted about two minutes. We were asked to come inside the house, which is actually two building. The building we went in was a single open room and looked like it was where they prepared their meals. Through an interpreter, Lupe who I can only describe as an angel told us the story of the children’s home. She and her husband had begun visiting a Mexican women’s prison. They gained the trust of the prisoner by visiting them regularly and bringing them meals. In Mexico, if you don’t have someone to care for your children, they come with you to prison. Many of the women asked Lupe and her husband to take their children. And so they began their ministry.
Lupe’s husband died of cancer but she and her children felt that the Lord was calling them to continue the ministry and they moved from Mexico City to Juarez. Juarez is known as the armpit of Mexico to the Mexican people but Lupe felt this is where she needed to be. She also told us that her home wasn’t an orphanage but a family. This was very important to her – she wanted the kids to be part of a family.
Lupe continually thanked us for our support of her family (Ustick Baptist Church had helped support them) and all that we had done. As I listened to her, I was amazed with her humility. I felt like we had done nothing yet Lupe continually thanked us for what we had done. I told her afterwards that she was like an angel to these children and that she is the hands and feet of God. While there are a few kids that she provides daycare to, her family is very large – I think 13 kids.
After Lupe told us her story, each child stood up and introduced themselves, telling us their name and age, what they wanted to be when they grow up and their favorite foods. Pizza, hamburgers, vegetables, burritos, and meat were all popular choices for the kids. One four year old boy named Obed said all of Salmos (Psalms) 23 from memory – it was a precious moment. I played and talked to him during our day and he is a sweet boy. A 2 year old girl then got up and said all 66 books of the Bible from memory. She needed a couple of helps but she was amazing too.
Around this time, women and children from the surrounding “colonias” started to come. Word had spread that we were there and they were coming hoping for a meal. Karen H took pictures of all the children (which I have on my laptop because Karen needs to free up her memory cards for her camera).
Next, it was time for lunch. More women and children came. The food line was outside and a lot of meals were served – I’d guess that there were around 15 women that came along with a lot of kids. I noticed that many of the woman liked jalapeños so I put a bunch on a plate and served them to the women.
It was interesting that no men came. We were told that would probably be the case for a couple of reasons: they are either working or trying to find work or they are too proud to ask for help. A few men came and stayed a good distance away but none came to join us or eat with us.
As we were finishing lunch, the winds began to kick up. I’d guess that the wind was blowing up to 40 or 50 mph and when it blew, it picked up the sand and it was literally a sand storm. Really, it was miserable. I had a serious eye infection last year that has already compromised my vision and I was worried that conditions like these could cause my eye problems to flare.
The women were meeting together outside while a couple of men tried to hold up a blanket and shield them from the sand. That didn’t work too well so all of the women went on our bus to talk and pray together.
Meanwhile, the kids were inside. Lorna told them the resurrection egg story and we sang some songs with them. I was really blessed at one point when Cara stepped in and led the kids in a song. I’m the designated worship leader but when we decided to sing, my paper with the words to the songs in Spanish weren’t with me. So Cara jumping in with her smile and enthusiasm was fantastic. Mike also jumped in and did a fun song that he had done while on a mission trip in Africa. It had all the kids yelling “otra vez” (another time).
We packed up the bus and headed back to Fabens. At the border crossing, one of the U.S. border guards shared with us his drug sniffing dog. He did a little demonstration for us and pulled Cameron into it was which cool for him. For the rest of the ride, people came forward on the bus to share a special moment where they saw God at work during the day. It was a very special day and I didn’t think it could get much better …. but Tuesday was still coming and little did I know what was in store.
After dinner, Karen H asked me to help with getting pictures printed of all the kids. A craft for tomorrow is that the kids will decorate a 4X6 picture frame and get a picture of them. Mark and Candi have a couple of HP printers that I brought several ink cartridges for printing. It took some time and troubleshooting but we got the printer to finally work and printed all of the pictures.
There was one picture that broke my heart – it was a picture of Jose. Jose looked to be four years old and had come from the colonia with his mother and 3 month old baby sister. He was very dirty and I remembered him from earlier in the day.
We started the week with a morning devotional in the chapel at 8 AM. We prayed together and then had a great breakfast of egg burritos and Starbucks pastries (they have ten boxes of them in their freezer!).
With our anticipation high we got on the bus around 10:30 AM and left about 15 minutes later to head to Mexico. The HoC in Fabens is about 30 miles from El Paso and we crossed into Juarez at about 10:30 AM (not a typo – they are not on daylight savings time so we lost gained an hour as we crossed. I immediately could see that we were going to sail through as the female border agent that came over to check us out had a big smile on her face. That was a big praise because Candi and Mark had told us that we did not have the right approval from the appropriate Mexican government official to enter.
The drive to the children’s home seemed like it took another hour. The poverty we could see everywhere was obvious. The nicest of houses I saw were not very good. And there is sand everywhere (which would be an issue later in the day). We also saw several military checkpoints and troops driving around making their presence obvious (which by the way has had a very positive affect as last Thursday was the first day in two years that there was not a murder in Juarez).
We arrived at the children’s home and while modest, it was very nice compared to others I had seen along the way. We unloaded the bus and set up a couple of canopies (which don’t do squat to protect you from blowing sand!). The children in the home came out after about 10 minutes, seemly leaving us alone so we could set things up outside. The first few minutes reminded me of a dance in junior high where the first interactions seem a bit forced or uncomfortable but that really lasted about two minutes. We were asked to come inside the house, which is actually two building. The building we went in was a single open room and looked like it was where they prepared their meals. Through an interpreter, Lupe who I can only describe as an angel told us the story of the children’s home. She and her husband had begun visiting a Mexican women’s prison. They gained the trust of the prisoner by visiting them regularly and bringing them meals. In Mexico, if you don’t have someone to care for your children, they come with you to prison. Many of the women asked Lupe and her husband to take their children. And so they began their ministry.
Lupe’s husband died of cancer but she and her children felt that the Lord was calling them to continue the ministry and they moved from Mexico City to Juarez. Juarez is known as the armpit of Mexico to the Mexican people but Lupe felt this is where she needed to be. She also told us that her home wasn’t an orphanage but a family. This was very important to her – she wanted the kids to be part of a family.
Lupe continually thanked us for our support of her family (Ustick Baptist Church had helped support them) and all that we had done. As I listened to her, I was amazed with her humility. I felt like we had done nothing yet Lupe continually thanked us for what we had done. I told her afterwards that she was like an angel to these children and that she is the hands and feet of God. While there are a few kids that she provides daycare to, her family is very large – I think 13 kids.
After Lupe told us her story, each child stood up and introduced themselves, telling us their name and age, what they wanted to be when they grow up and their favorite foods. Pizza, hamburgers, vegetables, burritos, and meat were all popular choices for the kids. One four year old boy named Obed said all of Salmos (Psalms) 23 from memory – it was a precious moment. I played and talked to him during our day and he is a sweet boy. A 2 year old girl then got up and said all 66 books of the Bible from memory. She needed a couple of helps but she was amazing too.
Around this time, women and children from the surrounding “colonias” started to come. Word had spread that we were there and they were coming hoping for a meal. Karen H took pictures of all the children (which I have on my laptop because Karen needs to free up her memory cards for her camera).
Next, it was time for lunch. More women and children came. The food line was outside and a lot of meals were served – I’d guess that there were around 15 women that came along with a lot of kids. I noticed that many of the woman liked jalapeños so I put a bunch on a plate and served them to the women.
It was interesting that no men came. We were told that would probably be the case for a couple of reasons: they are either working or trying to find work or they are too proud to ask for help. A few men came and stayed a good distance away but none came to join us or eat with us.
As we were finishing lunch, the winds began to kick up. I’d guess that the wind was blowing up to 40 or 50 mph and when it blew, it picked up the sand and it was literally a sand storm. Really, it was miserable. I had a serious eye infection last year that has already compromised my vision and I was worried that conditions like these could cause my eye problems to flare.
The women were meeting together outside while a couple of men tried to hold up a blanket and shield them from the sand. That didn’t work too well so all of the women went on our bus to talk and pray together.
Meanwhile, the kids were inside. Lorna told them the resurrection egg story and we sang some songs with them. I was really blessed at one point when Cara stepped in and led the kids in a song. I’m the designated worship leader but when we decided to sing, my paper with the words to the songs in Spanish weren’t with me. So Cara jumping in with her smile and enthusiasm was fantastic. Mike also jumped in and did a fun song that he had done while on a mission trip in Africa. It had all the kids yelling “otra vez” (another time).
We packed up the bus and headed back to Fabens. At the border crossing, one of the U.S. border guards shared with us his drug sniffing dog. He did a little demonstration for us and pulled Cameron into it was which cool for him. For the rest of the ride, people came forward on the bus to share a special moment where they saw God at work during the day. It was a very special day and I didn’t think it could get much better …. but Tuesday was still coming and little did I know what was in store.
After dinner, Karen H asked me to help with getting pictures printed of all the kids. A craft for tomorrow is that the kids will decorate a 4X6 picture frame and get a picture of them. Mark and Candi have a couple of HP printers that I brought several ink cartridges for printing. It took some time and troubleshooting but we got the printer to finally work and printed all of the pictures.
There was one picture that broke my heart – it was a picture of Jose. Jose looked to be four years old and had come from the colonia with his mother and 3 month old baby sister. He was very dirty and I remembered him from earlier in the day. He had asked me for a drink and I got him a cup of water. He drank it down in literally 5 seconds and asked me for another. He drank that one down just as fast. I couldn’t help but wonder when he had his last drink of water. Well, looking at the pictures of Jose to find one to print broke my heart. You can see how dirty he was and despite just eating lunch, the look in his eyes is one of hopelessness. It was heartbreaking to me.
After getting all the pictures printed, I went to bed with lots of anticipation for what the Lord would do on Tuesday.... and he did a lot!
Oh my goodness...he's so cute! I bet these poor kids (and their parents) are so thankful for you guys. Can't wait to hear all about it!
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