I can honestly say that some of my favorite moments in these past few months took place while Cheque and I were staying out at MDA children's home for 4 days. What a blessing to be able to connect with the 28 kids who live there on a day-to-day basis. We got to live their lives with them for 96 hours; see what they see, eat what they eat, do what they do... it was a great week and helped us get to know each kid personally.
Here are a few of my favorite snapshots from our 4 days at MDA. Hope you too can get a glimpse into the lives of these very special kids :)
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| Valdemar eats his bean tostadas |
We arrived on Sunday afternoon right after the MDA church service had ended. They welcomed Cheque and I in with a bean and crema tostada lunch.
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| Sinai praying for her food |
We realized very quickly that feeding 28 kids and 7 workers each day can be expensive. With a small budget the cook, Juan, does an amazing job trying to get some sort of meat on the table each day. Most of our meals consisted of beans, eggs, tortillas, and hotdogs or bacon. One of our prayer requests for MDA is that the Lord would provide consistent donations of fruits and veggies for these kids.
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| Abraham and Israel air guitaring! |
While I helped the older girls do chores around the cafeteria, some of the youngest guys air-guitared with Cheque :)
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| Petunia |
This is Petunia, another resident at MDA. She lives in the garden out front and is a friendly pet for the kids. She looks big in this picture but actually she is about the size of a notecard.
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| Game time |
The kids at MDA are very friendly, constantly wanting to have fun! Cheque and I brought several games with us to play with the kids. All ages joined in for game afternoon.
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| Ruben plans his move in Connect Four |
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| The littlest boys starting a new game. |
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| Israel focusing to not make the tower fall! |
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| Mama Coni and Abraham |
Something I really love about MDA is the way that the workers relate to the children. I've worked for several years with B2B in a variety of children's homes in and around Monterrey. I've seen all sorts of ways that caregivers interact with the kids. At MDA the caregivers treat the kids with so much love and respect. Even when the kids get in trouble and have consequences, the caregivers make sure the kids understand that they still love them for who they are and remind the kids of who God has made them to be. It is truly beautiful and such a healthy place for these kids.
In the above picture Mama Coni, the retired founder, is talking with Abraham. She noticed that he was having a hard day and pulled him aside to see what was going on . He told her that he felt like no one cared about him because he had gotten a scratch on his forehead and no one had asked if he was okay. Mama Coni heard this and immediately made the need known to Cheque. Cheque was able to take Abraham into our room and bandaged his scrape... having someone listen to him made all the difference.
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| Dayana |
Dayana is the daughter of the cooks at MDA. She is so beautiful!
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| Ady Leslie washing dishes |
Each day the kids have chores to do. This day Ady Leslie was responsible to wash the dinner dishes. The girls at MDA have a tradition: that you SING while washing dishes! Each night we heard the beautiful voice of a different girl in the kitchen :)
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| Chuy and Luis |
Chuy and Luis are brothers and the newest members at MDA. They are still getting used to the rules and structure of a children's home. Pray for their transition and for Luis to learn to read.
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| Building a bonfire |
The first night we were at MDA, we decided to have a marshmallow cookout with the kids. They loved it! As you can see Mexican boys love fire just as much as any other boys! We ended up having to make a line in the gravel to keep them from getting too close.
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| Boys and fire! |
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| Abraham tends the fire |
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| Hope and Coni, the director of MDA. |
While the kids were at school Cheque and I took advantage of our time with the directors and caregivers. Here I am planning a quince anos with Coni for two of the girls at MDA.
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| Juan, the cook, helps his daughter with homework. |
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| Luis works on writing a letter to his B2B sponsor. |
We also used some time at MDA, to help the kids write letters to their b2b sponsors. These sponsors send in money each month to help MDA cover basic expenses like food, water, electricity, etc. They also correspond through letters with a particular child at the home. Cheque and I would like to see more folks sponsor kids at MDA. It is a wonderful way to pour into a child from miles away. The two new boys, Luis and Chuy, ask me almost every time I'm there if I have found a sponsor for them yet. The kids love this special attention. Please let us know if you would be interested in sponsoring a child at MDA.
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| Birthday party! |
We had the fun experience of celebrating Valdemar and Joel's birthdays while at MDA. The girls helped me make signs, blow up balloons, and decorate the cafeteria for the party!
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| Joel and Valdemar.. wanting to open their gifts! |
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| Valdemar |
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| Mayte and Madisson, sisters at MDA! |
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| Ady Leslie |
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| Jesus looking at the books I brought. |
I brought with me a small box of books for the kids at MDA. They were such a hit! Before this, the kids only had very old encyclopedias and other ancient books to read. They were so excited about the brand new books. I gave a reading lesson to Jesus one afternoon using the books. Jesus has special needs and cannot read. He doesn't even currently go to school. He loved the books however. Please pray for his healing and for a school option to open up for him.
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| Nohemi cleaning out books |
This is Nohemi. She is the girl's caregiver and does a great job! Nohemi grew up at MDA and then felt that God was calling her back to serve. She and I spent one afternoon getting rid of all those old books to make room for new ones!
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| New books! |
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| Special breakfast |
Two mornings, while at MDA, the kids surprised us with a special breakfast. They came knocking at our door at 7:30am with these cookies, peanut butter, jelly, and hot water to make coffee all on a tray for us. There were probably about 10 kids outside our door so excited to surprise us with a special breakfast! Of course we shared with them :)
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| The youngest boys |
The youngest boys line up in their uniforms to head out to school :) Such fun and handsome boys.
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| Off to school! |
All the kids at MDA go to school in the afternoon. Here they are leaving for classes.
Our week at MDA was so much fun! Cheque and I feel so thankful to have been able to spend four days with the kids and caregivers at MDA. We now feel like we have a much better understanding of who they are, what they need, and how we can help. We also got to know each kid in a more personal way. We got to celebrate birthdays, go shopping for new shoes, roast marshmallow, help with homework, do chores, and live life together. We had a great time and are excited to continue ministering to the kids in this home!
