Rosi, a Single Rio Mom

Rosi and her baby.

Single moms have been on my heart and mind for a few weeks now. It all really started with Rosi. Rosi has come on and off to the soup kitchen for awhile with her three small children. About 2 weeks ago I sat down and started talking to Rosi about her life situation and her children. 

Four months before, Rosi's husband walked out on the family. Rosi has a seven month old baby, a 4 year old boy, and a 6 year old girl. Rosi, once a stay-at-home-mom, suddenly found herself without an income and in need of a job. She moved in with her mom, but still was unable to meet the needs of her small family. Rosi told me that she had gone to one of the children's homes we work with to look for a job. "I want to stay with my children," she said, "but that greatly limits my job opportunities." She went to the children's home hoping to find a job where she could work and care for her children at the same time. The children's home was going through it's own problems and was unable to hire her. 

"I want my children to be with me," Rosi said. I could tell from the way her children ran up to hug her and her soft responses to them that she really did care for her children and that they really did love her. Rosi told me that if she wasn't able to locate work soon, she would have to go back to the children's home and simply drop off her children. I told Rosi that we really didn't want that to happen. I shared with her the detrimental effects of abandonment on children and encouraged her to seek every other possibility first. I encouraged her to seek the Lord and ask Him to provide for her family. 

I began to pray for Rosi and her situation and began to think that she is just one of many, many single moms in the same position. Here she is a loving mom who cares for her kids, but simply cannot find a way to provide for them and keep them at home with her. How incredibly sad. I also began to think about the ministry we have in the Rio. We are ministering in the Rio community exactly for this reason: to support families and prevent children from being dropped off at children's homes. We do many things to help, primarily introducing parents to the Great Provider of their needs, and also helping with medications, food, clothing, and school expenses. However, when it comes to desperate situations like Rosi's, we really don't have anything to offer her. This has been bothering me a lot. Rosi is the reason I do what I do, and when she asks for help there is not much I have to give her.

Thankfully, Rosi kept trying and went to another children's home we work with to seek a job. There she was able to locate work and is now taking care of her own children plus 10 other little girls. I saw Rosi and her family at the children's home last week and asked how things were going. Rosi told me that she was still getting used to the work, but that she was thankful to be there with her kids. Praise Jesus that Rosi has a job and that her family is still with her.

My heart continues to be burdened for those single moms who are not as privileged as Rosi. It is not uncommon for us to receive requests for work from Rio ladies and single moms, showing that there are many women in Rosi's same situation. Nearly every week the children's homes we work with are bombarded with women who feel they have no other option than to drop off their children and look for work. I know that single moms are on the Lord's heart and mind as He promises to be a Father to the fatherless and the Defender of widows. I want to be open and creative to the many ways our Lord might want B2B to respond to this great need. I spent last week fasting and praying for our staff and our ministry. I'm encouraged and inspired with ideas of how we might come alongside single mothers, but ask for your continued prayers. This is a big need that I am convinced God wants to meet. Pray for His inspiration, creativity, connections, funding, and most of all for His heart for single moms to be impressed upon us all. He is Faithful and True and His love knows no bounds. I am expectantly waiting for His answer. 

Rosi's 4 year-old son, Efrain. 

Milagros Update

A few months ago I wrote about a Rio teen named Milagros who B2B is helping to support through cosmetology school. Milagros was born deaf, but has been excelling in her classes. Here are a few recent shots of Milagros at work at her school. Milagros is coming down the home stretch of her studies. She is finishing up a unit on hair dying and currently her biggest need is models. Milagros needs a certain number of real models to come in so she can practice before she will be allowed to graduate. It has been hard for her to get all the models she needs. These pictures are of Milagros dying Maru's hair (Cheque's mom). Please help us by praying for Milagros to get all the models she needs to graduate. 

Dying Maru's hair. 

Maru went for a new look with red highlights! Here Milagros is styling her hair after the dying. 

Maru and Milagros after a job well done. Maru was a trooper as it took nearly 4 hours from start to finish. It takes quite a bit of time because Milagros' teachers are teaching, explaining, demonstrating, etc the whole time. 

Milagros (middle) with her teachers and the director of the school. 

Introductions

I want to take a minute and introduce you to some of the sweet faces of the Rio. These are the faces that I am privileged to interact with each week. These are the faces of children, women, men, friends, amigos, students, grandfathers, mothers, servants, sister's in Christ, equals... who I am privileged to live life with, with whom I am privileged to serve, from whom I am learning, and with whom I hope to spend eternity. I hope you enjoy their faces and stories as much as I do :) 

Diego

Diego is two. He comes to the soup kitchen early with his mom who helps serve. His favorite thing in the whole world is a guitar. A neighbor made him one of wood and he joins in the worship at the soup kitchen with it. One of his favorite people in the whole world is Memo. Memo is a teen who recently graduated from the Hope Program and has volunteered his time on Saturdays at the soup kitchen for over a year. He is Diego's hero! Namely because he plays the guitar and has spent hours sitting next to Diego playing cars, guitar, etc. Diego has been known to even have dreams about Memo. They have a strong connection. We all think one day Diego will be a famous musician. Pray for him to reach the full potential God has for him.

Kaitlyn

Kaitlyn is two as well. She is Meme's youngest granddaughter and is often in the Rio visiting. She is the youngest of four girls all very close in age. Kaitlyn likes to stick close to her mom and can be seen almost any day of the week wearing pink. Pray for Kaitlyn to grow in the love and grace of the Lord.

Valeria

Valeria is seven. She lives with her mom, dad, and teenage brother in the community that borders the Rio. She has come to my class at the soup kitchen for over a year. Every week Valeria likes to show me the gaping holes in her mouth where she has lost teeth and then likes to wiggle every other lose tooth in her mouth. We have a running joke that one day she is going to show up at the comedor with no teeth at all! Pray for Valeria to know and delight in the Lord's love for her.

Don Chewy and Calet

Don Chewy recently became a grandpa when his grandson, Calet was born 5 months ago. Calet is the son of Lucero who is about to turn 15. Don Chewy lives in the Rio where he provides for his family by fixing broken trash carts. Recently Cathy and myself had the privileged to sit down with Don Chewy and hear his dreams. In high school he learned some woodworking skills. Fixing trash carts is not bringing in the income he needs, so he is thinking about a career in woodworking. It is sadly not often that I see a man in the Rio who has a dream and is working on pursuing it. Don Chewy is the exception. I spent hours listening to him talk about the things he wants to make and sell, seeing his examples, and hearing about how he is going to go about the detail work. It is refreshing to see him so inspired. He needs a few more tools before he can begin. Pray for Don Chewy's passion to last and for his needs to be provided for.

Eduardo

Eduardo is the oldest of three. He lives with his parents and siblings in the community that borders the Rio. Him and his brother are faithful attendants to the comedor class on Saturdays. Eduardo has a sense of humor and is constantly trying to play jokes on me. His smile is infectious and he is one of the few that has the verse memorized each week. Pray for Eduardo to encounter the Lord and follow Him all the days of his life.

Jesus

Jesus is 10. He is the oldest of three and one of my biggest challenges on Saturdays. Jesus is a roamer. It is hard for  him to sit down and pay attention. I've found the best way to keep him engaged is to give him a job and make him a helper in the class. Jesus has a beautiful smile and likes to accompany me to go invite the kids each week. His mom is worried about him as he enters his pre-teen years. Jesus has a call and purpose on this earth. Pray for him to follow the Lord and not get sucked into the world.

Monse

Monse is one of my best friends in the Rio. She is seven and can be quite a handful, but I find myself constantly drawn to her. Monse is a middle child, sandwiched between an older sister and younger twin sisters. Sometimes I think Monse feels forgotten.  She likes to help her mom with her younger sisters and is often seen riding her bike to and from the small neighborhood store.  Monse has trouble in school and often fights with the other kids. She often acts out negatively to get attention, but deep inside she has a soft heart. Monse loves to sit on my lap during worship, or hold my hand. I know God is fighting for her heart. Pray for Monse. Pray that she surrenders to the Lord and comes to trust Him as her Father. Pray for Monse's mom to give her the attention that she needs. Pray for Monse's heart to be whole.

Frida

Frida is a beautiful child. She has green-brown eyes that seem uncommon in a country of predominantly black or brown eyes. She is the youngest of three girls. This past fall I was invited to her house for lunch one Sunday. She showed me the video of her kindergarten graduation, the blue dress she wore, and the dance she did. Precious! Recently Frida's father left their family. They are living with an uncle nearby and her mom has had to seek work. Please keep Frida and her family in your prayers. Pray that they find their hope in the Lord and encouragement from Him.

Fernando

Fernando is Meme's brother. He has helped serve in the soup kitchen for about a year now. His specialty is salsa and he takes great pride in making it. We had Fernando teach a salsa making class to a group from the States. I was surprised at how much he knew about the history of the chilies. If you come to the comedor you need to  try Fernando's salsa. In this picture Fernando was introducing me to his oldest granddaughter. He has around 14 grandkids. He likes to update me on their lives often, but this was one of the first times I actually met one of his grandkids. Pray for Fernando to know and believe the love the Lord has for Him. Pray for him to know in the depths of his heart that it is Jesus' blood that saves, not any good work that he can do.

Chofero

Chofero is one of the oldest in the Rio community. He lives rather far from the soup kitchen and because of his health rarely makes it up for a service. Chofero has a colostomy bag and often complains of knee pain. Every time we take a group with us to go invite we try to stop by and encourage Chofero with a prayer. Chofer's wife works collecting trash to support the family and his children sometimes come to the soup kitchen classes. Just looking at Chofero's face you can tell that he has stories to tell and has lived through much. Pray for complete healing to come to Chofero. Pray for strength for his wife and children. Pray for them to enter into relationship with Christ, if they don't know Him already. 

These are just a FEW of the Rio faces. Please use this entry to pray for these ones specifically. We can't fathom how much Jesus cares about each and every one. Thank you. 

Rio Christmas Party

I know this is long overdue, but here are a few shots from the Christmas party we hosted at the Rio! We had quite the turnout with nearly 100 kids and over 50 women. We were joined by a local church who provided worship and teaching for the adults. What a great day! 

A women in worship

Priscila teaching the youngest kids about the Nativity

A Nativity play put on by B2B staff and jovenes. Here Mary and Joseph celebrate their baby boy. 

As a continuation to the Nativity story, we showed the Children how Jesus grew up and conquered evil. This is the same skit we did with the children's homes in Cancun. 

Priscila gives the Gospel message to the kids. 

Our yummy Christmas meal!

All the kids lined up for a swing at the piñata. 

We were blessed with the resources to give each person a gift to take home. Here are some Hope Program students handing out the presents. 

Cancun in a Nutshell... Well Coconut-sized Shell!

During the first week of December I was privileged to fly to Cancun with 6 other B2B staff ladies to help out with one of the first groups to our new B2B site in Cancun. Matt and Julie Cooper and Mau and Lizy Davila are the on-site staff for Cancun and have been doing a fantastic job making connections and getting involved with the 3 children’s homes after only a few months of being there.  During this first week of December we had 17 women, mostly from the Cincinnati area, and good friend Craig Aven fly down to Cancun to serve and deliver Christmas to the Children. To say it was an amazing trip is an understatement! The Lord did so many AWESOME things that week!!! I have been forever impacted by some of the people that I crossed paths with, as well as from the God-experiences that we had. So here is the “nutshell” account of our trip and some of the many ways we saw the Lord moving in Cancun... He is up to somethings there! To HIM be the glory! 

Our awesome group of staff and women on the beach for small group time. 

 Above is a picture of our group... few but furious! These ladies are awesome women of the Lord who helped the kids in Cancun see Jesus.

Teen moms at a program offered by the government to aid and educate them. 

 The day after the group of ladies got to Cancun we went to the DIF (government run children's home) to throw a Christmas party for a number of teen moms. There are 200 registered moms between the ages of 12 and 17 in Cancun, however there are only 33 who attend a class offered by the DIF once each week. These young girls come with their babies, drop the kids off in child care and then participate in a class ranging from a variety of topics like parenting, baby health, pregnancy, etc. This day our group of ladies threw a Christmas party for the girls and blessed each young mom with a box of baby clothes, formula, diapers, etc.

 Working with teen moms is something that the Lord seems to keep bringing across my path! I have had  several experiences with teen moms in the Rio and now here in Cancun I found myself surrounded again by young moms and precious babies... I was in seventh heaven! I had a chance to talk to a social worker about the program details and was super encouraged by what they offered. I'm excited about seeing if this program is offered in Monterrey and if I can get my friend from the Rio hooked up with it there.

Teen moms at the program. The girl in the blue is 12 and was about to give birth any day. 

Our skit team ready to perform for the young moms. 

 You may think the above picture is out of order, but it's not. The day before Priscilla (B2B staff) and myself felt burdened by the Lord to not just give a Christmas party to these moms, but to communicate to them the Lord's heart for them as well... this was a little difficult considering we were working in a government facility and not technically allowed to preach Christ. However, God gave us the inspiration for a skit all about a princess who gets stripped of her identity by evil in the world, but then is rescued by a prince who knows who she truly is and what she is truly worth. The message went across beautifully and the girls cheered as the prince saved the princess and restored her crown back to her. We were then able to explain how the Lord sees each of those girls as a princess, no matter what the world says, or what has been done to them, or what choices they have made. He knows who they are and desires to rescue them... it was powerful!

I love working with teen moms and babies because for me, this is the heart of orphan prevention. Young moms are at high risk of one day dropping off their children at a children's home. If we can intervene before they become desperate we can truly save children from becoming orphans, and teach the entire family about our Heavenly Father.

Me and a baby :)

 While the Christmas party was going on I was recruited to watch the babies.... yay! There were about 30 babies in this room and a good 20 of us watching them. At one point I had two infants, one in each arm! Usually there are only 4 social workers to take care of all the babies!! They were glad to see us women... many of which were experienced moms and grandmas.

Okay, this picture does not do it justice... there were so many more babies yet to arrive! 

Writing prayers on the drywall, claiming the pregnancy counseling center for Christ. 

 After ministering to the teen moms and babies in the morning, Matt and Julie took us to the new pregnancy counseling center a few blocks away. Currently there are about 20 offices in one very small room in which the social workers and counselors do their jobs. This does not give the girls much privacy as they are sharing some rather heart wrenching stories with the case workers. B2B is helping the DIF to construct cubicles in the new building that will give the girls and social workers more privacy as they work. We went over to the new facility to pray and dedicate the space to the Lord. It was really powerful to write prayers and scripture on the back of the drywall that is being put up in the offices. It is cool to know that hidden in the walls of the government counseling facility are scriptures, prayers, and truth. Our prayer is that God would put His people into this building, His counselors, that they would speak His words and His truth to these young moms and babies.

Writing prayers and scripture on the walls 

Oti and 7 of her 8 children

 After the pregnancy center we loaded up in white vans and drove to visit a women by the name of Oti. Oti lives in a middle-class neighborhood, but is far from middle-class. She has 8 children 14 and under and her husband recently passed away. Her living conditions reminded me of some of the families I work with in the Rio... very impoverished. About a week before we came, Matt and Julie received a call from the DIF director asking if they could help Oti out. Upon arrival they learned that she had 8 children and only one had ever been to school, and he had only attended through the first grade. They did not have sufficient food nor sufficient clothes or beds. Matt and Julie brought our group to pray for the family and deliver Christmas gifts to the children. The kids were sooo excited! Oti told us that they never have extra money to spend on gifts, so the kids did not have many toys. The girls almost didn't know how to contain themselves! The oldest, a boy, at first seemed like he was too embarrassed to even leave the little room they all shared. Eventually he came out but hid behind his sisters, not expecting anything for himself. We got the impression that a lot of attention is  given to the girls or to his baby brother, while he is leaned on by his mother to help provide for the family. When we pulled out a gift for this boy his grin was uncontainable! We were told later that the kids stayed up till 2am that night pulling all the gifts out of their bags and arranging the items they had gotten, then putting them back in and doing it over again... really makes us think twice about the gifts we are so accustomed to getting at Christmas, huh?

Cancun in a Nutshell... Well, Coconut-sized Shell! (Part 2)

Here is the second part about Cancun! What an amazing time!

 Below is a picture of Craig and Sherri acting in a play for the kids at the government children's home that we worked at. This was by far my favorite day of the trip (see the posts on Jaime and Virginia to see why!). The play told the story of Jesus' lowly birth then about His calling here on earth. In this picture Jesus has triumphed over the evil in the world. Because we are not able to directly share the gospel at the government children's home we focused in on the point that even though Jesus was born in a lowly place, God had amazing and wonderful plans for Him. God also has wonderful plans for each child in that home despite their background or family situation and Jesus is here to help each child accomplish what is is God has called him to do and to defeat the lies of the enemy in the process. It was a powerful message. 

Jesus conquers evil!

Priscila explaining to the kids that God has a purpose for their lives. 

Christmas Parties!

During our time in Cancun we helped the ladies from the group host Christmas parties at each children's home. The kids loved it! They were able to decorate a tree, make ornaments to hang on it, frost cookies, and receive a personalized gift. What a blessing for these kids. At Casa Hogar Esperanza the men grilled out arrachera (a Monterrey favorite) for the kids while us ladies participated in an on-the-spot ladies conference. The director of this home has battled cancer for several years. In our group were 4 cancer survivors who shared their testimonies with the director to encourage her. What a powerful time of giving God the glory He deserves for healing our diseases... believe me there was hardly a dry eye. 

Mauricio and Matt (Cancun B2B staff) grilling out with a boy from Casa Hogar Esperanza. 

Pretty scene from Casa Hogar San Jose

The day after spending time at Casa Hogar Esperanza we all set out for Casa Hogar San Jose. This children's home is Catholic run and has all girls except for one little boy named Jorge. At this home the ladies in the group prepared a "room makeover" for the kids. Below is a picture of the girl's dorm before and the next picture is after the makeover. I wish you could have been with us when we showed the girls their new room! They were literally jumping with excitement outside the door then ran in and began jumping on their beds! So fun! Later another caretaker came in who had not been their for the unveiling of the room. The girls made him close his eyes and led him into the room just as we had done for them... precious. We had a Christmas party for the San Jose kids has well and gave each one a present.

Girls' dorm before the make over

Me and Diane in the girls room after the makeover!! Que bonita!!! Each girl had a pillow with her name embroidered on it. 

The twins excitedly snuggling on their new blankets. 

A friend and I putting together hew new toy at San Jose. 

After our party at San Jose we headed with the ladies to the pregnancy counseling center where we working on painting the rooms that will soon be offices.

Fellow B2B staff helping to paint a room. 

What a great week! Thanks to all of you for your prayers and blessings. The Lord did amazing things and I know that I will never be the same! Keep reading for more specific stories of what God did in one week in Cancun :)

Okay, I had to add just one picture of the beach! Us staff ladies got a few hours at the beach before our flight back to Monterrey. This picture is deceiving because really the sun was hardly out and it was pretty cold... but still beautiful! Here I am greatly enjoying the Lord's creation :) 

Jaime- God heals the most hurt heart

A friend (Craig) helping Jaime make an ornament. 

This is the story of a blind boy I met in Cancun. For his protection he will be referred to as Jamie in this entry.

Jamie is 17 and has been blind since the day he was born. He is tall with a chubby face and black curly hair. I ran into Jaime on a tour of the orphanage during my first day in Cancun. He was alone in his dorm room talking with Mau a fellow B2B staff member when I first laid eyes on him.  The compassion that gripped my heart when I first saw him is hard to describe. All I know is that with one glimpse I felt like I saw into the depths of his pain and sorrow and knew that he was so hurt. I left the dorm room without saying a word to Jamie and began another conversation with two teenage girls right outside the door.

Virginia looked very mature for her age and at first I was unsure of whether she was a worker or a teen at the home.  When I asked her she said she was living at the home and then proceeded to tell me how much she hated being in the children’s home and how much she wanted to leave. Her friend next to her chimed in that she too didn’t like being there, but admitted that it was better than her home with her family. I was shocked at the openness of these girls in our first conversation and at the same time my heart was overwhelmed with the hurt gushing forth from them. The word, “lastimada” kept running through my head… “Hurt. So hurt. These girls are so hurt.”  I felt urged to bring something positive into the conversation. I looked at Virginia and told her that I wasn’t sure why God had her at that children’s home, but that that I knew that He had a purpose for her life and that we could praise God that she was in a safe place. In two days I would realize how prophetic those words actually were… (See post on Virginia)

Mau left Jaime’s dorm room just as I was finishing my conversation with Virginia and began to fill me in on the details of Jamie’s life. Jamie had arrived at the home about a week earlier. He had been battered and bruised by his father. His story revealed that he had grown up familiar with such abuse from his dad. His real mom died when he was little and his step mother stepped into the picture.  About a week earlier Jamie’s stepmother had too much of him and his needs. She loaded blind Jamie up on a bus, paid a ticket to who knows where, and said she never wanted to see him again. Jamie arrived in the middle of Cancun, hours from his home, knowing no one, and seeing nothing. Government officials picked him up and took him to the children’s home where we met him a few days later.

My heart broke as Mau told me Jamie’s story. Jamie said that he had heard about Mau from the other boys at the home and wondered if Mau would take him out to talk and hang out as he had with the others. He also asked Mau if he would find him some music. “I’m bored,” Jamie commented, “music makes me relax.”

 At the end of the conversation Mau felt prompted by the Holy Spirit to give Jamie a hug. As he pulled away Jamie calmly told Mau that that was the first hug he can ever remember receiving. … As Mau told me this story, I cried.

Both Mau and I wept in the courtyard of the children’s home, as God let us feel the pain and hurt in these lives. God began speaking to me that while I cover up my heart and numb it from the pain in this world and the pain that I see in the Rio every week, His heart is never numb. His heart feels every hurt. His heart cries with every child. He feels every pain and it hurts his heart to the core. The compassion of the Lord is amazing. I went to bed that night with these things still on my heart and mind.

Two days later our team of ladies returned to this same children’s home to throw a Christmas party. Part of the festivities included a skit put on by our team. At this particular children’s home we are not able to openly share the gospel, so in a metaphorical way we portrayed Christ conquering evil in the world. At one point in the skit “the evil” was whispering lies in the ear of a child. Things like, “no one loves you,” “you are stupid,” “they are laughing at you.”  During this part of the skit Jamie leaned over to a fellow staff member and said, “I’ve heard those things before. I hear those lies every day.” When I heard this I knew that I wanted to pray for Jamie.

 After the skit, I sat down next to Jamie with some other ladies from our team and began to talk with him. Another lady also felt the urge to pray so we asked Jamie if we could. He readily agreed. About halfway through our prayer Jamie started grabbing at his chest. “My heart hurts. My heart hurts,” he repeated.  We clarified that it was a spiritual pain that he was feeling. We finished praying and I went to find Mau. I knew in my spirit that today was the day of salvation for Jamie. I have never been so sure of something in my life! I found Mau and told him that he needed to explain the gospel to Jamie. Jamie was so ready, but my Spanish couldn’t do it justice and Mau is the one who is going to be there long term with Jamie. After the activities of the Christmas party calmed down a bit, Mau went over and sat next to Jamie. I knew that he was sharing the gospel with Jamie, so I began to pray. The next thing I know Jamie is crying and hugging Mau. He prayed that day and met Jesus as his Savior and the Healer of his heart!

Later, I gave Jamie a hug to welcome him into the family.  He told me that when we had prayed earlier he had felt so much peace, but that now he felt so happy. “This is the best day of my life!” said an excited Jamie, “I will never forget this day as long as I live.” I know that I too will never forget this day. Praise Jesus who is able to heal the most hurt of hearts. Nothing is impossible for God! Please continue to keep Jamie in your prayers. Pray for this growth in Christ and for his physical sight to be restored! Amen!

Jamie decorating a Christmas tree

Jamie learning how to work his new Ipod that someone donated to him for Christmas.