Compassion Mexico ME975

After spending the first part of our trip in the Mexico City area, we flew south to spend the rest of our trip in the state of Chiapas. If you look this up on a map, you will see that we were almost to Guatemala! 

On Monday of our trip, part of our group spent the day with their sponsored child, and the rest of us headed to the jungle community of San Jeronimo Tulija. This community is home to approximately 3,500 residents and the children here attend Emanuel Student Center, or ME975. Most of the adults in this community are unemployed, those who do work earn the equivalent of $45 per month by working on plantations. Compassion sponsorship allows the church staff to provide sponsored children with Bible teaching, health screenings, sports, hygiene and health education, community service opportunities, field trips, school supplies, homework supervision, reading workshops, special celebrations, and academic reinforcement.

Of the three centers that Matthew and I had the opportunity to visit, the children at this center were the most receptive and curious!

Lots of children excited that we had arrived!

These children had prepared quite the welcome for us! Once we all had a chance to walk through the crowd of children, we made our way into the church.

Inside Emanuel Student Center, ME975

Such a sweet little church! 

The children welcomed us with quite a few songs.

While the children were singing, quite a few of them climbed up on the 'stage' and sat next to us. Like I said, they were very curious!

Bible activity time

After the welcome time, we split up into groups to assist with the children's Bible activity time. The kids in our group were putting together booklets showing how the whole the Bible is laid out. We were able to help the teachers cut up and fold the large sheets of paper the kids were using to make their booklets. Interesting note though, we did not have a translator with our group! Basic Spanish really came in handy during this time! Tres? Quatro? Si!

A little physics lesson

Matthew had a bit of a motion sickness with the bus ride to this location, so he spent some time with some of the other kids showing them what happens when you put crumpled up paper over a blowing fan. This kept them quite busy with lots of giggles!

These boys loved having their pictures taken!

Before lunch, a few of us walked over with some of the kids to one of the local parks for a quick game of soccer. I tagged along for the walk and to get some pictures.

Matthew and Sean playing keep away with the kids

On our walk to the park

Another soccer game for Matthew with some of the Compassion kids

Some of my sweet little friends

Once we arrived back at the church, it was time for lunch. By this time, I was feeling a little overwhelmed with the heat, the humidity (it was very humid this day!), and just everything I was still processing from the trip so far. Tears were streaming down my face and I knew I just needed a break. So I found a spot inside the church to rest.

After the children started finishing up their lunch, quite a few of the girls found me, sat with me, and started asking me questions. Talk about testing my little knowledge of Spanish! We kind of turned it into a game. I would point to something and ask, "Como se dice?" They would then give me the name in Spanish, I would repeat it (and they would laugh at me when I couldn't roll my 'r's'!), then they wanted to know how to say the word in English. This kept us quite busy for some time. A couple of the girls stroked my hair, and they laughed at my white legs. It was a very sweet time!

Meeting her new sponsor!

We had a bit of excitement once we all gathered back into the church. Sharon, one of the ladies on the trip with us, decided to sponsor one of the young girls at this center! Talk about a tear jerking moment!

At this point, we split up into groups again. Sharon, her new sponsored child, and a few of the others went to the child's home for a visit, while the pastor took the rest of us on a walking tour of his community.

Heading out on our community tour

Coffee beans drying

This whole area was absolutely beautiful!

The one thing I regret about this whole walk around the community? My camera battery had died! Even though I had another charged battery with me, I had left my camera on the bus. This whole area was so amazingly beautiful (and that water was so tempting to jump into with the kids!), and these photos from my phone just don't do the area justice. 

Another area on our tour of the community

Pastor and his family

But I am so thankful for the time we had here, thankful for this pastor who loves his community and the children, thankful for the many smiles and hugs from so many children, thankful that Compassion is able to come alongside the local churches to help make a difference for these children living in poverty.

There are more children waiting today, for someone like you, to help change their world.

I have one more day of our journey to blog about, you are not going to want to miss it! Hopefully, I can have it ready for you in the next few days.

Compassion Mexico ME790

So let me tell you a little more about the community where Felix lives and the Compassion center he attends. Felix lives in Santa Maria Tonanitla and attends Embajadores del Rey Student Center, or ME790. This community is located about 41 km north of Mexico City and is home to approximately 10,200 residents. The adults who do work in this community earn the equivalent of $150 per month. Compassion sponsorship allows this center to provide the children with the following: Bible teaching, medical checkups, hygiene education, sports, social events, academic reinforcement, school supplies, and field trips. They are also providing meetings and social events for the parents and guardians of the approximately 200 children registered with Compassion at this center.

When we first arrived at the center, we were warmly greeted and each of the age groups of kids had presentations ready to perform for us. I had a hard time trying to figure out what I should do, take pictures with my real camera, take pictures with my phone, video, just watch?!? Too many choices!! Plus, I was on the lookout for Felix!

After the performances, our team was split up to go along with the different age groups to assist them during their lesson time.

Get acquainted time with the teenagers

We went up with the teenagers and started with a fun get acquainted game. One person had to stand in the middle of the circle and say, "Mi nombre es...", give their name, and say one thing they liked. If you liked that same thing, you had to get up out of your chair and quickly find an open chair to sit in, or you were now the person in the middle. This was quite fun, especially when we didn't know what the person in the middle liked because for the most part, it was all in Spanish!

Then we had learned ahead of time that this group was studying the books of the Bible. So before we left, I found printable books of the Bible flashcards in Spanish and brought them with us. We split the group in half and played a game to see if the kids knew if the book was in the Old or New Testament. Trying to do this in Spanish was a bit of a challenge!

There is that smile again!

Before lunch, a lot of us were outside for a bit, and I just happened to see Felix and he smiled for me!

My table mates for lunch

During lunch, I sat with this group of children, without a translator! (I really need to learn more Spanish before my next trip!) I tried to ask them a few questions in the little bit of Spanish that I do know. If I got stuck, I would just look for someone around me to help me out. After lunch though, I brought out blank index cards and sharpies, shared them with the kids, and I wrote 'Jesus te ama' on the cards and drew a simple picture. The kids started drawing pictures and writing messages on their cards. It ended up being a great way to leave a little something behind for some of them, and I now have a nice collection of cards to keep as a reminder of our time together.

I was eager to walk around a bit, try to see Felix again, and get some pictures of some of the activities. So I left the kids at the table with the activity and went outside. There was quite a bit going on outside.

A little bit of futbol

Girls posing for a photo

Kids swinging

Playing with bubbles

Playing hopscotch

Then our team split into three groups for the home visits. You can read about our time at Felix's home here.

Playing pato, pato, gonzo

After our visit at Felix's home, we had a bit of time while we waited for the other groups to get back to the center. To take advantage of time with the kids, we started a game of pato, pato, gonzo (duck, duck, goose). (Did I mention that the young man in the blue shirt is my son who came on the trip with me!!)

Lots of goodbyes!

Once we were all on the bus to leave, there was a crowd of children and adults to say goodbye to us!

So between what I shared in my last post, as well as this post, you can see that it was a very full day!! These children were precious, and I was so thankful for being able to spend the day at the project where Felix attends, as well as visit his home, and meet his siblings and his mom. It will definitely be a day that will live in my heart for years to come!

Meeting my Compassion Child!

I believe one of the highlights for people traveling on a Compassion Sponsor Tour is meeting their sponsored child. It is estimated that only 1% of sponsored children will ever meet their sponsor. That is a really small percentage, so I consider it a huge blessing that we had this opportunity to travel to Mexico to meet Felix.

But we also had a unique situation. We had only been Felix's sponsor for less than a month (even though we started sponsoring children four years ago). We didn't even send a letter to him yet, and he had never seen our picture. So we didn't have the years of investment of time, prayers, and the exchange of letters than many other sponsors have when they make the trip to visit their child.

Obviously, we had his picture and knew a few details. We knew that Felix lives with his father and mother, and I was able to find out that his older sister is sponsored and he has a brother, whose age we didn't know before we left. I believe this was a part of God's way of helping me to let go of the details and trusting in Him.

Felix's child packet photo

Once we arrived at his center, the kids were all inside waiting for us. I started to look around to see if I could spot him. But we were quickly ushered to our seats so the kids could start their welcome presentations. Then it came time for the six year olds...

Felix is in the second row. You can see him between the girl in the turquoise sweats and the girl with the tan jacket.

...that is when my son and I both saw him. The little boy with that distinctive hair! Our sponsored child! He was so close, but we still had a full morning of activities. Right before lunch, after coming out of the classroom I was helping in, this is what I saw...

"This is Felix!"

...Angie had Felix with her down below and was pointing him out to me saying, "This is Felix!" That is when I saw the smile. The smile that is carved into my mind and into my heart. The smile that will remind me that God is watching over Felix, despite what is going on in his home. And this was not the last smile I saw from him on this day either. After lunch, we had a bit of free time, so I wandered around the area and found Felix over by the swings. I approached him and asked, "Una foto?" He shook his head 'yes'.

Just love his smile!

Such a joy filled smile! Then came the time for the home visits! Just the day before, I learned that we would be visiting Felix's home!

Walking to Felix's home

It was about a five minute walk from the church to Felix's home. I don't remember a lot about the walk over, so I am glad I at least have this one picture to remind me of the area where Felix lives.

Inside Felix's home with his siblings

Once we were inside Felix's home, I finally approached him and reached out to him. He was rather timid to begin with.

Lots of smiling faces!

But then Felix finally let me hold him on my lap! Working through a translator, I asked a lot of questions of Felix, his mom, and his sister. Some of which I remember, and some I don't. I could have brought out my journal and wrote down a lot of what I learned that day while I was there, but I didn't want to lose the sweet moment of just being there.

Before we left, I had the opportunity to pray for Felix and his family. Thankfully our trip leader had my phone and recorded my prayer. I am so glad he did this because I honestly don't even remember what I prayed!

This whole day was like no other day I have ever experienced in my life. I pray that I will have the opportunity to visit Felix again some day in the future. His sweet family will be in my constant thoughts and prayers. 

Just last week, we received our first letter from Felix and do you want to know what he asked us to pray for? He wants us to pray that his family will know Jesus. This little boy knows what is important for his family to know. Will you say a prayer for Felix and his family?

Compassion in Mexico

Mexico is slightly less than three times the state of Texas, and Texas is a big state! Our first morning in Mexico City was spent at Compassion's Country office, learning more about this country and how Compassion is partnering with the local churches to help the children and their families in 180 communities throughout this large country.

View from our hotel window on the sixth floor

Omar, who is the Country Director, shared with us some facts about his country and the children:

• Mexico is a country of big contrasts and struggles
• Sixty percent of the people live in poverty
• Most of the poverty stricken live in the southern parts of Mexico
• Mexico has over 123,000 communities with populations of less than 3,000 people each
• In the state of Chiapas, more than 4 million children live in poverty
• There are more than 3 million children involved in child labor (brick making, picking coffee, working in sugar plantations)
• Forty-two percent of children who are working do not attend school

Angie (Left), Program Communications Manager, introducing Omar (Center), Compassion Mexico's Country Director

But here is where things start looking up! Compassion's ministry in Mexico began in 1976. The 180 Compassion-assisted churches are serving 33,000 children and their families. At least 80% of Compassion children are completing junior high, and many are learning vocational skills. By 2020, Compassion Mexico plans to be helping at least 80,000 children escape poverty.

Antonio showing us the many boxes which are used to sort sponsor letters by project number.

After our time at the country office, we loaded up on the bus and made our way to one of the local marketplaces to do a bit of shopping.

Local marketplace with so many handmade items!

Housing just across from the marketplace

Boys playing hacky sack while waiting for the shoppers

After the shopping was done, we loaded back onto the bus and headed for the Plaza de la Constitucion, or main square of Mexico City.

Templo Mayor excavation site

Once we arrived at the main square, we walked over to see this excavation site of a temple which was originally built in the 14th century!

Metropolitan Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary of Mexico City

After peeking at the excavation site (it was really all we could do there, surrounded by gates), we walked over to the Cathedral. What an amazing building! According to Wikipedia, the Cathedral was built in sections starting in 1573. 

Inside the cathedral

This is probably the oldest and most ornate building I have ever visited! We don't have buildings this old in the United States and I have never been to Europe, maybe one day...especially now that I have a passport!

Dinner at Cafe de Tacuba

One of the great things about going on a Compassion Sponsor Tour is  the time we get to spend together with people who have a heart for the same thing you do. We all love the children we are sponsoring and know that God has placed each one of the children in our lives for a reason. Taking time at the end of our long day to fellowship and relax is just one of the benefits of a group tour.

So, this was the end of our first day together in Mexico! A lot happened on this day. We learned a lot about Mexico, its history, and some of the struggles the country currently has. We learned about how Compassion is making a difference in the lives of children and their families. And this is the day I learned more about Felix and his family, and I learned that we would be visiting his home!

There are still many children in Mexico and in the other countries where Compassion works that are waiting for someone like you to sponsor them, today. If you have any questions about Compassion and/or sponsoring a child, please let me know. 

Compassion and My Childhood meet in Mexico

Before I share a lot of details about my Compassion Mexico trip, I have been wrestling for days, trying to put into words what I experienced on this trip.

I believe many of us have details from our childhood that we would prefer to lock away in the depths of our brain and never have them surface again. But like Joseph and Esther, I believe there are times when God wants to use our experiences, no matter how painful or hard, for His purpose and good, and to stretch us in moments like He has never stretched us before.

The day before my visit with Felix, I learned more about his family life. He is living a childhood very similar to what mine was. Learning this, I realized why God had pulled at my heart to sponsor this young boy.

Separated by over 2000 miles, our families will be connected by God. He has put a desire in my heart to be in constant prayer for Felix and his family. I do not need to fear for his safety, or the safety of his mom or his siblings. God will be watching over them.

The amazing thing, though? I can share Bible verses with Felix that will be an encouragement to him, because I know the fear he must be feeling. I can remind him of how much God loves him. My letters to Felix will be a bit different than to my other sponsored children because I know more details about Felix and his family. 

As we walked away from Felix's home that day, God filled the sky with these amazing clouds and sun rays. It was as if He was reminding me He is there. He knows the details of Felix's life. It was no accident that Felix's child packet found its way home with me last month. God knew.

And there are many more children who are living a life like none of us can even imagine. We don't know the details, but God does. And He is looking for people to step out in faith, sacrifice a little, and sponsor a child in need. Will you be one who makes the difference in the life of a child today?