Thanksgiving at the Bergue

I am so thankful today for every one of these amazing kids!
Ps. 13:6 "I will sing to the Lord for he has dealt bountifully with me."

November?!?

I cannot believe we are well into November! These have been a fun packed couple of weeks here at the albergue Mission Mexico. As we are in our last month here in Tapachula, we have really been trying to savor time with the kids. Two days ago the girls and I made chocolate chip cookies for everyone which was a big hit. Not far before that was Dia de Los Muertos, and then school was canceled for three days due to the earthquake! I find myself in moments of sadness knowing that we are actually going to leave this place. The girls and I have become quite attached to one another, I look forward to seeing them each day and hearing about their school, friends, and issues. While they have been sharing their lives with me I have been sharing mine with them, and true connections have been formed. This is just what we longed for in the beginning, but it makes looming departure more threatening. Until then, we will take advantage of the time we do have and love these kids as much as we can. Looks like today we have some pool time and some knock out in the works!

Thanks for stopping by!

Hasta luego,

Jessi

The Next Bruce Lee

Quique is a chiquito at the house. He has an older brother, Antonio, here as well. Quique is probably the most likable kid in the world. He is always full of energy and ready for a challenge. He is the first to do his chores for the day and the first to pop out of bed in the morning. A 5:45am wake up is hard for just about anyone, but Quique makes it look like a piece of cake. As soon as you flip the lights on and say buenos dias, he jumps out of bed with a huge smile on his face and is ready to attack the day. He set a record of 117 jumps with the jump rope the other day and didn't even break a sweat. He is the next Bruce Lee in my mind. Extremely disciplined and focused. Strong yet very humble and Ninja skills like I haven't seen before. I would love it if we could enroll him in some sort of karate or martial arts class. Quique is the type of kid who makes working here so enjoyable. I only hope that we can continue to set a good example for him and guide him in the right direction.

"In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." Matt. 5:14-16

Yes, Boys Will Be Boys

This is Yoni 1 with a scorpion he caught early in the morning one day. We are not exactly sure how the stinger was removed, but it was somehow. He was so proud of his scorpion that it was the first thing he showed us as we came on shift. He carried it around all afternoon on his shoulder. Yoni 1 is a very creative kid. He loves to draw and makes the most amazing things out of paper with his origami skills. He is easily the best marbles player in the house and one of the best basketball players out of the youngsters. It is pretty much a sure thing for Jess and I to be greeted with a daily hug from this character. Thanks again for all of your thoughts and prayers for us and the kids. Patience and Energy are two big ones for me as those tanks tend to be empty at the end of the day:)

Hasta Luego,
Mitch

Chiquitos

I found this group of cuties on the playground this morning after breakfast. These are all but one of the Chiquitos, the youngest of the 4 groups of kids. Normally they don't all play together exclusively but today was an exception. After I snapped a couple pics we found some seeds and planted them in small pots. The kids loved it and it was a good way to keep them out of trouble and focused on a task. It has been a good weekend here at Mission Mexico:)
Hasta luego,
Jessi

Mañanas con Ruby

At Mission Mexico we get to work mornings or afternoons, normally three of each a week. I love mornings in Tapachula. Normally it is somewhat cool and clear, and often times we get to see beautiful views of the mountain- Volcan Tacana. We have a lot of work to do in the mornings getting the kids ready and off to school, but once the majority are gone there are just a few left that we get to spend more time with.

Over the last 3 weeks a pattern has developed with Ruby, one of the Grande girls. Every morning I work I get to help her with her homework, normally math. I hate math- but I love math with Ruby. She is so patient with my shaky math vocabulary and has obviously missed vital foundational schooling in the past, but she tries so hard and takes it very seriously. When I wake her up in the morning she often asks right away, "Me ayudas con mi tarea hoy?". I find myself looking forward to the chance to spend time with her, frequently we get to talk about drama in the house or insecurities and sometimes we just laugh. She is a delightful person, like any teenage girl she can be hyper and silly, and she has taken to calling Mitch and I mama and papa. She thinks we need to adopt her and always talks about how fantastic our "family" is. She has a great sense of humor and I tell her that she would hate life with us since we are jobless and homeless at the moment, but she persists. Another favorite pastime of Ruby's (along with the other girls) is doing my hair crazily and then taking pictures, as seen below.

She has family in Tapachula, and I'm not exactly sure about her whole story, but she has an older brother that treats her poorly and a mother that cannot provide for her, and now she is here.

I know that God has a plan for Ruby. I pray that he will give her strength and endurance to break the cycle she has seen modeled by her mother, and be an amazing example for her own daughter one day. Keep Ruby in your prayers today if you think about her, she needs our support!
Thanks for stopping by.
Hasta luego,
Jessi

Meet Sweet Junior

This is Junior. He is one of the youngest kids at the orphanage and quite entertaining. He is 7 years old and his brother Yimmy also lives at Mission Mexico.
They are not only darn cute but they are GREAT dancers. Any time music comes on they both fall into their mini salsa, merengue, or bachata steps depending on the music. As they came to the refuge quite young it would seem that dancing is actually part of their DNA. Marleny is Junior's default dance partner seeing as she is the only child shorter than him at MM. I think I have seen very few things in life that could come close to being as entertaining as those two dancing together.
I had the pleasure/ torture of helping cute Junior with his homework yesterday. While both Yimmy and Junior both have a flair for dancing in their DNA they also have a tendency toward drama. The simplest task can turn from fun to total breakdown in about 7 seconds. These boys really need to have a large amount of one on one attention and they can easily be overlooked in the crowd. Junior loves to hold your hand on the way to and from school and talk about what happened that day; it is sad to see him get lost in the shuffle some days. It makes you remember that even though these kids' basic needs are provided, they are missing out on so much that many take for granted.
I wish you could meet Junior in person, he is a real hoot I think we could all learn a little about dancing from him:)
Thanks for stopping by!
Hasta luego,
Jessi