On August 23rd Julie and I once again learned about the Lord's timing. We had planned to go over to Acuña a couple of days earlier to deliver a package from our old church friends at Family Life Nazarene Church in Tucson, Arizona, but for some reason it seemed better to wait. I suspected it was just laziness on my part, but there was actually a good reason for it. It just so happened that our visit to the Casa de los Niños coincided with that of a Baptist church group from Nacagdoches in eastern Texas. They had planned to go with the orphans to Los Toritos, a popular picnic and swimming area in the country, but their interpreter told them at the last minute that she couldn't go. So, after delivering and showing the house parents our package, we went with the group to Toritos.
This group from the Baptist church in Nacagdoches
(name goes here when known) offered to help out in Acuna with various masonry
projects that were pressing at the orphanage. They were staying at a Christian-run
camp outside of Ciudad Acuña called Gethsemane. The several orphanages in Acuna and
surrounding area get sporadic visitors like these from various parts of
the United States and are much encouraged by them. For that matter, the
visiting Christians are encouraged as well, as they see the grace of God
at work in the lives of fellow Christians south of the border.
It was about a 30 mile trip to Los Toritos (which
means "little bulls", by the way). This is a pleasant little wooded area
on both sides of the the creek. To enter the the northern section we had
to pay some one $2 per vehicle for parking on their private land. Others
are able to access the same area from the south side of the creek for free,
but these often pay much more when they come back from their swim to discover
their car battery stolen.
Stolen batteries are the last thing on the minds of kids when they come to this place. The stream is an inviting, refreshing break from the Summer heat, placid and shallow in most places. The northern bank has a very good jumping in place. Plenty of water here for kids, grown-ups, fish and - well, we won't think about that. Having some leftover balloons, I blow more up and let them float into the water. Some of us walk downstream to see who else is sharing this little slice of greenery: goats, pigs and a horse. From the creek I hear the call of a green kingfisher that even manages to be heard above the loud din of happy kids.
Soon it is time for lunch. Our friends had provided sufficient snacks for both the kids and us grown-ups. Soon it was time for us to go. As Julie and I left, we made a mental note to come back here.
We came back to the orphanage a couple of weeks later to find that there were no longer 28 children, but only 8. The DIF (Mexican Welfare department) had visited the orphanage and taken many of the children and returned them back to their parents. Many of their parents were still abusive and in self-destructive lifestyles. Other children, for reasons not quite clear to us, also returned to their parents, to situations that were clearly unhealthy and spiritually destructive. We hope very much to see some of the these kids back at the orphanages again, the best place for them to mature and learn about the love of Christ in an environment that encourages godliness.
These two girls rode down with us to Los Toritos.
The girl on the left, Claudia, had recently arrived at the
orphanage and found Jesus Christ there. She was clearly joyful in her new life in Christ. She not only
has a new friend in Jesus, but also made a new friend at the mission, Erika
(right). On the way down to Toritos she asked if we wanted to sing any
songs. At this time we just knew a few songs in Spanish and not very good
ones at that. But she wanted to sing Christian songs. I wish that I knew
some.
When we came back on that other return trip to Casa Hogar del Niņo we found out that Claudia was no longer at the orphanage, but she was back at her mother's house. Back in a situation that was untenable for her just a while before. Julie and I don't feel we are doing much over here, to be honest with you. When you consider all the needs there are here, you can easily get overwhelmed. These children need friends. They need Bibles. They need food and many of the necessities that we take for granted. They need Jesus Christ and a place where they can grow in grace, in all too many cases, away from alcoholic fathers and abusive, neglecting mothers.
The future of Mexico
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Updated: October 15, 2002.
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