La Huerta del Señor – The Lord’s Garden

     I had driven past the rubble which used to be the location of our El Niño Feliz (The Happy Child) orphanage in Mexicali, Mexico, so many times over the years.  But this particular time The Holy Spirit shot a thought into my head, and I saw a fruit and vegetable garden!  

      Over seven years ago there was an electric fire at the El Niño Feliz orphanage.  All the children made it safely off the property, but the City came in and deemed that it was too damaged to repair, so the whole structure was razed. The 20+ kids, with their care-takers, moved into a two bedroom house around the corner until a permanent location could be secured.

     The former property deteriorated to a heap of rubble, and has been left unattended since. Whenever talk about the abandoned lot came up Concha, the Director of the Children’s Home, would talk about her dream that one day…  

     I didn’t really give it much constructive thought – until I drove past the property a couple of months ago.

     At YesWeServe we get excited about anything that is “help to self-help” and which smells of sustainability!

     A blossoming garden offers plenty of opportunity:

-        Planting of fruit trees and vegetables

-        Watering the coming harvest

-        Harvesting the crops

-        The kids can be involved at every stage of the       process

     Additionally, valuable and practical Bible and life lessons can be taught (and caught!) along with the involvement. The harvest will benefit the daily meals served from the kitchen at El Niño Feliz.  It will also offer the possibility of income if/when the harvest is plentiful: any extra fruit and vegetables may be sold to local businesses, or at a local market.

     So, how about it? Are you ready to getting your fingers dirty? You are hereby invited to join the YesWeServe Work Team!  The rubble needs to be cleared out, watering system put in, seeds planted, etc. etc. 

     Let me hear from you!

Kyle's testimony

I used to be skeptical about the long term impact of short term mission trips.  Still, I joined a group of volunteers that gather the first Saturday of every month to visit three orphanages in Mexicali and bring them food, clothes and gifts every Christmas.  I looked forward to seeing the smiles of the children and the adults who have taken them in without compensation or government funding.

YesWeServe has found a way to organize short term mission trips that allow numerous people to participate while maintaining integrity in leaving a lasting impression on the individuals they are serving.  I have had the privilege to participate in several of the day trips to Mexicali, plus the Thursday following the big earthquake in Mexicali, to  bring water but most of all comfort to these children.  For me personally this moment convinced me that we were more to these orphanages than just the generous Americans that visit. 

            Over the years I have enjoyed becoming a familiar face to these children and watch them grow up.  One child in particular I developed a bond with in spite of a language barrier through pushing him on the swing, making sandwiches for him and just making him laugh.  It tugged heavy on my heart when I showed up one Saturday to find out he had been sent back home to an abusive situation and the orphanage couldn’t do anything about it. 

My greatest experience with YesWeServe came during the summer of 2010 in Ghana, West Africa.  I got to see firsthand the impact of our partnership with Beacon School through school supplies, recreational uniforms and equipment we provided, to investing in future projects to maintain sustainability and allow for growth in enrollment.  I spent a week teaching Bible lessons to children, who through their courage and joyfulness, showed me I could learn a thing or two from them about constantly rejoicing in the Lord. 

 

The greatest thing I have taken away from my experiences with YesWeServe is that it is more beneficial to partner with, empower and equip along with serving by giving donations.  Serving in a way that maintains the dignity and integrity of both parties and considers the complete needs of a person and not just provisionally.