Do you ever
feel like you are not doing enough with your life? I remember when I had my first encounter with
God as an adult, I wanted Him to send me to impoverish countries as a
missionary. The high of that initial
experience had me thinking grandiose ideas.
I remember believing that maybe me not having a lot of experience with
men, meant that God wanted me to become completely His in a religious way. Thus, I went through a period of discernment
of religious life. I was
heads-over-heels in love, but as that honeymoon period wore off and I found
myself a bit more level headed I realized that I needed to cultivate the
lot God had given me before He would trust me with more. God helped me see problem areas in my
character and in my relationships and slowly I saw that I needed to change and
also needed to mend family relationships…
Sometimes, in our humanness we want to do great things, but God reminds
us that He desires small and ordinary actions because the sum of those small
and ordinary actions become great channels of change and conversion. He needs each of us to minister to those
around us, those we love and those who have hurt us. As we tend our lot and grow more in our faith
He gradually gives us more responsibilities. The saints understood this and they did great
things by doing small, ordinary tasks.
Lately, I have been feeling this great desire to support a cause. So, on Saturday, I visited an orphanage in
Tijuana, Mexico with the hopes of learning more about the organization and the
community it serves. Corazon de Vida,
has nine orphanages in Tijuana that serve children from infancy to college age
pupils. Each orphanage can home about
120 children and provides complete housing, education and medical coverage for all its members. All this is possible through generous
donations.
Soccer field and pets.
Girls dorm
It's cute they all have stuffed animals on their beds.
On
Saturday, I was able to tour the facility.
I was really impressed by how neat and organized everything is. The housing is separated by sex and age. All Children have daily chores to help
maintain their home and a system where the older ones help the younger
ones. The orphanage is like a large family
home where children remain all day - only leaving the premises to attend public
school. The local church also provides religious
formation and offers music classes where the kids learn to play instruments or
sing with the choir. When I arrived to
the home a little hand found mine and for the rest of my visit we were inseparable. We colored, drew, read books and shared a
pizza lunch together. She informed me
that they have four dogs on site (two male and two female) which she considers
her pets. Then I was introduced to a
large mutt who was mesmerized by my phone.
My little girl seemed quite happy, she kept laughing throughout our
interaction and for a while I forgot that she’s an orphan. Unlike most of the children at the home my
little one is an only child who has been at the home for quite a few
years. I learned that only babies or
children under three are usually adopted- but once you leave the toddler years
the odds of getting adopted are rare.
So, most of these children will grow up in the home and leave as adults.
Lunch time.
Coloring, drawing, reading...
The other kids I got to meet, a shy little guy (at first) and a very extroverted, little girl.
I also met
an older gentleman, who travels to the orphanage on a monthly basis and the
children just adore him! In fact, half
of the people who visit the orphanage with Corazon de Vida are regulars who
build rapport with the kids. I can see
how visiting regularly can enhance the experience and help make a difference in
the lives of the children. In addition,
to visits there other ways to support Corazon de Vida, visit their page to
learn more. I really enjoyed my time
with the children, and learned a great deal about the foster care and adoption
process of Mexico. And I fell in love
with a little girl with pigtails and her mutt.
My Pigtail Princess.
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