Niños de mexico: history and the problem

Abstract

There are currently 153 million orphans around the world (SOS Children’s village). These are children ranging from age 0 to 17 and a majority of them do not receive the proper care on a day-to-day basis because of the lack of resources. This is where mission trips come into play. Many people have not thought this, but “ the first mission trips were taken by Christ’s disciples themselves” (Mission Discovery). Christ sent out his disciples so they could tell others about Christ and his love for them. Not only were they out spreading God’s word, they were also serving and healing too. This is what Jesus called us to do. There are thousands and thousands of orphanages around the world that need servants. I have decided to focus on Niños De Mexico. Niños De Mexico is an orphanage located in Mexico. They have several locations around Mexico City. Due to the amount of locations and the attention that is placed on the children being taken care of every day, they struggle with maintenance and necessary resources needed. I have worked with Compass Christian Church to plan on a mission trip that will take place in 2019. This mission trip with focus on three things: Construction, Healthcare and Education. Below are more details regarding the history of Niños De Mexico, the problem that Niños De Mexico is facing, our objective for the mission trip, and how it will help both Niños De Mexico and the volunteers who served.

History of the Niños De Mexico

Niños De Mexico was founded by a young couple from Missouri who traveled to Mexico City to see how they could be the salt and light to those in need. A year later, in January of 1967, they made the move to Mexico City where they rented their first home. Their mission was to share the Gospel with as many people as possible by raising at-risk children to love God and grow to be Spirit-filled Christians who could evangelize their culture. Soon, the three-bedroom home was filled wall-to-wall with 25 children. The couple realized they needed more space as well as more help. Two directors were hired and construction started on their first orphanage and would later be named, Casa Genesis. A few years later the couple who started the ministry moved back home to Union, Missouri, where Niños De Mexico is now headquartered. Niños De Mexico has become a non-profit organization that is supported by churches and individuals throughout the United States. Today, Niños De Mexico has a total of eight locations (Casa Genesis, Casa Agape, Casa Bethel, Casa Esperanza, Casa Emanuel, Casa De Niños, a men’s dormitory, and the Jireh House) surrounding Mexico City serving over 80 children. Each of these homes focus on spirituality, education, life schools, and showing love for others like God has shown love for them.

The Problem

Niños De Mexico has 80 plus children living in eight locations. This is an average of about 10 children living in each location. Please remember that these locations are normally 2-bedroom/ 1-bathroom locations. Each home also includes house parents and a cook, which brings the total to about 13 people living in a 2-bedroom/1-bathroom home. These homes are in constant need of maintenance. For example, painting, bathroom repairs, kitchen repairs, bedroom repairs, and roof repairs. 13 people living in a 2-bedroom/1-bathroom home will do that. Another problem that Niños De Mexico is facing is the amount of time that the employees of this non-profit are working. During my interview with Janet Ross, the executive director’s wife of Niños De Mexico, she mentioned that the house parents have a higher turnover rate than they wished for. Being a parent is a full-time job. These house parents receive 12 hours of alone a week and one weekend off per month, which can cause them to burnout quickly when they are having to take care of 1o children. Another issue that Ross mentioned was the time that children were receiving with their home parents. She mentioned that with 10 children living in a home, it was difficult for the house parents to find the one-on-one time with each of the children. This is where I believe bringing along healthcare providers and educators will be beneficial. These three problems will be my focus on finding those who would like to serve Niños De Mexico for a short-term mission trip.

My Objective

My goal for this short-term mission trip will start at my home church, Compass Christian Church, in Colleyville, Texas. The dates I selected for the mission trip will be February 3-10 in 2019 (Sunday-Sunday). The first announcement of the mission trip will be during service on Sunday, August 5, 2019. The announcement will be made at all four services and sign-ups will begin following the services in the atrium. Registration will close on December 31. Training will be held starting on Wednesday, January 9. Training will include a few basic terms of translation, rules regarding what we can do and what we cannot do, and our goals while at Niños De Mexico. My goal for this mission trip is to find men, women, and young adults who are specialized or have knowledge in the construction industry, healthcare, and education. My goal is to have 20 people sign up for the mission trip.

Those who specialize in construction will help with projects inside and outside of the homes and offices. 13 people living in a 2-bedroom/1-bathroom home calls for a lot of upkeep. This includes painting interior and exterior walls, bathroom maintenance, kitchen repairs, bedroom repairs, and roof repairs. The reason I mention roof repairs is because the homes have flat roofs, which generally mean more upkeep then a traditional peak-roof. I will also go out on a limb and say that I would love to draw in construction workers who are male. Here is why – according to Christ for the City International, “ 1 out of 3 children grow up without a father in their home (and additionally).

Continued Objective

“ Home without a father figure” (Isaacon). These male construction workers working with the older children in the homes on projects will allow these children to see even more Godly men in action. Kevin Moses, who has gone on mission trips like this before said, “ It is amazing how comfortable the children get with you after such a short time (Moses). Bill Pedigo, who has also done missions in the past, continued with, “ their comfort leads to questions and that is when I can pour God’s word into them” (Pedigo).

The reason I plan on seeking healthcare providers is to ensure that these kids are healthy and getting a check-up. I am not saying that the house parents are doing a poor job of doing so, but it would be very difficult to keep track of 10 children’s’ health and making sure each are getting what they need. Medical care is different in other countries due to the “ shortage of physicians…and the lack of resources the country spends on medical cost per captia compared to the United States” (American Academy of Otolaryngology). Sandra Moses, who has done medical missions before, went on to say that, “ most of what she sees on mission trips is something that can be cured with a simple antibiotic that they just do not have access to” (Moses). Simple antibiotics are something that we take for granted in the United States. Most people in the United States have access to a drug store where they can purchase a pain reliever or sinus medicine to help cure their sickness, but in other countries this is not always like this.

Continued Objective

Option due to lack of money and knowledge. Dr. Robert Phan, who has visited Niños De Mexico, said “ the healthcare professionals provide the necessary resources to the house parents to ensure success in the children’s health” (Phan).

I would like to bring educators (including myself) on this mission trip as well. The reason I believe educators (preferably bilingual) would be an asset to the mission trip would be the one-on-one time with children throughout the day and specifically at night. The reason I say at night is the opportunity to read to the children. According to the Children’s Bureau, “ Reading daily to young children, starting in infancy, can help with language acquisition and literacy skills. This is because reading to your children in the earliest months stimulates the part of the brain that allows them to understand the meaning of language and helps build key language, literacy and social skills (All4kids).” This is something I find so important and I continue to do with my high school friends.

Another goal I have while we are there serving is for the group to experience the culture of Mexico. Niños De Mexico finds this important as well. Culture “ is a strong part of people’s lives (and) it influences their views, values, humor, hope, loyalties, worries and fears” (Axner). They want groups who come to the orphanage to step out of the orphanage walls and experience Mexico. This includes trips to church, museums, the pyramids, and other cultural.

Continued Objective

Celebrations going on while the group is there. It is important to enter a mission trip (or a different country in general) with an open mind. I say this because there will be many things that they do on a day-to-day basis that we do not do. We may find it strange or different, but that does not mean that it is wrong. I believe having a team of construction, healthcare, and education professionals will provide for a successful mission trip.

Financials and Itinerary

1 Person

$375. 00

Goal for Number of Volunteers

Total Money Raised

20 persons

$7, 500

Expenses

Gas (Using Two-15 passenger Vans) (Distance 1, 129 Miles)

$800. 00

Budgeted for Materials

$3, 500. 00

Donation

$3, 200. 00

Itinerary

Sunday, Feb. 3

Leave Compass Christian Church at 7: 00am

Monday, Feb. 4

Arrive at Niños De Mexico at 11: 00AM

Tuesday, Feb 5

Work 7: 30AM-5: 30PM

Wednesday, Feb. 6

Work 7: 30AM-5: 30PM

Thursday, Feb. 7

Work 7: 30AM-5: 30PM

Friday, Feb. 8

Work 7: 30AM-5: 30PM

Saturday, Feb. 9

Depart Niños De Mexico at 10: 00AM

Sunday, Feb. 10

Arrive at Compass Christian Church 1: 00PM

How it will help

People may argue that short-term mission trips are only fixing long term problems because “ you are not empowering who you are helping” (Carlson). In some cases, I could agree with them, but when I look at Niños De Mexico I see that the benefits of a short-term mission trip far outweigh the cons. Orphanages who house as many kids (or more) as Niños De Mexico are constantly on the go for the kids. This leaves little time for care of the homes, offices, and the grounds. Failure to maintain the homes and the grounds could result in loss of donations, children being moved to a different orphanage, and loss of jobs. This is where our short-term mission trip will come into play. Our group of construction, healthcare, and educational professionals will provide the services that Niños De Mexico needs in order to continue to be the successful orphanage they are and continue to provide the love and support to the children living in their homes. Not only will this benefit Niños De Mexico, I believe it will also benefit the group going as well as myself. I hope and pray that it will open our eyes to what reality is like for others – how they live, how they eat, how they work, and how they learn on a day-to-day basis. In the end, “ evangelism is the ultimate goal of all ministry” (Lasater). I hope that we come back home with a changed attitude and a changed heart. A heart that love others more. A heart that wants to serve more. A heart that seeks what’s best for other’s other than ourselves.

Conclusion

Niños De Mexico has been a successful orphanage for many years. There are so many things that need to be done on a day-to-day basis to keep the orphanage running, but the most important thing is remembering “…to show love to the kids like Christ has shown for us” (Ross). This is the most important thing to remember for all of us. A team of construction, healthcare, and educational professionals will provide what Niños De Mexico needs. I believe with a group of Godly men and women working in the desired industries this mission trip will be successful. In closing, I want to leave you with my favorite bible verse that I believe depicts what this mission trip is about: “ He must become greater; I must become less” John 3: 30. (Bible).