The past week

There have been various things going on here.

First of all is the fact that we've been cramming to finish some school materials that we were lent for the year. Wonderful, but now we've had to work pretty fast to finish the books because we need to get them back to the family we borrowed them from before they leave the country! So there's been lots of reading and fun times here but I (Faith) haven't been at the children's home much.

Yesterday we drove out to Calandria to move the rest of our things out of the cabin so that it is ready to hand over to the ranch. Eduventure has decided to close the Mexico campus and as we had left some things out there for the next semester...we had to clean up a bit. Gracias a Dios we were able to get it done in one day and it is ready for the next ministry to use! We were amazed and grateful as we remembered the fellowship, growth, sweet times for our kids, days with only the sun for power (and a battery charger to run the teeeeny fridge), water issues and mice scampering everywhere. God has been very good to us through these roads he brought us to. His people are everywhere and we've been blessed by them. Today involves unloading the truck and re-organizing a bit some of the things from the ranch.

Over the last week and a half or so Alan has been working on our pastor's vehicles. They live just down the street so it's been an easy commute. :) They have been blessed with some donated vehicles but out of the three only one is working at this point. Alan has been trouble shooting on one of the vans and then earlier this week, the car was having trouble. He's thinking that the car is fixed now and hopefully, the van be up and running fine this week. They need the bigger van to get out to the ranch where Juan Carlos does bible study once a week with the community out there. The little car just doesn't make it on those roads...

Also, last weekend we were the parents/guardians of 18 kiddos or so at a "Dia del Niño" celebration that the maquiladora (factory) in town. They had invited the kids from the children's home and the workers and their families. Reyes and Brenda had another commitment that they had to take care of so Alan and I, along with Matuse, (one of the helpers) took the kids. I will be honest and say it was a bit nuts. Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure. I hope they aren't too blurry...it was practically impossible to get a "still" shot. These fiestas are a H.U.G.E. deal and the kids are beside themselves with excitement and just can't hold still. :)



There were piñatas, dancing, prizes for some games, a little lunch with cake, and of course the candy bags at the end. We've come to realize something interesting here. A lot of times they don't fill the piñatas themselves with candy. They just have them for the sheer fun of whacking it. I don't get it and neither do the kids. :) Sometimes as a joke they'll fill it with flour or confetti but they are doing more of the goody bags to keep things even.


Janelle also had a birthday (8!!!) last week and we had several of the neighborhood kids over for cupcakes, piñata, and play and when they found out that we actually filled the piñata with the candy...the eyes lit up all over the place. Here is a couple of pictures from that too.


We've also been in the helping with communication department with the children's home. There have been a couple of times over the last week or so that they've needed a formal letter to send to the "presidente" (mayor) of the town here to solicit either donations or explain something. Once Alan packed up the computer and printer and took things to the children's home but on Monday, Reyes (the director), came here and they worked on a letter together. We've also had the phone calling back and forth between them and Juarez (where the org. is headquartered). For the most part, the bigger bills are paid through Juarez and handled through there. Well, last week their power was cut. After some hunting around it was found that there had been no payment. So that meant a couple of phone calls to Juarez to see what happened. After finding out that it had been paid (a bit late) then Alan and Reyes were off to the electric company to see if everything was clear and when the power would be turned back on. We're hoping that it's all clear by now. Alan will find out today.

Wow...that is scattered. But then we're wanting to share what life is really like here so there you go! This playing safety stuff is a bit hard to track some days.

Much love to each of you and your families!!

A word or two on our thoughts of late ...

We are considering bringing our time in Madera to an end, probably some time later on this summer. The main reason for this is that we no longer feel the need here at the children’s home that there once was. With the change in directorship there has come a much closer cooperation with, and more support from, the covering organization in Juarez. Also, the increase in interest and support from the local businesses and people here in Madera for the home has been encouraging; not overwhelming, but seemingly steady. This is a good thing; this is why we came here. Our goal from our arrival here has been for Mexican nationals and the local people here in Madera to take the lead in running and supporting the home. Another factor is the number of children now at the home. We don’t work here in view only of the present circumstances but also in view of what may develop in the future, and we work on projects with the hope that the home will some day be operating at full capacity; this being said, the number of needy kids at the home the past months has been consistently low, requiring less resources. While there will always be projects and jobs that can be done, we have felt lately that the long-term need for someone in our capacity here does not warrant the resources we need to live and work here.

A secondary reason that might have kept us here in Madera, that of our commitment to Eduventure, has disappeared with the announcement a couple weeks ago of the closing of Eduventure’s Mexico campus. Enrollment has been low for several semesters; this year it was substantially below the cutoff point for holding a semester and the decision was made by the leadership to pull the plug. This is a sad, but not at all unexpected development for us.

And so as we look forward to a new chapter, we would covet your prayers concerning the decision of what to do next. At this point we have two options we are considering. The first is the most simple – to re-enter the workforce somewhere and return to life as we knew it. This would mean looking for work over the next months in the US and also potentially in Mexico and other countries.

The second option involves moving south and joining forces for a time with a missionary family in Honduras that we have come to know. Allen and Trish Sowers are with Missionary Ventures International (MVI) and have been in Honduras since 2001. They are involved in supporting more than 200 protestant pastors in western Honduras, building a bible training center, starting a feeding center, and a myriad of other projects. They have been begging for help for several months as the evangelical growth and request for teaching and discipleship in the area is mushrooming but they don’t have the personnel and resources meet the potential. Our roles there would be primarily related to construction, logistics, and potentially office help. Our plan initially would be to move to Honduras for a period of several months and see how things go, how we and our abilities fit. If things look good, we could potentially stay there for years, possibly joining MVI in the process. The Sowers have a website that gives more information about their work in Honduras : http://www.sowers4pastors.com/.

At this point we’re not really sure which of the above options we would prefer. During our time here we have come to love the Latin American culture and would love to continue working here, especially moving further south into new regions. On the other hand, there are some benefits to returning to the US, particularly related to our children and extended family.

In the end, a great deal of our decision will be made for us by the level of financial support we find for the work in Honduras. To this end, we are asking our supporters to communicate to us their intentions and anticipations concerning support for the foreseeable future. Whether people are excited about the Honduras potential and can continue to be involved, or if economic hardships and cutbacks are on the horizon, please let us know. Whatever the direction we find ourselves moving in the months ahead, we are confident that God will direct, and He will provide, and we ask for your prayers in following His leading.

Alan and Faith Hayes