Dear Friends:
Growing into adulthood is hard, and it seems to me, even harder for this generation, and perhaps in particular for our girls at Casa. They have been raised in an institution. They are subject to the control of DIF until they become 18, when they are supposedly (miraculously) adults who are able to make wise decisions and plans for their future. Some of them have not yet finished high school when they turn 18. Some of them finish high school and are ready to go on into college when they turn 18. None of them have caring, nurturing parents. At best, they may have some extended family somewhere, an older sibling, some person who they think can help them, or a boyfriend who promises to take care of them (this usually ends in disaster).
This leads to all kinds of problems. We find that they are ill-equipped to make wise decisions, and usually, just take the attitude that they are an adult now, and somehow the food and shelter and encouragement they have been getting will just miraculously continue if they are on their own. Of course, it doesn’t. And so now we have a number of girls who have become 18, are suffering the results of bad choices, and as a result, are not on any good life-plan to grow into an independent, self-sufficient adult.
The difference between us and all other orphanages in the Mexican system, is that we try to act as parents and helpers for them after they turn 18. I know that sounds great, but then we have the reality of what occurs: Most of the time, they initially just take off, get themselves into trouble, and then finally reach out to us to help in some way. Some of them act like we “owe them” this. Others are in situations, where there is not much we can do. And still others are able to pick up the pieces, listen to us (finally) and start on an educational path that will hopefully help them transition into independent adulthood. It would be wonderful if we could somehow keep them from jumping off the cliff before they seek our help! I’m sure if you have raised your own kids, you have worried, thought, and prayed about how to enable your kids to make a successful transition.
We love our kids, and it is so important for us to maintain a close relationship with them, so that when they come to us later, we will be able to counsel them wisely. That requires us to also stay close to the Lord.
But the issue we deal with every year is, they become legally independent, and from that point on, we can only make suggestions. A couple of the girls who have left Casa are still pretty dependent on us for support, and so we are still working on educating them and trying to help them become independent. We find that some of the girls who left Casa have done just fine, and others have really struggled with the whole idea of being an “adult.” I guess just like in any family, except our “family” is much bigger than normal!
The first, and most important thing we must do as they are growing up is to provide them a firm foundation in God’s Word.
Psalm 119: 1-8 You’re blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by GOD. You’re blessed when you follow his directions, doing your best to find him. That’s right—you don’t go off on your own; you walk straight along the road he set. You, GOD, prescribed the right way to live; now you expect us to live it. Oh, that my steps might be steady, keeping to the course you set; Then I’d never have any regrets in comparing my life with your counsel. I thank you for speaking straight from your heart; I learn the pattern of your righteous ways. I’m going to do what you tell me to do; don’t ever walk off and leave me.
If they can truly understand the value of having God in their lives, and if they will only remember to call out to Him to guide them, then we can all have assurance that they will successfully transition. 2Ti 3:14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it. God has made a covenant with us, that if we will seek Him in our lives, then Jer. 31:33 I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
We need to pray for our children, for the girls at Casa, as they are making this transition, they will be infused with a desire to seek and follow God. He is the one who will always be with them to lead them in every circumstance, and He is the one who can bring them to a successful life.
Please pray for Maria, she will be leaving Casa shortly to embark on her college career. She wants to major in psychology.
Please pray for Paola, she also will be leaving Casa shortly, and hopefully to become a teacher’s aid, she is going to school for that right now.
Please pray for Lupita. She is about to turn 18, but still has 2 years of high school left. We are trying to convince her to stay with us and complete high school, but her older sister is beckoning her to come and live together.
Unfortunately, her older sister still doesn’t have a life plan or career goals and is not even self-supporting, asking Lupita to send the money!
Please pray for Yesenia, who is living in an apartment in Palomas and working, and hoping to finish her high school degree this year.
Please pray for Daniela, who is living with her boyfriend and baby, but she has never finished high school, and has no marketable skills at this time. She is seeking a way to become independent. Hopefully, she will complete high school in the Spring.
Please pray for Lulu, who has had a number of opportunities come her way, from college to the military, but seems to be stuck in living for the day.
Please pray for the twins, who are going to college at the Santa Fe Community College, they need to really focus on expanding their English skills if they are going to succeed.
If we can pray for you with the girls, please let us know, and we will put you on our prayer list!
Pat and I continue to go to Casa each month, to encourage the girls and to encourage our staff. This month, we will be going to Chihuahua to pick up Vanessa, who has been in an orphanage this last year, under discipline, for having run away. We are praying that we will be able to become a huge influence for her during her last 3 years until she turns 18, and that she can become one of our successful children.
As you all know, we continue to work remotely with all of our students and their families. We are waiting to get the green light to start meeting with them in person. We are praying that we will still be able to hold the Christmas Fiesta. It is only 2 months away! As in previous months, the girls from Casa prepared pantry kits for the students and every church leader helped us pick them up and distribute them.
This month we were also able to finish up translating all the letters from our students to their sponsors. Jim and Raymundo worked for approximately five hours to ensure that all the sponsors could receive their letters. This is an important part of the program and we want to make sure that we stay up to date and send your letters every month. The volunteers that help in this area of the program has decreased because of COVID so I would like to give a big thanks to Ana, Jim and Raymundo for their time and effort.
Additionally, the Hernandez family donated a Little Free Library for the community in Palomas. It is the first one in Mexico. We hope this will help motivate our students and the community to develop an interest in reading. We will be implementing a system to motivate our Alas students to read more. As this is the first little library, we are accepting book donations to maintain the library full. We want everyone that is interested in reading, to go and grab a book even if they don’t have books of their own to leave in the library.
Keep us in your prayers so God may continue to guide and inspire our volunteers, as they work to positively impact the lives of the students in Alas de Amor. We firmly believe in God’s great plans for the future generations of Palomas and the surrounding communities.