Day 4 (Stacy)

    You guys… I’m not a big “feelings” person, but this week is seriously giving me all the feels. I don’t even have the words to express the love I have for this place, this ministry. There are over 100 kids here at Ninos right now, and they are loved, clothed, fed, sent to school. They came from unimaginable situations, but now they have everything they need. Sometimes, as Americans, we think “if only other countries had what we had, then they would be happy.” This week has shown me how ignorant I really am. The Mexican culture is beautiful. They are loving, hospitable, very devoted to family, care for their sick friends and neighbors and love on these previously unwanted children. They don't need any rescuing from us. They don't need (or want!) us to come down here and teach them how to live like we do. If anything, I’m going home having learned so much from them. This world is amazing, and each country, culture and people group are beautiful, and the differences are so wonderful to witness, take in, and learn from (FYI, I’m embarrassed and ashamed that I had to learn all of that…). We did not come down here to teach anyone our ways, just to help with repairs and maintenance, love on the kids, and fall in love with this wonderful, beautiful ministry. 

    I used to be slightly opposed to (maybe “confused about” is a better way to put it) short-term mission trips. We raise quite a bit of money to go on these trips and I have always wondered why we don't just send them the money instead of using it for us to go down for a week. Aren't people just doing it to feel good about themselves and to check “going on a mission trip” off their Christian to-do list? I’ve learned over the past years of friends going to Ninos and Eyes That See that these ministries WANT us to come. I’ve heard both Matt Ness and Mick O'Hanahan say they would prefer a group over a check. The reason is that when people come to these places they inevitably fall in love and end up sharing about it with their family, friends, and churches which in turn brings in sponsors/ donors who support their ministry. Tonight Janet, one of the leaders here at Niños, talked with us about child sponsorship. It once again opened my eyes to the beauty of Niños de Mexico. It costs $25 per month to sponsor a child. This money goes toward their food, clothing, school uniforms/ supplies, etc. And while the money is obviously good and MUCH-needed, they most impactful part of sponsorship comes from the relationship between the child and their sponsors. You can write back and forth with the kids, send them small gifts, send bigger gifts (like games) for their house to share, and even come down to Niños to visit them! They said that some sponsors even fly down here to see their child graduate from high school. How awesome is that?! 

    When I was in one of the girls’ homes earlier in the week, a little girl showed me a picture of her sponsors. She was SO proud. It was a picture of an older couple standing in front of a tree, and you could tell it was one of her most prized possessions. She wanted me to look at, turn it over and read their names off the back, and then she proudly took it around to show everyone on our team. Calli told us that a lot of the kids have a special box where they keep all of their letters and pictures from their sponsors. Janet also told us a story of one of the older boys here whose sponsor is a lady in her 80s. The boy is funny and loves to goof off, but never really opens up about anything serious here at Ninos, but he tells this 80 year old lady things that are on his heart, and tells her that he wishes more than anything that he could repay her for all she has done for him. He tells her that if he could, he would move to the states, come live with her and be her caretaker. I was seriously tearing up just hearing about it. Some of the people on our team sponsor kids here and it was so cool to see the kids light up when they saw them. They run over and give them hugs and love to play with them while we are visiting their houses. When the boy that Colby sponsors saw Colby, he ran up to him, gave him the biggest hug, and said, “Colby! Mi Amigo!” It was one of the sweetest things I have ever seen. Our money can definitely makes a difference, but the relationships built through sponsorship are what have the ability to have a lasting effect on these kids.