Adios Summer, Bienvenidos Fall...

I just realized that I haven’t written a blog post since our last one back in June. It was about our annual House of Blessing Golf Tournament. I guess it would be a perfect way to start this blog post by celebrating the successful tournament we had.

Golf Tournament…We are so pleased to announce that we raised over $16,000 dollars at the House of Blessing Golf Tournament this past July.  What a wonderful day it was.  Thank you to everyone that came out to play, serve and help make this day extra special.  Also, I wanted to thank all the businesses and individuals that sponsored the tournament and donated.  I am already looking forward to next years tournament, July 25th 2020 in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

Back to School…It’s been a little over a month since our children started school and everyone is off to a great start.  We were able to enroll 12 children, 2 boys and 10 girls, in 3 different schools.  This year we have 2 in first grade, 2 in second grade, 3 in fourth grade, 3 in fifth grade, 1 sixth grader and a sophomore in high school. The kids’ schools are about 5 minutes away from the orphanage.  Upon returning home from school, we have a wonderful team of staff and tutors to help the children with their homework and the areas of study that they are behind in.  Please pray for all our kids and their studies and especially for those that are struggling and behind.

Also, we wanted to say a HUGE thank you to all those who donated to our Back to School drive.  We raised over $1200 to help purchase supplies, clothes, uniforms and pay the school fees.  What a blessing!

New Addition…2 weeks ago, we took in another young girl named Valentina.  We were contacted by her mom, Yolanda, asking for assistance in caring for their daughter.  Valentina actually has a mom and a dad, which is very rare for the children we care for.  When Valentina was 3 years old, she fell from a water tower and cracked the back of her skull.  For about a year she experienced seizures, migraines and difficulty learning.  This made it all the more challenging for Yolanda and family to adequately care for Valentina while raising other children and working.  Yolanda was actually born in the United States and will be heading back there this weekend to begin the paperwork process to bring her family to the states.  Yolanda is also hoping to get some additional insight and direction regarding the medical tests for Valentina.

Valentina is a very sweet girl who is already coming out of her shyness.  She loves to play with dolls, color and talk. Lots of talking.  We were able to enroll her in first grade and she is already progressing well in her schooling.

House of Blessing has a wonderful sponsorship program where families and individuals can help support one of the kids here by praying for them, writing letters as well as supporting financially. We are in need of sponsors for our sweet Valentina. If you are interested in supporting here or would like more information, please contact me.

English Classes…We are very excited to have launched our English classes last week.  One of the things we have desired since the start of the orphanage was for our children AND staff to be bilingual in Spanish and English.  Some of our children have naturally picked it up especially when mission teams are here.  After much planning and prepping we started our English classes here at the orphanage on Thursday evenings.  Our kids are especially excited to have Kim Vargas and Jenna Borrelli as their teachers.  

Jenna is original from Oregon and will be serving with us for the next 8 months.  Jenna first came down to the orphanage on a mission trip, then completed our 3 month internship program, and now will be focusing on teaching our English classes.  Jenna received her Celta Certificate last year and is certified to teach non-native english speakers.

Thank you so much for your continued support, prayers, visits and encouraging words. Please continue them both for the children and our staff and volunteers!

Golf Tournament...

My daughter and I found these one day while walking our property. No they are not burnt marshmellow’s, yes, they are burnt golf balls. They are the result of the fire we had last year on our property. As these sit in my office, they remind me of our upcoming annual Golf Tournament.

As many of you know, our home church, the Chapel Church (TCC), has hosted a Golf Tournament for the past 10 years.  The orphanage has had the blessing of being the recipient of those funds for the past 6 years.  It has been very exciting to see the tournament grow over the years.  It has equally been exciting to see the ministry of HOB grow as well.  God continues to bring churches, families, individuals, businesses, schools, etc, who are eagerly partnering with HOB in our mission of caring for neglected and abandoned children in Mexico.

After last years tournament, the elders of TCC, board of directors of HOB and the golf committee began to discuss ways that we can see the tournament grow all the more.  It was after a lot of prayer and conversations that we felt it would be further beneficial to move the golf tournament out from under just the Chapel Church to allow even more growth. The exciting thing is now there are all kinds of ways for other churches, individuals, business, etc to be involved with the tournament. Not just by playing golf, but maybe by helping serve at the event, donating money or a prize, sponsoring a hole, etc. Even if you live outside of Washington state you can still be involved making this special event happen.

This year, the tournament will be held on  Saturday, July 27, 2019 at The Classic Golf Course in Spanaway WA. You can get registered or find out more details through the website, www.thehouseofblessing.org/golf or our facebook page, facebook.com/thehouseofblessingannualgolftournament.

Please mark this special date on your calendar and start getting excited.  We would LOVE to have you involved with us to help raise as much money as possible for the children and work in Bachiniva Mexico. Please email me, jason@thehouseofblessing.org or text/call 915-316-9496 if you would like to learn of the specific ways to get involved.

Thanks so much and I hope to see many of you next month!

Luisito..

Yesterday was a very sad and difficult day at the House of Blessing as we had to say goodbye to our beloved Luisito.  The state DIF (social services) has placed Luis in a new home that we are praying and hoping will better suit his needs.

I remember first hearing about Luis as if it were yesterday.  It was actually 5 years ago. As we sat in the director’s office of the DIF in Chihuahua City, she (the director) began to share about a troubled little boy.  “Luis” was his name, and he was nine or ten and had a lot of mental disabilities.  Luis was a very challenging boy, which led him to be passed around to different orphanages.  No one had the patience or willingness to love on this little boy.  The director went on to explain how she felt that since we were a brand new orphanage and only had one other child, this might be the best fit for him.  I’ll never forget what she said towards the end of our meeting, “all this young man needs is love and care.”

Luis Gonzalez was placed into our care a short time later.  I must be honest: it was not all roses at the beginning.  In fact, after a few weeks I began to see why other orphanages had given up on this boy.  And yet, God spoke to me very clearly one evening saying that we were NOT to let him go, but to continue to pour out love, patience, and compassion on him.

And that’s what our wonderful team has been doing these past five years.  By God’s grace, Luis has improved tremendously.  Learning to speak both Spanish and English, he finished elementary and jr. high and entered his first year in high school this past August.  However, as he has grown older, so have some of the problems and challenges.  

Over the last three or four months, we began to realize that we have sort of reached our limit and ability to care for Luis in a way that he needs.  The reality of that started conversations with the government about a game-plan for this young mans life.  The DIF agreed with us that as Luis continues to grow older, he will need more specialized care that we simply can’t offer.

This was a difficult thing to begin to process as Luis has been with us for so long.  We do, however, want what is ultimately best for this sweet, young man.  The DIF contacted us a few weeks ago letting us know that they had found a new home, about 30 minutes away, which was better equipped with staff, training, therapists, psychologists, etc. to help Luis.  And thus we began the transition process. 

Last Friday, we had the opportunity to visit the new home and meet the director and some of the staff.  After spending some time with them, we all left with a greater peace and comfort knowing that Luis will be taken care of.  And Lord willing, he will continue to improve all the more.

So, with that being said, Luis Gonzalez is no longer with us.  Many of you have been the recipient of one of Luis’ hugs, firm handshake, salute, and of course the infamous punch or jab (which aren’t always very enjoyable).  Many of you have loved on him, danced with him, laughed and played with him.  For that, we thank you very much for being apart of his life.

We already miss him tremendously and know that it will take some time to get used to his smiling face and contagious laugh not being around.

Please please pray for our team and kids as we adjust and especially for Luis and this transition.  We are thankful that he is only a short drive away and that we are able to continue to visit and spend time with him.