A Very Special Weekend...

Tomorrow I turn 42.  It is a bit sobering getting older, realizing my body doesn’t move as quickly and pain free as it once did.  I now have to use reading glasses full time even though I had lasik surgery just a few years ago.  I usually fall asleep while watching a movie and I now have more grey hair than dark hair.  Bottom line, I’m getting old.

I found this picture from 2 years ago.  My birthday looked quite different that year.  I was spoiled by hugs, cards and kinds words from our wonderful children and staff.  I sure do miss these smiling beautiful faces.

I came across another from March 8th 2020.  We were celebrating Ayantu’s birthday.  When I took this picture, I never would have imagined that this would be the last picture of the orphanage full of kids.  7 days later, the Pandemic hit Mexico and everything shutdown and changed.

It has been 602 days since the shutdown.  We have most definitely missed this place being full of life, laughter, conversation, hanging out, children, our staff and friends.  We really miss our supporters, friends and churches coming down to serve alongside us, encourage us, drink coffee and laugh with us.

And yet, even though so many things have drastically changed, we are excited about the new opportunities that have come about.  We are excited about the new ways that House of Blessing can still make an impact and difference here in Mexico.  New ways that we can care for children, partner with families in need and invest in our community here in Bachiniva.

Jackie and I are really excited that House of Blessing has the opportunity to host a women’s retreat this weekend. Some 50 women from four different churches will gather here tomorrow and Saturday for a refreshing and encouraging time together.  The past month has been incredibly busy getting everything cleaned, repaired, painted and prepared.  I don’t think we realized how dirty and out of shape some of our buildings were.  Now, this place is cleaner than it has been in a very long time thanks to a few gallons of paint, some mops, bleach, soap, brooms, and wonderful ladies from our church helping clean.

Please be praying for this weekend and all the ladies coming to the retreat. Please pray for the team of ladies that are hosting the event, leading worship and speaking. I’m super proud of my wife Jackie as she will be sharing at one of the sessions. First time doing something like this all in spanish, without a translator. Go Jax!

I’ll make sure we take lots of pictures and videos to share with you all as well as stories of how the weekend goes.

Thank you all and hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Back To School ... Take 2!

Back in August I started writing our “Back to School” blog post. Momentum had definitely been building for our kids to finally return to in person classes on August 30th. We were very busy shopping, planning, preparing, attending school meetings, etc. When it was all said and done, we felt like we had a great game plan for our 3 girls, attending 3 different schools with, 3 different schedules. Carolina started her senior year of high school, Natalia started her 1st year of junior high (7th grade) and our daughter Ayantu started her final year of elementary school (6th grade).

As we anticipated the first day of school, we received some incredibly sad news that one of the beloved teachers had passed away from COVID. A man at the age of 48, leaving behind his wife and 3 little kids. The government decided to postpone school for another week for a time of mourning.

September 6th came and the new school year had officially begun. The girls have classes 2 days a week from 8:00-1:00 PM. Unfortunately the schedules are all different. We’ve got a Monday and Tuesday, Monday and Wednesday, Tuesday and Thursday, and then sometimes a Friday depending on the work load. After the first week, Jackie and I were talking about why in the world this felt more complicated then when we would just pile 13-15 kids into a van every morning and haul them off to school for a regular schedule of 8:00-3:00, Monday thru Friday.

The first week of school was a success. The girls adapted very well to the new protocols, smaller classroom sizes, seating arrangements, face masks, no recess or lunch, etc, etc. Sadly though, that only lasted a week for our daughter. No sooner had school begun, that it had to be shut down for 2 weeks due to individuals getting COVID. Hopefully this doesn’t become the new norm. 2 days of school, 2 weeks of shut down.

Our health and wellness program continues to be a blessing. We started this when the orphanage shut down back in March of 2020. This has been an incredible way that we can partner with kids and their families to help bring assistance through financial aid, clothing and supplies, encouragement, tutoring, etc. Rather than have kids return to the orphanage, we have been able to help keep them with their families. One of those boys, Edgar, lives with his mom Lucia about 15 mins away from us. There are no good school options for him out there so we were able to work out a schedule and plan to get him to the elementary school here in town. He is in 6th grade and has classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Lastly, I wanted to give an amazing report regarding the House of Blessing Golf Tournament we had on September 11th. It was truly an amazing and special day. Golfers, volunteers, churches and businesses from all over helped make this event possible and a wonderful success. We were able to raise over $8800. Please check out this short video recap we put together.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support. Until next time!

Jason

HOB Golf Tournaments

It is definitely that time of the year to start talking about and promoting the House of Blessing (HOB) Golf Tournaments. 2021 will be extra special as we will be having not one but two tournaments. The Classic Golf Club will once again host our Washington tournament on September 11. We are also very excited to be announcing our first ever tournament in Lake Worth Beach, Florida. This will be held at the Winston Trails Golf Club on October 16. These tournaments are always a wonderful time as people come out for a great day of golf, hanging out and raising funds for House of Blessing.

When COVID-19 hit Mexico, the HOB orphanage had to temporarily shut down. Most of the children in the home were reconnected with their family members. It was during this time that the HOB leadership began to reevaluate things and look for new and creative ways to continue to help the children and their families, as well as the local community.

As the pandemic continues to bring difficulty and challenges in Mexico, we are hoping that participation and funds raised from this year’s tournaments will help HOB pursue their new and expanded mission. It has been a blessing to continue caring for children and their families as well as, assisting single/widowed mothers and their children, and help bring relief and support to the local community.

You can find out all the great details for both tournaments at our website, www.hobgolf.org. Not only are we looking for individuals to come out and play, but also for volunteers, sponsors, raffle prizes, etc.

If you are interested in volunteering, helping or sponsoring one of the events, we would love to hear from you. You can contact us at golf@thehouseofblessing.org or 915.316.9496.

Thank you so much and we look forward to seeing you either in WA or FL.