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| the children mission |
Last week I
went to the Community church again, wondering what would happen that day. However,
I almost left the early, but decided to stay until it was all over. And I’m
glad I waited. After the service, I greeted a few of people and then as I was
about to leave a lovely older Spanish woman came over and greeted me, and we
talked. I had seen her almost every Sunday and had admired her, because of her
love for God and children. She always had a half a dozen or more children with her
that I assumed were part of her family. But I was wrong.
Her name is Maria Magddlena Arechiga,
and she speak perfect English. She lived in the US when she was twelve for a
while. Now she lives in Guaymas, Mexico and has a mission at her home and one next to it that was her mother’s. She is the
director, and along with some other friends and mothers they help teach fifty
to a hundred children every weekday from 3pm to 5pm, after school hours at what she calls "a children's mission."
The reason
Maria came to me was because she had heard me give my testimony the week before
and was wondering if I would be willing to come and help her once a week. I would mainly be ministering to children, 9 and older, and she would interpret for me so the children would
understand everything I said. I told her I loved children and that I would be
glad to help. We set up an appointment to meet at my house in a few hours, and
then she took me to her place in Guaymas. Wow! God keeps opening doors.
When we got
to where she lived it was a number of small houses connected together and a
couple larger buildings, one 20'x45' used for sleeping at night and a meeting hall during the day, and another building for cooking and eating. She said the
children were of all ages, and a few were orphans and they lived there. The children all
gather in the largest building at 3pm for singing, group activities,
and once a week they watched Christian movies. Then they break down into smaller groups and
go to other rooms, in the complex of small houses, for lessons.
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| The meeting room |
This
ministry is near the heart of the city when there are many older and poor peoples homes. Thus it's a place where the children can play games, have
snacks, and worship and it's safe for them. They are also taught English, and respect for
themselves and others, and on Friday they go on field trips. But most of all they
learn more about their Heavenly Father and His love for them; so beautifully demonstrated through this lovely lady, Maria. It is a place
where the parents know their children are loved and cared for, and it is also changing
some of their lives as well.
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| Mexico's most common form of transportation |
