Weeks 1 & 2

I arrived in Tijuana, México about two weeks ago after a very long train ride that included an arrest, an ambulance, and a broken-down engine.  I’ve spent most of the last two weeks just getting to know people and seeing the sights. 

Two of the best parts of this leg of my trip so far have been visiting Niños de Catherine/Catherine’s Kids (an orphanage for kids with special needs) and going to East TJ to meet with pastors/drop off donations. 

Niños de Catherine is an amazing place.  After the ladies’ Bible study last week, we went over to volunteer and spend the afternoon with the kids.  There are 11 kids (I think – some weren’t there), all of who have some sort of disability.  There are kids who can’t walk, some who can’t talk, and some who are bedridden with feeding tubes.  There are two brothers who have birth defects (including the lack of a septum) as a result of a drug-addicted mother.  On paper, it’s almost impossible for your heart not to break for these kids.  However, as soon as we walked in the door, we were bombarded with huge smiles and loud laughter.  We heard from Samuel, a twelve year old who uses a wheelchair, about his “tan chido” trip to Legoland and Sea World the day before. Samuel was pretty enamored with me, so he thought it would be cute to follow me around and use his motorized wheelchair to scoot the couch any time I sat down.  A little girl named Camila was so excited to jugar conmigo...she basically pushed me onto the floor so she could sit in my lap and play blocks with me.  I’m really excited for the opportunity to be able to spend more time at the home in the coming weeks.

On Tuesday, I went to eastern Tijuana with a missonary and his translator.  When in East TJ, we met with a few different pastors in the area to check up on things and drop off donations.  It was really humbling to see these tiny, broken down homes and churches.  They always seem to be grateful for the small things.  However, I was taught an important lesson on my very first mission trip that we can’t treat the poor like they’re not allowed to be picky.  Not entirely relevant, but still…..yea.  My favorite part of the day, oddly enough, was talking with the translator, Dio.  Maybe it’s just because I’m trying to learn Spanish, but I really enjoyed talking with him about translating.  Being a translator is a goal of mine, and it’s always great to get tips and tricks.

Lastly, I finally bought my plane ticket for Oaxaca, which is where I’ll be staying indefinitely.  I’ll be going on the 22nd of this month, so I’ve only got a couple of weeks to mentally prepare for the plane ride.  I’m extremely excited to be back in Cacalote, teaching those kiddos.

If you will, pray for the people of Mexico, my sanity and Spanish skills, and the other missionaries here.  I have a GoFundMe account set up for those who wish to financially support me, and, as always, prayers are greatly appreciated.

http://www.gofundme.com/pviwqo

¡Gracias!
Megan Damron