My adventures in Mexico

...La Vida Bendecida...

2011-05-30T10:17:00.000-07:00

Hello! I realize that it has been almost an entire YEAR since my last blog post. where on earth have I been?!?!?

Well, here is a little bit of an update on the goings-on in the life of Jarilyn in Mexico...

**I am still serving at Door of Faith Orphanage, and LOVING it. This coming October will mark 3 years since I moved down here, originally committing to serve at DOFO for 3 months, and NEVER in a million years thinking that it would be possible to stay any longer than that.

But God has not only allowed me stay and continue and grow in the ministries going on here, but has provided for every need along the way, as He does. I am in His hands, and know that at any given time, He may call me to leave this place and serve elsewhere... but as of right now, I am ridiculously blessed to be able to call La Mision my home and I LOVE being here and serving here.

It's crazy to see how my role and responsibilities here at DOFO have continuously been changing and shifting, however slightly. Some of my responsibilities at the orphanage currently include the following...

** House Building Ministry: I am still heading up this aspect of ministry here at DOFO. There are many groups who come down to work with us and stay at the orphanage who focus mainly on building a home (or homeS) for families in our area. This coming summer alone will bring 4 different groups building a total of 8 houses! As I've shared before, my favorite part about this ministry is that through the application process and the screening/approval process with each family, I have the opportunity to really get to KNOW families in our town that I may not otherwise have the chance to know. Even before the groups come, we have the amazing opportunity to explain to these families, many of whom do not know Christ or His love, why a group of Americans would use their vacation time to drive or fly to this tiny obscure valley in Mexico just to build them a house. It is an incredible opportunity not only to tell people about the love of Jesus, but also to demonstrate God's provision and love for them. With every home built and family touched, I am humbled and awed that I get to be even a tiny part of God blessing, providing, moving & loving here in our valley.

This is one of the eight families who will be receiving a new house this summer. The 5 of them have been living in a tiny one room camping trailer.

** Weekly Grocery Giveaway: We are not only still giving away bags or grocery items to families in our town every Thursday, but we have increased the number of bags (to approx. 150 bags a week) and have also expanded the ministry to partner with another local ministry who help out the elderly in our valley. This ministry includes buying food in bulk once a week and bagging the items. It is something that DOFO children love to participate in, helping to bag the food each week, and then getting to see what their efforts are going towards when over 100 families line up outside our gates each Thursday morning tor their "despensa".

** Hosting visiting groups: The next couple of weeks will be the start of our summer rush here at DOFO. We are double and sometimes triple booked throughout all of summer with family groups, church groups, rotary clubs, etc... coming to serve here at DOFO and in the surrounding community. It is a time when we get little rest but the blessings are great as every week we have the opportunity to partner up with groups from all over the US, serving alongside new friends and brothers & sisters in Christ in and around our community of La Mision. I'm looking forward to a GREAT summer season!

I am incredibly thankful that as volunteers here, we have the liberty to pursue our own individual passions and callings... and while orphanage responsibilities are the priority and come first, I've been able to feel out, over the last 2.5 years and step into other various ministry opportunities in our area as well. I still work very closely with the Women's Rehab Center in Tijuana and try to get up there every couple of weeks at least, as time allows. I've been trying to get up to the Breakfast Club in the dump area of Tijuana more and more regularly as well. That ministry, where they serve now up to 300 hot meals a day, has continued to grow and flourish and I love going to see how God is moving and working up there in that community! I've also stayed busy with the worship group, prayer teams, etc at our local church. My church family here in La Mision is such a blessing and they make me feel at home.

Lastly, I have been working with some other missionary friends in our valley, Chad & Erin Fransen, to develop and prepare a new ministry here in La Mision... It is something very exciting and dear to my heart, which after months and months of preparing and praying and working should be up and running in the next few weeks, when I will dedicate an entire post to presenting it to everyone!

Thanks again for all of the prayers and support! As always, I welcome feedback, questions, comments, "HELLO!"s, etc... LOVE to all!

...aqui estoy...todavia... :)

2010-08-23T21:05:00.000-07:00

Holaaaaaaaaaaa!

I realize that another 4 months has gone by since I last updated. I tend to get overwhelmed with everything that I'd like to share - about experiences and all I've been up to since my last update - that eventually I just give up trying. haha....

But I've received some reminders that people actually do WANT to know what's going on down here and in my life, and I am ridiculously thankful for all of the love and support and am going to just give a bit of a photo-update on some of the things that have been keeping me busy lately! :)

HOUSE BUILDING PROGRAM: As you may already know, we have a really rad program down here where visiting groups can come down, stay on site and build houses for families in our community. Since DJ & Lynette have been passing through various trials in their lives (keep them in your prayers!) I have been helping run this program, and since January of this year, we've had 7 houses built for families in our town!

While this is a huge responsibility, it has been an enormous blessing - Not only in watching the lives of these local families be blessed and touched in an incredible way, but also watching the visitors be transformed as they come down and live out the love of Christ in serving others. It's awesome to see relationships develop between the visiting groups and the families, and as a result, many of the local families have become Christians. I have made quite a few new friends in our community as well!

A group from Ohio/Kentucky building a house for a local family out of block

Jorge, Maricela and their 2 daughters received a new home this summer!

A DOFO group in front of a freshly-built house for a family in town. This group comes down for 2 weeks every summer and builds TWO homes while here!

ENGLISH CLASSES: In the beginning of this year, I began teaching free English classes twice a week for anyone wanting to learn in our community. They were originally meant for adults only, but I couldn't say no to the children who also wanted to learn English! We ended the first "semester" at the beginning of summer with about 15 students regularly attending, and I will soon be picking up with the classes again come September.
(If anyone has any pointers/resources for ESL classes, I could really use it! I've never done anything like this before and am just kinda feeling my way through. It's tough!)

Here I am teaching a class... We have them in our local church, an hour at a time, twice a week.

With 2 regular class attendees, Armando & Fernando

REHAB CENTER: As I've talked about before, I've always really had a heart for the Christian drug & alcohol rehabilitation centers in our community (we have 2 for men in our town) and try to help them out however/whenever possible. Last year, God lead me to a woman's rehab center in Tijuana, where I've been developing a relationship with the director, Maria, as well as consistently taking food, supplies and most importantly - the Word of God. I try to go once a week to give a Bible study, pray with the women, and just spend time talking with Maria. God has really challenged and blessed me through this ministry and I LOVE being able to be a small part of what He is doing in these homes!

Here's me with the director, Maria! I love her!

This is the outside of the home, in Tijuana. There are currently about 20 women living here.

VARIOUS OTHER MINISTRIES: Besides these regular things I've been involved with, we have a very busy schedule at the orphanage. As American volunteers, our primary responsibility is hosting visitors -both people just dropping by to see the place, and full on short-term missions trips, which are usually anywhere from a couple days to a couple weeks in length. We love having visitors, so I, as always, just want to throw out there that you all are more than welcome to come see us - just let me know!

I've also been keeping busy with our local church! It is my second family and from baby showers to birthday parties to weddings to youth group to regular services, there is always something going on at church, and I can usually be found there if I'm not here at DOFO. :)

Here's my roommate, Lauren and I with out Mexican parents, and the local Pastors, Gustavo & Elizabeth Pacheco!

I am also currently in the process of planning a quincenera (HUGE traditional birthday party for a young girl on her 15th b-day) and helping to plan and set up a really great youth event that will be happening at a church in Ensenada on October 2nd! Youth from churches from Tijuana all the way to Ensenada and beyond will be invited and Lauren and I have been asked to teach as well as help advertise the event! Please join us in prayer for that!

SO - there is a taste of what's been keeping me busy lately. I promise to try and update more frequently from here on out. :) I love you all and would LOVE to hear from each of you! (jarilyn.wilson@gmail.com) Thanks again for all of the continued prayers and support!

... Sigo adelante ...

2010-04-19T16:20:00.000-07:00

WOW!
6 Months have gone by since my last post!!!!

I can't believe it has been so long, and yet I can. :)

This HUGE gap is partially due to the busy non-stop roller-coaster that has been my life for the past 6 months, and partially because I just feel like a gap this long deserves some major explaining and catching-up, and I've maybe been putting it off. :)

So - those being my only explanations, some updates:

* I moved back to Orange County from Mexico in December 2009 into my old apartment. I was really praying over whether this move would be permanent or not, due to my financial situation in Mexico (I'd saved enough $ to get through my initial 6 months at the orphanage, and the last half of the year, God miraculously had been providing for those needs each month, but the funds had run dry at that point) But a series of circumstances lead me back to the OC and God hadn't yet revelaed to me whether or not it was a permanent move.
BUT - over the course of that month, doors just kept opening for me to return to Mexico, which was SWEET cuz I knew my heart was still there, and that's where I wanted to be. So - I worked for a couple weeks, spent some quality time with friends and family then officially moved all my stuff down to Mexico Christmas day 2009.

* January brought us intense flooding in our tiny town of La Mision. It rained for what seemed like weeks on end and our little river valley was overwhelmed by all that water!
The orphanage itself was not affected, besides transportation becoming a bit difficult, but our local church and many local families were under water for some time.
It was a difficult time for many, but it was amazing to see the response of our community in coming together to help friends and neighbors in a crisis!

The La Mision valley, covered in water

Our church, Templo Elim. At one point it had 3 feet of water running through it.

The church dining hall literally all filled up.

Erin and I working to clean all the mud out of the medical clinic at the church.

* Easter weekend was, as always, full of church services and celebration over the life, death and RESURRECTION of Jesus! We had special services where some of our children performed an amazing, heart-wrenching drama over the death and resurrection of Christ (which I was blessed by being able to sing in!) and then had a 5AM sunrise service on Sunday morning. Sunday Afternoon we packed up our kids and staff and joined our church family along with 3 other local churches at a nearby swimming pool for baptisms and a picnic!
2 of our older girls were baptised, along with many other people from our community and afterwards, we had an amazing time of swimming, eating and hanging out in a GREAT community of people.
Most of us were still at the pool when the 7.2 earthquake struck Mexicali, and we all were stunned to feel and SEE the ground move so strongly and for so long! Thankfully, there was no damage or major freaking out (besides that of myself - because we all know I am deathly afraid of earthquakes) and our kids had a blast when the water started waving about because of the shaking!

The only picture I have of the kids in their drama at church. The costumes and set were amazing!

My boss DJ and our pastor Gustavo baptizing someone in our church family.

Having fun swimming after baptisms!

Besides all the natural disasters, we have been super busy with hosting visiting groups, working alongside other local ministries, and day to day life in the orphanage.

The next few posts will update you on things that I personally have been involved with since returning to Mexico and I promise that they will come sooner than in another 6 months!

As always, thank you all for your love and support and I'd love to hear from you: Jarilyn.wilson@gmail.com
Financial support or packages (:)) can be sent to me at:
P.O. Box 6434, Chula Vista, CA 91909 OR at the paypal link to the left.

Paz y Amor!!

... ... ...

2009-10-30T10:10:00.000-07:00

love is not a victory march - its a cold and its a broken hallelujah

...buena vida...

2009-10-01T12:02:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time. I want to try to put up a few smaller blogs that might encompass a large part of the last couple months.

So - one thing that has kept me pretty busy of late is helping to get the new dorm building at Buena Vida (the other orphanage in our town) ready for the kids to move in.

I've been talking things over with Norma, the new AWESOME American volunteer at Buena Vida, about all her decorating/fund raising/activity planning ideas for the orphanage and it has been exciting to be able to brain-storm with her. Multiple visiting groups have had a part in getting this dorm built and painted and tiled, etc. and it has been fun to see it come together. It is cool because with this new dorm, the orphanage will be able to care for more children, both boys and girls, and of all ages.

Well, last weekend I spent 2 entire days painting Bible Verses and decorative things on the freshly painted walls, as well as helping the girls get all their stuff moved over. The girls spent their first night in the new dorm Friday night and then Saturday we had a dedication service to pray over the new dorm building with some of our church family.

Pray for these kids and that their lives would be blessed by Norma and the new dorm building and that God would protect them all and provide for this orphanage always.

Here are some photos of the new dorm and also some of my painting project.

Hallway in the entrance to the dorm:

Me, in action:

My finished "textos":

Finished dorm:

Everyone who attended the dedication service:

...We heart visitors...

2009-08-15T14:23:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks have been full of non-stop groups, construction projects, craft projects, bonfires, beach/pool trips, etc. and it has been entirely exhausting and entirely wonderful at the same time. Here are a few pictures of groups and some of the things groups do while here...

They build houses for poor families in the community who need homes:

This house was for a single mother and her 4 kids who previously had been living in an old school bus.

Praying over a newly built house before handing over the keys to the family.

Groups do fun crafts and activities with the kids:

They make bottle rockets.

They play fun games.

They make yummy meals for the kids & staff.

It has been so good to have visitors here, both for the well-being of the orphanage, and for the sake of the kids!

...a bed and a blender...

2009-08-02T06:49:00.000-07:00

It often surprises me here how much poverty there is in an area soooooo close to one of the richest states in one of the richest countries in the world. I say it is a surprise, not because I forget that I am living and working in a very poor area, especially in a recession, but mainly because here, there is not often stark, immediately-slammed-in-your-face-at-first-sight poverty, and when you do find it hidden there, right under the surface, it kinda punches you in the stomach a little bit.

The thing is, Mexico (or at least, Baja California) is pretty good at hiding its poverty. No matter how poor a person is, they will almost always have their hair done nicely, wearing nice, clean clothing. Maybe I am a bit jaded after having done some work in Africa, where the immensity of the poverty is evident everywhere you turn, but still sometimes I forget where I am and about the poverty that surrounds me. I mean, we have Starbucks, Home Depot, Wal-Mart and Applebees in the closest city to us - it is easy to forget the economic situation in which we live.

I recently had an experience where I was invited to someone's "Home" and was struck, to the point of tears, by the humility of their living situation. I justify putting "home" in quotations because it is indeed a family's home - where they live and sleep and eat - but it is also a place where no one should ever have to call home.

After allowing my eyes to adjust to the dusty darkness of the inside, I could see that this was a little worse than I had been expecting. We occasionally bring groups to do grocery dispenses in an area where migrant farm workers live in tiny shacks with their entire families. Even those homes did not prepare me for this 7x10 cold concrete shell, where the graffiti-covered cinder block walls enclosed nothing but a tiny propane cook stove and a piece of particle board lifted up on bricks to make a bed.

It had been my experience up until this point, that even in the humblest of living situations - like the nearby migrant camps - people still are able to find things like beds, fans, tables, lamps, etc... basic home necessities to make even a shack somewhat livable. But this particular place is home to a newly married young couple with a 9 month old daughter, who have no nearby family, and have been out of work for months. There is no water, no table, no bed, no bathroom and electricity borrowed from a neighbor via an extension cord, which sustains a lukewarm mini-fridge and bare light bulb hanging on a hook in the wall. And they pay $80 a month rent for this place!

The young mother, Olivia recently landed a cooking job at the orphanage where I live and work, and that is how they walked into my life. I have somewhat adopted this family and am attempting to help them in any way that I can - God has really placed them on my heart. My boss is fully supporting this endeavor however he can, but keeps asking what it is about family that has fully grabbed my heart and attention - when there are 50 people a day at least who ask us for help and food and clothing for their families. I think that what grabbed me was the fact that they did not ask. Olivia and I had been fast friends for a couple of weeks before I heard about her small family's situation from a mutual friend. And even when she invited me to her home to meet her baby, the humility in both Olivia and her husband Noe was touching. They've never asked for anything, and they are happy - together as a family, and that one of them has finally found some work in our town. Olivia told me "Tengo mi esposo, y mi familia, y tenomos salud y trabajo... todo esta bien..." Basically that she has her family and they are healthy and she is working - what more could she need?

I think this is what always strikes me - here and in Africa too - that some of the most content people I have ever met in my life are the ones who have nothing. There is not the luxury to gripe or complain here - and when you're at the bottom, every blessing is noticed and appreciated.

When I asked Olivia if she would mind if I found them some things to make their home more comfortable, she was already overwhelmed with appreciation. She said to me "Jay (no one here can say my full name) I would be perfectly happy if you could find us a bed and a blender - so that I can make salsa." A bed and a blender - all she needs to feel comfortable. My.Heart.Broke.

I have since found her a bed and clothing and food for all in the family, but am still looking for a blender, and dining room table, a crib for the baby, pots and pans, a lamp, etc. etc. etc... And maybe even a better living situation all together.

She has also started making appearances in our church services, which is awesome since the family are not Christians. I do not like to push my faith on people - to make them feel like I have in-your-face ulterior motives in provding what little help I can (I know many of you disagree on this - but I believe that God is big and will/can water any seed planted). But I want to always attempt to live out my faith and follow in the footsteps of Jesus - and hopefully seeds will be planted and people will see that. If people ask (and they almost always do) why we do what we do - why we would help people we barely even know - then I tell them, without holding back. And I always pray for the opportunity to do so.

So I tell you all this asking that you join me in this prayer. And also maybe hoping that some of you might want to help me in this endeavor. If anyone wants to donate or sponsor any of the items listed above, OR anything else to this family, let me know. I love you all! :)

...noche de peliculas...

2009-07-13T21:58:00.001-07:00

Tonight, Lauren and I headed over to the other orphanage in our town, Buena Vida, to have a movie night. There are about 15 girls there and many of them have been here at Door of Faith at one time or another, so we have good relationships with them all.

The last week or so has been ridiculously busy and non-stop so we were sooooo tired and almost canceled, but I'm always glad to spend time with these girls. There is one worker to the 15 of them and not a whole lot of room to play and have fun in. So it is good for them to have visitors and distractions whenever possible. Tonight was no exception.

Armed with Veggie Tales, chips and soda, we had a great time!

...dias muy tristes...

2009-06-26T10:24:00.000-07:00

Sometimes our children leave. For one reason or another, they do not always stay here forever. Sometimes, they go back to their families, which is usually a very good and happy situation. Sometimes, for a plethora of different reasons, they get moved to other orphanages or centers. Regardless of the reasons, or where they are going, it is always a sad day for us. You become so attached to these children after living, playing, eating, loving with them everyday - it is never an easy situation.

Yesterday was one such day. We lost 2 of our little ones. They are going to live with their grandmother who loves them and will take very good care of them, so it is a dia muy feliz, but it is still a hard situation for those of us still here. :)

A few pictures of the little guys, Bryan and Isaac, that I will be missing a great deal!

Myself with 2 year old Isaac

The brothers hugging. Precious.

Typical Isaac

Gonna miss these guys! :)

...I do not want to forget...

2009-06-20T10:20:00.000-07:00

It’s like forgetting the words to your favorite song
You can’t believe it
You were always singing along
It was so easy and the words so sweet
You can’t remember
You try to feel the beat

You spent half of your life trying to fall behind
You’re using your headphones to drown out your mind
It was so easy, and the words so sweet
You can’t remember
You try to move your feet

...and I hope I never forget...

...estoy aqui...

2009-06-11T17:38:00.000-07:00

Hi all! I am still here, although I just realized this morning that it's been almost an entire month since I last blogged.

I feel like there is not a whole lot to share about the last month that would interest you, and yet I feel like it was very busy and extremely emotionally exhausting.

Usually, I keep track of what's been going on simply by taking pictures of things I want to share with you. And then when it's time for an update, I will go through my recent photos and remember the events I wanted to blog about. But upon viewing the most recent photos on my camera, I realize there's not a whole lot to share.

A few highlights:
* Bonny The Best took me to TWO back to back concerts in LA - The Decemberists and Ben Folds. Both were AM.AZ.ING!
* Got to spend 5 days in Riverside with my family, as well as some close friends I've been missing a lot!
* Val came to visit from Portland!! For a few days and it was SO good to see her and spend time with her! And Sam and Theresa even got to come for a night! SO much fun!
* Got to go Quincenera dress shopping for Julieta, one of our special needs children who will have her 15th birthday party in July! (Her dress will be neon pink and blue! :) )

I am still trying to raise enough funds to be able to stay here until at least October (which would be an entire year of me being here). I would like to get the orphanage at least through the summertime, and have committed to staying as long as is financially possible. If you would like to help out with this, let me know, or donate via the paypal link on this page.

I will post a more complete update soon, including pictures! Love to all! Hope all is well!

:)

...enough with all the “big one” talk…

2009-05-19T17:21:00.000-07:00

I hadn’t even been in Orange County for 5 minutes before I felt an earthquake. UGH.
“Fear Not” says the Lord… And this I know… Still, I am terrified of earthquakes…

“For I know the plans I have for you” says God, and STILL I am terrified of them. But I will trust in You, Lord, for You are with me.

And so I head to the center of all the recent quakes, Los Angeles, to spend not one, but TWO, concert nights with Bons. I am excited for The Decemberists and for Ben Folds, but nothing compares to my excitement of spending a couple days with my bestie.

:)

...tengo mucho sueño...

2009-05-03T08:32:00.000-07:00

So this last week or so has been busy Busy BUSY! It began with Swine Flu taking over yet another part of our lives (even though there have been NO confirmed cases of it here in Baja) with the closing of ALL Mexican schools for 2 weeks, AND all of our kids being quarantined to the orphanage property for those 2 weeks.

Last Thursday was Mexico's Dia Del Niño (Day of the Child) and it was celebrated here with TWO complete days of fun and food and games! An AWESOME GROUP provided BBQs, Bounce Houses, a RAD DJ, toys and pools for the kids for both days. They also had little ultralight planes in which they took some of us staff up in over the beach! It was so much fun!

Lauren and I also managed to organize a late-night time for all of our staff to get to join in on the fun!! haha It was AWESOME FUN!

Me, obviously very excited to get this thing started!

One of our dorm moms, Lucy, decided to take me down with her:

Lauren and I racing down to the bottom - it got a little brutal at times. :)

The morning of the second day, we headed to the beach for our flying time with another great group who was involved, but had some time to chill out while the planes were being prepped:

We also got to take a quick walk on the beach, running into an unfortunate little whale who apparently couldn't make it back to the water. :(

FINALLY, the planes were ready to go, and we got all geared up!

And UP we went into the sky...

...And over the ocean!

We have also had to get creative in keeping the kids entertained as much as possible while they are out of school - someone donated a box of "Make & Bakes" - where you can make your own little stained glass windows in the oven with metal frames and colored beads. (I remember making these when I was little!) We had a blast!

Here is Emmanuel with his masterpiece - A race car:

aaaaand a few other random pictures:

Myself with Esther...

...and again with Lalo...

...Victor, self-taken...

...and Ramon!

While it was a loooooong week, it was a good one - especially full of fun for our kids!

In closing - this evening I went walking with some of our staff and older girls (they walk every night!) and we ran into a large Kingsnake. While these are not poisonous snakes, it is our policy to kill all snakes on our property in case we let one go and the kids start to think ALL snakes are OK. This one was no exception and I helped to kill him, although I was sad to do so... Here is the snake, and then me with him in his final headless state...

...dear friends and family...

2009-04-28T18:00:00.000-07:00

... I do not have Swine Flu. Nor does anyone I know, or anyone near me. In fact, according to my research, more people have gotten the flu in California than here in Baja California. Therefore, it is safer here - come visit me.

I do, however, appreciate your concern. Although - after having malaria, twice, I feel as if Swine Flu would be a walk in the park - I pray that I never get to find out for sure though.

Much Love!

Jare

Ps - Here is an awesome picture of a CUTE kid, Bryan!!

...mi lugar favorito...

2009-04-22T11:05:00.000-07:00

So for the past couple of months, Lauren, Kristy & I have been utilizing the roof of my house as a tanning bed. :) It is the perfect place to lay out and catch some rays where no one can see you, or know that you're even there.

The past couple of days though, I've also been spending my quiet time and reading time up there, since it has gotten SO warm this week (yay!) and today I realized how extremely lucky and blessed I am to live in such a beee-ooo-ti-ful place! This is the view from my lawn chair on the roof - notice the sheep and horses, and the mountains looming in the background. :)

I also took some pictures of my little rooftop garden, which includes tomatoes, carrots, Brussels sprouts, broccoli and all kinds of herbs!

... ...

2009-04-14T10:59:00.001-07:00

...the wanting does indeed come in waves...

...Jesus is Awesome...

2009-04-12T22:05:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter everyone! I hope it was blessed and full of love and fun!

I've been up since 4:30 this morning for our church's sunrise service, so I'm a'gonna keep this short, but it's been a GREAT weekend - Yesterday one of our older girls, Flor, had her Quincenera, and it was SO much fun! And man was she gorgeous. (I'll post pictures soon...)

Then today, we had the sunrise service, followed by breakfast, and then a couple hours later began an all day BBQ/baptism at some nearby swimming pools. It was good times for all! And sunburns for all the guerros. It was AWESOME to see so many people baptized.

We got home after dinnertime and had some Guitar Hero fun with a couple of the older boys, before Lauren and I headed out to La Fonda for some Snickers/chocolate cake and coffee... what a loooooong and busy weekend, and I loved every minute of it!

Some GH pictures for your viewing pleasure... It is always so much fun! :)

...no puedo dormir...

2009-04-07T01:38:00.000-07:00

It's 1:30AM and I can't sleep. Not sure if it's the fact that it's actually warm tonight, and I've been used to freezing at night since I moved here, or the fact that there are birds and crickets still loudly vocalizing their approval of the warmth, OR the fact that I've had a lot on my plate this past week and have been STRESSED OUT - but here I am, wide awake.

But I have comfort in the following, and it has been the theme of my life for a while now... I hope you take comfort in it as well...

Luke 12:22-31 -

"Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

"Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek the Kingdom of God, and all these things will be given to you as well."

Wow. WOW! Be anxious for nothing. Do not worry about ANYTHING. This is one of the most difficult concepts to grasp. God has EVERY teency detail of our lives in His hands and He will take care of us. I am learning everyday what it truly means to seek His Kingdom FIRST, and while it has NOT been easy, it has been beautiful - seeing more and more of who He is each day. I pray the same for all of you.

I had pages and pages in my head when I started typing, but have been sitting here staring at the screen for quite some time now, so I think I will call it a night. But I love you and am praying for you!

...buenos...

2009-03-31T23:50:00.000-07:00

Some of the best parts of my week...

#1

#2

#3

:)

...a day in the life...

2009-03-25T09:18:00.000-07:00

So I missed keeping track of a few days - It has been a VERY busy week. Not to mention incredibly emotionally draining and relationally exhausting. :)

But I wanted to show you all what yesterday looked like, as it was as close to "typical" as we get when there are groups on site...

- Tuesday March 24 -

*6:30am-8:00am - Got ready for the day and talked with my roomie, Lauren, about what the day would look like for us and our 2 groups on site.
*8:00am - Met with the rest of the staff in the kitchen for morning coffee and staff meeting.
*9:00am - Went up to our Upper Campground to meet with our college age visiting group to go over their projects for the day.
*9:30am-12:00pm - Organized, oversaw and provided supplies for 60+ people from various groups doing various painting, cleaning and construction projects here on site. (This is one of the biggest parts of what we do here)
*12:00pm - Had lunch with the children.
*1:00pm - Lauren and I took 2 of our older girls to Ensenada for a Quinceñera dress fitting, and to buy shoes and jewelry to go with her dress.
*5:00pm - Again stopped at my favorite taco stand, El Trailero, on the way home from Ensenada for a yummy torta dinner. :)
*5:30pm - Stopped at a Military Checkpoint and for 15 minutes sat through the soldiers wanting to flirt and practice their English with us. They're harmless, and sometimes it's actually quite flattering and entertaining, but it is just another part of what we deal with day to day.
*6:00pm-8:30pm - Made it back in time to check on both groups in both campgrounds and join in a loooong campfire discussion with one group.
*9:00pm-10:00pm - Followed up on some scheduling/organizing emails with groups visiting in the next couple of weeks.
*10:30pm-ish - FINALLY got to bed. what a loooong day! :)

...a day in the life...

2009-03-18T10:07:00.000-07:00

- Tuesday 3/17 -

* 6:30am-8:00am - Woke up, ate breakfast, saw the kids off to school.
* 8:00am - Met the rest of the DOFO staff at the kitchen for coffee/daily staff meeting.
* 9:00am - 12:00pm - Worked clearing/tilling land for our garden and orchard and watered my garden!
* 12:30pm - Ate lunch with the Ninos!
* 1:15pm - Took my daily online Spanish lesson.
* 2:00pm - Left for Ensenada to take one of our older girls, Flor, for a fitting for her Quincenera dress! (Her big day is in April!)
* 5:00pm - After finishing with Flor's fitting, stopped by "El Trailero", the most amazing taco stand in Baja, for tacos and tortas.
* 6:00pm-8:30pm - Helped some of our oldest kids with finishing and printing their homework.

...a day in the life...

2009-03-18T09:19:00.001-07:00

Hi! So people ask quite often what a typical day looks like for me here at Door of Faith. And seeing as how there really are no "typical" days here, and how no 2 days here are ever the same, I thought I'd start keeping track of a few so you get the idea. :)

- MONDAY 3/16 -

* 6:30am - Woke up.
* 7:30am - Went down to the school room to pray with the kids before they left for school (we do this every Monday morning) only to realize that today was a National holiday and there was no school.
* 8:00am - Met the rest of the DOFO staff for coffee down at the kitchen.
* 8:30am - Left for the US with another volunteer, Kristy, to run some errands in San Diego.
* 11:00am-4:00pm - Finally made it across the border after a 1.5 hour line and between our states-side storage unit, multiple stores, banking and money exchanging, ran a BUNCH of errands.
* 5:15pm - Made it back to the orphanage in time to meet & greet a newly arrived group who is building a house for a family in our town.
* 5:30pm - had dinner with the kids (i miss them after not seeing them all day!)
* 6:30pm-8:00pm - Had some of the older boys over to play Guitar Hero at my house! (Which is AWESOME to watch!)

... hard times...

2009-02-27T19:47:00.000-08:00

As the economy fails and the violence in Mexico gains more US news coverage, our visiting groups and donations decrease.
We've been making cuts where we can, but some things - such as weekly food dispenses to the poor in our community - we feel are too important to cut unless we absolutely need to.
we have been very blessed. our children are never without food, clothing, education, etc. but we are afraid for the seemingly imminent and near future.

That said, it's been kinda cool to see the way people here are pulling together to make the dollars go as far as they can. from upping the amount of water we mix in our pine-sol and clorox, to our cooks coming up with ridiculously creative recipe ideas in order to use what food we already have (like the mashed potato/hot-dog tacos we had for dinner tonight). :)

Pray for us to be the best stewards we can be with what we are provided and to be able to provide for our 100+ children even as the world around us collapses.

Pray also for my own heart - and the increase in anxiety and fatigue that have been plaguing me for some time now. I am feeling particularly down this week, and would appreciate your prayers. Love you all!!

...amo mi vida....

2009-01-26T19:20:00.000-08:00

There has been much to do around DOFO these last few weeks. January is almost gone and I can't believe it has gone so quickly! A few highlights...

** Ana's Quinceñera - All of our girls get a party for their 15th birthday, as is the Mexican tradition. The dress, the cake, the church service, the whole nine yards. I got to take her to a few of the dress fittings, so it was cool to be able to watch her enjoy the entire process! Que Bonita!

Ana:

Ana with her escort, Gerardo:

Ana and I:

** I was able to sneak away for a few days and take a quick vacay in the OC, which was nice. It was great to see my besties.

Bonfire (of course):

At the movies with licorice straws:

Lunch with Andie (yay! she's back!):

Alta!!:

** Andrew was finally able to come down for a visit and completely funded and planted the start of our new orchard(Thank you!) (I have been praying for an orchard since i got here!) It is my new favorite place, and I am in the process of planting vegetables there as well!!

The 8 baby trees (Oranges, limes, lemons and mangoes):

Besides that, it's just been LOTS of visiting groups, multiple projects, lots to coordinate. It's hard work, but it's a lot of fun. And with the Spring Break coming up, we're just getting started. :)

Oh - And my fave part - just hanging out with the niños!

Two of my faves, Marcos & Samy:

Lalo:

Abraham & I:

Edgar:

...Highlights from the last few weeks...

2008-12-28T08:51:00.000-08:00

So Christmas at an orphanage is INSANE, let me tell you. Weeks of non stop preparation and decorating and organizing groups and events and numerous Santa Claus visits. (I think we had 4 Santas come down this year).

Various groups will buy gifts for all of our kids and come to down to distribute them. So it's pretty cool that on top of the gifts that come rolling in for Christmas day, our kids get to open presents for weeks before too.

And then there are various church services, school events and what-not. But it was all worth it, and consensus says that our kids had a GREAT Christmas.

On the night before Christmas Eve, everyone at the orphanage gathers for a Christmas service (ie: Talent Competition) here on site. It was so cute! All of the kids dressed up and sang and danced and performed dramas.

This was my favorite. All the littlest boys danced around with antlers and red noses to "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer - amazing.

After the services, we had a feast of tamales and buñuelos and more amazing things. We had decorated the kitchen beforehand and it was such a fun environment with everyone still dressed up from the service!

Making tamales:

Then for New Years Eve, we took our oldest kids to a service at our church in town, where we all gathered together and prayed in the New Year as a church. After that, we ate food, drank champurrado and had piñatas til 2AM! It was a fun way to celebrate the coming of the New Year! I LOVE celebrating with our kids!

12/17: Tenemos Un Rio Grande

2008-12-21T15:51:00.000-08:00

There is a riverbed that runs through the orphanage property and out through the La Mision valley. It is usually full of rocks and trash, but little else, especially not water. Some of the staff here refer to it as "El Rio Grande", which I would laugh at as it seemed impossible for it to ever contain any water, let alone enough to actually flow. I was definitely proved wrong last week as we had three straight days of rain. The rain created problems and became quite annoying, but I must say that a river across the road from my house is pretty nice to have.

What's really cool is that if the river is flowing, it is coming from an awesome waterfall in the back of our valley. Of course, a few of us couldn't resist hiking up to see it, even in the rain. It was BEAUTIFUL up there!

(that little white dot to the left of the waterfall is one of our older boys who hiked all the way up there!!)

Meanwhile, the rain was doing a number on some of the buildings on our property, including the house that Lauren and I live in. We first noticed that one of our walls contained big pockets full of water underneath the paint, which was odd enough. But then we realized that the water was coming from INSIDE of our electrical wall box. Water was leaking and dripping through all of the electric wiring for our house. fortunately someone was able to lay a tarp across our entire roof to stop the leak temporarily before our house caught on fire.

We also have a LARGE sheer cliff rising up about a foot away from the back of our house. Rain + cliffs = no bueno. Lauren and I would not be defeated - we busted out a bottle of sparkling cider and toasted the adventure of living in Mexico, over the uneven rhythm of rocks and mud and dirt falling down against our house.

Supposedly the "biggest storm of the year" is still headed our way. Pray for God's protection over this place, as I'm not sure that we can handle much more water. :)

11/25 - 12/1: P-TOWN!!!

2008-12-15T20:52:00.000-08:00

So the trip to Portland was AMAZINGly awesome. (Thanks V&R for everything!)
It was coooooold as always, but while it poured here in Mexico, we had clear blue skies in P-town almost the entire time! It was absolutely beautiful up there!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with Val's fam, complete with some of the BEST food ever! (Thanks Ken & Karen!!)

We even got to meet up with Lay & Chen for a day and trek around the most beautiful waterfalls I've ever seen! And you could walk on top, around and in BACK of them! It was such a fun day! (Especially meeting Lay's family - who are perfect and better than I could've ever imagined :))

It was great to see, and just get to hang out with, VAL! I love and miss her MUCHO!

It was a great trip - complete with Powell's, Haunted Pizza, East Portland, Mt. Hood in the distance, Chloe & Mia - and I can't wait for the next one! :)

...Adios...

2008-11-22T18:16:00.001-08:00

...At least for a little while...

As my boss says, it's not like he can fire me for taking time off after only being here a month... haha

Tomorrow morning I am leaving DOFO super early and heading to the 951 to see mi amigos y mi familia for a couple days. Then I head to the OC to see mi otro familia. Then Tuesday I FINALLY get to fly to Portland to see VAL-erina y su familia! (i have been waiting for this trip forever!)

So - all that to say - there will be no blogging for a week or so, but fear not for I shall return! And I know I will miss my ninos very VERY much!

Happy Thanksgiving-time! I am thankful for you all!

...porch-sick...

2008-11-21T18:40:00.000-08:00

This past week homesickness has been hitting me especially hard. maybe because i've been sick and had no one to take care of me. maybe because much has been going on in my head and in my heart. MAYBE because i will be there soon and can not WAIT! This is home to me..........

...El Otro Lado...

2008-11-19T20:51:00.000-08:00

On Monday Lauren and I went up to "The Other Side", as they call the United States around these parts. :)

The line at the border crossing was the worst I've seen yet, and took us almost 3 hours! Mexico was celebrating a holiday that day (The 20th of November = some type of Independence Day) so we anticipated that the line would be longer but still.... it was brutal....

We started out getting re-routed through Tijuana 4 times before actually making it to the line...

we were still in good spirits at that point...

3 hours later, however.......

But it was a good day. I like having cell phone reception every once in a while and being able to text and call people. And of course, after running orphanage errands we are able to stop for all of the necessities....

(yes - we did them both in one day. in one HOUR in fact.)

We were actually able to get back across the border before dark this time, and stopped at our local beach in time to see the sunset...

...ocupado ocupado ocupado...

2008-11-14T10:17:00.000-08:00

A lot has happened in the past week or so that I've been meaning to post. but it's been a crazy week, and it has kicked my butt.
so i will attempt to catch up now. :)

First, last Friday, Lauren and I hosted a movie night at our house for one of the childrens' dorms. We want to eventually have one for each dorm, but this first one was with the 3 - 8 year old girls. We watched Mary Poppins in español. We had popcorn and cookies and went and personally picked the girls up in our pajamas (they were all wearing theirs too!) It was a big to-do! We had so much fun, although everyone was sleeping by the middle of the movie. :)

Also on Friday night, 2 of our 4 groups of the weekend showed up. One of which we were not expecting, so we had to quickly get the campground ready for them (which involves getting them water and propane), which turned out fine.

On Saturday, 3 different groups covered all 3 meals for the staff and kids, which was AWESOME. We had eggs, bacon and sausage, we had carne asada BBQ and then pizza! (the kids LOVE pizza. and there is a local man in town who brings his own oven to the orphanage to make them on-site. different people sponsor this activity and it is the kids' favorite meal!) Saturday and Sunday was full of group activities and projects, and then Sunday the groups left just before we loaded up the kids for church.

Sunday to Monday we had another group of a little over 100 people on site from Las Vegas. It was a High School Youth Group and they provided funds for our Pastor's wife to come cook a carne asada dinner (which was amazing).

Lauren, Brendan, Sarah, Grace (Brendan & Sarah's awesome 2 year old) and I also took a shopping trip to Ensenada on Monday. It was my first time in Ensenada, and I pretty much love it there.

Then Wednesday, I made 6 birthday cakes! 6! haha Thankfully we didn't have to make all of the cupcakes as well this time, since a visiting group had brought a HUGE cake that we were able to hand out to everyone else! I love birthdays! It is a Mexican tradition that you get to take the first bite out of your cake, while everyone else around you tries to push your face in the cake. Some of the 6 birthday-kids weren't strong enough to hold off everyone else this time! haha
(I thought I had a picture, but i can't find it) :(

Today, the first of 3 weekend groups are coming in. Sarah and Lauren and I are taking a quick trip to Puerto Nuevo to get some Christmas shopping done before they get here. The Vineyard church of Anaheim is bringing a large group this weekend - and since that is DJ's home church, it will be a special weekend for him to have many friends on site. We also have a college softball team providing dinner tonight! (I love when groups bring food!) and then 2 more groups roll in tomorrow morning!

All that to say, it should be another eventful weekend and I am excited! I still love it here, and hope you all are WELL!!

...ikindahatetoday...

2008-11-13T13:00:00.000-08:00

so today sucks. and it's only 1 o'clock.
This morning there were tensions and major control issues going on at our staff meeting.
but i've been trying to convince myself that it's not that big of a deal and not to get upset. UNTIL.....

My dog died. about 15 minutes ago. they think he drank water with some antifreeze in it and some kids found him in a restroom barking and foaming at the mouth. then he started seizing and they sent someone in to "put him down". I couldn't stick around after that.

pray for today. for my attitude and energy. and my heart after my doggy died. he's been my constant, loyal companion for 3 weeks.

...love in a bracelet...

2008-11-11T10:35:00.000-08:00

when i first got here, I commented on how many colorful bracelets my roommate Lauren had crammed onto both of her wrists... she replied with something like "when the kids start making you bracelets, you know that they really love and accept you...."

i got my first bracelet on saturday! haha i was Stoked! i mean - i have a good time with the kids... and they've even been having a better time with saying my name lately... but this was a bracelet! This was the dropping of walls and accepting me with open arms! i may be over analyzing this a tad, but still - it was a pretty big event. :)

my internet has been pretty spotty all day, so it's taking forever - i will attempt to write more later!

2008-11-09T20:12:00.000-08:00

there’s still a little bit of your taste in my mouth

there’s still a little bit of you laced with my doubt

it’s still a little hard to say what's going on

learning spanish and making cupcakes

2008-11-04T19:47:00.000-08:00

Hi!

I spent a huge part of yesterday helping one of the older girls with her English homework... Ana is 14, and I'm pretty sure she was attempting to coerce me into DOING the homework FOR her, but she quickly realized that wouldn't work. which meant that both of us had to use an online translator to communicate with each other and to figure out what exactly the directions were telling us to do. needless to say, this involved much time and maybe a little frustration, but we got it all done, and it ended up being just as much of a Spanish lesson for me as an English lesson for Ana. :)

Door of Faith has a tradition where each child's birthday is celebrated with their own homemade cake! All of the other kids also get cupcakes on each birthday. Today we had 2 birthdays, so Lauren and I spent the entire afternoon baking birthday cakes and cupcakes. It's a lot of work, but the kids LOVE it!

This morning, I also woke up early to see some of the kids off to school! Each day, our school age children make up a large part of the population of the 6 different public schools in the area. I can't begin to tell you how precious all the kids are lined up in their school uniforms and with their oversized, colorful backpacks! I hope to take better pictures of this soon!

This weekend we are hosting 4 groups on site, and providing projects for them all, so the next few days will be insane as we prepare for their arrival! But I am excited as this will be my first "weekend of insanity", as one of the other staff members calls it. :) I will post more SOON!!! :)

Here is a fun picture with some of the kids who frequent our living room... Jesus, Cinthia and Angelina. :)

Hola Mi Amigos!!

2008-10-30T16:49:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone! I'd like to first apologize for being in Mexico for almost an entire week already and not updating the blog until now! I quickly learned that life here is pretty non-stop and that this will be like no work I have done before.

I have gotten all settled into my new house and I absolutely love my new roommate, Lauren. I have also already adopted a dog! :)

So far we have had no visiting groups since I've been here, but have a good deal of people scheduled to come down in the next few weeks. For now, I am thankful that I've gotten to spend the days getting to know the 120+ children living here, the Mexican staff and my co-missionaries. (There are 6 of us Americans working for DOFO in all)

It has been tough not knowing Spanish, but the kids are GREAT and patient teachers, so hopefully I'll be able to verbally communicate in no time!

I am committed to making blogging a regular part of my days (as often as possible at least) and am excited to share with you all the day-to-day happenings here at the orphanage.

I sincerely and GREATLY appreciate all of the encouragement and support, both financial and through prayer. I am happy to share that I have almost raised enough to stay an entire 6 months, and I could not have done it without you!! The plan is to stay indefinitely - as long as God provides for me to - and I am stoked that so many of you have decided to share in the journey with me!

I will post more very soon, and as always, feel free to email me! I'd love to hear from you (Jarilyn.wilson@gmail.com) I love and miss you all so much!

Here are some pictures of my new home!!

My house:

My dog, Che:

My new, LOUD neighbors - haha!!:

p.S. - I miss Office Thursdays already.

2008-09-27T13:26:00.000-07:00

Dearest Loved Ones :),

I pray that this letter finds you healthy and happy. It has been far too long since I have spoken to many of you, and I know that rumors have been spreading about me and my whereabouts. “Jare is moving to New York! She is going back to Africa! She is staying home and going to grad school!” These rumors have all been spread by my own tongue, as all of these options have been recently on my mind at one point or another.

But I wanted to let you all in on the final decision as to where my life will be taking me next! I am going to live and work at Door of Faith Orphanage in Baja, Mexico (www.dofo.org). I plan on relocating as soon as Mid-October and am very excited about the opportunity.

For the past couple of years, I have been visiting, volunteering at, and transporting supplies to Door of Faith in La Mision, Mexico, which is a rural town right in between Rosarito and Ensenada in Baja. Over my frequent day trips to the orphanage, I have gotten to know the directors and staff well, and during my last visit, we all talked about what it might look like for me to move down there and help out with some existing, and some new parts of their organization. At first, I thought “There’s no way! It’s not the right timing! I just CAN’T!” But as time goes on, and my prayers seek more and more what GOD wants for my life, regardless of whether or not I think it is correct or ideal, it has become clear to me that this opportunity is not to be passed up.

Hundreds of visitors a year go to volunteer their time and resources to DOFO’s existing ministries, and I will be helping to make their time comfortable, organized and fulfilling. It will be challenging and stretching work, but I am confident that God provides us with all we need when we follow His leading; and I truly believe that He is leading me to Door of Faith.

I invite you to share this journey with me. While I can provide accommodations for visitors and will GLADLY welcome anyone wishing to visit, I also need support – both financially and prayerfully.

Whether you can make a one-time monetary donation, or can commit to providing monthly support (for however long and for however much you feel comfortable), I would greatly appreciate it. I have committed to staying for at least 3 months, but anticipate staying as long as is financially possible. I have calculated my monthly expenses (including insurance, car payment, and student loans) to be approximately $500 a month.

I will also need much prayer: That God will lead me towards projects and relationships that HE has ordained; That visitors coming to volunteer their time and resources will leave with transformed lives and hearts; That God will reveal to me his long-term plan for my involvement with DOFO, but that I will be patient for HIS timing.

And I will also commit to provide you with frequent updates surrounding my work in Baja, complete with pictures and adventure details! I will also be maintaining a this blog of my time in Mexico, so be sure to check it regularly!

If you have ANY questions or just wanna chat, PLEASE call or email me. (951) 323-2330; Jarilyn.wilson@gmail.com Should you wish to mail me a monetary donation, my mailing address is (and will remain) 524 Clubhouse Ave., Apt. C, Newport Beach, CA 92663. You can also click on the "Donate Now" link below to make a donation directly to my Paypal account from yours!

I love you and appreciate your prayer and love and support more than you could know!