written by Jill Adams
A few weeks ago we received a sibling group of three here at the home. The oldest is a 10-year-old boy and the other two are girls ages 7 and 8. They arrived here illiterate, lice-infested, dirty, underweight, full of rotting teeth, and extremely delayed in their development. It’s unbelievable to see them change in just a few weeks. Now they are receiving an education, medical and dental care, a loving stable home, a clean living environment and 3 meals a day. I have often wondered where these kids would be if they didn’t arrive here or how their lives would turn out. These kids have not had much of a childhood and have suffered abuse and violence. Their parents’ battle with alcohol and drug use and the children have been abandoned for very long periods of time. Their 18 –year-old sister has been trying to care for them and two other siblings, as well as her own baby. She also has never been to school and therefore can’t get any sort of job. She would often beg on the streets for them to have something to eat. She is very relieved that they are being cared for.
Oaxaca is the second poorest state in Mexico and there are currently 800 kids living in orphanages throughout the state. The “new kids” are a reminder of the extreme poverty and the broken families that mark this part of the world. Our ultimate goal is that the children living in our home will be changed and impacted so that they can break the cycle of poverty. We hope that their children and grandchildren will grow up with the healthy family and necessary resources that they deserve.
Jill is a member of Common Change and grew up in Canton, Michigan and went to Calvin College. After graduation, she served at Willow Creek Community Church for three years. In 1999, she took her first mission trip to the Baja Mission. After 10 years of leading teams to the Baja Mission she felt that God was calling her to serve full time with Foundation for His Ministry. In 2007, she arrived in Oaxaca thinking she would stay for a year and work with groups. That was almost seven years ago and she now considers Oaxaca home.