Week One

We are in the process of settling in here in Mazatlan. The majority of our time has been spent searching for long term housing , checking out every listing we can find from the ghetto to the gated. 

We are strengthening existing friendships and forming new ones. We are trying to pick up the Maz slang and lose the “pocho” lingo of northern Mexico. We are acclimating to the weather and getting a few shades darker in the process.

We had the opportunity to meet an 18 year old mother of two this week. We were introduced through some friends who know of our desire to open a daycare. They felt she would be the perfect candidate for such a place. The children, Kena, 18 months, and Daniela, 7 months, are left with a lady in the community while Maria, their mother, works “arriba” in the garbage dump. Daniela first drew the attention of our friends a few weeks ago at a church event in the area of the dump. 

They noticed that she was exceptionally tiny and offered to take mom and daughter to the doctor. The doctor told Maria that her daughter was severely malnourished and anemic. While the physical state of Daniela was shocking, what was the most heartbreaking was Maria’s lack of comprehension of the dire situation in which she and her child are in.  Maria is a young, single mother; does not have an education and is unable to read; works in a garbage dump; and struggles daily to provide for her two babies. 

This for us was further confirmation from God that we are supposed to be here. We know there is a need, but to be presented with the living evidence of that need and to feel the burden God has placed on our hearts to love and care for these children and their families is a both comforting and challenging thing.

The road ahead is not an easy one. It will be overrun with heartbreaking stories like Maria’s. We know there is hard work ahead. But we know that with your support and prayers, together we can be instruments of change.