Note Silvia’s damaged left foot from a bus accident that occurred as she was traveling from visiting her parents in Colima to the casa hogar. The accident occurred in the City of Querétero.
Julia, the baby cow who was named by Alejandra. Elizabeth is at left, Alejandra in the center and Estrella on the right.
Mama Cow, who was named Lola by Alejandra, and baby cow, who was named Julia by Juan Francisco.
Juan Francisco and Julia
Silvia and Julia
Federated Church from Kingfisher, OK traveled to La Familia with a
mission team this month. They arrived in Tecamachalco on Tuesday, February 26 and departed on Monday, March 4 to spend their final day in the City of Puebla en route back to the Mexico City Airport.
Three of the missioners made their first trip to La Familia and the five remaining had traveled to Mexico to visit the children and staff on multiple occasions over the past several years. Patty Tilghman was leader of the Oklahoma team. I met the team in Houston and escorted them to our hotel in Tecamachalco.
The primary project that’s in process right now is constructing a small two-room office building on the front of the property (next to the exterior wall) to give the directors a quiet and private space to process new children who are moving into the casa hogar. In the past, the only place to orient the new children and get paperwork filled out was the dining and study area on the first floor, which is everything but private. The times when new children arrive are frequently anxious, stressful and full of unknowns for those just arriving.
Chuy’s first cousin is the general contractor on the construction job. His name is Roman and Roman is the same contractor who constructed the small open air bodega just outside the walls of the main house that is being used to store fruits and vegetables.
Another project that is in progress at La Familia is completing several projects that were a part of the master plan. Helping fund this work are the owners of a biochemical firm located in Cuidad Serdan, the town where La Familia was located before moving to Tehuacan and two years later to Palmarito, our present location.
To go along with the iron railings that have been installed on the balconies on the front of the main building, the perimeter wall will be completed with an iron railing along the top of the wall, individual pavers (what Mexicans call adoquines) and additional lighting will be installed in the area where the home’s vehicles park and the parishioners park while attending church on Sunday mornings and Thursday evenings.
Below are posted several photographs from the trip:
Mission teams from two South Carolina cities, York and Greenville, joined forces at La Familia during late June and early July for the primary purpose of building a SoundStage for the “Praise Band” that plays and sings as a part of Sunday Morning Worship Services.
Once erected, the wooden structure was sanded, stained and carpeted. All wiring for electricity and microphones was routed beneath the stage floor. (See Photograph)
Pictured below working the construction project are Kevin Duncan of York, SC and Kevin Landmesser of Greenville.
Joining in to assist Robbie Hamilton of Greenville, are Juan Francisco (director of the casa hogar), Chuy (volunteer) and Josue (La Familia resident).
Led by Steve DePeder, the 18-person mission team from Saint Andrews Episcopal in Downers Grove, IL erected a much-needed carport-like structure to house the casa’s two vans and the new little “four-seater” Chevrolet Spark. (See Attached Photographs)
The project began with the team moving all of Silvia’s peach trees that were beginning to blossom, to a new home across the side yard and digging a dozen or so post holes to house the support poles that were set in concrete. Next the cross-beams were erected followed with fastening metal roofing material to the steel cross beams.
A 17-person team from Saint Andrews Episcopal in Downers Grove, IL worked tirelessly every day of their mission trip to La Familia to construct a carport to protect our vehicles from the weather.
La Familia now has three vehicles: a 15-Passenger Chevrolet Van, a 12-Passenger VW Diesel van and a small four-seater Chevrolet Spark to help reduce the gasoline expense on short trips to the market, etc.
Team leader, Steve DePeder was so committed to completing the carport before the mission trip ended that he hardly left the jobsite long enough to eat and sleep. Juan Francisco, along with staff members Luis and Chuy and several of the older boys (both from Saint Andrews and from La Familia) were right there working with the adults as they moved trees to make room for the carport, as they bolted sheets of metal roofing to the frame and as they mixed and poured all of the concrete by hand.
Below are a few photographs of the work in progress as well as the completed project:
Post-hole diggers at work laying out the supports for the carport.
Above, staff members: Chuy and Luís and one of the older La Familia residents, Josué, are standing on the scaffolding as Deacon Tom and Team Leader Steve DePeder supervise.
The Finished Product! Our thanks to the Saint Andrew’s mission team for all of the funds and for all of the hard work they contributed to this project.
