Casa Hogar La Familia

A lot has been happening at Casa Hogar La Familia over the past few weeks. The best news is that Juan Francisco’s and Silvia’s son, Aleksei and his fiancé, Johana, were married in April in Colima. A large group representing La Familia made the 12-hour drive to Colima to attend the wedding.

The sad news is that Juan Francisco’s father recently passed away. His health had been failing for sometime. Then in April, Juan Francisco’s mom also passed away. She had moved into the home with her daughter when her husband died. Her health was such that she was unable to live many more weeks. Please keep Juan Francisco and his family in your prayers.

Lighthouse UMC in Fort Worth, a long-time supporter of La Familia, raised the funds to enable the directors and staff to put on a huge “Taco Party” for the children. A professional cook was recruited to bring in his team and prepare the tacos for everyone in the casa.

The children had not had haircuts for several weeks and asked Silvia if she would give them all haircuts so they would be as handsome as possible for the party. Silvia gladly accommodated their request. Karen and her team made the decorations for the party, Damaly and her team made the dessert (Karlotta) and Silvia and her team made the fresh mango drink to go with the meal. Aleksei and Johana, who were at La Familia for a visit, were in charge of preparing all of the games for the children to play.

The party began at 5:00 PM with lots of games. Following the games, the tacos were served followed by homemade ice cream, the Karlottas and the mangonadas. At the end of the evening, the children gave Joan, who celebrated her birthday, birthday cards and also cards of congratulations to Aleksei and Johnna, their newly married brother and sister.

The party ended at midnight and the very tired children were really ready for bed. The children send many thanks to Lighthouse UMC for a delightful evening full of delicious food and great fellowship.

Thanks to Altech, a Mexican-based donor from the town of Ciudad Serdan, the casa has been outfitted with solar panels to help reduce the casa’s cost of electricity. They have an electrician coming to the casa on Saturday, May 1, to complete all of the electrical connections.

In April, also, Jasmin Urbina was finally able to walk across the stage at the University of Colima and receive her diploma that makes her La Familia’s first resident to graduate as a Registered Nurse. Now Jasmin must make one of the biggest decisions of her life: to enter medical school or stick with nursing.

We pray that we will soon feel safe traveling to Mexico to participate in mission trips to serve our friends at La Familia and the Quecholac / Palmarito communities.

On behalf of Embrace the Dream Foundation, we cannot thank each of you enough for your unselfish commitment to this casa hogar and these children. Were it not for you, 33 children would miss the love and opportunity they each receive at La Familia.

With the pandemic forcing 33 children to attempt to attend classes via the Internet, the death of Juan Francisco’s parents, Juan Francisco actually contracting the virus himself and Aleksie’s and Johana’s wedding taking place in Colima, it has just not been possible to synch all of the photos with the newsletter, so we are sending the newsletter and the photographs separately.

It is my hope that all of you will be able to figure it all out.

Embrace the Dream Foundation
Bill Lee, President

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On Thursday, December 17, Silvia and Juan Francisco returned to the casa from Colima where they attended the funeral of Juan Francisco’s father. They also packed up and cleaned out Juan Francisco’s mom’s and dad’s home and moved his mom into the home of Esther (Juan Francisco’s younger sister) where she can receive care from a family member.

Then came the challenging job of last minute preparations for the children’s Christmas celebration. Silvia was faced with returning to the challenge of going out and purchasing Christmas gifts for each of the children, wrapping close to 100 gifts, decorating the casa for Christmas, while at the same time catching the children up on the virtual learning programs they are taking through the public school system.

On Friday, December 18, they drove to Tehuacan to pick up donations from Sam’s Club and to do some of the Christmas shopping. On Saturday, December 19, they drove to the City of Puebla for Christmas shopping. And also on Saturday afternoon late, they drove to a nearby market and purchased a pig they will roast for the main Christmas meal.

Then on Sunday, December 20, they led worship services in the morning and they spent all afternoon wrapping most of the children’s gifts.

Silvia said the children were super excited about everything they have planned. Silvia’s sister, Alejandra, brought gifts for the girls and her Uncle Sergio brought all kinds of food (tacos, chalupas, fresh corn, waters flavored with various fruit juices, cotton candy, quesadillas, French fries, etc.). She also said she will send me photos of the festival (which I will pass on to all of you who have signed up to receive our newsletter).

There is a company (Alltech) located in Ciudad Serdan that has always taken a big interest in the children. Alltech also contributed a gift for each child.

Christmas Eve Has Finally Arrived

All of the children helped prepare Christmas Dinner. They began cooking in advance of Christmas because there was so much to prepare for so many people. So when Christmas Eve arrived they were able to concentrate on getting dressed up for their special dinner.

Before dinner, all together they thanked God for the reason for the party, for each of the people who supported them to have such a beautiful Christmas and for each of the blessings that he brought into their lives throughout the year.

This year they roasted a pig. They hired a young man to make carnitas and chicharrones. The Christmas Dinner menu was shredded leg of pork, loin stuffed with cheeses and almonds, pork and beans, baked potatoes, mixed salad, punch made with different fruits, and for dessert they made brownies with ice cream.

Alucy (Silvia’s sister) and her family brought coffee, cheese, jellies and delicious cookies. Everyone at the casa really enjoyed this time together. They played, they had dinner, they talked a lot, and enjoyed the desserts. PLUS, the children were so excited about their gifts, BUT everyone had to wait to open their gifts until Christmas morning.

Silvia and Juan Francisco were humbled by the money that was donated to replace the love offering they nor the staff received this year because due to the pandemic, there was only one team that was able to visit. They thank everyone from the bottom of their hearts.

I wish each of you a Merry Christmas and thank you for the continued support you provide for the children or Casa Hogar La Familia.

This past Saturday, Silvia and Juan Francisco returned to the casa from Colima where they attended the funeral of Juan Francisco’s father. They also had to pack up and clean out Juan Francisco’s mom’s and dad’s home and move his mom into the home of Esther (Juan Francisco’s younger sister) where she can receive the care of a family member.

Now comes the challenging job of last minute preparations for the children’s Christmas celebration. Silvia is faced with returning to the challenge of going out and purchasing Christmas gifts for each of the children, wrapping close to 100 gifts, decorating the casa for Christmas, while at the same time catching the children up on the virtual learning programs they are taking through the public school system.

Tomorrow, Silvia will go into town to buy a pig that they will roast for the main Christmas meal. She says the children are super excited about everything they have planned. Silvia’s sister, Alejandra, is bringing gifts for the girls and her uncle Sergio is bringing all kinds of food (tacos, chalupas, fresh corn, waters flavored with various fruit juices, cotton candy, quesadillas, French fries, etc.). She also says she will send me photos of the festival (which I will pass on to all of you who receive our newsletter).

There is a company (Alltech) located in Ciudad Serdan (the town about an hour away where the casa hogar was located until we moved in 2006) that takes a big interest in the children. They also plan to contribute a gift for each child.

Silvia and Juan Francisco were humbled by the money that was donated to replace the love offering they nor the staff were receiving this year because of the pandemic, there has been only been one team to visit. They thank everyone from the bottom of their hearts.

I wish each of you a Merry Christmas and thank you for the continued support you provide for the children or Casa Hogar La Familia.

Covid 19 UPDATE — When it comes to the Coronavirus, La Familia has dodged the preverbal bullet. With 33 children quarantined in the main building on the property, we feel extremely blessed to have not had even one case of the bug that is raging around the globe. The directors are implementing all of the preventive measures just as fast as they are published.

Several weeks ago, we learned that two family members who are also members of the church Juan Francisco pastors — a father and his adult son — had contracted the Coronavirus and both had died from complications they suffered from the sickness. In an attempt to avoid future exposure to the virus, Juan Francisco decided to discontinue worship services until they could review their protocols and feel comfortable that they were providing a safe healthy space or the church to meet.

Plans are in the works to reopen the church in the next couple of weeks with a set of protocols in place as recommended by the Mexican authorities. Please keep both the children of La Familia as well as the members of the church that meets on the second floor — the name of the church is Grupo Amor — in your prayers.

The local Schools — All of the children in school have been asked to stay at home and study at home. This means, of course, that our directors, Silvia and Juan Francisco, and the members of the La Familia Staff must be flexible enough and knowledgeable enough to tutor and assist each age group: Kinder, Primary, Secondary and Baccalaureate. This is no easy task. I have encouraged Silvia to do her best to try and find some educated moms to assist the La Familia staff. Thus far, they have not found any qualified staff who are available. We have also begun outfitting the casa with its own Internet System.

Love Offering — Since the pandemic struck we have had only one team visit La Familia over the past year, so there have been no Love Offerings for the directors and staff. Since Love Offerings make up the majority of the directors and volunteers salaries, this has severely reduced their income. This shortfall comes at a time when the directors and staff are working practically a 24/7 day when you throw in 33 children in home school from 8:30 to 6:30 PM. We are asking anyone who wishes to send a check marked “Love Offering” to Embrace the Dream Foundation, PO Box 5558, Greenville, SC 29606. We plan to present this Love Offering to the directors and staff as an early Christmas Gift.

 
News from Colima — We have three college students attending the university in Colima: Daniel, Jazmin and Isabel.

Colima is approximately a 12-hour trip by bus via an all-night bus ride. Isabel’s husband, Gabriel, graduated this past June with a degree in Accounting, but until the Covid 19 problem lessens, jobs are difficult to come by, so Gabriel continues to work with his wife, Isabel, as volunteers in one of the Casa Hogars in Colima.

Located in a tropical part of Mexico, Colima is prone to flash flooding. Two weeks ago a flash flood roared through the property where they work and the staff had to spend over a week digging out the mud and other forms of debris.

Jazmin, Isabel’s sister, is still in nursing school and is still scheduled to graduate this coming June.

Also living in Colima:
Juan Carlos is currently living in a casa hogar in Colima that specializes in working with young adults. His health is good and his attitude is excellent. Please keep Juan Carlos in your prayers.

 
EMT Training for “Big Josué

Back in the days when Isabel’s son “Little Josué” was at La Familia, we had another very bright boy we called “Big Josué.” Big Josué played the keyboard in the praise band at church and has aspirations to attend a university in either the US or Germany.

Since visas are extremely difficult to come by while the pandemic is raging around the world, Big Josué is unable to access a foreign university. In the meantime, a local physician has taken Josue under his wing and offered to train him as an EMT. While he may never actually perform the job of an EMT, this is excellent training for Josue to use in emergency situations.

Current University Students

Daniel (son of Juan Francisco and Silvia) — International Business in Colima
Isabel Urbina — Studying Accounting in Colima
Jazmin Urbina — Last year of nursing school in Colima

 
by Bill Lee, President
Embrace the Dream Foundation, Inc.
PO Box 5558
Greenville, SC 29606

Although La Familia is located in Palmarito, Puebla, Mexico, an extremely small town that is approximately a 40-hour drive (over 2,100 miles) from where I live in South Carolina, the people, businesses and schools there are not immune from the coronavirus. While none of our children have been infected with the virus, they have certainly been affected.

Among the local residents who attend of the church that meets on the second floor of the casa hogar, we have had only two members who have been diagnosed with the virus. It was a father and his son and neither of the men survived. As a precaution, the church has discontinued holding worship services until the pastor is convinced that it is safe to attend.

We just received word late last week that we had to outfit the casa with Internet capability so the children will be able to attend school via Internet transmission. All of the children will be having their school classes at hone from 7:30 A.M. Monday morning to 6:00 PM. At the present time, the Mexican government is not allowing face to face classes.

Silvia, Juan Francisco and the other members of the La Familia staff have been working 24/7 to get the equipment installed in time for the first day of school. There are a significant number of you who want to be kept informed about the school situation, so through this newsletter we will share what we know with you on a timely basis.

New Child at La Familia — Kriscia Nikté Moreno Lopez

Kriscia’s birthday is February 1, 2010, so she turned ten years of age this past February 1. She arrived at La Familia in the month of August 2020. Her father asked us for support for his daughter at La Familia due to multiple family issues. Kriscia’s mother left home leaving Kriscia’s father at home alone with his daughter. Her dad has many financial issues to deal with and cannot take care of his daughter because of the demands of his job.

Kriscia is adapting quickly to her new life at La Familia. All the children have welcomed her, and now she is listening to the word of God and is trying to understand his great love for her. The directors feel confident that she will soon feel comfortable at La Familia and be able to trust God with her concerns.

Another piece of good news is that they have finally been successful at placing Kriscia in the public school system, and now she is working at home with all of the children in her classes. God is good and Silvia and Juan Francisco know that He has great plans for Kriscia.

A new boy has also arrived — Kevin Regente Buendia

Kevin arrived at Casa Hogar on September 9 of this year, the director of DIF in the town of Sochitlan contacted the directors to ask that they offer their support by agreeing to receive Kevin.

(DIF stands for Desarrollo Integral de la Familia. In English, DIF translates as “Necessary to the development of the family.”) In Mexico, DIF is a government agency that makes sure the children in the country who are in need of care are provided for.

Kevin is 9 years old, he is the youngest of 5 siblings, his mother left home and his father is an alcoholic, DIF intervened in the difficult family situation Kevin was in. They sought the support of Kevin’s family, but the family did not want to support the children. DIF was able to rescue only little Kevin. After 8 months of being housed in a DIF facility, they looked to La Familia to ask the directors if they would accept him at the Casa Hogar.

Today, Kevin is in the safety of La Familia. He is a friendly and calm child, and despite the fact that he has only attended two devotional meetings with the other children, he is very participative and he really likes singing and praising God. He is grateful for having food to eat and very soon he will start with his school classes with the other children in the casa hogar.

The directors are confident that God has a great future planned for Kevin; they pray daily for Kevin and for the remainder of his family.

Luis Gabriel Cortes Castillo

Anyone who has been on a mission trip to La Familia has most likely met Isabel Urbina and her four siblings. We are proud of all of them. Jazmin is in her last year of nursing school. Juan Carlos is working for a casa hogar in Colima. Elise recently gave birth to a little girl in Quecholac. And Mary Fernanda recently graduated from high school in Quecholac.

Gabriel is Isabel’s husband. Gabriel and Isabel, along with Isabel’s 13-year-old son, Josue, and their newborn baby, Baby William, are working as full time volunteers at one of the casa hogars in Colima, where they also attend the University of Colima Business School. Gabriel graduated this spring with a degree in Accounting and Isabel is still attending classes with a goal to also earn her degree in Accounting.

Embrace the Dream has been blessed with sufficient funding to be able to provide the children from La Familia with the financial support to attend the University of Colima if they can meet the academic requirements to gain entrance, and if they can maintain a C grade average.

There is a non profit organization operating out of South Carolina by the name of Education = Hope. I have followed Education = Hope for several years and I have become convinced that with education comes not only a richer life, but an understanding of the essentials necessary to achieve financial independence. One of the goals of Embrace the Dream Foundation is to provide a better future to the children the Lord has given us to rear at La Familia.

Embrace the Dream Foundation wishes to thank all of our donors for continuing to support Casa Hogar La Familia during this extremely difficult time in the life of the home. We are blessed with the best volunteers and directors imaginable. Please pray for all of them that they are able to maintain the stamina to fulfill their responsibilities in the Casa Hogar with the children unable to attend school.

If any of you ever have questions about anything you don’t understand at La Familia, please feel free to call me anytime. My name is Bill Lee at 864-303-8366. My email address is LeeResourcesInc@Gmail.com.