Niños de Mexico 2021 - Day 3

It is day three in Querétaro. It feels strange to be sitting here in a hotel room and it feels strange to be here without a group. The group is coming but not one we are leading or even one that we know. For this trip to Niños de Mexico, we have taken on a different role, in a different city, with a group from a different church. The familiarities of Niños de Mexico are not here – the courtyard of Genesis, the distant spire of the nearby cathedral, the volcano off in the distance. There will be no soccer matches in the rain, children climbing on our backs or evening meals in the houses. But we can already see God moving and we are excited to step into where God is at work.

Instead of the customary accommodations, we are housed in a hotel room near a Harley Davidson store and Buffalo Wild Wings, about ten minutes from the house where we are working in. A group is coming from Carl Junction, Missouri, to paint – and there is a lot of painting to be done. We came three days early to help our good friends, Mick and Lisa, do some planning and to get things ready for the group. The house is about four hours away from where groups would normally stay in Genesis, and there are no other Niños houses in the area. This makes us a little isolated compared to other trips and makes this trip very different from trips we have made in the past.

Querétaro is also an unfamiliar city, so part of our task is to help Mick and Lisa explore to find what is available, get familiar with the city and plan an outing or two for breaks from work. Fortunately I am not expected to drive. Mick handles that better than I would although there has been no lack of tension on the busy highways and the narrow streets of San Miguel. There is also lots of shopping to be done. The house is basically empty, so in addition to supplies for the week, there have been some basic purchases for the house and some substantial shopping trips. But leaders of Niños de Mexico have already made some incredible connections with people in the area who are eager to help this ministry and specifically this new home for children in their community. Some donations have already come and more are expected later in the week. It is already easy to see God’s hand in preparing this place for the children and the house parents who will live there sometime next fall.

So, instead of leading a group, like we normally do when we come, we are playing, in part, the role of hosts while we work alongside a group of people will meet for the first time tonight. We will be the veterans, but in a new context with an unusual (for a Niños STM trip) schedule for the week. Essentially we will take on whatever role is needed (just not translator!) whenever it is needed in order to help make this a successful trip for the group. It feels odd and comfortable at the same time.

The three days have already been a blessing for Sandy and I and although our bodies are a little tired already, our souls are refreshed and our hearts are glad. When we changed churches a couple of years ago we wondered if we would ever return to Niños, but we hoped we would be able to and prayed for an opportunity. This is not at all what I pictured, but we are incredibly grateful to the leaders of Niños who have allowed us to play a small role getting this new home ready. We have seen many end results from the work done at Niños. We know the wonderful, life-changing things that happen to children growing up in their care and it is an honor to have a little role in part of that process, even when it is just pushing a paint brush.

The group rolls in tonight and we will greet them with a gourmet meal of make your own sandwiches, packages of chips, packets of cookies and bottles of flavored water served up in the lush accommodations of our hotel room. Welcome to your short term mission trip! Welcome to being flexible. Thank you God for bringing us to Querétaro!