BoDy PaRtS, PEARLY whites, & Lip Gloss

   For the next few weeks I will be working on creating a health education program for the teenage girls in the Hope program here on campus.  What is the Hope program you ask?  The hope program was set up to give "HOPE for tomorrow" to an orphan.  Once a child is too old to stay in an orphan home, and they want to continue their education, they can stay in one of the 6 homes on our campus.  During their stay in the home their house parents, and Back2Back, will support them during their time here.  There has been students who have graduated college and received jobs.  This is just one way that Back2Back is helping to break the cycle of the orphan.    
  OK, Let's 
                take a 
                     few steps back      
   Before I came to Mexico I had been hoping to do some health education one way or another.  I had been dreaming with one of my roommates about doing some health education, especially with the teen girls.  There are two homes on campus with 8 girls each.  Well, my roommate was talking to one of the house parents & asked her if she thought I would be interested in doing some health education with the girls in her house.  The house parent had explained that she had hoped to have some one do this, but she didn't think they would listen if it would come from her.  Because they were all brought up in the children's homes, she explained, many of them haven't been taught the basic hygiene tips maybe we all learned.  They often don't learn those types of things in school either.....  
    Monday I had a meeting with this house parent, and my roommate Jenn, who can speak fluently in Spanish.  We shared our ideas and became very excited.  We are going to make it a two day...maybe even three day event in late January or early February. We are hoping to spread them out on the weekend.  We will decorate the room for the occasion and make learning fun.  I will be going over basic hygiene, safety, and sexual education.  We had talked about giving out little bags with toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, lotion, finger nail clippers, pads(sorry to the men who are reading this), and maybe even lip gloss or nail polish.    
NOW...I am so very excited... But, I have been feeling a little overwhelmed with the amount of material and my ability....or lack of... to speak in spanish.  It has gotten a little better since coming here, but I can't go much beyond a basic conversation.  I often have the deer in the head lights look when I try to respond in Spanish.   I am also trying to figure out how I can actually make some of these "gross" topics something FUN to talk about for a teenager.
** So, here is where you come in...I need much prayer in getting all the material put together.  Eríca, the house parent, just keeps telling me to pray about it... and whatever you feel right about, you will teach.  She also believes my spanish will get better!!! I hope my faith becomes as BIG as hers soon...or I am in trouble! : )  Also, I would love any ideas you would have, OR during all these christmas deals find any good prices on things like nail polish, deodorant, lipgloss or lotion.  I already have toothpaste and toothbrushes, so that won't be a problem.  But, I might need some help getting a few other things! If you are interested in searching or donating, please message me on Facebook or email me at: Cwalter@back2back.org.  Thank You everyone for joining me....and, HAPPY DECEMBER!!     

The Love of a Family

     Imagine for a minute what your life would be like without the love or support of your parents.  Imagine what it would be like if they weren't there to cheer you on at your sporting event, make you a bowl of soup when you were sick, or even be there for your most important birthday.

     Before coming to Mexico and working with orphan children I knew how important the love of a mother and father was.  I knew that my heart hurt for ones who did not have parent's present in their lives.  But, in the last 3 months I have REALLY seen how devastating it can be for a child without parents.  For every 3 year's a child is in an institution/orphanage they lose 1 year of development.  It hurts them physically, emotionally, spiritually, socially, and with their education.  Some of the children here are orphaned related to their parent's being deceased, but many are for other reasons.  Either the father has left the home and the mother can't afford to take care of the child, or there is abuse or neglect within the home.  In mexico a parent does not have to explain why they are dropping the child off at an orphanage, and they can show up 6 months later for a quick visit.  Because the parent still has custody of the child, that child is likely to be stuck in an orphan home the rest of their childhood.  

*Cheer: There is a group of boys at Casa Hogar Douglas (one of the orphan homes) who started playing soccer with a league.  This is huge for them because they get to feel like they are apart of something, and they even get to wear uniforms!!  They normally play games once or twice a week, and during their first game their two caregivers went to watch them play.  On the other side there was a stand full of family and friends cheering on all their boy's with snack's in hand to give after their win. After that game their two caregiver's had the idea to invite people to the next game.  They thought it would be good for the boys to have more cheerleaders....and it was! The next week a group of us went to cheer on the boys so we could fill the stands on the other side.  The boys just had their first win of the season this past week on thanksgiving!!  It is so fun to go cheer them on, and I can't wait to go watch more.  But, it is hard not to think about how amazing it would be for their own mother's to be there...just like my mom was there to cheer me on at every race and tennis match.    

*Sick Bug: A few weeks ago I was driving back to campus with a couple of friends when I received an interesting phone call from my roommate at 9:30 at night.  She had asked me when I would be coming home because there was one of the teen boys waiting in our apartment to get a vaccination from me.  In mexico they give a lot of vaccinations when someone is ill.  This boy was receiving vaccinations because he had been fighting the flu.  He was on the search to find someone who could give it, and everyone said to come to our apartment.  It was nice to feel purposeful in something I could do, and he was surprised how quickly I could inject it...he also had said it hardly hurt.  But, all I could think about was all the times I was sick and my mom was my nurse.  There is nothing like a mother's comfort when you are sick.  

         This last week I have been working on completing physical assessments for the new teens staying on our campus.  During their physical they have to fill out a form that is required by the DIF (social services here in Mexico) and there are question's that ask about their mother.  It is hard to see them tell me they can't fill it out because they don't know their mother's birthday, age, place of residence, or even their name.  It was frustrating for me to watch a majority of them leave the lines blank.  

* Quinceañera:  Last weekend there were two girls from a children's home who celebrated their 15th birthdays.  Here in mexico their 15th birthday (Quinceañera) is a huge deal!  It is equal to a 16th bday in the states....maybe even bigger.  There was a ceremony in the beginning where family and friends joined together, a pastor preached, and gifts were presented.  A dinner and dancing followed the ceremony.  All of us who had never seen a Quinceañera decided it was similar to a wedding with all the decorations and festivities.  The Birthday's were on our campus and a group of staff helped to organize it.  I had the privilege to help decorate and assist with serving, setting up, and organizing the day of the event.  It was awesome for me to watch because I had never been to one.  We completely changed one of our rooms on campus into a completely different place!  Although some of the girls families got to attend, they weren't there to pick out decorations, decorate the cakes, or even help them get their beautiful dresses on.  One of the girls has no parent's because they are both deceased, and the other has a father that is involved at times.  He was able to join later on in the ceremony.  The night went great and the girls thought the place looked beautiful.  Although I was so happy we could give them this party, I couldn't help but think that we weren't their parents or family throwing it.  Most of us, not all, were strangers to them.  None of us were their mother's giving them a big hug telling them how beautiful they looked on their big day.  

We made everything from the center pieces to the hanging lanterns

One of the girls grandmother's made this for the center pieces 

Walking out for the ceremony

Everyone waiting to see them and their dresses

Tons of fun watching everyone dance & have a blast! 

     

My Minute

I know that when I took a minute to think of my life without my parents I began to tear up.  If it weren't for my parent's support I would not be the person I am today.  I wouldn't have learned at  an early age about respect, hygiene, hard work, social interaction, etc.  I probably would not have had the same experiences or opportunities.  I probably may have never become a nurse.  Yes, I still could have gotten there.....But, it would have been an even harder journey without my parents.  This past week was thanksgiving and I couldn't help but be so thankful for the relationships and support I have in my life.  I also couldn't stop thinking about my nephew Cade and how he is going to have two parents who love him so much when he is born.  I am so very thankful.  But, at times it is so hard to grasp that not everyone will experience the same type of love.