Week 3

Jenn says: Our time is flying by quick here. Soon we will be back to our normal lives of work and school. I thought I wouldn’t get attached being here such a short time. I am very reluctant to go.

Everyday is different down here. One of the highlights of our trip has getting to know the American missionaries. It is quite an eclectic group of people, and they will tell you that up front! Being with them has given me another peek into the realities of missionary life: the good and the not-so-fun. We have definitely made some great friends!

A lot of mission teams from the U.S. have come down here. The majority are from California, many even from the county I grew up in. There was one woman that came down from Carlsbad whose Marine husband went overseas with my brother Justin…such a small world! It has been fun assisting the groups. Jason has mainly helped with construction as well as rounding up and buying construction supplies for their work projects. I have had the job of keeping the kids in line during VBS and doing some translating.

We have enjoyed the Latino culture down here…especially the food! We have only had one really bad experience…Jason will have to tell you about it! We have eaten most of our meals with kids at DOFO as well as eaten at some of the local restaurants. The carne asada tacos down here are yummy! Every Monday there is a market in town right by the church. They sell tons of chili peppers, ay yi yi!

Up until this last week, I had spent most of my time with the younger children. This week I spent a lot more time with the teenagers. Hanging out with the teens is different. The younger children smile most the time, play, and simply want hugs. The older ones are obviously not the same. I can’t imagine being an adolescent without parents. They know more of the story.

We have spent a lot of time with David*, an 18 year old and a new Christian. He has been at DOFO since he was 9. His mother had an affair, and his father basically kidnapped him and his brother, drove across the country, and brought them to DOFO. His father is practically out of the picture now. David has written his mother every month for years…and he’s only heard back from her a few times. He is trying to decide whether he will go back and visit her next year...not knowing if she really wants to see him. My heart just breaks for him and every other kid who is asking "does my mom really love me? does my dad care about me?" If you can imagine, David seems to have an easier story compared to the others! If you think of it, please pray for David and that he would get to know Jesus more and more and that he would be filled up with joy in knowing Him.

Most of the children at DOFO aren’t real orphans…they have parents, but their parents either dumped them off, are in jail, abused them, neglected them, or didn’t have the money to take care of them anymore.
In most cases, the children are here because of their parent’s selfishness. Drugs, crime, affairs…they are the ones that have to live with their parent’s sin! Why can’t people accept responsibility for their actions? Here's an album of some of the precious kids who live here: DOFO Kids

As our time is coming to an end, please pray that this last week that God will use us to bless the kids and teens we come in contact with. Jesus is our and their only hope for real love and healing !

Me with my mama

Jay with his dad