Huejotzingo

On Sunday, Feb. 15th, we went to Huejotzingo as we normally do. Abraham and I walked around the neighborhood knocking on doors and inviting all the families in the area to come to a little party to celebrate el dia de amor y amistad. In Mexico, Valentine's Day focuses much more on the love of family and friends than on romantic love. When the kids and a few of the parents arrived, we first sang some songs and then read a few Bible passages. After that, we moved chairs outside in order to have enough room to play musical chairs.

When we'd played two rounds, amid much laughter, we returned indoors to eat from the small mountain of taquitos that Six had prepared. The day before, I had spent several hours preparing 250 heart-shaped gingerbread cookies - 200 for snack at church and 50 for the kids at Huejotzingo to decorate. At least in Puebla (I don't know about all of Mexico), people don't make cookies. In fact, hardly anyone uses the oven for anything except storing extra towels or dishes. For most of the kids in Huejotzingo, it was probably the first time they'd decorated cookies, and they really dove into the experience.

Throughout the afternoon, I took close-up pictures of each child. We will take the pictures to Dios es Amor and give them to families in the church in order that they can specifically pray for the children. Many of the children live with their grandparents, since their parents are working in the States. The majority of them can't read very well, if at all. With prayers of believers, we hope to see these children come to know God's love and care in the midst of challenging circumstances.