Martes

I’m typing this post in Word, and I will post it to the blog next time we’re around Internet.  It’s about 8:45 a.m. here (Tuesday), and I’m sitting on the back “porch.”  There was just a beautiful little bird hopping around the palm tree.  He was the brightest color of yellow I’ve ever seen on a bird.  I will have to try to find out what kind of bird he is.

Eric and I made breakfast for the group this morning.  I cut up a deliciously fresh papaya and squeezed a few fresh limes over the top, and then I sliced and toasted the bread.  Eric made a HUGE batch of scrambled eggs with mushrooms, ham, and cheese.  Even though Rico’s has yummy food, this was my favorite breakfast of the trip so far.

Monday ended up being a beautiful day and warm enough to take my sweater off.  The conversation with Rogelio (I need to figure out how to actually spell his name) was extremely interesting and will, I think, be fruitful for the development of however we get involved in Mazatlan.  He has many, many connections with others in Mazatlan, including government officials… and, it’s very difficult to get anything done without those kinds of connections.  He was able to give us some insight into the needs of the impoverished in Mazatlan and the surrounding areas.  His wife is the director of a children’s home for adolescent girls who have been on the streets and involved with drugs and prostitution – so he also has a really good idea of what’s going on with the children’s homes around here.  He seemed to be very excited about the possibility of Back2Back coming to Mazatlan.  He was especially excited about the potential of the Hope Program and the possibilities that program provides for breaking the cycle of poverty.

We had a few hours to walk around and explore after our meeting with Rogelio.  Then we ate sandwiches here at the house for lunch.  Our next trip was to “Ciudad de los Ninos.”  We found out that the home isn’t run by the Catholic Church.  It is run by a group of nuns, who I’m sure are financially supported by the Catholic Church; however, the children’s home itself receives no funding from the Church.  The sister who showed us around was extremely sweet and welcoming.  Most of the sisters who run the home are quite advanced in age, and they’ve committed to spending the rest of their lives caring for the children in the home.  The home currently has 32 children.  The parents must give up parental rights when they drop the children at the home, but the nuns do not allow any of the children to be adopted.  They keep them until they go off to college, get married, or turn 18.  If they have some type of a mental challenge, they are allowed to stay longer.