Dear family and friends,
Christ has risen! Cristo ha resucitado!
I hope you all had a blessed Pascha/Easter. In addition, I hope you all are well during these turbulent times. The Lord calls us to have faith in the storms and the recent crisis around the COVID-19 is truly a calamity to which level the world has rarely seen. Living here south of the border has given us a different perspective. Presbytera and I are safe and have been mostly keeping close to the Orphanage grounds avoiding contact with people off-site. This has limited our exposure to the virus but has allowed us to grow closer to the community and all the boys. This experience has made it clear that the fast pace of modern society can be exhausting and possibly unnecessary.
We are in new territory
Whoever would have thought the safest place to spend Holy Week would be at an orphanage in Tijuana, Mexico. We were not only sheltered from the virus but because of our unique situation, we were all strengthened by the ability to worship together. All thirty of us ate together, did morning prayers together, and attended the 14 Holy Week services together. The boys all rose to the occasion because since we did not have the support of the local Orthodox community these young soldiers were expected to chant all the services, clean all the candle stands and serve in the altar up to 3 hours at a time. I am so proud of them. Similar to the rest of the world they have not seen any of their school friends in over a month, they have not had any school sports activities and they all are taking classes on-line. All these changes have created significant more responsibilities for the orphanage staff but the team has made many sacrifices to provide great care for the boys.
A true test of faith
One of the reasons I left my community in Northern Arizona nine years ago was the need to minister to the hundreds of youth who come every summer and build homes for needy families. For obvious reasons, this summer will need to be adjusted due to the realities of the Pandemic. There will still be plenty of construction happening through Project Mexico but compared to recent years this summer will be abridged. This is difficult for two reasons. First, some of the families in hardship will have to wait for relief to receive more stable housing. Second, the surplus income from the homebuilding registrations will be significantly less, therefore, putting substantial pressure funding the Orphanage operations. Proceeds received from people who come to help build homes cover the expenses of the orphanage. When there are fewer people building homes, there is less financial support. We are all doing our part to cut expenses and the Lord is giving us a prime opportunity to grow in faith.
Responding in Joy
The life of an orphan is not easy. Losing your family at such a young age is a tragedy. These are boys are accustomed to hardships as well as the St. Innocent Orphanage. For the past 30 years, young children have had a place to heal and grow up on what we call “The Ranch”. On these 16 acres, we try to teach them that even though their parents let them down, Christ’s Church will never let them down. With this knowledge, they have learned to be grateful and happy for the little things they have. It is not going to be easy here at the orphanage but we will all survive. As a Church, I ask you all to donate now and help these little ones through their difficult times. Your gift of joy calls on God’s abundant love.
In the Love of Christ,
Fr. Nicholas L. Andruchow
Priest/Associate Director
Project Mexico & St. Innocent Orphanage