Twice as Much Good by The Alex Family

 When we first visited the Ranch as a family, we could not have anticipated the impact Project Mexico and St. Innocent Orphanage would have on our lives. The week before Christmas several years ago, we were blessed to visit the orphanage and attend Liturgy in the chapel. With the boys sitting at his feet, Father Nicholas began his sermon. Luke, his son, translated from Spanish, “it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 

Father Nicholas’s next words are etched in our minds as he gestured to the boys and said, “You are the rich ones. You have food, shelter, an education, faith, and people who love you. Tomorrow, we will go to the border to feed the poor.” 

The next day, after making countless tamales, we joined the boys, staff, and Father and his family in a caravan and set off to feed the homeless near the border in Tijuana. As word of the food spread, a line formed around the block. Our group worked behind the table to serve tamales, rice, and beans. Father Nick stood in the bed of his pick-up truck and led us in Christmas carols. The experience of being part of the boys’ Christmas preparations and celebrations, for us, remains one of the most powerful examples of the amazing work happening at the orphanage every day.

The lives of the boys, but also those of the staff and volunteers, are transformed because of the generous support of donors like yourselves. The staff provides the boys with a loving, family environment and educational opportunities and/or vocational training to give them the chance to lead independent, faithful, and fulfilling adult lives. This year, seven boys are studying at universities in Mexico, a laudable goal within the reach of many of our boys. Vocational training ensures that boys have skills to sustain themselves as young adults. 

This past spring, Alejandro became the first boy from St Innocent to graduate from Hellenic College in Brookline, MA. Alejandro is a model young man for the younger boys in the program to strive to emulate. His powerful example motivates them to apply themselves to their schoolwork, but also to their care and support of one another, like brothers. 

Homebuilding returned with fervor this year, after a hiatus due to COVID. Over 400 volunteers traveled across the border to “do for others” and built sturdy, safe, weather-tight homes that provide impoverished families with previously unattainable stability and comfort. Perhaps the most touching building project was the home completed for Humberto and his family. Humberto is one of our boys, who has grown and matured into a thoughtful young man with a beautiful Orthodox family. 

This Christmas season, your gift can do twice as much good for Project Mexico & St. Innocent Orphanage. We have received a challenge grant that will match all gifts made from now to the end of the year. This year when  you make a tax-deductible gift to Project Mexico, you’re helping to change the lives of the 26 boys who are blessed to call “the ranch” home. 

Your gift also provides inspiring opportunities for Orthodox young adults and their elders to come together in fellowship to build homes for some of Northern Mexico’s most impoverished families, supporting the vital mission work of our Church.

We hope you will join us this giving season with a gift to  Project Mexico & Saint Innocent Orphanage. Please consider making this worthy ministry among your philanthropic priorities this Christmas.

Wishing you the blessings of Christmas.

In Faith,

The Alex Family 

George, Marlena, Ginny, and Ellie

Building Homes and Relationships by Olivia Neslusan

As I sit on an old wooden bench, warm Mexican sun beating down on my hair, and the laugher of young boys playing on the soccer field in the distance, I cannot fathom the fact that my time here at the ranch is winding down. This summer has gone by in the blink of an eye, but contrastingly, it feels like I have been here forever. Looking back at this time last year, I was an eager group member dreaming about being accepted into this internship position. One week simply just wasn’t enough for me, and I couldn't wait to apply and spend three months here at this incredible ranch.

I had so many expectations of what I thought this summer would be like based on my past experiences here and what I heard from past interns, but quickly I learned that it is so important when doing mission work similar to this, to have no expectations and have an open mind. The summer was full of laughter and tears, and certainly was exhausting at times. Building a new home every week and having the energy to greet each new team like it was your first is something that is both beautiful and challenging. But more than the build, this place and this summer for me has been about building relationships.

Theodora and I arrived two weeks later than the rest of the young adult interns that would dedicate their summer to leading home building. In my journal on the first day of arrival I wrote about how I was nervous that close relationships and friendships had already formed, and perhaps we wouldn't get to know the other 17 interns as well. This trivial worry quickly faded within the first couple days. It is so beautiful and easy to connect with other young Orthodox Christians. Growing up in the faith and sharing the same values is something that allows us to truly connect on a deeper level, and I know that these will be people I stay in contact with long after this summer is over.

Connecting with the 19 boys here at the orphanage, though, has been by far the most rewarding part of this experience. Boys ranging in age from eight to eighteen live on this ranch, and each of them have their own vibrant and inspiring personalities and stories. Between group activities and home builds, we get the opportunity to spend as much time as we please with them. Despite their backgrounds of neglect, these boys are some of the most loving people I have ever met. They are eager to learn more about you, make you laugh, and if you are lucky, they sometimes share their personal stories about their past.

This summer the ranch was blessed with three new little boys ranging from eight to ten years old. Immediately after arriving here in this new home, the boys were always eager to participate in church and had so many questions about the faith. It was truly something special to see how they transitioned with such grace. It is a challenge, however, especially with these three new little boys, to connect with them without getting too close and allowing them to get too attached. It is so obvious that they need love from the way they run up to almost any female who they are familiar with and cling to them calling each one “Mama.” Although this can be tough at times, it is comforting to know that the family here at the ranch will indeed give them the love and permanency they so desperately need and want.

That is what is so special about this place.

It is a community where everyone is a part of the family that makes up St. Innocent Orphanage and Project Mexico. It is going to be bittersweet to leave this country and its people, but I leave knowing that this was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, and also knowing that it was not really me who made it, but rather God who called me to be here.