Stories of Hope with Melina of Casa Hogar

From the Desk of Stories of Hope with host, Julia Kasten

I’m happy to introduce Melina Martinez, who is a crucial part of the work that gets accomplished on Project Mexico’s 16-acre ranch in Baja California. She is part of leadership, and the second hand to Guillermo (Director of the Orphanage Programs). Melina helps Guillermo raise the boys, organizes the children’s doctor’s appointments, and makes sure that holidays are celebrated in full joy. From the Desk of Stories of Hope, I sat down with Melina to discuss how she is able to see the image of God in her everyday work.

Stories of Hope (SoH): What does the phrase, ¨The Image of God¨ mean to you?”

Melina: For me, the ¨Image of God¨ is every child and adult, every person that is at the ranch. Because God manifests through every life. So, for me, to think in the image of God is to think about my brother, or to think about whoever is in front of, or around me.

SoH: You’re working every day with difficult children and challenging situations. Is it hard to remember God, and life in Christ, when you’re worried about all the little things, like paperwork and mealtimes?

Melina: I use the phrase “Lord have mercy” a lot in my day. Or I use the person in front of me to say for example, “Lord have mercy on Julia.” I also go to church, but it is hard because my relationship with God doesn’t feel so good right now. Sometimes it’s easier to just not go to church, or very difficult to focus my thoughts. I know that these things [church and prayer] are the answer, and I am teaching this to the children, but sometimes it’s a struggle to do it myself.

SoH: How does working with the boys of Casa Hogar affect you?

Melina: I like to think that God is with all of us, through the good and bad moments. It is a great work in me, and I am grateful, primarily to God, that he brought me here and gave me an opportunity to work for this institution. I feel that returning to work here is a way to be able to show my gratitude and thanks to God, and be able to return a very little part of the many blessings that I have been given. Everyday can be a battle, but because I feel grateful, I am able to be happy in my work.

SoH: How do you approach caring for others?

Melina: I like to think, if you have love, give love, even if people say don’t. If you have compassion, give compassion to whoever you can. It’s not me, God put me in this place. God can move us to his path. Many times during work, the young kids will get angry, frustrated and difficult. We have to have compassion on them, and understand that it’s not them, but what they represent. So, I ask, how can I take care of God through the person that is right in front of me?

Our annual matching grant is in full swing. We are grateful to our generous grant sponsors for pledging $100,000 (at the time of this writing) and between now and December 31st, 2024 you can double your gift!

A Letter from the Chairman, Dennis Awad

Dear Friends and Suporters,

Our new infant orphanage, Casa Cuna San Felipe was dedicated on June 28 with over 270 supporters and volunteers who gathered together at our 16-acre ranch in Northern Baja. Fifteen priests lead the gathered guests and homebuilding volunteers in singing hymns of glory. Everyone sensed that a once in a lifetime moment was about to happen. The cutting of the ribbon to enter this special place was done and a refuge for God’s children was born.

At Casa Cuna I watched as the volunteers carefully mounted pictures and icons 2 and 3 feet from the ground so our little ones could see the images when they walked into their little chapel that was made for them. Our homebuilding program welcomed over 600 volunteers from all over the world, including an Orthodox family from Thailand. These dedicated volunteers built 28 homes for those in need. I saw the volunteers as they worked tirelessly constructing a home for a family in the local community. The new inhabitants of these safe and secure homes wept in joy and gratitude when the keys to their new homes were turned over to them.

Our mission to provide hope was being fulfilled by these young adults, parents and senior citizen mentors as they toiled in the hot sun. Our ministry changes the lives of those that are in need while the love of working in community together draws us closer to God. As the chairman of the board of trustees, I see the image of God in his

people who work here at Project Mexico. I also recognize those who selflessly give of their time and talents to serve others. This remarkable ministry is made possible by your generous financial support and we are thankful that you are our brothers and sisters in Christ.

With Gratitude,

Dennis Awad, Chairman

Our annual matching grant is in full swing. We are grateful to our generous grant sponsors for pledging $100,000 (at the time of this writing) and between now and December 31st, 2024 you can double your gift!

God's Image Gives Life

Blessed Country

We all need to be reminded that God has blessed our country, therefore let us share our blessings with those in need. Hence the Orthodox community in the United States, from all jurisdictions, travel to Mexico to bring relief to families who are plagued by third-world conditions. This is no easy task, but we are up for the challenge.

During the 2024 Homebuilding season, we built 28 homes with over 600 missionaries. Humanity is created to rise above the tragedy of this world. In Psalm 82, which we chant every Holy Saturday, the Lord shouts out to us that we are gods therefore do not die as mere mortal men (Ps. 82:6-7). We are made in the image of God (Gen. 1:26) and are different than all of creation. This difference allows us to preform inconceivable feats, overcoming the most dire of obstacles. This image of God in us is the reason for Project Mexico’s success and continues to fuel its progress throughout every moment.

For over a decade, my family and I lived in Mexico at the St. Innocent Orphanage caring for the boys day-to-day. Waking up at 5:00 am for morning prayers was draining but the larger challenge was to persevere as the children struggled through the trauma of being abandoned. The streets of Tijuana is no place to call home. Violence, prostitution, drug cartels and abuse are the sad reality of inner-city life. Thank God the Orphanage exists to provide a safe place where these boys can grow and experience the joys of life.

As the Executive Director, I now have the responsibility of leading Project Mexico so that all facets of this pan-Orthodox organization can be successful in the eyes of God. The life-giving inspiration that provides the energy to continue shines through the children’s example. Seeing God in the love, perseverance, hope, joy, and patience of these little ones is not only encouraging but transformational. God’s Image is undeniably present in the boys, and now in the little infant girls too, at the St. Innocent Orphanage and San Felipe Casa Cuna. Let us all see this image and, no matter the challenge, rise to do amazing things in Jesus Christ.

Our annual matching grant is in full swing. We are grateful to our generous grant sponsors for pledging $100,000 (at the time of this writing) and between now and December 31st, 2024 you can double your gift!

Indulge in Fresh, House-Made Fig Jam and Support a Great Cause

The Holiday Season is a Perfect Time for Jam!

Are you a fan of unique, high-quality, artisanal products? Look no further! We are excited to introduce *Padre’s Fig Jam*, a fresh, house-made delight crafted with love and care. Made exclusively from handpicked figs cultivated on our very own fig trees, this jam bursts with rich, natural flavor in every bite. Perfect for toast, cheese boards, or even as a sweet addition to your favorite recipes, this fig jam is a treat you don’t want to miss.

But that’s not all—when you purchase a jar of *Padre’s Fig Jam*, you’re not just indulging in a delicious product, you’re also making a difference. Every dollar from your purchase goes directly to benefit the children of **St. Innocent Orphanage**, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing care, education, and support to orphaned children. Your purchase will help fund essential programs and resources, giving these children hope for a brighter future.

You can enjoy this delicious jam and contribute to a meaningful cause by shopping exclusively through our online store. It’s as easy as hitting the button below to place your order and have this house-made jam delivered right to your doorstep.

Don’t wait! **Shop now** and savor the taste of *Padre’s Fig Jam* while supporting children in need. Together, we can make a sweet impact—one jar at a time.

*Order before December 12th, 2024 to ensure Christmas gift arrival.

Working Forward by Alejandro Zendejas

Answering God's Call: Living the Orthodox Life at St. Innocent Orphanage and Inspiring Faith

I have been blessed with opportunities that have influenced me to continue on the path of the Orthodox Life. Since graduating from Hellenic College Holy Cross, I often felt that God was calling me to return to St. Innocent Orphanage and fulfill a purpose here. With two post-college moves and job-searching, I was able to ignore this feeling and continue life as normal. It was easy for me to avoid something I knew would be difficult and uncomfortable at times, even if I knew it was the right thing.

The act of putting God’s will before your own is not an easy feat. It took me a year to finally come to terms with that calling. Life in America was comfortable but life in Mexico is fulfilling. There is still a mystery in my purpose and I haven’t quite discovered the reason that

God called me to come back, but what I do know is that living and serving here keeps me accountable for continuing my journey in the Orthodox way. Striving to set an example and be a resource for the boys. My hope is that more of the boys will succeed in utilizing the opportunities given to them through St. Innocent’s in order to become men who are strong in their faith, firm in their beliefs, and secure in their future.

A Journey of Miles by Faeli Heiss

“And the world cannot be discovered by a journey of miles, no matter how long, but only by a spiritual journey, a journey of one inch, very arduous and humbling and joyful, by which we arrive at the ground at our feet and learn to be at home.”

-Wendell Berry

The quote above by Wendell Berry nicely summarizes my nearly two years at Project Mexico.

Before I joined the ministry, I had undeniably taken “a journey of miles,” where I felt as if God had been guiding me away from my plans and asking me to wait as His plans unfolded. This spurred me on my “journey of miles” all over the country for a period of almost two years, searching for somewhere that felt like home, searching for peace, searching for an increased sense of God’s presence. It wasn’t until the pandemic hit and I was invited back to Project Mexico that I began to understand that I needed to turn inward in my journey.

The year before I was a Homebuilding intern but my return in summer 2020 impacted me very differently. I grew much closer to the boys at the orphanage and began to feel an internal shift. Whatever had been propelling me during that “journey of miles” faded into the background. There was no single moment of revelation when I knew that I wanted to stay and work at the orphanage. I had no conspicuous thought of “this is where God wants me to be.” Simply, He opened the door and I walked through it. Or instead, stumbled backward into it, would be a more accurate evocation.

In the time I’ve spent with the ministry, I have learned many things. The majority of those lessons have arisen from various challenges that ranged from diverting to taxing in nature

and every single one of those lessons feels significant. Perhaps the most significant of those lessons is I have learned that I do not need to desperately search for that perfect place where I have a perfect purpose. I do not need to go that journey of miles.

Instead, I take the inward journey towards Christ. It is there that I meet Him. I meet Him in every aspect of my life, my beautiful and wild daily life, rich with blessings. I meet Him in the hearts of our boys. I meet Him in the hearts of my co-workers and community. I meet Him in the dust and the downpour, in the depths of human suffering and the abundance of joy.

Mother Maria of Paris said “ 'Love one another,' so long as it is love to the end and without exceptions. And then the whole of life is illumined, which is otherwise an abomination and a burden.” The Love I discovered in my time at Project Mexico illumined my life in a way never before known to me. It is the force that brings me to the ground at my feet. To learn what it means to be present on that ground with Christ in each moment is a journey that I will be on for the rest of my life. A journey I am thankful to have started.

For more from Faeli please check out our Stories of Hope Podcast!

Shelter for the Faithful by Charlie Boardman

In the Gospels, Jesus likened the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed that grows from the smallest of all seeds to the largest of all herbs: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches." (Matthew 13:31-32).

By the Grace of God, our humble organization has grown beyond the seed phase and into the large tree phase. In the post-COVID world we have witnessed numerous people re-think the course of their lives.

Many faithful have answered the call to service and have committed their support on a long-term basis. Because of this growth, we are in dire need of shelter to accommodate these young Orthodox leaders of the future.

We’ve broken ground on a new dormitory for our long-term missionaries and volunteers. These volunteers commit hard work and sweat to keep the wheels turning at the ranch and I’m honored to work on their new home.

Our most immediate needs are for building materials like toilets, fans and faucets. But we can’t make this happen without your prayers and support. Below are two simple ways you can help bring this project to fruition.

In Christ,

Charlie Boardman
Operations Officer
Project Mexico

Missionary Spotlight - Faeli Heise

Faeli is an OCMC Missionary working at Casa Hogar and St Innocent Orphanage in Tijuana, Mexico. She works as an online school tutor for the 25 boys on the residential property. She is also the co-host of Project Mexico Podcast, Stories of Hope.

PM: Why did you decide to become a full-time missionary, and also specifically work for Project Mexico?

FH: It was a decision that happened very much with God’s prompting...something I stumbled into by His grace. I was a homebuilding intern with PM back in 2019 and I had reapplied to come back in summer 2020. Homebuilding was canceled because of the pandemic, but I was still able to go down to St. Innocent Ranch to help out with all the boys. I was scheduled to leave on the Feast of Dormition, but I ended up offering to stay and continue helping with the boys. I thought perhaps I’d leave after Christmas 2020, but by then I knew that God wanted me here and that I had found somewhere that felt like home. It was during this time that I was connected with OCMC, and I realized that missionary work is the path I’m being led down. I am about to reach my one-year anniversary here in Mexico, and I am so thankful to God for everything He has brought me in that time.

I am equally excited for what’s in the future. 

PM: Describe your role with Project Mexico. What are your responsibilities and contributions to the organization?

FH: The bulk of my time is spent with our 6th-grade group of boys in their online classes--one of those boys is my newly-illumined godson! I assist them throughout the day: keeping them on track, making sure they’re in the right classes, writing down their assignments, and helping them work through the many frustrations that come up throughout the day. Additionally, I’ve helped here and there with various marketing and fundraising projects.

PM: Tell us about how you have grown personally since you came to work for Project Mexico full-time?

FH: I think it’s quite possible I’ve grown more in this last year than any other year of my life. Lord willing, I have grown in patience and flexibility...but my prayer is that I have grown the most in love. My experiences here with the boys have opened my eyes to real love. It’s a love that takes priority over all else and sometimes feels too much to bear. I have a long way to go before I understand it and I can love others selflessly, but I’ve received a taste of it during my time here.

PM: What is a personal talent or interest that would surprise people to learn about you?

FH: I’ve always been fascinated by “old-timey” things. When I’m not bouncing on trampolines with kiddos, running around after ranch dogs, or generally favoring practicality, my personal style is Edwardian-lady-meets-wannabe-hipster. In fact, my godson once saw my church outfit and asked me “Are you from the past?”

Please consider supporting Faeli and her work using the button below.

A Test of Faith: A Letter from Fr. Nicholas Andruchow

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

Missionary Profile: Oliver Fahling

OCMC Missionary – Oliver Fahling

My name is Oliver Fahling. I studied at Mississippi College and played on the soccer team. My previous job was as a lift attendant at Schweitzer Mountain Resort in Sandpoint, Idaho. I enjoy reading about history and philosophy and will be attending law school this Fall, following in my father's footsteps.

Why did you decide to become a full-time missionary, and also specifically work for Project Mexico?

I decided to intern at PM after getting tired of working odd jobs for a few summers to help pay for school. As for deciding to be full-time, it was not much more than saying yes to the opportunity to be the Home Building Coordinator when it presented itself after two summers as an intern.

Describe your role with Project Mexico. What are your responsibilities and contributions to the organization?

My main responsibility is overseeing the construction of homes that are built by volunteers. Most of my work is preparation and takes place before volunteers arrive. This includes interviewing and selecting families, purchasing materials, constructing the wall systems, arranging material deliveries, running off-season work trips, and a few other things. There are also many subsidiary responsibilities that solely exist in the summertime, such as managing summer interns.

Tell us about how you have grown personally since you came to work for Project Mexico full-time?

I don’t get as angry anymore. In dealing with many things at one time and many different personalities all at the same time it is absolutely necessary for one’s mental stability to realize that some things won’t go the way I planned it. And that they might take a little longer than they should. I also realize that I am not always right. So, these revelations have helped me be more patient.

I’ve also noticed that I now love meeting people who land anywhere on the personality spectrum. I suppose I’m learning to appreciate people more as they are.

What is a personal talent or interest that would surprise people to learn about you?

I have a tendency to sweat while I eat, I think it’s genetic.