A Year Spent at NPH Mexico

Below is a reflection written by volunteer Leslie Ford after serving at NPH Mexico about how the NPH family impacted her life  

Words fall short of describing an entire year of life, especially one which so profoundly touched my heart, opened my eyes, molded my perspectives, changed my values and lifestyle, and left me with hundreds of new brothers and sisters and a new place to call ¨home.¨

NPH Mexico has over 700 children and 200 employees, and we were a team of 10 international volunteers working as teachers, caregivers, and clinic staff. I experienced some of the hardest moments of my life there, but every single one of those moments was quickly and completely overshadowed by the opposite: some of the most extreme, pure, genuine moments of happiness I have ever felt. I spent my mornings working as a nurse in our on-site clinic, which mainly involved giving health education chats and providing primary nursing care to children who came as "walk-ins" for minor injuries and sicknesses. In the evenings, I worked as a caregiver for 21 amazing, bright, joyful, absolutely wonderful kindergartners, which is where I learned about unconditional love and the importance of patience, laughter, and the small things. Being able to share love and happiness with those kindergartners (as well as with all the other children, employees, and volunteers in the home) is something I will forever be thankful for and will never, ever forget.

Although it´s time for me to continue on a new path, my actions, perspectives and heart will now always reflect the lessons I learned and the love that was shared together as a part of the NPH family.

Bringing “First Moments” to Donors and Sponsors as They Visit NPH Homes

Below is a reflection written by Gaby Driessen, Regional Manager of Child Sponsorship in NPH USA’s Midwest office, about the wonders of introducing new visitors to NPH homes for the first time. 

I directed my first trip to NPH nearly three years ago, so my first NPH visit experiences are long gone.  I don’t feel the nervousness of driving into NPH for the first time; rather, I feel comfort and familiarity.  I do not get anxious about meeting the pequeños for the first time; rather, I feel excited to see them again and pick up right where we left off a few months ago.  I do not get to fall in love with NPH for the first time; rather, I continue to fall more and more in love with the organization and its people.  Since I no longer have those “first moments” when I visit a NPH home, bringing new donors and sponsors to visit one of the NPH homes is, in my opinion, the best part of working for NPH USA.  To witness someone step onto NPH grounds for their first time, build meaningful relationships with the pequeños, and feel so at ease and at home is so remarkable.  With each trip that I lead, I am given the unique opportunity to see the light flicker in someone else’s eyes when they realize that by visiting NPH they are helping break the cycle of poverty.

In a recent trip to NPH Guatemala, I asked the trip participants to share their “aha!” moments.  What about NPH has surprised you the most?  What has made you realize the importance of you visiting NPH?  What has been your favorite moment thus far?  One participant, who was visiting NPH for his first time, shared that his “aha!” moment was when he realized that NPH is the Kingdom of God.  His answer left me speechless.  My entire education, kindergarten all the way through college, had been in Catholic schools, so at a remarkably young age I had been taught that the Kingdom of God was Heaven.  One high school religion teacher liked to say for those of different faiths, “The Kingdom of God is a place where love is all around.”  The trip participant went on to explain his reasoning for believing that NPH is the Kingdom of God – he witnessed Fr. Wasson’s pillars of unconditional love, shared responsibility and helping others in every child, caregiver, teacher, nurse, gardener, international volunteer, visitor, donor, and sponsor.  He explained that he had never seen so much love in one place, and, in his opinion, all this love could only mean that NPH is the Kingdom of God.  Throughout the rest of the week, I kept an eye out for Kingdom of God moments. 

On the last day of the trip, the youngest boys section walked past me, each boy carrying a large garbage bag filled with folded clothes.  When I asked where they were going with all the bags of clothes, they explained that they were walking into town to donate the clothes to those in need.  All of sudden that lesson from my sophomore high school religion class of love being all around made sense, as did the trip participant’s “aha!” moment; there, in the midst of the Guatemalan highlands, with a volcanic and mountainous background, on the grounds of a place that provides a home, healthcare and education for approximately 300 children, I was standing amongst a group of nine-year-old boys who were, and are, living the Kingdom of God.  

Eyes Open

Below is a reflection written by Kevin Mee who has visited the home at NPH Mexico several times and will soon be visiting the home in the DR. Kevin is a Sponsor, UPM Associate Board Member & Co-President of University of St. Thomas NPH USA club!

When I was in high school, Deacon Jim Hoyt, Regional Director in the Southwest NPH USA Office, brought a group to NPH Mexico from my church. Every year, he would try to get me to go down to Mexico. I finally made it down to Mexico for the first time in the summer of 2011. I was hesitant on my way down for multiple of reasons: I spoke absolutely no Spanish, had never traveled abroad without my parents, and I only knew three people out of the 20 on the trip. After going down, my life was changed forever. Growing up in North Scottsdale I was very privileged. But I saw that the children in NPH were happy with the very basic needs of life; they did not need the Xbox, PlayStation, or television to keep them happy and busy. The true love from the children I experienced down there was the hook that captured my heart forever. I have since been down to the Mexico home five times and will visit the Dominican Republic home this summer!  I currently sponsor three children at NPH Mexico.

I stay involved by interning and volunteering in the NPH offices and events in Arizona and Minnesota. I stay involved because the children made such a positive impact on my life that I want to be able to spread the word about the joy and love of the homes here in the US. I try to get other people involved to improve the lives of the children at the NPH Homes. A few months ago, I joined the NPH Upper Midwest Associate Board (our new young professionals board). I joined this group because I saw the opportunity to have a connection with other young people who have a connection with NPH. I also want to work with others to get my generation involved in NPH. We had our first event last week and raised almost $2,000! 

While I am not in the offices, at an event, or at a home, I am a student finishing up my degree at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota (yes I’m from Arizona and study in Minnesota, and yes I hate winter). I am currently studying Business Leadership and Management. Post college, I hope to be an international volunteer at an NPH Home and after that open my own restaurant.

What I find most rewarding about being involved with NPH is that the children not only bring joy in my life, but I am able to bring so much joy to theirs. The day I left NPH Mexico on my first visit was heart wrenching. My Godson (at the time he was 13 years old), was in tears. That was the first time in my life that someone cried because I was leaving. That feeling has stuck in my mind since that day. It made me realize that the work I had done up to that point and have continued to do is truly making a difference in the life of another. 

In the midst of the impenetrable darkness, there is indeed light...

Below is a reflection written by Upper Midwest staff member, Robert Sevenich, after visiting NPFS Haiti.

Haiti has faced indescribable political and environmental devastation resulting in abject poverty and myriad deaths. It’s easy to believe that there is irrevocable damage in Haiti when visiting areas of Port-au-Prince, namely Cité Soleil. Some criticize groups within the population for their lack of emphasis on commonality in the community in the wake of desolation. The need to survive often cripples the ability to mobilize for social change.

In the midst of the impenetrable darkness, there is indeed light. In the communities surrounding Kenscoff, a town located in the mountains 15 miles south of Port-au-Prince, hundreds of children and their parents rise long before the break of day to make the long trek up the mountain’s steep incline to attend NPH’s Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH) primary school. Often mothers will wake in the middle of the night, ignite a small fire to cook the only daily meal for her family – a meal that will help sustain the children during the long journey and day at school. Families make this quotidian sacrifice to secure the opportunity for their children to learn.

St. Helene Foyer is home to 376 orphaned, abandoned and disadvantaged children, and it also provides a primary education to nearly 484 external youths while employing numerous local people to run its programs. As an enthusiastic community center for learning and employment, St. Helene’s home and school are a true testament of the Haitians’ shared desire for knowledge and communal sustainability. For example, after the school day, children will study on the side of the streets at night to glean enough muted light to study. This is one of the many practices people prioritize to improve their education.

NPH’s programs, along with many others, challenges the notion that Haitians lack the foresight to create systematic change. There indeed exists a blazing yearning for education and societal advancement within the Haitian community. One of the key pillars of NPH’s mission is to teach children the importance of shared responsibility. More appropriately, however, NPH teaches Haiti – and every other nation it where works – the necessity and urgency of community engagement and noble leadership.

A safe home...

Below is an excerpt from a blog post by Fr. Christian Mathis, Chaplain at East Tennessee State University, reflecting on his experience visiting the NPH homes in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua.

My experience with NPH has shown me that despite the fact that the majority of orphaned and abandoned children in these countries continue to live on the streets, there is something that is being done for the ones who are fortunate enough to find their way to these houses where they are cared for. One such example is a young man described to us by Fr. Ron. This pequeño began his life abandoned by his mother to die in a heap of garbage in El Salvador. Fortunately he was found by the man who worked at the dump who adopted him and cared for him as his own child. He grew up only to meet with tragedy once again when his foster father was later shot and killed in their home. Finding himself alone once more, he got a job riding on a banana truck, hired to guard the produce as the truck made its daily deliveries. Eventually he was lucky enough to be taken in to the NPH house in El Salvador. There he was given a safe home where he received food, shelter and education. He finished high school and college and has plans to attend medical school.

Read the full post on Fr. Christian's blog here.

This whole 'mom' thing is no easy feat! But boy, is it rewarding...

Below is a reflection from Gina Reis who has volunteered at NPH Mexico. Thank you to Gina and ALL our volunteers for your support!

What a difference a few months can make; from living with one roommate in a quaint yet comfortable apartment in Minneapolis, to sharing simple living quarters with ten others in a small town in central Mexico. From eating a variety of different types of cuisine to a steady diet of beans, rice, and tortillas. From working as a video editor, spending a steady 40 hours a week alone in a dark, chilly editing suite, to working roughly 70 hours a week as a caregiver to 32 girls, constantly surrounded by children at every point in my day.

I started my yearlong adventure as a caregiver at Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos, an orphanage in Miacatlan, Mexico, in the beginning of January, completely excited for this new experience and yet utterly terrified for this complete change ahead of me. As a caregiver, I help watch over a section of 32 girls, ages 9 to 12. I wake them up in the morning, serve them food, help with homework, check chores, teach English...so I guess you could say I am like a mom to these girls!

One of my girls took me aside this past May to wish me a happy Mother's Day - saying that she was thankful for all that I do for her and that she loved me so much. She also sang me "Las Mañanitas", the traditional tune they sing here on birthdays and special celebrations. This kind gesture, along with a dinner planned by the male employees of the house AND a special program put on by the kids, really had me stop and realize just what it is I really do here at the home. Yes, I am here to help with homework and check chores, but as a volunteer here my main job is to give love to the girls - let them know they are appreciated and special, and to be that loving mother figure that many of them do not have. 

My life has done a 180 since moving here to NPH. The food isn't the same and the culture is different in so many ways, but what has changed the most is who I center my life around. It's no longer about me; what am I going to do today? What do I need? No. Now, my life is completely centered around my girls. I've had some of the best days of my life here, and some of the most challenging ones. This whole 'mom' thing is no easy feat! But boy, is it rewarding. 

Life and Love

Below is a beautiful reflection from Ed and Wanda Sweeney, long-time parishioners and NPH supporters.

The massive front doors to the hacienda in Miacatlan opened, and we were greeted by 20-30 bubbly young children and welcomed to their home - Fr Wasson's Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos home, for over 800 orphaned children. Their smiles were so full of happiness, their faces so full of life - we were immediately struck by the joy and love that lived in this special place.

It was early December of 1992, so that afternoon we were treated to the traditional Posada, the re-enactment of Joseph & Mary's search for lodging in Bethlehem and afterwards we celebrated with the breaking of a pinata. One has to be impressed by this wonderful facility - its dorm rooms, the chapel, the fish farm, the tortilla "factory" and kids everywhere supporting and caring for each other, studying, working, cavorting as kids do. They marveled at my Polaroid camera and 15mm videocam - I had my own film crew!!

We have since served as "godparents" for several of the children and returned again years later to visit them. Some have grown up and one has gone on to the University in Monterey. Fr Wasson has provided life and love for these children. In fact, that best describes NPH - "life and love". It's one of those "you have to experience it" places!

Duluth Tribune Covers Graduation of NPH Mexico Pequeno in Minnesota!

Below is an amazing story from Larry and JoAnn Lawinger who have been sponsoring Zetina, from NPH Mexico for many years, and for the past 7 years Zetina has lived in Minnesota with them while at school pursuing his nursing degree! He just graduated from St. Scholastic in Duluth, MN, and the Lawingers were beyond excited to share in celebrating with their godson.  
 
JoAnn and I wanted to tell you how proud Zetina made us at his graduation last week!! He has become a fine young man - all on his own.  

The school invited the Duluth Tribune to come in and do a story on Zetina, and we were asked to come and sit in on it. How he answered the questions posed to him with such care and compassion for the home literally brought tears to my eyes. The love he feels for the kids at NPH and for all those who help to take care of everyone there was just heartwarming. He has  grown from that young child (7 years ago when he first arrived to Minnesota) into a fine young man any parent would be proud to call “son”!

Both JoAnn and I are so proud of him. His outlook on life is so mature and inspiring. I should tell you that the paper was so impressed with him – that the article was moved to the top center on the front page. We are so grateful for the wonderful past 7 years with Zetina. You have no idea how hard it is going to be to put him on that plane ride back home in a few weeks!!

Read the full article here.

Glen Urqhuart School students visit NPH DR!

Each year the Glen Urqhuart School in Beverly, MA sends a group of 8th grade students on a 1-week service trip to NPH. This year they traveled to NPH Dominican Republic and worked to raise more than $8,600 leading up to the trip! Barbara Kelley, Regional Board Member and this year's group leader collected some short stories and photos from the students so that we could share with all of you! Enjoy!

"Carla" by Maggie Harrison

Walking away from Casa Santa Clara was one of the hardest things I’ve ever been forced to do, knowing I was leaving behind a little girl with an innocent face and a giant heart. Carla was the only girl in her house who wasn’t immediately extremely outgoing; she was a little bit shy, but once you got to know her, she was just as nutty and outgoing as the others. Once she broke out of her shell and became comfortable with me, I knew not only could she change me, but the entire world. The first time I talked to her without the chaos of the other girls, was a couple of days into my trip. She was one of the only girls going back to school. I remember her latching onto my arm as we walked down the road. As I talked to her in my not so perfect Spanish she gently corrected me and told me about school and her siblings. When we reached the school, she said goodbye and gave me a hug.

When it came time to write goodbye letters I knew instantly I had to write a special letter to Carla. I knew she needed the encouragement for her big dreams of being a doctor in the US because it’s not easy, but I could see the potential in her. As I wrote the letter all I could think was, I hope Carla loves this. I went to the house to find Carla the next day. She led me out onto the porch. I gave her the letter, and she crawled into my lap and asked me to read it to her. When I finished, she gave me a giant hug and whispered “gracias” in my ear. I thought she was going to cry as I said, “I am going to miss you,” and she said “Me too.” Seeing her face during that bittersweet moment verified something to me; it doesn’t take much to befriend someone or put a smile on their face or a tear in their eye.

The next morning when it was getting close to the time when we had to say goodbye, I remember walking into the house and explaining to the girls I had to leave in a couple minutes. Carla was outside hanging clothes on a clothesline; her smiling face took an abrupt turn to a frown when I told her. I started saying bye to other girls first, and as I walked back outside to say a final goodbye to little Carla she turned away from me, not wanting me to see a tear run down her cheek. She followed me back into the house as I said more final goodbyes. I knelt down to give her a real hug and wiped a small tear off of her face as I said adios and I am going to miss you. She smiled at me through her tears while I stood up, and I would have given anything thing in that moment to take her with me. Te amo y te extraño Carla.

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"Marily" by McKenzie Perkins
 
I met Marily the first day that we had lunch in the homes. We didn’t have the immediate connection like some people did, but our special relationship surpassed the rest. She was quiet and shy, and not very talkative, but it didn’t matter. She picked me. We had barely talked except at the lunch table, but she chose to befriend me. We did talk a little bit when we were together, but mainly she just wanted to walk, hand in hand, around the park. She was one of those kids that you could tell by her eyes that she had been through a lot. But I hope that I really made a difference in her life. She had been living at NPH for less than a year, and she was 13 years old. The note that she gave me the night before we left made me want to cry because it was so sweet. It was probably the most thoughtful card that I have ever received. Soon I will be an official sponsor of Marily and to definitely keep in touch with her no matter what. She made me a bracelet after lunch one day, and I have kept it on and I don’t plan to take it off until it falls off!
 
In our hogar there was a little boy from Haiti who was staying at NPH with his mom so they could get cancer treatment for him in Santo Domingo. Almost every day Jennie and I arrived before the kids got home from school. We would see the kids come running towards the house. Every day, Marily would come in with the biggest smile and run to the little boy to give him the biggest hug and a huge kiss on his forehead. She gave him more attention than any other child in the home. It was one of my favorite parts of lunch time, that small, thoughtful action. Marily is truly one of the most considerate people that I have ever met.

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"Alicia" by Lisa Owen

I was so nervous stepping out of the visitors’ home on Sunday morning. It was our first full day and the first time seeing the kids. All my worries vanished as a little girl ran up to me and asked me my name. I was immediately pulled over to the trampoline where we just jumped around. After, she continued to pull me around, talking in rapid Spanish. She noticed when I couldn’t understand a word, and then proceeded to act it out. I messed up constantly when I was talking, and every time I did, I’d say that I was sorry. Every time I apologized, she would shake her head and tell me that there was no reason to be sorry. We kept on talking and running around until the day was over. There was so much I learned from her even in the small time we had together, and I find it incredible how quickly we became best friends despite the language barrier.

Once the day was over, she made me promise that I would come back the next afternoon, after school. Every afternoon I came back, and every time her eyes would light up when she saw me. We talked, we danced together, we ate together, we played together, she did my hair, and that’s how I spent the best days of my life. Alicia intended to spend all of the time she possibly could with me, and I wanted to spend all of my time with her, and we did. When she walked past the visitors’ house in the morning on the way to school, I could always spot her immediately; I would wave and shout “Alicia!” and she would always wave back.

For lunch, I always got to her house before she did so I could help with the plates; every day she would run in and give me a big hug. After eating lunch right next to her, she would pull me outside and we would sit and talk. I would walk her back to school, and after school, she would meet up with me again and play or she would teach me how to dance. At the end of the day, she would accompany back me back to the visitors’ house, and tell me that she would wave to me the next morning, and so the cycle began again. 
       
I came back to the United States immediately wanting to sponsor Alicia, because I wanted her to still be in my life far after I left. I wanted to help her, to support her. She taught me how to let go and to focus on the present. She taught me how to be a good friend and how to be a good person. She taught me so much, and I taught her a lot also; she is the best friend I have ever had, and the entire trip was an experience that I wouldn’t have missed for the world. I miss the DR and the orphanage, but mostly I miss Alicia, feeling like I belong there.

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Visiting the NPH Honduras home was life-changing and utterly rewarding...

Below is a blog post written by Lindsey Duff. Lindsey has been a Sponsor since 2011 and recently visited the NPH Honduras home! 

In my room, there are pictures of NPH kids—adorable, smiling, laughing kids. Most important to me is the one of myself with the girl my family sponsors. Her picture is there to keep her in my heart and mind, but it would not be easy to forget my NPH experience.

My family got involved with NPH after hearing about it from a friend and being thoroughly impressed. Soon after, we became godparents to a then 14-year old girl in the NPH Honduras home. Being close to her age, I was ecstatic to begin writing letters—fascinated to hear about her life and eager to share about mine.

I can still remember getting her first letter and crying as I read it. It was so full of love and gratitude, and there was something so incredible about reading her own hand-written Spanish. We continued corresponding for several years, sending letters and pictures and gradually learning more and more about her life. “Espero que algún día puedan visitarme en Honduras,” she’d write—I hope that someday you can visit me in Honduras—and finally we did.

It would be impossible to adequately describe our experience there. We went as a family of sponsors speaking little Spanish and knowing even less about the culture or lifestyle of the NPH homes, and yet the kids and workers there welcomed us into their family with no hesitation, and our visit was the most life-changing experience I’ve ever had.

By itself, the experience of meeting our goddaughter would have made the trip worthwhile. We bonded immediately with her—she was so sweet and funny and kind and above all, loving. She would never walk anywhere without an arm over our shoulders or a hand in one of ours, and I’ve never been hugged so much in my life as I was in that week at the NPH home, by our goddaughter but also by kids I’d only just befriended. That was the miracle of NPH: I’ve never once met a friendlier, more loving group of kids. This, I thought, is what makes NPH so incredible.

The kids we met there had once been some of the most disadvantaged and impoverished children in a country that was already struggling with crime and economic difficulties. But that’s not who they were anymore. They were a family of happy kids, kids who had three meals a day and a bed of their own and access to health care and an education. But that wasn’t the extent of what NPH provided. What made NPH so incredible were the values of the organization that were so clearly in action every day. It was no question why the kids were so loving when they had such fabulous examples in their caretakers and teachers and in the volunteers that worked there. I would never have believed without seeing with my own eyes that such an environment of unconditional love and respect was possible.

The kids went to school, learned a trade in the workshops, ate meals, went to mass, did chores, had time to play, and the home ran so smoothly that we were amazed by the lack of organizing or reprimanding. The fact that hundreds of kids could live in the same place with so little confusion and conflict was testament to NPH’s layout. We were impressed too by the kids’ participation in making the home run smoothly. We saw young boys in an electrician class parading into one of the buildings, presumably to fix something; the older girls worked in the afternoon in one of the gardens, and even the youngest pequeños watered plants and swept walkways.
 
Whether we were helping in the English classes or playing soccer or doing Zumba with the girls or enjoying ourselves at the Buen Pastor festival, my family and I were constantly being amazed by the kids and by their caretakers. Visiting the NPH Honduras home was life-changing and utterly rewarding.