Power of words + encouragement

We have parenting classes once a month in Bonfil (urban community) where the parents learn various skills.  Recently, I attended one of the classes and the topic was about modeling the behavior you want to see from your children.  Through a DVD curriculum, they watched parents demonstrate positive interactions and negative interactions, and the impact that negative responses can have on their children.  They were so engaged and asked really good questions.  It was obvious they wanted to learn more.  For most of these Mom’s they’ve never taken any kind of parenting class before, or read any parenting books.  For many of them this is new information and a new way to think. All they know is what was modeled for them, for good and for bad. One principle they learned was about how, if they wanted their children to demonstrate respect, the parent also needed to show respect in the words they used, and how they used them. I was reminded of the verse in Proverbs 18:21 –

‘Words kill, words give life: they’re either poison or fruit – you choose.” I love that the parents in Bonfil learned this truth and will hopefully put it into practice.

I also love seeing words of life being spoken to the children we serve through the mission teams that come.  It’s always a beautiful thing to see mission team members speaking words of encouragement to the children, encouraging them to try new things, to overcome fear….whispering to them that they matter, that they are seen & heard.  Here are some pictures I am so fortunate to see & experience.

Connecting Through Art: Two Stories - One Theme

“Will you color my heart?”  It was a simple question a little girl asked me to translate for one of our mission team guests.  The little girl was sitting with her new friend on the cement basketball court after playing relay games.  We gave the children sidewalk chalk to let them draw.  The little girl had drawn a heart and she wanted the student from Taylor University to color it in. I was taking pictures and didn’t hear the girl at first, but then I heard her say it again…. "Will you color my heart?"  Once the college student knew what the little girl wanted she immediately began coloring the little girl’s heart.  I couldn’t help but think that even though the little girl was asking for something tangible, something she could see….the college student was actually making deposits into this little girl.  These two girls were connecting their hearts through art. We are still building trust with the community in Tres Reyes and over time these little “deposits” will make a difference. 

The children in Tres Reyes love to paint!  When given the chance to paint or play…they often choose to paint.  I think it’s because they don’t have the opportunity or supplies.  And since Cancun is a relatively young city they do not have any art museums. So little by little we are bringing art to them.  Recently we had a painting lesson with the children from Tres Reyes.  We introduced them to the painter Wasilly Kandinsky who was an Abstract, Expressionist painter.  Expressionists use color to express their emotions.  Many of the children we work with have experienced trauma and do not know how to express their emotions in a healthy way.  The thing about art and music is that it can be a beautiful way to express yourself.   We had a variety of different projects going on this day, and at one point I noticed how quiet it was.  The children were so engaged in painting and were concentrating so much. 

But one girl caught my attention. She was working so diligently on her painting, and would stop and look at the example, then look back to what she was painting.  She was still working when the other children had finished and we were cleaning up.  She wanted her painting to be perfect. This young girl was connecting to her own heart through art. 

We're thankful for the opportunities we have to pour into these children and families. It is God's desire to heal all of our hearts, but  especially the fatherless and the vulnerable. Pray with us for God to heal hearts...in Tres Reyes, Bonfil, Cuna Maya.....

Life Lessons

Last week we had a medical and construction team here. This year because of all the work that is being done on the community center, the construction team had three very very busy days all of which included mixing, moving and pouring cement. If you haven't done it, it can be pretty tiring. Our construction team was fairly small, so we were all constantly on the move, shoveling and moving buckets of sand and gravel, then filling and moving buckets of cement. Then doing it all over again....all day.


About half way into the third day, one of the 14 year old boys we work with in Tres Reyes (Tony) got my attention and asked if he could help us. Given how exhausted we all were, and knowing we still had 3-4 more hours of cement work, his offer was appreciated by all of us. So I invited him to help. About an hour or so later he told me his friend Louis, also 14, wanted to help. I welcomed him as well. They both jumped in and worked hard for over three hours. Their contribution was significant and helped us finish the huge cement pour in the large palapa.

Rewind to the previous day..... Tony and his two sisters were scheduled to meet with the tutor for a few hours. They've been meeting for over a year now, helping the kids get caught up and stay on track with their grades. We've told the kids how critical it is that they show up and be on time for their tutoring sessions. We also explained to them that we pay the tutor to be there with them. On this day of tutoring, all three kids, including Tony, left the tutoring session early....a couple hours early. They said they had  other things to do. Needless to say it frustrated the tutor.

Back to the cement work..... After Tony and Louis finished  their work with us, I pulled them aside with one of our other staff who has been working more closely with the family, and  told them how much their work helped and that I was proud of them for working so hard. I told them I wanted to pay them for their hard work. But I also needed to help Tony connect his hard work and earnings with what he (and his sisters) had done to the tutor the previous day. I told him that I wanted to pay him 100 pesos, but because we had to pay the tutor, even though he left early, I couldn't pay him as much. I could only pay him 50 pesos. His friend also got paid 70 pesos. As I explained this to Tony, my prayer was that  he could understand, at least to some degree, how his actions were costly, not only to the tutor and Back2Back, but also to himself.


My children often received "teachable moment" lessons from me as they grew up. Some stuck. Some probably didn't. I pray that the reality of how actions have consequences will give Tony something he needs as he grows and matures.