El Sauzal Amigo Blog

Janeen with a colorful Sofia

Janeen, of SeaTac Bible Church, Auburn, Washington visited the Orphanage for the first time in January.  Here she shares about her experiences, including the unusually cold weather at the Orphanage. 

I had heard several things about the orphanage before leaving, but I still didn’t know what to expect, so I had a pretty open mind upon arriving there on January 3, 2007. At first I didn’t know what to think, but a couple days into it I started to realize something that God was more then likely trying to teach me. These people and children taught me something about faith.  Here in the U.S. we worry about so much stuff that we shouldn’t.  At the orphanage if they woke up without water or electricity, no big deal, just work around it and keep going. I also noticed that everyone there was cold, since a couple days didn’t get above freezing, and if it did it wasn’t much above freezing, but I really never heard them complaining about it.  They don’t have heat either, which made things a little interesting for my cousin Callie and myself. Also, they have a rather laid back atmosphere that surprised me at first, but when I got the hang of that laid back atmosphere, I started to relax myself.  Perhaps God is still working in that area in my life, and not to be so rigid on things, and just to relax in Christ.

The most important things that I have shared with several people, is that the El Sauzal Orphanage isn’t really an orphanage.  Sure they take care of orphan kids, but they are a big family. The way everyone takes care of each other, and how they look out for each other is totally amazing.  It really reminded me of how the church family should act towards each other. It surprised me how hard it was to leave, as I made the decision for my cousin Callie and me to leave 10 days early due to illness.  Even when I wasn’t feeling so well, I still had a hard time leaving. I would like to return again, when it is warmer. Looking at my pictures and the ones on the website makes me a little homesick for them.

Erika bundled up for her unheated office work

 ”Me and some of the kids from the Orphanage.” - Janel, Washington state

I went searching the web to see what others were saying about El Sauzal, the ‘word of mouth’.  I found lots of interesting stories and photos, from personal webjournals and websites from individuals, churches, businesses and rotary clubs and organizations.  I thought I’d use a couple of posts to share some of the comments, starting with stories from individuals.

Personal Stories and Photos

The Averill family website tells how the family visited the Orphanage in July.  It also has daughter Janel’s Mexico 2004 report and photos:

“What an incredible journey!  This was my third year visiting the El Sauzal Orphanage, and this time I got to go as a “leader in training.”  It was neat for me to see the children there again and renew friendships.”

Gina, 37-year-old from Texas says:

“5 things I would do with 100 million dollars:  I would make a grant to El Sauzal Orphanage in Mexico for their needs.”

James Pearson of Ever Moment photography has a great black and white photo of Orphanage kid Sergio, along with a post called ‘Play, no matter what’:

“I’m just glad that he [Sergio] was having that sort of fun that all kids should have.”

Google Earth member measureyougive has created a link to see the Orphanage with Google Earth.  (You need to have Google Earth loaded to see the Orphanage.)

The Tsang family traveled from Toronto, Canada to the Orphanage in 2005.  They have tons of photos and captions to see, including nursery pics, work projects, kitchen photos, and taking the Orphange kids to the local pool.  

Stay tuned.  Next, I’ll be giving links to what churches are saying about the Orphanage.

Ellen’s thoughts - “With God there is no such thing as an orphan”

Ellen visited the Orphanage with the Kaiizen Foundation a few weeks ago.  Their group came with eighty mostly college students.  She shares her journal entry here:

May 19th, 2006

We played jump rope and danced to Shakira and drew pictures and played hopscotch.  Maria, Julie and Alicia are my main girls/muchachas.  We play and laugh and smile; they don’t want us to give pity or feel sorry for them.  They only want to be thrown in the air and hugged and hugged because God only knows when that will happen again.  But their spirits are strong and they can overcome this place and this situation and this country and this world because with God we all know there is no such thing as an orphan. 

I truly believe hearts can speak to each other.  I can’t even talk with most of these kids but some of them will sit very close to me and put their arm on my leg and our hearts flutter comforting messages back and forth.  This just happened as I was writing.  The thirteen-year old girl ended our “heart to heart” by whispering, “muy bonita,” and walked away.  The whisper of this thirteen-year old girl could warm the whole world. 

-Ellen Quist

This is Kaiizen’s huge group of 80 people visiting recently, posed in front of a jungle gym they built several months ago

Orphanage friend Leslie with one of our beautiful baby girls

Border control and illegal immigration are hot topics.  Everyone’s weighing in, and the debate is heating up with the President and Senate. 

Last weekend, El Sauzal supporters Bob & Leslie H. visited the Orphanage for the very first time.  Leslie tells here how the border influenced how they chose to donate.

Three years ago Bob and I were vacationing in San Diego and decided to drive south and see the border.  Something I had never seen before, and something I could not forget.

Driving back Bob told me stories about the sounds of people running through the yards at night when he lived nearby years ago.

Once we were at home in Minneapolis Minnesota that steel wall and the stories were still running through my mind.  I felt strongly that God must have a purpose for us that would involve the border region. 

After talking with everyone I knew who might know something about the region I felt compelled to look into area orphanages.  El Sauzal’s name came up on a computer search and we wrote to Roy for the first time.

Today, nearly three years later, Bob and I are sitting here in the dining room at El Sauzal.  Our stomachs are full of sopa con pollo and warm tortillas.  Aren’t we rich!

I can hear the children playing outside as Betty and Maria (Orphanage Nannies) keep a watchful eye while cleaning the kitchen.  We have been here for three days and are leaving for home in the morning.  We have changed.

It’s clear to us that God spoke to us that day three years ago through that steel wall.  And we are so happy to be a part of such a wonderful organization as El Sauzal, which, with the help of our Lord and Savior, is changing this region one heart and one soul at a time.

After finding El Sauzal on the Internet, Bob and Leslie began supporting the Orphanage on a monthly basis.  Last year, Leslie even sold her prized jumping horse and donated the proceeds to our ministry without having visited our facility or meeting our staff and kids.  We praise God that they were finally able to be with us in person last weekend.  We are happy to work with Bob and Leslie to change this region one heart at a time.

   Joy, today

When writing yesterday’s post, I was in contact with Joy.  She emailed me a funny story about Viviana. 

She (Viviana) and I and another teen girl (don’t recall her name) often went on walks in the early evenings.  One night they took me to a place with many large rocks and we climbed a particularly tall one.  They convinced me that all the Americans would jump off the tall rock we were sitting on onto another lower rock.  So, of course, I did it—I even have a picture of me mid-air that one of them took!  But, on the landing I hurt my foot.  For the next week Viviana rubbed my foot each night before bed.  You know how dusty my feet would be by the end of a day playing with the kids. I will never forget that act of love she showed me!

 Joy also shared how her month at El Sauzal affected her.

God used the month I was there to teach about his faithfulness and about the joy and fulfillment that he gives us in serving. That experience was a pivotal time in my faith and in my calling to ministry!  

God bless,

joy (or Gozo, as the kids called me)

I love the joy and fulfillment God gives us in serving, just one of many blessings in helping the Orphanage!