“I wasn’t sure what to expect.”
Interim week with the Door of Faith Orphanage.
Some of my friends and I decided to go on the Mexico Mission Trip with Sra. Garcia last spring during the yearly Interim week. We visited the Door of Faith Orphanage in La Misión, Baja California. The Door of Faith Orphanage hosts groups who come and help with various projects on the property, play with the kids, and experience the wonderful food provided by the cooks. During our visit at DOFO, we helped to paint cabins, played with the kids, and prepared a meal for all of them. We also went out to eat at a seaside restaurant for a special treat and visited the beach.
Our cabins were situated on the hilltop above the orphanage, which was at the bottom of the valley. Our main service project was to paint the interior of the unoccupied cabins next to ours. We painted the cabins in the mornings and went down the hill to the playgrounds where the kids would hang out in the afternoons. Every evening we had devotions with our school group around the fire. In the afternoons, we engaged in many fun activities with the kids. We rode scooters, painted faces, pushed kids on the swings, played tag, and played soccer.
We were schooled on the little turf soccer pitch by some of the particularly talented young boys who had great soccer skills. The kids were all friendly and excited to hang out with us, and each of us made special friends. Some were willing to engage in Spanish with us, or try to teach us words. Each day we would be served a great lunch and dinner by local caterers, who made wonderful meals. On one of the days, we helped out by supplying and preparing the orphanage dinner, which we ate with all of the kids. My favorite memory from the trip was when my friend and I were befriended by a pair of boys who we believed to be twins, but later discovered had a triplet. We were able to play with them every day and eat dinner with them the night we prepared it.
When I chose to go on the Mexico Interim, I was not sure what to expect, but it sounded fun. After the trip, I was sure that it was a great choice for Interim week. The experience was a good mix of service opportunities, learning, fun with friends, and great food. I was able to practice my Spanish, help out with the painting, and meet the kids. It was an opportunity to experience a different culture and meet new people while helping the orphanage. I enjoyed the trip very much, and will definitely go back to Mexico and DOFO if given the opportunity. •
