I shared with you last month about the arts and crafts program we have for the elderly. On the other end of the spectrum, we also have a daycare center in Juarez, Mexico, where single moms can leave their children while they work at the factories in town.
Maria Luisa runs our daycare, and she has a real heart for the kids in her care. The children are fed three good meals a day, and they have an enclosed playground to play in, educational activities during the day, and a place to take naps.
Besides caring for little ones, if older siblings need to be picked up after school, Maria Luisa will go and get them and bring them to the center where they can do their homework. This gives them a safe place where they and their younger siblings can wait for their mom to finish work.
Usually, the parents pay a small fee, but if even that is too much for tight budgets, Luisa will accept the children because she wants them to be taken care of.
Tragically, the violence in Juarez continues to escalate. The families we serve have so much to contend with – gang turf wars, daily murders and kidnappings, extreme poverty, and broken families. We try to see where the greatest needs are and work to find a way to bring help and solutions. One of the ways is to provide this wholesome environment for the young children who grow up in this troubled area.
On my last visit to the daycare, the kids were just finishing breakfast and were heading out to play in the playground. We heard squeals of joy and delight as the children ran around enjoying a lively game. I thought of John 1:5, “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.”