An atheist missionary?

Feb 13th-14th

Everything starts with a fish taco. Or so I was beginning to learn. As such, my first port of call in Vicente Guerrero, VG, was a good taco stand. I happened upon one more by chance than anything else, the brothers Melendres, and happened to start talking to some other gueros there. It turned out Becky and Josh volunteered at the orphanage I was looking for and it was right around the corner. Not only that, they told me, but VG was also a hub for organisations that I was interested in. As if that wasn't good enough, Becky also paid for my fish tacos - wow! fortune indeed.

The fish taco stand of fortune.

I rolled down the road to the orphanage, and before I could even open the door I was greeted by someone from the Hogar Para Ninos (children's home). For the next 24hrs my memory is a blur of kind faces, even kinder people, and stories of such generosity and charity that I will not soon forget. The hogar, run by the Christian organisation Foundation for His Ministry, has been around for almost 50 years. Originally a simple orphanage, the complex now includes a well-equipped medical clinic, childcare facilities, gardens and land for cultivating macadamia nuts, kitchens, laudries, and an extensive visitor centre. The visitor centre is to accommodate the large groups of volunteers that arrive weekly to help the hogar. Volunteers do almost everything, from general duties around the complex, to teaching, childcare, health care, and helping with outreach. Outreach services go out to various places including camps of poor migrant workers, and even to people living in garbage dumps, and usually involve simply feeding the people.

One of the clinic rooms

The strange and beautiful old theatre

Robert

Becky and Barry, or Bazza as he insisted.

I was blown away by what the people at the hogar did for the community. It was also striking that they had a fantastic medical facility, but no full-time doctor to staff it. I gave some serious thought to the idea of being that full-time doctor, but it just wasn't an option for me unfortunately. Also, it was a very christian organisation, and as a staunch atheist, I think it would be difficult for me. An atheist missionary in Mexico?Ha. I think that if I was to take on a role of that description, I would be doing something rather different indeed.

My atheism didn't stop the people at the hogar inviting me to stay at the visitor centre, giving me a tour of the place, and letting me eat with them. So instead of moving on to San Quintin like I had planned, there I stayed for the night in VG. The next day, I used my extra time in VG to seek out other organisations that I had been told about. I found the Erma Fennel Foundation, the Welcome Home childcare centre, and another old folks home. Many people who work in those organisations came from the hogar, such is the influence of the oldest and biggest charitable organisation in town. I particularly want to thank Paul and Judy from Erma Fennel, who generously gave me some much-needed cycling gloves, thanks guys!

Judy, Paul, gloves!

It wasn't far to San Quintin, so I figured I had time to check out two other orgs that were on the way out of town - IDT and a women's shelter. I rolled out of town, as Hallmarky as it sounds, feeling really moved by the things people were doing there.