A Story of Hope: Update from Back2Back Cancun

                     "Faith means believing the unbelievable. 

          Hope means hoping when everything seems hopeless." 

                                         GK Chesterton

A Place at the Table  Long, white tables were set up in rows. The light from the Cancun sun filled the room. Mothers and fathers, and the occasional young child, filed in and found a seat at the table. A calculator, notebook, and writing utensil waited at each spot. These tools were provided to encourage the tracking of monthly income and expenses. Today, the parents became students. Julie Mowery, Back2Back Cancun Co-Director, recently led a finance class for the Strong Family parents. Three different topics were covered, spanning basic financial principles for the families to use in their homes. “One of the big questions we discussed was the difference between a want and a need,” explained Julie. As the parents came to better understand how to answer this question, they moved on to budgets and planning for grocery shopping. “I encouraged them to make a list before going to the grocery,” explained Julie. “If we go in with a set plan and budget for what we need, we will be less likely to overspend or purchase impulsively. This was a valuable lesson for everyone to learn.”

Julie met with the parents about a month after the classes to see how the planning and budgeting was going for their families. “Many of them were excited to report they used a budget and shopping list to go to the store,” shared Julie. “They seemed excited to see tangible differences in their spending and are looking forward to future planning as they continue to implement what they learned.” Each mom and dad is learning they have a place at the table and are worthy of investment. Back2Back Cancun is excited to build further into the those served, recognizing that strong parents help make stronger families.

Showcasing Their Gifts  Their arms stretched high in the air and their red skirts rustled against the beat of the music. Two lines of children faced their audience dressed in traditional black and red outfits. The small group of Tres Reyes children were giving their first flamenco performance for their families.

Family members and close friends sat in white chairs lined up, creating a makeshift stage in the middle of the community center. The gathering of families was an opportunity to showcase the efforts of four different classes boys and girls had the chance to take. Children took classes in art, gymnastics, flamenco dancing, and computers from January to April. The classes culminated in sharing what they learned and how they’ve grown. “There were girls, and a few boys, in blue leotards and tutus performing gymnastic routines; children in traditional flamenco outfits performed with their instructor; personal art was hung throughout the community center, and those who took computer classes were able to display their newly learned skills,” shared Julie and Erick. “It was an amazing day and it was encouraging to see all the parents come to support their children’s growing talents.” The air was filled with applause as the last of the performances came to an end. As families filed out with their young ones, smiling and congratulating them, each boy and girl was able to see hard work, practice, and the belief in oneself is worthy of celebration.

Cultivating a Love for Reading Book reports are a common project found in American schools. Children select books and then share about the plot and characters and what they learned from the text. Book reports are not a common occurrence in schools in the Bonfil community in Cancun, though. A lack of resources has made access to fun chapter books that will engage students difficult. Until now. Lorena, the Bonfil tutor, has seen exponential growth in the children’s reading and comprehension. “It’s exciting to see the children excited about reading and sharing,” said Julie. “The increased access to new books, and the resources to purchase more, has begun to cultivate a love for reading we’ve not seen in the children before.”

Lorena has helped the children read books like Frog and Toad, The Magic Tree House, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Lorena gives each child a unique book report page to complete once they finish the book they’ve chosen. They answer questions about the book, draw an illustration to show a scene in the book, and then rate the book using a flower rating system. The children color the number of flowers in based on how much they liked the book. Your faithful partnership allows staff members to continually provide tools and resources to make reading more exciting for each child served. Thank you for partnering as we provide care for today and hope for tomorrow.

Pray for one of the teens who is in a hard place and in the midst of making difficult choices. Pray for wisdom for her, the caseworker and the psychologist working alongside her. Please pray for strength for the staff as summer mission teams begin in June. Pray for the teams, individuals, and staff who will be serving.

Note from The Meidals: 

We are so excited to join the Back2Back team! As IT Director at the home office in Mason, Ohio, Jared will use his experience of managing IT and web here at The Oaks Camp to help Back2Back reach more kids, more effectively. 

We ask you to consider financially partnering with us. All staff (international and stateside) at Back2Back raise 100% of their support, enabling the ministry to further impact the lives of orphans and vulnerable children around the world. Monthly or one-time gifts will directly affect our timeline to move to Ohio to join the work God is doing through Back2Back around the world. You can begin giving now by visiting www.back2back.org/donate. Select Staff Support as the reason for your gift, enter the amount, and be sure to write Jared Meidal in the memo line. Or you can download this form for ACH transfers. Thank you!