March 2024
We began spring break with a parade, celebrated Nacho’s birthday, and taught the kids the story of Holy Week!
Spring Parade
Las Margaritas chose Benito Juárez’s birthday as the start of spring break, and put on a parade where all the schools danced for the judges! Our school was buzzing with excitement. What I really appreciated here was that they choreographed the dance in a way that gave even the wheelchair users an essential part. When you look for ways to include disabled children, you’ll be amazed at how easy it can be to find a role for them.
I first met these kids a year ago, and since then, it’s hard to believe how much they’ve grown. Now that they’re finally getting the tools they need to succeed, they’re showing how smart they really are! If you want to read more about how much they’ve grown, check out my substack! (This post is locked with a paywall to prevent strangers from gaining information about the kids. Let me know if you’re trying to access it and I’ll help you out!)
Nacho’s Birthday
Nacho was very excited to celebrate his birthday, and wanted to make sure we celebrated with everyone who could make it. He picked two of his chickens to become mole, so we had plenty of food. His favorite birthday gift is his new puppy, Almendra.
She’s very cute for now, but she’s a chihuahua, so we’ll see how long it takes for the aggression to overcome the cuteness. Given her size, the kids have to learn to be careful handling her, which is good for their developing self-control. (Plus, dogs are their favorite animal, so they’re ecstatic.)
Nacho has come a long way. Right now, we’re working with him on figuring out how schedules work. Since he went so many years with only the signs he invented to describe stuff, abstract concepts like time are difficult for him to manage. He’s been running off of alarms we’ve set for him, but Fere is taking advantage of the spring break to have him put together a board for his own weekly schedule.
Holy Week
To celebrate Easter, we watched a very cheesy movie about Holy Week from the animals’ perspective. I was rolling my eyes through it, but when it was done, I saw that it had left a very important impact. Javi came up to me and asked why. Why did Jesus die for us? What was he saving us from? Why did it have to be so sad?
As I answered his questions as best I could, I could see on his face that something had changed. We had been going through the story all week, but when he watched the movie, he was truly drawn in. It became real to him. He really began to understand the depths of what Jesus went through for our sake. And when I explained the resurrection, he cheered and jumped up and down, overjoyed that our savior lives.
This was not the first time he’d heard this message. Far from it. But this was the moment that he understood it. I’m so grateful that I could be there to see that unfold.
If you want to find the movie in English, it’s called The Lion of Judah: The Lamb Who Saved the World. It’s apparently a great movie for teaching the Easter story to children!
Personal Note
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Chiapas Missions to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.