Our final day in Puebla was bittersweet. Our first stop was to visit an organization called Casa Hogar Remar. They have been handing out calendars in Puebla to try and get volunteers to help get a facility up and running. From our visit we were able to find out that they serve children, as well as, single moms, teens with addictions and the terminally ill. Their organization is 25 years old and has 70 homes Internationally. Three of those are in Mexico. Monterrey and Guadalajara are the other two locations which are already established. The one here in Puebla is hurting for volunteers and funding. They have a Bazar (Thrift Store) and furniture resale shop to begin raising funds for a home or land, but that's about all. We don't really feel like this is a fit for us because of their broad scope. However, we did like the fact that the other homes that are up and running serve in the community by providing food, clothing and other supplies. Which ideally would be a great aspect in the future plan for the orphanage we are wanting to be involved with.
Next we went to Casa Hogar "Alto Refugio." This is an orphanage that the Swanson's visited on their trip last year. It provides a model to what Alfonzo and David's vision is for an orphange for the kids in DIF. And is actually based off of a model that Maria Louisa had invisioned for an orphanage. Alto Refugio houses 45 children, from infants to teens. The children are divided into four living quarters with Christian "foster Moms." Three of the families are all girls, and the fourth is all boys. They have a community playroom, computer/library, study room, washeteria, and playground. They also have an extra building on the property to provide Christian counseling, sewing classes, and tutoring for kids who have fallen behind. They all attend a school together on the adjoining property and attend church. We learned that they have requested that they only receive children from the DIF who have no family ties to ensure that they are not taken from the orphanage. This is so they are able to keep the orphanage families together. Some of the children who have already been released from DIF at age 18 are still living at the orphanage while they go to college. This prevents them from just being thrown out on the street with out any resources, as is the case with most children who exit DIF. It gives us a great vision of what we would like to be a part of in Puebla. 
We wrapped up our last day by going to Downtown Puebla to see the Zocalo (City Center). While there we looked at a Catholic cathedral built in the 1600's and did a little shopping at El Parian (Mexican Market). There were some beautiful historical sights to see. Then we ended with dinner at El Balcon together. We had an amazing time this week seeking direction from God on how we can meet the needs of children in Puebla. God's hand was evident during our visit by closing and opening doors and having a vision of bringing hope to children in need. We are excited to see this work begin in order to help children in the DIF, share the Gospel, and bring glory to our Father.
Special thanks to the Bult Family. They were great host and we look forward to many more trips to spend time with them while being about the Lord's business!
Crystal (:
