We began our day in the City of Joy and after an authentic breakfast of chilaquiles had a phenomenal tour of the facilities and the beginnings of the foundation that helps so many people. On the campus, besides the retreat house that we were staying at, they have a hospice care center, nursing home and a women’s shelter that are supported by three different religious congregations; a Mano Amiga school for underprivileged kids and the Don Bosco school for non-traditional students, a bread and blanket shelter, and Mission Maya—a volunteer organization where young people can stay for up to a semester volunteering down here. We were encouraged seeing how good people doing good things can make a real difference in many people’s lives.
Our drive to Nuevo Durango took us about 2 hours (with one bathroom stop—we are all trying to drink a lot of water!) The town itself is small and the main feature is the Catholic Church that is in the center of the town. We unloaded our luggage and took a quick look at our accommodations…before the soccer ball was discovered and the kids one-by-one began peeking their heads out of their homes and coming to greet us.
We had lunch and then found the tie-dye equipment and another soccer ball and continued our “work” with the kids. We had one scare when one of the townspeople, Miguel Angel, fell while playing soccer and the response of the people around showed us the importance of the community here. We were glad to have a couple doctors and a nurse with us so that they could make sure that he was ok.
We ate dinner on the roof of the Church looking at the stars and all shared a bit of our reactions to the day. It took us a while to put up our hammocks, but now we are ready for some sleep (before the roosters start!)
