Sometimes holding child’s hand is all it takes to bring a smile to their young face.
This certainly was the case for 15 members of the Monroe Congregational Church, who traveled to Casa Hogar Children’s Home, an orphanage in Oaxaca City, Mexico.
As part of the church’s outreach program, parishioners brought clothing and supplies to 80 youths, ages 3 to 20, housed at the orphanage.
However, their main goal is, in fact, to demonstrate to the children that people do care about them.
“The children are so happy just to have someone hugging them and holding their hand,” said Monroe resident Shirley Dotoratos. “Although we do participate in a lot of activities with them, such as playing games and reading, I think they most appreciate us just being with them. They don’t usually receive a lot of one-on-one time,” she said.
The Monroe Congregation missionary trip is part of Simply Smiles, a non-profit organization created by Bryan Nurnberger to help impoverished children.
During a visit to Mexico in 2003, Nurnberger reportedly was emotionally moved by the youngsters, many of whom had special needs and physical disabilities. He also noted that many children were economic orphans and had parents who were alive but could not afford to care for them.
When he returned to the United States, Nurnberger was determined to make a difference in these children’s lives. According to the organization’s website, simplysmiles.org, bringing a smile to their faces could make a difference that would positively affect the rest of their lives.
Dotoratos said that the Monroe group not only spent time with children but also ministered to local families living nearby.
“We brought school and medical supplies,” she said. “Sometimes the families had special issues that we are able to help them with, too.”
During their weeklong stay, members of Monroe Congregational Church also helped to build a house for families in need, who live and eat from the town’s garbage dump.
Using donations generously provided by the organization’s supporters, one of Simply Smiles’ initiatives is to build permanent housing for all of these families.
“This is a totally devastated area,” Dotoratos said. “Once you visit the dump and see how people live, you want to cry your eyes out. There are little kids and babies walking around in the garbage. It is very disturbing.”
However, the good news she said, is that 16 houses already have been constructed for the 40 families in need.
Simply Smiles also has involved the orphans in helping with the Garbage Dump Project, by encouraging them to bring sandwiches to the families twice a week.
“We are trying to enforce the idea that people are helping them, and they need to now go out and also help others in need,” Dotoratos said.
She said that it’s always “bittersweet” to visit Casa Hogar, because everyone on the missionary trip realizes how much they are needed by the children.
“We take so many simple amenities for granted,” Dotoratos said. “For example, the first thing I couldn’t wait to do when I got back home was to take a long hot shower.”
Also, there is little hope that the children would be adopted formally, because many do not have birth certificates.
Dotoratos said that the majority of children at Casa Hogar were born to uneducated parents in rural villages, where birth certificates are inexistent.
However, her favorite part of the journey was seeing the children’s reactions when the Monroe group arrived.
“Many of us had been there before, so the children recognized us,” she said. “They saw our familiar faces, so it was like we were friends and family coming to visit them. Also, I think it made them feel good to know that we didn’t forget about them and that there are people out there who continue to care.”
For more information about Simply Smiles, go to simplysmiles.org or call Monroe Congregational Church at 268-9327.
