Whale-ista
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Posts: 2009
Registered: 2-18-2013
Location: San Diego
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Mood: Sunny with chance of whales
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Quick day trip to Door of Faith Orphanage, La Mision
Drove to La Mision in Baja California Mexico to donate toys and a crib to the Door of Faith orphanage. A friend could not deliver it due to
work-related COVID restrictions, so we loaded the antique crib and other items into my truck for the drive south. (One of the perks of retirement: no
employer telling me where I can/can't go.)
Easy southbound trip from San Diego. I declared the toys and crib and paid a small import fee- less than $10- just to be safe.
They actually waved me thru the crossing- a first for me in my truck- but I stopped anyway so they could look inside out of habit. Had to wave them
over to inspect me...
The drive was easy. No tolls at Playas. $39 pesos at Rosarito. Another $35 when I returned home via Blvd. 2000.
The orphanage is at the end of of 2 miles of dirt road east of the bridge in La Mision. It was a beautiful drive down the coast and into the valley,
just north of Valle Guadalupe.
The orphanage is full- over 100 children from 7 months old to college age. Sadly, indoor classes are on hold due to COVID, so most of the kids were
outside playing when I arrived.
No visitors allowed on site to tour the campus due to COVID- but donations happily accepted at the office. English speakers in the Gringo office,
Spanish speakers in an office across the playground.
The staff are volunteers from the US and Mexico. The young woman I spoke to is from Oklahoma, and is able to stay with help from sponsors who donate
money to pay for her to live on site. (She originally agreed to a one year position and is now staying indefinitely)
If you’d like to donate items or money go to www.dofo.org
Or go to tinyurl.com/dofowishlist
If you are in San Diego and have items at home to donate let me know.
If enough people have items to send, I may make another trip with a full vehicle next time.
PS re:the return trip: I used Blvd. 2000 and the road is in rough shape in many places. The broken pavement and potholes remind me why I use the truck
vs. sedan: bigger tires, and better visibility with all those commercial trucks. (I also like to think other cars are less likely to cut me off since
I appear bigger/more intimidating- esp with that bright white Callen shell on the bed.)
Haven't been in Baja for a while, so I took one wrong turn trying to find the Otay SENTRI lanes. However, I still did well on the navigation: a truck
that had passed me on Blvd. 2000 was in line at SENTRI when I arrived.
For a change: I chose the "right" lane that was moving well, and entered the US ahead of him after a 5 min. wait in line.
This was despite a "newbie" agent working the entry gate, who seemed unsure how to react to the Callen shell. I explained I had only been down for a
few hours to donate items to an orphanage- but he still thought I should go to secondary inspection. (I've had SENTRI for various vehicles for 20
years- cars and trucks with shells- and have never been sent to secondary)
I offered to open the back, and he seemed genuinely surprised that it was an empty shell. He had a flashlight out ready to peek into cabinets and
drawers! I guess I looked like a mini-RV...
All told: I left around 11, was home by 4 pm, and drove about 130 miles round trip- so a good day's outing.
Next time: lunch and wine!
Or at least: lunch, and a bottle to take home.
\"Probably the airplanes will bring week-enders from Los Angeles before long, and the beautiful poor bedraggled old town will bloom with a
Floridian ugliness.\" (John Steinbeck, 1940, discussing the future of La Paz, BCS, Mexico)
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BajaBlanca
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Posts: 13196
Registered: 10-28-2008
Location: La Bocana, BCS
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Over 100 kids. Very sad that they are orphans. Very wonderful that they are being taken care of!
No pics?
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Whale-ista
Super Nomad
Posts: 2009
Registered: 2-18-2013
Location: San Diego
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Mood: Sunny with chance of whales
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They don't want people to share photos of individual kids, so I used the "official" photo they gave me with their donation information.
These are kids who have been abused, neglected and/or abandoned so they ask visitors to respect their privacy at the campus.
\"Probably the airplanes will bring week-enders from Los Angeles before long, and the beautiful poor bedraggled old town will bloom with a
Floridian ugliness.\" (John Steinbeck, 1940, discussing the future of La Paz, BCS, Mexico)
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Whale-ista
Super Nomad
Posts: 2009
Registered: 2-18-2013
Location: San Diego
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Mood: Sunny with chance of whales
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I had no receipts for the items, and didn't know if they were new or used since my friend provided them- so I wasn't going to question their value.
He was kind enough to pay for the gas and other expenses for the trip, so I considered it part of the process.
\"Probably the airplanes will bring week-enders from Los Angeles before long, and the beautiful poor bedraggled old town will bloom with a
Floridian ugliness.\" (John Steinbeck, 1940, discussing the future of La Paz, BCS, Mexico)
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thebajarunner
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3718
Registered: 9-8-2003
Location: Arizona....."Free at last from crumbling Cali
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Mood: muy amable
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Most of the kids in "orphanages" are not truly orphans.
In fact, man of the kids are actually dropped off by a parent.
I had many years of relationship with Door of Faith
I was on their board of directors and published their newsletter.
When the founders retired a local took over and he and I had a lot of bad "stuff" so I got involved in other places.
The current management is excellent, highly honorable and effective!!
And, just as an added note, many years ago I took four of the boys home from Door of Faith and raised them with my family. They are all grown now,
and they all call me Dad. Some major success stories in this group.
p.s. my boys all say that "orphanages" are not a good way to deal with the problem.... too much like warehousing. I'm quoting well educated and well
adjusted men who went through the process.
One of my boys is working on ways to get kids out of orphanages and into better situations. Not an easy task....
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John Harper
Super Nomad
Posts: 2289
Registered: 3-9-2017
Location: SoCal
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Quote: Originally posted by thebajarunner  | Most of the kids in "orphanages" are not truly orphans.
In fact, man of the kids are actually dropped off by a parent.
I had many years of relationship with Door of Faith
I was on their board of directors and published their newsletter.
When the founders retired a local took over and he and I had a lot of bad "stuff" so I got involved in other places.
The current management is excellent, highly honorable and effective!!
And, just as an added note, many years ago I took four of the boys home from Door of Faith and raised them with my family. They are all grown now,
and they all call me Dad. Some major success stories in this group.
p.s. my boys all say that "orphanages" are not a good way to deal with the problem.... too much like warehousing. I'm quoting well educated and well
adjusted men who went through the process.
One of my boys is working on ways to get kids out of orphanages and into better situations. Not an easy task.... |
What a generous heart you have! Congratulations and thank goodness for people like you in this world.
John
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BajaTed
Senior Nomad
Posts: 859
Registered: 5-2-2010
Location: Bajamar
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The region around the orphanage has some flower growers we use and La Magana's restaurant has good food too. The Market across the street with the big
boulder in the middle of the store is our regular butcher. Really good smoked pork chops.
They have a nice La Posada at xmas there too.
Es Todo Bueno
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John Harper
Super Nomad
Posts: 2289
Registered: 3-9-2017
Location: SoCal
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| Quote: Originally posted by BajaTed | | La Magana's restaurant has good food too. The Market across the street with the big boulder in the middle of the store is our regular butcher. Really
good smoked pork chops. |
I'm headed down next weekend for a dental appointment. I've eaten at Magana's many times, I'll have to see about those smoked pork chops.
John
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Whale-ista
Super Nomad
Posts: 2009
Registered: 2-18-2013
Location: San Diego
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Mood: Sunny with chance of whales
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Thank you for your love and compassion Bajarunner.
Too often, those are the key elements missing from young people's lives. They have housing, food, education = but lack parenting, if not parents.
As with many of the US "foster youth" programs: most of the children/young adults have living parents and/or other family, but for various reasons
they were removed from their care.
Most "group homes" are far from ideal. And many times, young women who go through foster youth programs have children they aren't prepared to care
for, who then end in foster care- so they cycle continues.
I would say, just from this very brief visit, that the location of Door of Hope is helpful. It's peaceful, lovely and bucolic, which is essential for
children's mental development (see: "Last Child in the Woods" by Richard Louv- http://richardlouv.com/books/last-child)
So at least in terms of location- they have a good place.
Also- Mexico makes sure money is not a barrier to higher education, and DOFO has older kids attending college and continuing to live on site.
All in all: I encourage others to support DOFO as you are able.
Next time you are driving south, take an hour to visit La Mision, and drop by the office to deliver some item from their "wish list." (or just have it
delivered via amazon)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/1730VXPSVVIXD/re...
\"Probably the airplanes will bring week-enders from Los Angeles before long, and the beautiful poor bedraggled old town will bloom with a
Floridian ugliness.\" (John Steinbeck, 1940, discussing the future of La Paz, BCS, Mexico)
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RocketJSquirrel
Nomad
Posts: 251
Registered: 8-3-2019
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Thank YOU for helping out the orphanage.
There is a cultural difference here, you won't find such institutions NOB. Especially for "normal" and healthy kids. Not that we are better there,
just different. It is something that needs to be learned and foster-care and adoption need to be advertised and better understood by the local people.
They just don't really know about it very well. Yet.
All that said - THREE CHEERS - for people who help. You are doing good work. You are a hero! Gracias!
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