I guess she didn't get the memo...

[j.w]

No picture showed up.

 

[Bullfrog]

This internet is whacked. Pics take forever to upload but I'll try again..

Israel is on the far left. We bought a soccer ball as that is all they play here. When they weren't playing, he sat on it so we gave it to him. His brother Gaille is in the center. The balls are only about 6 bucks so we will buy one every time we go to the supermarket.

There are a couple more on my facebook page here
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009156052490

 

[CountryEscape]

Awwww .... they all look very happy with their meals, and bet Israel was proud of his new possession as well!

 

[j.w]

Great picture and look at all those smiles! They are gonna love you and Gloria and learn a lot from you both. What do the little girls do there?

 

[Bullfrog]

The boys are from left to right Israel, Omar, Jovanni, Gaille and Jonathan. They all have dreams just like kids everywhere. Israel wants to be an architect, Omar isn't sure, Jovanni wants to make a career out of the navy, Gaille and Jonathan want to be policemen. Their sister isn't in this shot, but she wants to study science. Women do hold high government positions in Mexico.

But not here, this village has no opportunity and they have no transportation to get to where the work is, or the means to stay there. The sad truth is that these children will also become caneros like their ancestors and she will be pregnant at 16. like most girls here. At 16, a Mexican girl becomes a woman. But they are young and time is on their side. If these crops come in and their families see that they can make a lot more money growing vegetables, perhaps their lives will be better than that of their ancestors. There is no reason they have to be this poor with these resources.

Gaille said his grandmother looked at the soccer ball and said, "Take good care of that ball, it may be the only one you ever have." Is this an admission of defeat or just an acceptance of the ways things are? Things can change. The zucchini is screaming, it will do well here, and we will see what else grows good. We just need some rain.

 

[j.w]

Good things can happen and like you said the kids are young and they are eager to learn. Hope your crops grow great and you get rain to make them grow. Is rain a problem there or do you get enough there near the mountains to water them? It think I remember you saying it rains every day there but is it enough to wet the crops?

 

[Bullfrog]

It rains every day in the winter months, when I'll be focusing on potatoes. We had had two, good, soaking rains in the past 10 days so everything is growing good so far. This is a learning phase, I will learn what grows well here and what doesn't. We average 19.7 inches a year to 98.4 so it's a crapshoot. Pico de Orizaba, the tallest mountain in Mexico is about 25 kilometers away and really affects our weather. In the mornings, the wind blows toward the mountain as the warm air is sucked to the higher altitude. In the evenings, it rushes back down.

Back to the kids, Jovanni stands the best chance of fulfilling his dream. If he still has this ambition when he is of legal age, we will take him to the recruiter's office in Veracruz, about an hour away and they should snatch him up if he scores well. Mexico's navy is small which is why so many join the army. Food, housing and medical care is provided.

 

[j.w]

Hope it all grows well for you but then maybe some years it might or might not. Just depends on how much rain. You have a river near too tho right?

That would be wonderful if even one kid could live his dream and you could be a part of it.

 

[Bullfrog]

We have a river and could get a pump and a lot of fire hose for irrigation, but they could never afford that and most don't have a river on their property. I want to prove to them that they can grow food with just the rain and no investment. I'll probably learn that some things grow really well and some things just won't grow at all.

I need ideas, I need church or humanitarian sponsors to clear, then fertilize and plow the land across the river. Does anyone know how I would acquire a few sponsors? A tractor is a pipe dream, but maybe someday.

On a smaller scale, I thought about having people "adopt" or sponsor one child for Christmas as they have never had one. We could put a tree on my porch and if people could send $25.00-$30.00 and adopt one child that they would have a gift under the tree. We could then let them send a thank you note and a picture via the internet.

 

[callingcolleen1]

Way to go Bullfrog!! Now your there hero!

 

[j.w]

There is also a site on the net called gofundme: http://www.gofundme.com/
You tell your story and hopefully people will help. Yours is a very worthy cause Bullfrog and might really help you in what you are trying to do.

 

[Bullfrog]

I got a reply from the mission director of a church I used to attend in Texas for an interview!

 

[Bullfrog]

I'll also try gofundme, thank you JW.

 

[Bullfrog]

Well i went to texas and got a church sponsor. I hauled back jackets, shoes, hoodies, jogging suits, Teddy bears, soccer and footballs. We passed them out to the kids and will return in August for more clothes and new bicycles.

 

[addy1]

Great!