Moving Toward the Good God by Father Demetrios Swanson

Artist Rendering

When watching a movie or reading a book I have always taught my children to say, “he is really acting badly” instead of “he is a bad guy” when we come across those characters. Solzhenitsyn famously said that the line between good and evil does not run through groups of people but rather through the middle of each human heart. So that “bad guy” in the movie is battling with the line in his heart. The battle is not decided. And there is something else too. 

Miraculously we have been quoted $600,000 USD to completely build a beautiful church and fellowship area. Through the prayers of the Theotokos, we have raised more $400,000 to start the first phase of construction. With an additional $200,000 we can fully complete the project and establish a Mexican Orthodox church for the first time. Consider sharing your treasure with us, and your heart, because “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:21)”. “Where your treasure is, there your heart will  be also.” –Matthew 6:21 Scan the QR code to donate or go to projectmexico.org/ temple 

When the three magi presented gifts to Christ, they offered gold for a king, frankincense for a god, and myrrh for the dead. This is the ancient understanding and meaning of the three gifts. The priest, like one of the magi, often circles the church during services offering that same frankincense to the people. Frankincense is for gods. So why do we cense the people? Because they are made in the image of God, they are made in the image of our good God and are in turn worthy of a gift offered to gods. 

We also have this element in us called the likeness, which is our free will. That free will moves at another level in us toward and away from that good God. So, we are good, made in the image of a good God, a beautiful God and in our free will we battle with that line in our heart as we work on our salvation, our sanctification. 

But the good image is ever-present. In my individual conversations with the boys of the orphanage, I often end a chat by telling them, “You’re a good kid”, “eres un buen joven.” Because they are. This is something so important for each of us to remember about ourselves. We are all good at that deepest level and striving to realize that goodness in our hearts, in our lives. This means we are worthy of love, no matter what. Another activity I do with the boys of the orphanage is practice loving ourselves by saying, “[my name], I love you” and try to really mean it. No matter our struggles, we are good. And we are trying to be good. We are loved. And worthy of love.   

“Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me.” –Isaiah 49:16 

This changes everything. 

Behind the Scenes with Project Mexico Intern Anna Jackson

The most rewarding part of being a homebuilding intern are the bonds of fellowship forged during the homebuilding season.

Every week, teenagers and young adults who have come to build a house leave the Project Mexico Ranch expressing how much they want to be interns the following summer. These young volunteers express this desire despite seeing us interns stressed, tired, and stretched to the limit. We work alongside them, leading and laughing, but we also struggle.

This is not to say that the build weeks are bad for the interns, merely that the weeks are mentally and physically difficult. But these challenges are why many of us choose to come at all, to serve those in need. There is a burden of responsibility – both for the work we do and for the people we serve – that, while incredibly fulfilling, weighs heavily upon the mind and body. This is the most beautiful aspect of being a Project Mexico homebuilding intern. Something else I love even more occurs on the off days of the build weeks.

During builds weeks, interns are divided into teams of four or five. The volunteers never see the group of twenty or so nearly inseparable friends. We work for hours and hours together, learning each other’s strengths and improving; every morning and every evening, we pray together; when work is done, we gather in one house or another – everything is done in fellowship. These are all people who have come, by the grace of God, to serve the families we build for, our volunteers, and one another. This is truly the best part of being an intern at Project Mexico – to be surrounded by these shining icons of Christ.

Newlywed Life as Volunteers in Mexico: Growing in Faith, Love, and Service at St. Innocent Orphanage

My wife, Evangeline and I have lived in Mexico for a year now, serving as volunteers at St. Innocent Orphanage and Project Mexico. Living on the ranch as newlyweds has been a humbling experience, from navigating our new life together in such an involved community to learning to reset our priorities to put Christ and our marriage first. What a journey full of joy, leaps of faith, struggle, and trusting blindly it has been. And glory be to God, the journey continues!

Seeing our marriage and each other grow through our work is the most incredible experience. Evangeline has had challenging experiences in her work with the infants and toddlers at Casa Cuna San Felipe and has become a more grateful, patient, and loving person. I continue to learn and grow in my everyday interactions with the niños and thank God for this opportunity to give back to the place that has given me so much.

Growing up as an orphan, it can be difficult to grasp what a healthy and loving relationship between a husband and wife looks like. Our hope for our marriage is to be an example for the boys and those around us. As Evangeline continues in her work with the babies and I continue in mine with the boys, together we strive to minister to this community that is doing God’s work by opening our home to all who need it, praying for our marriage to be a blessing to those around us, and asking God to use this time in our lives to teach us the meaning of sacrificial love.

It is truly beautiful to pursue the challenge of carrying out God’s will alongside each other in our first months of marriage and to struggle with choosing to trust God again and again. We are so incredibly thankful to this ministry for bringing us together, giving us this special chapter of our lives, and helping us draw closer to our faith through striving to serve as Christ served. 

In Christ,

Alejandro and Evangeline Zendejas

Alejandro Zendejas is a former resident of St. Innocent Orphanage and has since graduated from Hellenic College in Brookline, MA. Alejandro and Evangeline have dedicated their first years of marriage to this ministry.

Faces of Hope: Homebuilding in Mexico by Anna Cunningham

Minerva and Jose met in Chihuahua, Mexico while working on neighboring ranches. The young couple moved to Tijuana to be closer to family and lived with Jose’s mother. The young family grew with the arrival of a son. They lived in a small 10’x20’ home with eight other family members.

Shortly after giving birth to their second son, Minerva was informed by a doctor that she had cancer. A caring neighbor recommended Minerva’s family of four to our Homebuilding program. The neighborhood kids went running to fetch her for our initial interview. Most families Project Mexico builds for are interviewed several months in advance. But in this case, Minerva’s new home was scheduled to be built in just two weeks by a group of volunteers from a parish in Louisville KY.

Minerva visited the site every day with her newborn Edgar, and her 7-year-old, Jose Jr. They were amazed at how quickly the house was completed. Upon receiving the keys to their new home, they were filled with hope and excitement. Months later I returned and asked about Minerva’s health. She laughed and pointed at her infant son, Edgar and said, “There’s my cancer walking around on two feet.” The doctors had misdiagnosed her.

When I returned a few years later to conduct this follow-up interview Minerva smiled and moved her sweater to show me that a third baby is on the way. Edgar believes that the new arrival will be a little sister but Jose Jr isn’t convinced.

Those four days Project Mexico volunteers built a new home were life-changing for her family. She still remembers volunteers by name, and Jose Jr still has the coloring books and toy cars that were given to him that week. Jose Sr now works in a factory, and Minerva makes pinatas while watching the kids. They have been able to save little by little and make improvements all over the house. She smiled and said, “We can’t do things as fast as you all did, but we are getting there, bit by bit. It was a great blessing that came to us.”

In Christ,

Anna Cunningham, Homebuilding Coordinator

Are you interested in volunteering to build homes for unhoused families? Every year our Homebuilding program welcomes hundreds of volunteers from around the world to build a home for a family in six days. To learn about our homebuilding program, tap the button below.