Every year we travel to Amazing Grace Children’s Home to bring smiles to the children. Yep… it’s true… that’s our priority: smiles. Frankly… we just let them have fun. We take them away and play. We take them to a Safari Park to see the animals, watch a bird show, ride the rides… and… well just be kids! We break for hamburgers followed by cotton candy a few hours later. Its zip lines, paddle boats, and big slides. Later on we take them to a park, yes, just a plain ole park. And we play… and of course we fix them hamburgers in a U.S style cookout. Oh… and we have pizza for supper. (you see a pattern here: hamburgers and pizza) And there’s a lot more going on that week, kid stuff, laughing kind of stuff.

To top it all off we throw a big Fiesta like the kids have never seen (except the year before). We play games, see a magic show, pop balloons, and eat… you guessed it: pizza followed by ice cream sundaes U.S style. Then we have a special ceremony where each child gets a special bag filled with gifts designed specifically for each child. Then… well… they break out their toys and play with them… right there. It’s like Christmas… except in July!

We know there are lots of folks who can’t go with us, but they still want to put a smile on a child’s face, so we figured out a way for you to do just that. It costs $83.00 per child to cover all the entrance fees, food at the various locations, the gift bags, and a new Bible. That’s a small price to pay for all those smiles. You can sponsor a child for the week, or… hey… why not 5 children?  Please donate by clicking the Give A Smile button below, then choose one of the remaining children without a sponsor (which is every child pictured) hover your mouse over that picture and click on the square with an arrow, then select donate below the child’s picture to pay though Paypal. Or send a check with Fiesta in the memo to Santa Fe Baptist Church, 12902 6th Street, Santa Fe, TX 77510. Thanks!

All donations on this site go through PayPal to an account maintained by Santa Fe Baptist Church (SFBC) exclusively for Amazing Grace Children’s Home. Each month SFBC transfers all funds received to the Children’s Home. No donated funds are used by the church for any purposes not directly related to the Children’s Home. That means 100% of your gift, after the credit card company’s deduction (PayPal is 2.9% + .30, that would be $2.90 out of a $100 gift), makes it to the Children’s Home to immediately start providing for the needs of dozens of children. Amazing Grace Children’s Home is a ministry of Santa Fe Baptist Church and is a legal Association for Childcare approved by the Federal Government of Mexico. Amazing Grace Children’s Home receives no government funds and is completely dependent upon God to provide for the needs of the children through His people. All U.S. donations are tax deductible through SFBC. Leonardo Rivas, the director, is an ordained member of SFBC.

Send and write checks to Santa Fe Baptist Church with AGCH in the memo.

Santa Fe Baptist Church
12902 6th Street
Santa Fe, Texas 77563
409-925-3411

In the U.S State Department’s most recent travel warning for Mexico (February 8, 2012) none of the places we visit or communities we stay in or mainly travel through were mentioned. The Statement specifically for Mexico city said, “Mexico City (also known as the Federal District): No advisory is in effect.” Our accommodations are outside Mexico City in the tourist area surrounding the ancient pyramids at Teotihuacan, the most visited tourist area in central Mexico. The State Department travel warning said this in part, “Millions of U.S. citizens safely visit Mexico each year for study, tourism, and business, including more than 150,000 who cross the border every day.  The Mexican government makes a considerable effort to protect U.S. citizens and other visitors to major tourist destinations, and there is no evidence that Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) have targeted U.S. visitors and residents based on their nationality.  Resort areas and tourist destinations in Mexico generally do not see the levels of drug-related violence and crime reported in the border region and in areas along major trafficking routes.”

Please read my article under the travel tab “Is It Safe” for more information and perspective.

Larry Jones