The best part of my job is seeing kids smile. Like genuinely smile. Not the posed-for-facebook type smiles but real smiles that are often followed by a hearty belly laugh. I just love serving the kiddos at the special needs orphanages here. This often means changing dirty diapers or clipping the nails of combative kids, but it also means getting to play without a care in the world. I love all of it. But I really love that part. This week I got to photograph some of our kid's

Richardo R. Richardo with his "adopted mom" Elizabeth Richardo arrived at the orphanage 11 years ago when he was only 10 years old. When I sit and chat with him now, I see him as kind, relaxed and laid back. He can be serious, but what strikes me is his wonderful sense of humor. It’s hard to imagine that he came to the orphanage a very angry little boy. Hurts from his past often caused him to be obstinate and argumentative. He frequently fought with his siblings as well as th

Ramiro S. 18 years old Ramiro came to the Kid’s kingdom Orphanage 8 years ago when he and his 6 siblings were left without a parent to care for them. When Ramiro first arrived at the Kid’s Kingdom, he was very shy, quiet, and withdrawn. Clearly children that come to live at an orphanage, arrive due to unfortunate circumstances. Such was the case for Ramiro and his siblings. Nevertheless, as the years went by, the security and love offered at the kid’s kingdom began to bring

When I visited one of the orphanages we serve at last week, I saw a little girl that looked eerily familiar playing and running around with her orphanage siblings. I couldn’t put my finger on it but I knew I had seen her before. It turns out that she is a twin and I have met her sister at another orphanage we serve at in town. Come to find out there are three sisters in total but they have been separated. Two in one orphanage and one at another. It is not uncommon for sibling

Being a part of the Kid’s kingdom family has brought many blessings. Not the least of which is a deep friendship with these two. Juan and Berenice are the dorm parents for over 20 boys at the Kid’s kingdom orphanage. Can you imagine parenting that many boys, day in and day out?? These two are amazing and serve tirelessly every single day. When we first moved to Mexico we lived at the orphanage in our 40-foot school bus. During that time, we were privileged to get an inside lo

Meet Erika and Arturo! Erika and Arturo are the directors and parents of an orphanage called Youth with a Vision. They have a heart to open their doors to children and teens that have either aged out of the system but lack the readiness to succeed on their own yet, or have failed out of other placements due to difficult behaviors. They know how deeply these children need the support and have committed their lives to advocacy and giving hope to children in need. When I visit Y

Eleazar came into care as a teenager in 2009 after he suddenly found himself caring for his 6 younger siblings alone. At that time, Eleazar had decided to consider his sibling's needs above his own and put his education on hold. He wanted to ensure his brothers and sisters stayed in school and had their needs met. This was a tough job for a young man of only 18 to do alone. During this time, a teacher in school saw how much he was struggling and recommended that he and his si