While most teenagers prefer to take time for themselves in the summer, seniors Tracy Renier and Michelle Wyley went down to Micatlán, Mexico to visit the brothers and sisters of Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos to share their faith and be of service.

A small village south of Mexico, Miacatlán is home to more than 430 children. Tracy Renier and Michelle Wyley travelled with their church, Holy Name of Jesus. “[Michelle and I] ran a Vacation Bible School for the kids in the first half of the day. Second half of the day, we would hang out with the kids and connect with them,” Renier said.

The most common activity, after Vacation Bible School, was soccer. “If you play anyone over the age of 11 or 12, you will get creamed,” Renier said.

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Both Renier and Wyley agreed that it was a humbling experience not only being destroyed in soccer but seeing the kids have such big hearts despite their situation.

Even though Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos is an orphanage, the children cannot be adopted. They can, however, be sponsored. “When you sponsor [a child], they call you their godmother… [or] godfather… [People] donate $30 a month and send them letters,” Wyley said.

The sponsor program is one of the many support systems that Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos provides to help improve the lives of the children in their program. 

With the recent earthquake in Mexico, Renier and Wyley explained the recent destruction of the orphanage’s chapel. “They already have so little, and now, their chapel, which has been there forever, is completely crumbled,” Wyley said, who added that prayers and donations are greatly appreciated.

Renier and Wyley both recommended taking the trip if the opportunity presented itself, as the children make the trip unforgettable. “It was just so amazing to me that kids can be so loving and open even though they’ve been through so much,” Wyley said.