40-40-40 ... Day 14: SOW Ministries

Time for another guest blog! Guest blogs have definitely been one of my favorite parts of this 40-40-40 journey. Being able to hear first hand from people who are on the ground, doing the heavy lifting, actively involved in ministry has opened my heart to all that God is doing in and through people.

Today's blog is extra special because it has to do with orphans in Mexico. And not just any orphans. Newborn baby orphans.

Here at Sonshine Hacienda we have an 8-month-old, Natalia, who has been with us since she was 5 hours old. She is an incredible blessing, but it hasn't been easy caring for a newborn when you have 20 other kids of various ages and needs to care for also. Not to mention babies are expensive! Diapers, formula, (most of her clothes have been donated thankfully), doctors visits, and a full-time staff person to care for her.

Amber and Travis Owen (fun fact: Randy catered their wedding!) know this need all too well. This is their story.

SOW MINISTRIES

What a privilege it is to share our part in God’s story! My name is Amber; my husband, Travis, and I are the founders of Serving Orphans & Widows Ministries. We have been serving in full-time missions, along with our two kids, for almost 6 years in Mexico. As most missionaries will tell you, we had no idea what we were getting into 6 years ago as we were starting to plan and step out in faith. We made the move from our very comfortable life in Northern California to the unknown of Mexico.

Our mission is to glorify God by providing excellent care for orphans, widows and at-risk communities. Our hope is that everyone would experience the healing power of a relationship with Jesus Christ. We are surrounded by broken people; physically, emotionally and spiritually. We have seen the power of restoration and transformation through a relationship with Christ. Our primary purpose is to build Christ-centered relationships. This happens through time, fellowship, prayer and  a whole lot of grace. We also build these relationships by meeting tangible needs: food, clean water, clothing, education, Bibles, etc.

When we started we wanted to serve as a conduit to provide accountability to donors who wanted to give and meet immediate needs, but didn’t have the time to come to Mexico, or had language barriers, etc. We have been working with multiple orphanages in Tijuana, Rosarito, Ensenada and Mexicali.

We are amazed at all that God has accomplished through SOW Ministries. We have experienced amazing joy! Like enrolling one of the kids in college, throwing kids their very first birthday parties, and providing a child’s very first hot shower! However, we have also experienced the lows: the death of one of our precious special needs children, coming to an orphanage and falling in love with kids only for them to leave a few short months later, seeing the scars and hearing the horrific stories of how these sweet innocent children ended up in the children’s homes.

The one constant is God’s overwhelming love. His love and grace is sufficient. His ways are not are ways, but HE IS GOOD! We have experienced peace that passes all understanding in the pediatric ICU with our own son. We have seen God take what was meant for harm and use it for good, as a child sees God’s power change the life of their drug-addicted mother and transform her into a loving, caring mom. There are countless stories we could recount of God’s faithfulness and grace!

We are now in a season of transition. Last year we were approached by a group who wanted to start an orphanage and asked if we would be the directors. This has happened many times throughout the years, but for whatever reason it has never worked out. We have worked very hard to discipline ourselves to remember that this is God’s ministry and HIS plans are what matters, not our agendas. Once again, as we continued meeting with this group, we realized that our visions for the future Children’s Home didn’t line up. And that’s okay.

After fasting and praying, Travis and I felt God calling us to start our own Children’s Home with an emphasis on taking in babies and building a home that felt like a family. Many homes don’t or can’t care for babies because of the extra costs: diapers, formula, extra staffing. We decided to look into if there was a legitimate need for infant care and were told that 43 babies are currently in a holding center in Tijuana because there is no availability in any of the existing local orphanages. To be honest we were overwhelmed at the thought of this, but we stepped out in faith promising to yet again follow God wherever He leads.

He miraculously has opened so many doors. We are currently in negotiations for the future Blessing Children’s Home property! Our vision is to provide individualized holistic care by focusing on spiritual, physical, emotional, educational and social development. We have been blessed to work with an amazing local team of architects, lawyers and real estate agents to begin the development of this project. We have learned so much over the past years from amazing, gifted directors who are willing to mentor us, give advice and we see how God has prepared our family for such a time as this!

If you would like to get involved and build this legacy of great faith with us and change the lives of vulnerable children in Mexico, contact us. You can also visit our website www.sowministries.org. May God continue to bless you, keep you and build your faith!

ACTION STEPS

LEARN more about SOW Ministries by visiting their website.
CONTACT Amber and Travis Owen with questions or to find out how you can help.
FOLLOW SOW Ministries on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
ATTEND the SOW Ministries annual fundraiser "Night of Purpose" in Roseville, CA, in September.
DONATE via PayPal or credit card to support the building of the Blessing Children's Home to benefit infants in Mexico.