Newsletters

April 2014 Newsletter

Hola, mis amigos y Familia (Hello my Friends and Family). Hey, I teach English here so I am giving you a lesson in Espanol. Hehe.

It has been too long since I have updated you all and I apologize for that. But I am learning two new things. One is how to do a real newsletter and two is how to do a new website which you will see soon.

Casa Hogar Orphanage

First let me tell you about Faye's class of 3 to 5 year olds. Her class is smaller with only 6 or 7 children but that means they will be better trained before they reach my class. It is really neat to go to Faye's class and see the children singing English songs and starting to repeat the English words Faye is teaching them along with orphanage's on staff member Linda. She is the lady we bought teeth for a year ago.

Then we move to my class where I have now twenty children because some graduated from Faye's class last year. So with twenty kids ages 6 to 11 I have my hands full. But this year has been really good with the arrival of those of you escaping the terrible winters in the USA & Canada. At home they call the white stuff snow and here we call it sand. We had a terrible winter here this year, I think the low temperature during the day was 75 degrees and no Artic inversion.

Now the real exciting news. After 6 years of teaching here we finally had a complete breakout day. What does that mean? It means that the light went on above my kids' heads and they finally grasped the concept of learning English. And you're wondering why it took so long? Well, it's the teachers fault. Hey, my credentials are teaching martial arts, CPR, Baton Training and First Aid.

The first 6 years it was all show and tell as they learned English and I tried to learn Spanish. If only I had started as early as they have I would know a lot more Spanish. There are days when the students and I reverse roles. That is the new breakout I was talking about. I put an English word on the whiteboard and they come up and put the Spanish equivalent. They now get so excited they just move me aside and take over the class. Praise the Lord.

I want to thank all of my many volunteers over these years. The volunteers get to take credit for all the time, school supplies, money and love they pour out on these kids. I can personally say that not one of all the hundreds of volunteers have ever complained. Many of my volunteers plan their whole vacation around the orphanage year after year.

Remember five years ago, one of our dear friends in the Seattle area got their church involved in purchasing a stainless steel 4 spout drinking fountain. It was installed but only worked for about 5 months before they discovered they had some big water issues and then had to shut the fountain off. Well, the fountain has been moved out of the sun as they discovered kids don't like to drink hot water. Hehe.

The water problem has been fixed and we provided a brand new huge water tank, pump and filter system and moved the fountain under cover.

We found out that the orphanage has really been struggling i.e. funds to do necessary things. My angel's name is Silvia a retired High School teacher and administrator who has a Spanish heritage having been born and raised in the LA Area. We met Silvia 10 years ago here in PV but she returned to California to finish her teaching before retiring. Well she retired and approached us to see if she could help. I immediately hired her to help teach us how to teach and also to be my interpreter.

I then was able to sit down with the Director Aurora of the orphanage and get detailed information on how the orphanage is run and what their needs are daily and monthly. Boy, was that an eye opener. I found out that many of the issues are ones we take for granted.

Most believe that the government takes care of the orphanage needs. The only things done by the government are to take kids away from destructive family situations and drop the kids off at the orphanage which is a foundation. The government then provides some mental and medical help but not all that is needed. Our ministry just paid $760 dollars to get little Rosa Speech Therapy. We have two little boys that are ADHD that need long term prescriptions.

What I next found out I almost fell out of my chair. The children are not getting milk. So with that discovery we put out a plea for funds for milk but first bought 17 cases of cartoned milk. The staff almost cried when I delivered it. I found out that Costco is giving the orphanage old bread and fruit and vegetables they cannot sell because of quality issues i.e. bruised fruit, vegetables starting to turn etc.

Thank you, volunteers.

You are so special to what we do for the poor and unfortunate here. It is sad to say but we just don't have any idea what we would do without the Gringo's and Gringa's who travel in and our of our kids lives. You make such a wonderful impact by sharing and loving the kids.

Someone asked me how come the kids run and hug you everyday but skip poor Faye. It is because they have never had a stable man who loves them and respects them. Mothers are the cherished leaders in the homes and there are few good fathers among the poor.

Bay of Banderas Women's Shelter

We are very excited about David & Luann Zude's woman shelter under construction. After many typical bureaucratic delays all the paperwork is done and the construction will be totally finished by the end of the year. David & Luann say thank you to the many fund raisers and volunteers who built, painted and sweated to make this shelter a reality. This shelter will be the first one in the State of Nayarit and the closest to Puerto Vallarta. DIF (Social Services) says that 51% of the women in Jalisco & Nayarit are abused.

Boca De Tomatlan High School

Folks are wondering how we became involved with a fishing village high school. Well you know I am a firm believer in networking and listening for what the Lord may be bringing to our daily lives. Well, on January 6th "Kings Day" I was asked by the American Legion Commander Dennis Rike to be the King for the Day at the local schools in Boca de Tomatlan. Having just finished my yearly role as Santa Claus in the garbage dump and other venues it was an easy thing to say yes as I just shortened my beard.

So they provided me with a robe and crown and off we went. One of our American Legion members said that these kids really need an English teacher and the rest is history. Faye wanted to crown me for sure as we now have to travel 45 minutes to the fishing village, cross a swinging bridge, walk about a ½ mile along the river on a dirt path to the high school. But you know we both love it as the walk is just wonderful and the 20 kids are great. Some of the children take a boat down the coast and pay the equivalent of $10 dollars daily to get to school. That is dedication. The kids range in age from 13 to 17 years old and were given a choice by the principal to study English or go to a study hall and every one of them chose English. Praise the Lord.

DIF Boys Home

Little Samuel was my student at Casa Hogar Orphanage when he was 7 years old along with his sister Dalia who was 9 years old. All of a sudden they were gone and returned to their father. Then, three years later, they surfaced again. Their father had sexually abused the sister and beat little Samuel as he tried to protect his sister.

Donations to support our efforts:

Shepherd Staff Mission Facilitators
P.O. Box 53640
Albuquerque, N.M. 87153-3640
Account #607 on your check, you will receive a tax deductible receipt.

Vaya con Dios mi Amigo,

Senor Dennis & Senora Faye Janson,
Missionaries of His Will, His Way Ministries

To connect with Dennis & Faye Janson and His Will, His Way Ministries, email them at HisWillHsWayMinistries@gmail.com or fstphoen@juno.com. Telephone in Vallarta is (322) 113-0205 and cellular is 322-182-0129. USA MagicJack is (707) 225-6451