I have amazing news!
Our friends at Melody’s Children’s Home (Casa Melody’s) finally have a permanent home!
Notfatherless has partnered with Casa Melody’s since the beginning and we’re so excited for them!
To understand how HUGE of an answered prayer this is, you need to read their backstory.
Here it is…
The Casa Melody's Saga
Melody’s Children’s Home was located in downtown Reynosa, Mexico for the first decade of their ministry.
The building they lived in was gifted to them by the owner after it was destroyed in a fire.
After thinking the property was transferred into their ownership (they would later find out the paperwork wasn’t filed properly), Jaime and Rosalba Mayorga (co directors of the home) began renovating the building.
Things were rough financially for them, and with no other options, they moved their biological family into the building before the renovations were complete. They lived there without water or power for a few weeks.
It soon became livable, but all in all the renovations took more than 6 years to finish. The Mexican government wouldn’t let them take any foster kids until the building was in better shape. So, they put their hearts and souls into the building. They re-did the floors, walls, ceilings, bathrooms, and kitchen. They even built an addition to make room for visitors and to give the kids more space to play/study.
They turned a burned old building into a wonderful home for the many foster kids they would soon take in.
Before Renovations
Every part of the building was affected by fire and water damage. It had to be completely gutted.
After Renovations
Jaime, Rosalba, and countless volunteers put YEARS of hard work into making the building liveable.
Well, back in early 2022, they were given the opportunity to move into a much larger and nicer space. The owners of another nearby children’s home were retiring and wanted Jaime and Rosalba to take over. This new location had room for 50+ kids, a huge yard, a pool, and a much nicer and larger kitchen.
Jaime and Rosalba had prayed for years for a larger space, and this really seemed like God answering those prayers. They packed up their biological family and the foster kids in their care, and moved to what they thought would be their new permanent home.
The kids playing in the pool at what they thought would be their forever home.
Lunch time at the location Casa Melody’s unexpectedly had to leave.
They were in the process of taking over the home when it was discovered the previous directors and their staff abused a few of the kids.
At the advice of their DIF agent (DIF is Mexico’s CPS), Jaime and Rosalba packed up their family and foster kids and left. If they had stayed, they risked having them taken by the government as part of its investigation.
They found a fast and temporary living solution just down the road. With the help of a mutual friend, Jaime and Rolsalba and the kids were given permission to house up in an abandoned building, The owner gave them six months. They got the water and power turned back on and really made the most of it.
Casa Melody’s posing in an abandoned building serving as their temporary home with some Christmas presents gifted through NotFatherless.
Bible study in the abandoned building that served as Casa Melody’s temporary home.
They didn’t immediately move back to their original downtown Reynosa location because the original owner of that building had begun a property dispute with Casa Melody’s. The woman who gifted Jaime and Rosalba the building years ago claimed she still owned it. She had fallen on hard times and wanted the property back. Turns out, she did still legally own it because of the misfiled paperwork I mentioned earlier.
Luckily, after some negotiation, the woman decided to allow Casa Melody’s to stay in the building for one year. Jaime and Rosalba quickly moved back in.
After their year was up, the woman still wasn’t ready to take the property back over, and so Casa Melody’s stayed put… That is, until last month.
I’ve just found out that two missionaries who have a close relationship with Jaime and Rosalba have purchased a property for Casa Melody’s!
Praise God!
After two years of uncertainty, tear-filled nights, anxiety-ridden days, and lots of packing and unpacking, they finally have a forever home! They’re already moved in and are making themselves right at home.
The Casa Melody’s Family posing for a picture in their new forever home.
Jaime and Rosalba are ambitious people who put ZERO limits on God. They’re already dreaming of the ways God is going to grow their ministry in this new location.
NotFatherless hopes to help them make their dreams a reality!