by Clay Huston | May 27, 2024 | blog, Melody's Children's Home, Testimony
This story is about a moment that showed me I’ve been entirely blind to the spiritual warfare that takes place around all of us every single day.
On the second half of my recent mission trip to Reynosa Mexico, I stayed with Melody’s Children’s Home. They recently finished two bathroom/bedroom combos, so I wanted to stay with them as a test run for future visitors.
Melody’s Children’s Home is directed by Jaime and Rosalba Mayorga. They’ve run the home for over a decade and care for 16 children.
Jaime and Rosalba were born to be Missionaries. They’ve been involved in some sort of mission field for most of their lives. Jaime gave his life to Christ in his early 20’s and hasn’t looked back since. Now 60 years old, Jaime has been a full or part-time missionary for nearly 40 years.
That much time as a missionary shapes the way you see the world. Seeing the Holy Spirit work as if it’s a physical person in the room changes how you interpret the events of your life. We all see things through a lens, and that lens is crafted by previous experience. Our lens is like a filter we put information through to help us evaluate what goes on around us. Information enters, the filter is applied, and our conclusions exit.
As Christians, hopefully Jesus is our filter. Jesus’ teachings give clear guidance on how to view the world and our behavior within it. If we take the bible seriously, our lens will be crafted by Christ. But that doesn’t make us immune to cultural influences. Many times, worldly affairs have a huge effect on how we determine our priorities. And I’ve found those influences to be especially strong in America.
Things like politics, careers, and even family, take up so much of our time and energy. Those things are not inherently bad, in fact, they can be good and important. But they’re also time-consuming and can distract us from our true purpose. We have to make sure we incorporate them into our faith, and not the other way around. The wise man builds his life upon the rock.
The more time we spend on non-kingdom things, the more our worldview becomes shaped by non-kingdom things. And the more blinded to kingdom activity we become. Which is what I discovered about myself while in Reynosa.
One moment showed me that I have likely misinterpreted many significant events in my life.
On my last day with Melody’s, a young woman came through the doors—without warning—at 10 pm. She sat down at the dining room table and was soon escorted by Jaime into his office. She was the mother of Carlos, Mariel, and Adele Guadarrama (3 children that have lived with Jaime and Rosalba for more than 3 years). She had shown up that night to remove them from Jaime and Rosalba’s care. (Many kids living with our Partnered Children’s Homes still have their parents, and those parents have certain rights. As long as they have no history of physical or drug abuse, they can remove their children from the home whenever they like.)
Everyone was devastated. I watched as they packed their bags and said their goodbyes. Almost everyone was in tears. They were crying over the loss of family. During those 3 years, Carlos, Mariel, and Adele were viewed and treated as literal family by Jaime and Rosalba. That’s how all who stay at Melody’s are treated. Losing them is equal to losing biological children in the eyes of Melody’s Children’s Home.
Carlos, Mariel, and Adele with their mother the day she left them with Casa Melody’s.
I asked Jaime what he planned to do about Carlos, Mariel, and Adele. His response amazed me. I mean that in the definitional sense of the word. His response bewildered me and didn’t make sense…
He was still going on the mission trip! He’d be leaving later than planned, but he was going regardless.
I couldn’t understand it at first. How could he leave Rosalba and the others after what had just happened?
He explained to me that Carlos, Mariel, and Adele’s mother showing up was spiritual warfare. Satan was attempting to stop him from evangelizing to the people of Tarahumara Sierra. The reality of what had just transpired was obvious to him. He didn’t have to reason through it. He knew immediately what was going on, and he wasn’t going to let Satan win.
That’s the moment that showed me how blind I’ve been most of my life. It hit me like a ton of bricks. How many times have I quit something because it was the rational choice? Or justified inaction because it was convenient. I can’t help but wonder how many times I’ve been tricked into avoiding God’s will.
Carlos, Mariel, and Adele 3 years later shortly before their mother returned.
I think if we all took a moment to seriously reflect on things, we’d discover we have blinders on. I bet we’ve all been fooled by Satan into thinking we’re doing the right thing. That’s what makes spiritual warfare so tricky. Satan’s plan often looks like the right choice. No one would have blamed Jaime for scrubbing his mission trip. I certainly would have understood. And it would have made things easier if he stayed behind and dealt with the fallout. But that wouldn’t have been God’s will.
Jaime and Rosalba knew that and had the courage to act on it.
by Clay Huston | May 7, 2024 | Melody's Children's Home, Testimony
Get stories just like this one that highlight the amazing work God is doing on the mission front.
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…
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.
Every part of the building was affected by fire and water damage. It had to be completely gutted.
Jaime, Rosalba, and countless volunteers put YEARS of hard work into making the building liveable.
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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!
by Clay Huston | Mar 21, 2021 | Memories
Here are a ton of pictures from the NotFatherless March 2021 Mission Trip! While there, I stayed with Big Heart Orphanage, Melody’s Orphanage, and got to know folks from another group visiting all the way from Oklahoma. Shout out to Asbury Church if you’re reading this!
These pictures are from the first few days of the trip at Big Heart Orphanage.
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Uriel has attitude
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this is their “cool” look
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two real goofballs
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just chillin
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spike the guard dog
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school is in session
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Christofer has mad paint skills
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“selfie-ception”
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Chula the dog naps 25/8
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thumbs up from Jorge
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lunch is on!
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the whole oklahoma group
And these are from the first day with Melody’s Orphanage.
My first night there we repainted the living room walls. The white and green stripes have been the color scheme since Melody’s opened their doors. It was definitely time for a change!
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teaching hector to paint
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Monserath always gives us a good laugh
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smiles all around
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van all packed for Jaime’s trip
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Melissa, Nicole, and Gil are the cutest
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tacos make us happy
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The next day with Melody’s Orphanage was spent handing out food and evangelizing to the Reynosa Community. We went to the dump on the outskirts of town, and to the Hidalgo border crosswalk bridge. There are a lot of homeless in both places that are always in need of food, water, and clothes. Jaime Mayorga (the director of Melody’s Orphanage) and his family minister to these place regularly. Meeting the basic needs of these people is just one way they show Christ’s love for them.
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making tortas with the Melody’s Orphanage fam
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kids love tortas
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many people traveling to the border end up sleeping under the bridge while they wait for visas
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People live and work in the dump. They make a living by reselling whatever they can find in the mounds of garbage
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shantie at the dump
Great pictures right??
We hope to see you on the next trip so you can make some memories of your own!
by Clay Huston | Jan 18, 2021 | blog
I’ve been reading through Acts and have come away with a few cool observations.
In the early days of the Church there wasn’t a roadmap for evangelism. It wasn’t like it is today, where there are books and tools to help us evangelize as effectively as possible. They were figuring it out as they went along. Flying by the seat of their pants. Plus, there wasn’t a Bible! It must have been hard for the original disciples to trust that new believers understood and shared correct doctrine. If it was me, I would have worried constantly that Jesus’ teachings were inadvertently being twisted.
How did they get past that?
I think it comes down to two things:
1. They lived in an oral culture, where literacy rates were low and information was passed by mouth. Because of this, extra emphasis was placed on accuracy of the details. They understood how easily ideas can be accidentally manipulated by the telephone game. They made an extra effort to ensure that everything they were teaching stayed true to the original words of Jesus.
2. More importantly, the Holy Spirit was in control. Several times throughout Acts you read about the Holy Spirit taking the wheel and leading the early Church. For example, the Spirit preventing paul from entering Asia in chapter 16. And with the Holy Spirit at the helm, they were surely spreading God’s intended message.
This is still the case today.
Mission work has an inherent risk to it. Whether it be physical danger, or just putting yourself out of your comfort zone. There’s no faith without risk. And there are a ton of uncertainties.
For example, every time I take a mission trip to Reynosa, I meet a lot of strangers. On my most recent trip I spent all day handing out food with a group I had never met. They were Texans, born in Mexico, that felt called to the mission field in Reynosa. Despite knowing next to nothing about them, there was an unspoken bond. Something about having a common goal and the same set of values, made them more trustworthy. Not saying I’d give them my wallet, but I was more than comfortable with hopping in their van to head to the first dispensa of the day.
I believe these types of relationships are enabled through the Holy Spirit. That it facilitates a seamless increase in Christian networks in order to further God’s will.
The original disciples had to trust that the Holy Spirit had things under control. That as long as they were staying true to Jesus’ message, things would turn out right. And now, it’s up to us to do the same.
by Clay Huston | Dec 20, 2020 | blog
I love the book of John. It gives us the most upfront, almost in person, view of Jesus out of all the Gospels. It’s like John was scribbling what Jesus was saying as the words came out of his mouth.
The Book of John also shows us how much modern Christians have in common with the disciples.
In chapter 14 Jesus grows quite frustrated with the disciples. After all the lessons he’s taught them and the miracles he’s performed, they still don’t realize he’s the Christ.
Philip said to him, “Lord show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip?”
Some things never change. How often do we look past what God has put right in front of us?
It reminds me of the sermon I heard yesterday morning from my church here in Houston. One of the main points was “where your emotion lies, there also lies where you believe you will find peace”.
Wherever you invest your time, energy, and mental bandwidth is secretly where you think the answers are hidden. If you obsess over your weight to the point of sadness, deep down you think that having the perfect body will give you internal peace.
But where do we really find the answers? Look to John 14:6;
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life, No one comes to the Father except through me”.
There it is. In quotation marks. Jesus tells us the answer. He is the embodiment of God and the only way to make it off this earth alive. He’s in control.
It’s so simple that I think we can’t help but overcomplicate it. Leave it to us humans to shoot ourselves in the foot.
Wherever you’re at this week and whatever you’re struggling with, I hope that you’re able to take a moment to realize where your peace is found.
by Clay Huston | Oct 6, 2020 | Uncategorized
by Bryor Grotts | Jan 30, 2020 | guest blog
One day at Big Heart Orphanage is hard to describe
because things are always changing due to the volunteer groups that are constantly coming to Big Heart Orphanage. Almost every morning I wake up around 5am to pray and read my Bible. This is a perfect time because it’s the most peaceful and is a good way to start my day. I wake the boys up at 6am and read a short devo from a book and then we pray together. Then, they make their beds and do the chores in the dorms.
At 7am we all meet up in the kitchen for breakfast. After breakfast we walk the kids to the private Christian school that Big Heart set up in the community many years ago. While they are at school we always have work projects going on especially if there are volunteer teams here. For me, this is mostly a time just to get other things done or just to rest.
Once we pick them up from school
I help the youngest Javier, with his homework. Since I am still learning Spanish this is the easiest homework for me to help with! Usually all the kids finish their homework in an hour or less. I love when that’s finished because we basically get some free time to spend with the kids. Whether that is playing soccer, riding bikes, swimming, etc. I believe this is where relationships are built with kids, in the good times just playing with them and spending time together.
Around 6pm
All the children and all the staff eat dinner together. Once everyone is done then we split off and go to the boys dorm and we usually get around an hour to have them all showered. Then we can play together, just a board
game or other small game in the dorm. At about 8pm I read a story out of the book “La Biblia en Acción”, which is the bible in the form of a graphic novel. Then I’ll ask them some questions about the story that we read together.
After that we pray together and then it’s bedtime! On the weekends, everything is the same except Micah and Jenny, the director and his wife, they like to do something special for the kids such as taking them out to pizza, going to a movie, going to a trampoline park, etc. The weekends are usually really busy especially since volunteer teams and families like to come on the weekends to spend time with the kids. Nevertheless, the weekends are some of the more fun times since there are less responsibilities and more free time.
That is what a normal day/weekend looks like for me!
by Clay Huston | Jan 20, 2020 | blog
This last winter break..
myself and 6 friends teamed up for a mission trip to the mountains of Saltillo, Mexico. A few of us traveled from New York, some from Illinois, and others were already in the south. We all made our way to our friends Bruce and Paula Hepburn of Mexico Missions, and they drove us south to Big Heart Orphanages’ campus.
While there, we were joined by Life Church of Lafayette from Louisiana, and collectively we completed several service projects for Big Heart Orphanage and a couple community outreach activities for the local village.
All in all, it was an incredible trip. We witnessed the hand of God in several ways and were spiritually rejuvenated for the year to come.
Watch the video below to get a taste of what our trip was like!
https://youtu.be/ZfZmoJ13Zfo
by Clay Huston | Nov 1, 2019 | Big Heart Orphanage
Last month we mentioned..
that Big heart orphanage had recently expanded by opening a second location further south of Reynosa, Mexico. They’re calling this location Big Heart Orphanage of the Mountains and with this expansion came a few changes.
Long time operators and founders of Big Heart Orphanage, Gator and Deanna Carter, decided to leave the Reynosa Campus and move into BHO of the Mountains to work on growing that part of their ministry.
The mountain campus has 2 children living there currently, but more children are expected before the start of 2020. Gator and Deanna have cared for many children from the surrounding Reynosa community throughout the years, but they felt God was calling them to put their efforts into helping a different community.
BHO of Reynosa..
will now be operated by Gator and Deanna’s son, Micah Carter, along with his wife Jenny.
Micah has spent the last 10 years working at the Reynosa campus. He knows the community and the children living at BHO as well as anyone else. He is heavily involved with Colegio Regentes and manages a carpentry business on the side (G&G Carpentry).
Colegio Regentes
Another staffing change that was made was the promotion of Roberto Maldonado to Principal of Colegio Regentes. The previous principal was asked to step down and Roberto has taken over those responsibilities.
Roberto is the grandson of Gator and Deanna Carter and grew up around the Big Heart Orphanage ministry. He recently became engaged and graduated college a few years ago. He will be overseeing 460 students as principal!
Campus Construction
BHO is close to completing a few construction projects and is planning on starting new ones in the near future. The building across the street from their main campus is nearly finished, they are close to beginning construction on dorms and a cafeteria for the mountains campus, and they are planning on renovating the cafeteria at the Reynosa campus.
They began construction on the building across the road from the Reynosa campus a few years ago. It was a previously existing building that they acquired from a community member. The building has supplemental sleeping space, communal space, and office space.
The cafeteria is the only building on the Reynosa campus that hasn’t been renovated. They’ll be totally redoing the insulation, electrical, and air conditioning as well as replacing the roof.
Words from Micah Carter
Below is a message from Micah that he’d like to give to all our supporters!
“We really appreciate your continued prayers for guidance and wisdom as we continue to help the kids in Reynosa and in the mountains. We value your prayers and support a lot, that’s what gets us through the days.”
by Clay Huston | Oct 2, 2019 | blog
Big Heart Orphanage has put a ton of work into Colegio Regents
As mentioned before, this school year they will have over 400 kids from the primary to college level in attendance, and they continue to grow. They recently hired another preschool teacher and are currently seeking to hire an English teacher.
They are heavily involved in the community
Just this last month they held a cultural event where they served local dishes and showcased cultural dances. 
They also held a festival to celebrate Mexico’s Independence Day. Check out the mechanical bull in the background..
They look forward to a successful and studious year at Colegio Regents!
