Free Rice

Baptist Children's Home

Saturday, we took the kids back to the Baptist Children's Home. This time we worked with the Migrant kids who have been caught crossing the border. They were from Guatemala, Columbia, Honduras, and Ecuador. many have ridden trains to come here. Some are looking for family. Others are looking for work. But they were caught, and they are housed at the Baptist Children's Home until they can find family who will sponsor them or until they get deported. Their ages are anywhere from 13 to 17. I read a book called Enrique's Journey that talks a lot about these kids who are traveling to the US and what they go through. You can read about that here.

We go out there and play soccer and volleyball with them. We make a ton of hamburgers and hot dogs and eat with them. Some kids dance with them. Others make necklaces and bracelets with them. It's always a lot of fun.


We played some 7 on 7 soccer on a small field. These kids are amazing. It's like the soccer ball is attached to their foot. They make quick passes and hard shots. If they dribble, they rarely lose the ball. It was 7 of us against 7 of their guys. They pretty much could have scored any time they wanted. They took it a little easy on us. I scored the first goal for our team. I got a header. I was happy about that. I think we only scored like 4 or 5 all day. They probably scored about 20. In the end I got asked to play on their team. I thought that was cool. Maybe they just wanted to make it harder for their team.

Only 2 people got hurt. Luckily, it was adults. Mitch got kicked in the "woo hoo." I was the other one. I play hard. I was running for a ball and I tried to save it from going out, and when I kicked it, I turned around and started to fall back, and I rammed the wall of the house, right on the window. It has a brick window sill and I hit it hard with my arm and back. I got a cut on my arm. I'm surprised I didn't break the window as hard as I hit it.

We had a great time. Our kids did great with meeting the kids and hanging out with them. There is a big language barrier. But somehow it seems like we overcome it and can have a good time. I played soccer and cooked the entire time. But when I looked around, it seemed like all of their kids were talking or hanging out or playing with some of our kids. Here are some pictures from the day.

Invisible Children

This is a non-profit organization that is trying to help the kids in Uganda. There has been a war there for over 20 years. And one of the armies, is taking kids and kidnapping them and making them fight as their soldiers. This organization is trying to help those kids as well as help end the war in Uganda.

Here is a video about them and what they do:




Here is how they describe themselves on their website, www.invisiblechildren.com
Please go check them out and see what we can do to help.

How It Started

In the spring of 2003, three young filmmakers traveled to Africa in search of a story. What started out as a filmmaking adventure transformed into much more when these boys from Southern California discovered a tragedy that disgusted and inspired them, a tragedy where children are both the weapons and the victims.

After returning to the States, they created the documentary "Invisible Children: Rough Cut," a film that exposes the tragic realities of northern Uganda.s night commuters and child soldiers.

The film was originally shown to friends and family, but has now been seen by millions of people. The overwhelming response has been, "How can I help?" To answer this question, the non-profit Invisible Children, Inc. was created, giving compassionate individuals an effective way to respond to the situation.
Who We Are

We are storytellers. We are visionaries, humanitarians, artists, and entrepreneurs. We are individuals part of a generation eager for change and willing to pursue it.

As a non-profit we work to transform apathy into activism. By documenting the lives of those living in regions of conflict and injustice, we hope to educate and inspire individuals in the Western world to use their unique voice for change. Our media creates an opportunity for people to become part of a grassroots movement that intelligently responds to what.s happening in the world.

But our work extends beyond our borders. In war-affected regions we focus on long-term development, working directly with individuals and institutions that are eager to realize their full potential. Through education and innovative economic opportunities, we partner with affected communities and strive to improve the quality of life for individuals living in conflict and post-conflict regions.
How We Make a Difference

Our approach to humanitarian work is founded in the strength and intelligence of the Ugandan community. We learned early on it was not only important but essential to heed the wisdom of people that had not only lived in the war, but were surviving it. People who would know better than anyone what the greatest needs were and the best ways to meet them. What we came to find is that while there have been many efforts to address the issues that stem from living and fighting in such a long-lasting war, the people of Uganda are asking for a future beyond the conflict.

Their pleas have become our development strategy.

All of our programming is a partnership between those of us at Invisible Children and those in the Ugandan community. We focus on long-term goals that enable children to take responsibility for their future and the future of their country. Our programs are carefully researched and developed initiatives that address the need for quality education, mentorships, the redevelopment of schools, resettlement from the camps, and financial stability.

Texas Youth Commission

I'm going to start being a mentor for the Texas Youth Commission. This is for kids who have committed serious crimes, and they're not charged as an adult, but it's past the juvenile detention stuff. It usually has to do with super violent crimes or sexual assault crimes. My job is going to be to mentor a kid after he gets out on parole.
I'm super excited about this, really, more excited than I have been about anything in a while. I know it'll be hard, but it'll also be great to be a positive influence on a kid and have the chance to make a positive impact into someone's life.
I met the parole officer today and next week I'll get to meet the kid I've been matched with. Pray for me about this, that I'm able to build a good trusting relationship quickly.
Here's the site for the Texas Youth Commission in case anybody is interested in becoming a mentor too.