By Brenda Hernández and Analiz González

(MEXICO CITY, Mexico) — A new children’s home called La Familia opened in Mexico City on May 18 to care for nine at-risk children.

The home is a collaborative effort between Buckner Children and Family Services and Iglesia Bautista Horeb.

Children in the home will be part of a healthy family environment, which includes education, medical care, recreation, among other things, said Dexton Shores, director of ministry development in Mexico and the border for Buckner International.

Shores called the inauguration a “realization of dreams.”

“Iglesia Bautista Horeb will provide a healthy volunteer base as well as additional financial resources for this group home that will serve the children of prison inmates and provide a transitional program for the mothers when they are released from prison,” Shores said.

“This is definitely a model of healthy collaboration that I would like to see duplicated all over Mexico.”

The children will be cared for by Jaime and Astrid Díaz Pereira, who will serve as house parents of the home. They have three daughters of their own: Rebeca, Ana Raquel and Astrid Andrea.

Shores said that the new house parents gave up their careers to take on the job of parenting 12 children. He shared a story about a conversation held by the Pereira family.

“The oldest daughter asked her dad whether her aunt thought they were crazy for becoming house parents and the middle daughter said, ‘Well, we are crazy. But we’re crazy for Jesus.’ I think that says it all.”

Albert L. Reyes, president of Buckner Children & Family Services, Victor Upton, vice president of Mission Resources joined Shores at the children’s home dedication ceremony on behalf of Buckner International.

Horeb Baptist Church was represented by Pastor Gilberto Gutiérrez Lucero and his wife, Yanina Briseño Falconi, who also serves as the president of Familia y Niños Buckner México A.C.

About 100 members of the church were present at the event.

For more information about the work of Buckner and Iglesia Bautista Horeb in Mexico City, contact Dexton Shores at dshores@buckner.org.