10 Amazing Properties of Lime Wash Paint

Project Mexico Lime Wash Paint

The paint we use on each of the homes we build for the community here in Mexico is slaked and manufactured in Rosarito, Baja California from calcium-rich limestone mined in Mexico on the Ranch of Project Mexico & St. Innocent Orphanage. Our paint is free of solvents that have pushed paints to the top of the household environmental hazards list. Our traditional limewash is made from natural lime and natural pigments.

Exterior slaked-lime paint is designed to produce unique whitewash effects on unpainted brick, stone, and other masonry surfaces. The paint is non-toxic, breathable and UV-resistant. It hardens over the years and will not peel or chip off. Unique white wash effects for unpainted brick, stone and more. Breathable, UV-resistant and will not peel or chip off. Non-toxic formula requires no maintenance.

10 Amazing Properties of Lime Wash

1.        Lime Wash Paint is specially formulated for breathability on brick, stone and other masonry surfaces

2.        After 50-100% dilution with water 4 gallons will make 6-8 gallons of paint and covers 1300-1800 sq. ft. for 450 sq. ft. / gal. depending on surface porosity

3.        A very flat finish provides the non-reflective appearance and gives the natural lime wash look of historic Europe

4.        Resists UV damage, peeling or flaking, for a durable and breathable paint finish with no maintenance, unlike a mortar wash with German schmear

5.        Easily removed with a high force pressure washer within 5-days after initial application

6.        Self-priming, 1-coat process and is applied to a damp surface and sprayed off for a whitewash effect

7.        Dries in as little as 10-minutes and up to 60-minutes, depending on sun and temperature and will not be affected by rain or normal weather conditions after initial application

8.        The non-toxic formula will not harm lawn, trees, plants, and animals

9.        Naturally mold-resistant and breathable reducing the buildup of stagnant moisture

10. Soap and water cleanup cuts time in half and is environmentally friendly

Homebuilding 2024 Dates Released

The 2024 Homebuilding Season Dates Available

Summer 2024

• HB24 Mexico - WEEK 1 - May 24 - 30

• HB24 Mexico - WEEK 2 - June 5 - 11

• HB24 Mexico - WEEK 3 - June 14 - 20

• HB24 Mexico - WEEK 4 - June 25 - July 1

• HB24 Mexico - WEEK 5 - July 5 - 11

• HB24 Mexico - WEEK 6 - July 19 - 25

• HB24 Mexico - WEEK 7 - July 30 - Aug 5

• HB24 Mexico - WEEK 8 - Aug 8 - 14

Group Leader Early Registration is open! Submit your Group Leader application to secure your spots now.
NOTE: We will begin processing applications after August 15.

Community Service Internships Abroad at Project Mexico

Open Application for Summer 2023 Internship

Every summer, Project Mexico invites many young adults to participate in our Home Building program. Their primary role is to guide and facilitate our volunteer groups as they build their homes. These passionate, caring and energetic leaders are very special and they represent shining examples of dedicated service in the eyes of our volunteers. Our interns live on the orphanage property and spend time with our boys and they embody all that is special about our commitment to service to others. In order to be invited, our interns must be 18 years of age or older, able to commit approximately 9 weeks during the summer, must have participated in at least one homebuilding event, and must pass our screening process. WE ARE ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR 2023

Christmas at St Innocent Orphanage

A joyous celebration of Christmas at St Innocent Orphanage

The Spirit of Christ is alive at St Innocent Orphanage during Christmas

Christmas at Project Mexico & St Innocent Orphanage 2022 (Hi-Def, 4k) In this heartwarming video and photo collage, the staff and children of Project Mexico and St Innocent Orphanage in Baja Mexico celebrate Christmas and all its blessings at the only 100% donor-supported Orthodox Orphanage in North America. Because of the efforts of our generous donors, we were able to surpass our $200,000 Annual Matching Grant goal of 2022. This will ensure that the children of St Innocent Orphanage are provided with the best care, education and support they need to be successful.

Twice as Much Good by The Alex Family

 When we first visited the Ranch as a family, we could not have anticipated the impact Project Mexico and St. Innocent Orphanage would have on our lives. The week before Christmas several years ago, we were blessed to visit the orphanage and attend Liturgy in the chapel. With the boys sitting at his feet, Father Nicholas began his sermon. Luke, his son, translated from Spanish, “it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 

Father Nicholas’s next words are etched in our minds as he gestured to the boys and said, “You are the rich ones. You have food, shelter, an education, faith, and people who love you. Tomorrow, we will go to the border to feed the poor.” 

The next day, after making countless tamales, we joined the boys, staff, and Father and his family in a caravan and set off to feed the homeless near the border in Tijuana. As word of the food spread, a line formed around the block. Our group worked behind the table to serve tamales, rice, and beans. Father Nick stood in the bed of his pick-up truck and led us in Christmas carols. The experience of being part of the boys’ Christmas preparations and celebrations, for us, remains one of the most powerful examples of the amazing work happening at the orphanage every day.

The lives of the boys, but also those of the staff and volunteers, are transformed because of the generous support of donors like yourselves. The staff provides the boys with a loving, family environment and educational opportunities and/or vocational training to give them the chance to lead independent, faithful, and fulfilling adult lives. This year, seven boys are studying at universities in Mexico, a laudable goal within the reach of many of our boys. Vocational training ensures that boys have skills to sustain themselves as young adults. 

This past spring, Alejandro became the first boy from St Innocent to graduate from Hellenic College in Brookline, MA. Alejandro is a model young man for the younger boys in the program to strive to emulate. His powerful example motivates them to apply themselves to their schoolwork, but also to their care and support of one another, like brothers. 

Homebuilding returned with fervor this year, after a hiatus due to COVID. Over 400 volunteers traveled across the border to “do for others” and built sturdy, safe, weather-tight homes that provide impoverished families with previously unattainable stability and comfort. Perhaps the most touching building project was the home completed for Humberto and his family. Humberto is one of our boys, who has grown and matured into a thoughtful young man with a beautiful Orthodox family. 

This Christmas season, your gift can do twice as much good for Project Mexico & St. Innocent Orphanage. We have received a challenge grant that will match all gifts made from now to the end of the year. This year when  you make a tax-deductible gift to Project Mexico, you’re helping to change the lives of the 26 boys who are blessed to call “the ranch” home. 

Your gift also provides inspiring opportunities for Orthodox young adults and their elders to come together in fellowship to build homes for some of Northern Mexico’s most impoverished families, supporting the vital mission work of our Church.

We hope you will join us this giving season with a gift to  Project Mexico & Saint Innocent Orphanage. Please consider making this worthy ministry among your philanthropic priorities this Christmas.

Wishing you the blessings of Christmas.

In Faith,

The Alex Family 

George, Marlena, Ginny, and Ellie

Padre's Fig Jam Now Available for Holiday Gifts

We are so thrilled to share this amazing treat with you! I have spent the last few weeks hand crafting jars of Fig Jam. Each batch of Padre's Fig Jam uses figs cultivated from our home grown fig trees. 

This small batch boutique jam is available exclusively through our online store and also from the Tienda if you happen to be on the ranch. Proceeds from the purchase of these artisanal jams directly benefit the children of St Innocent Orphanage. 

These make excellent gifts. We recommend gift wrapping them immediately otherwise you run the risk of opening and eating through your jar before you can gift it to your friends and or family!

In Christ,

Anna Cunningham

Project Mexico & St Innocent Orphanage

Now Accepting Internship Applications for 2023 Season

Every summer, many young adults participate in our Home Building summer internship program. Their primary role is to guide and facilitate our volunteer groups as they build homes for unhoused families in Northern Baja, Mexico. These passionate, caring and energetic leaders are very special and they represent shining examples of dedicated service in the eyes of our volunteers.

Interested in learning construction management, and leadership, and gaining first-hand experience in missionary work abroad?

We invite you to apply for the 2023 Summer Internship Program!

Please submit your application by December 31st!

In Christ,

Pres. Merilynn

Internship Coordinator

Project Mexico & St Innocent Orphanage

Time in Service by Nathan Liu

“Here at Project Mexico, time moves exactly the way it’s supposed to.”

A volunteer from Washington state shared the above reflection during our end-of-week debrief. He told us that his homebuilding trip to Project Mexico had been a much needed spiritual and physical reset after a challenging year. He explained that time here does not feel like an enemy. At home, we’re often anxiously waiting for the future, desperately pursuing a deadline, or fretting about the past. It is hard to simply be present.

At Project Mexico, we start the day with morning prayers followed by quiet time for personal prayer or reflection. I love those 15-20 minutes of silence. Dedicating that time to God, rather than getting ready for the day, is a wonderful little moment to focus my intentions for the day.

Another Washingtonian volunteer shared that the week at Project Mexico helped her relinquish her need to be in control. She had difficulty with feeling out of control of the schedule and not knowing what to expect from the construction. She reflected that the week taught that she would still be okay despite her lack of control.

On the homebuilding work site, we do not base our schedule off the clock. Rather, we end our workday when we complete the tasks for the day. Likewise, we do not break for lunch at a certain time; we eat when half the day’s work is complete. Learning to go with the flow of the work day has taught me patience and to take things as they come.

The volunteers’ reflections about time reminded me about how we feel during church services. If our hearts are occupied by worldly cares, the prayers seem to drag on forever. But if our hearts are prepared for worship, we forget the passage of time and feel surprised when the service ends. Time stands still, and the outside world fades away.

We can experience time, with God’s grace, as the saints do in the Kingdom. Thanks be to God for gifting that experience of time to volunteers at Project Mexico.

Anticipating the Holy Spirit by Nathan Liu

Blessed Pentecost

Blessed Pentecost! It was a joy to celebrate the feast with a pavilion full of volunteers, boys, and staff. One of my favorite parts of Pentecost is our return to saying the “O Heavenly King” prayer. I love the melody that we chant here at the ranch:

O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, Who art everywhere and fillest all things, Treasury of Blessings and Giver of Life, come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every impurity and save our souls, O Good One.

Project Mexico interns recently asked Father Nicholas Andruchow why we omit “O Heavenly King” from Pascha to Pentecost. He taught us that the omission allows us to walk with the apostles. Just as the Church asks us to participate in the events of Christ’s Passion during Holy Week, she invites us to join the disciples in anticipating the Holy Spirit during this period. From Christ’s Ascension to the coming of the Holy Spirit, the apostles were filled with nervous excitement, not quite knowing what to expect.

I experienced a similar anticipation when preparing to come to Project Mexico. From the time I was accepted as an intern until my arrival, I experienced a sort of nervous excitement. I tried to prepare as much as possible by listening to the “Stories of Hope” podcast and calling my intern friends. They told me I was in for a wonderful and challenging summer.

Arriving at Project Mexico was truly an experience of meeting the Holy Spirit. Like the apostles on the day of Pentecost, I found myself filled with joy. There are so many people here who carry the Spirit in their hearts, especially the niños and the families for whom we build. They inspire me to turn toward our Heavenly King and to implore Him to abide in me.

Have you experienced that anticipation of preparing to come down to Project Mexico? Have you been filled with that nervousness of not knowing what to expect in the homebuilding? Or that excitement of looking forward to encountering Christ in the orphanage? Come down and join us in meeting the Holy Spirit here in Mexico.

There are still spots for this summer!

First Impressions by Nathan Liu

Christ is Ascended! From Earth to Heaven!

We built our first house of the summer homebuilding season here at Project Mexico! Everyone at the ranch is excited for the first full summer after COVID paused homebuilding and our ministry for the last two years.

Last Wednesday, we celebrated a Vesperal Liturgy for the Feast of La Ascensión. Deacon Alejandro gave a homily to the niños, staff, and volunteers about how the Feast proclaims that Christ now sits in heaven and has cleared the way for us to join Him. The good news of His Ascension is a message of joyous expectation.

Project Mexico also reminds me of this hope. The ranch feels like a little slice of heaven with the beautiful blue skies, golden sun, and majestic palm trees. On a typical day, you might see the boys of the orphanage giggling at our español mistakes, the family joking with us about their pets at the build site, and the volunteers laughing over a game of Apples to Apples.

All that laughter encourages my effort to cultivate joy as a fruit of the Holy Spirit. Let us look with hope towards Pentecost!

You can support Nathan’s internship here.