Gratitude This Christmas
We are so blessed this year and thank our friends, family and supporters for making Christmas extra special this year.
Generosity to be Imitated
"Gratitude is the explicit effort to acknowledge that all I am and have is given to me as a gift of love, a gift to be celebrated with joy." - Henri Nouwen
It is with great joy and appreciation that Project Mexico & the St. Innocent Orphanage announces the recent estate gift from John Phillip Giannikas. On September 7, 2018 Mr. Giannikas, “Phillip” passed from this life into eternal rest in the Lord. At the age of 57, his death was clearly premature. His family and friends mourn the loss but celebrate his relentless perseverance in bringing hope to the world.
Phillip was a true philanthropist. He was also an accomplished attorney, Administrative Law Judge, actor, singer, songwriter, musician, as well as a beloved son, nephew, brother, uncle, cousin and friend. His legacy shines with his sustained commitment to helping children without parents. He understood the vulnerability of orphaned children and the responsibility that we all have to care for them.
The recent gift from his estate will go entirely to supporting the St. Innocent Orthodox Orphanage for years to come. In addition, his generosity is a reminder for all of us in this holiday season to help care for God’s little ones.
Project Mexico and the St. Innocent Orphanage would like to thank Mrs. Angeliki Pentheroudakis, Phillip’s mother, for raising such a beautiful son. May his memory be eternal. As we approach the celebration of the birth of Christ, may we all follow his example and share our abundance so that children in need can always have the St. Innocent Orphanage as the safe place to call home.
A Role for Everyone by Anna Cunningham
“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11
My second summer as an intern I began site-leading. Previously each site I had worked on had been run by someone else and I was one of the assisting interns, but my second summer duty called and ready-or-not it was my turn to be in charge. To say I was nervous is accurate, but by the glory of God the house went up despite my mistakes and short-comings. That week was stressful for many reasons both internal and external and I was relived to be on-site building, but not in charge during the build week that followed.
A few recovery-builds later it was my turn to site-lead again. This time I knew the build far better and prepared thoroughly in an effort to correct my earlier mistakes. However, when the group arrived new worry struck me down again. One of my group members was a professional contractor, and had been for many years.
“Oh no,” I thought. “This guy will know I’m a phony.”
This group was interesting because instead of it consisting of one or two parishes that brought 10-20 people, it consisted of at least 4 parishes all mixed together. Among those volunteers from at least four different states, besides the contractor, there was a priest, two doctors, a handful of accomplished professionals in various fields, the wife of a construction specialist, and at least one person who had built homes with Project Mexico over ten summers in a row. That’s a lot to live up to. These people from all over the country took time out of their busy schedules and traveled to Mexico to build a home for a worthy family. They deserved excellent expertise and leadership, and instead they got me. Some 21-year-old from Ohio.
I studied, and I prayed and I prayed and I studied. Once again God blessed me with far more than I deserve, and the week went incredibly well. No one questioned my requests or disagreed with one-another. 30 strangers from four different states (6 different states if you include staff members as well) became a small family. As the outsider, I quickly forgot who came from which state and while I watched everyone work and interact, I couldn’t tell who had known each other for their entire lives and who had only met days prior. Two men who had only known each other for 48 hours were carrying on fluently in Greek and when I watched in amazement, a third man from a third group assured me not to worry because they weren’t talking about me.
The contractor took two kids under his wing and taught them all his tricks. The kids from all the groups laughed and took photos together. I walked inside at one point and found the priest, despite language barriers, working with the father of the home to install the door. In that moment and to this day I look back fondly on that week, and thank God for bringing that group of people together.
At the end of each build we come together to discuss and decompress. I sat in wonder as each of those accomplished, experienced professionals thanked us profusely for our work as interns. I had, and still have, so much less to look back on, so few years of experience compared to them, but it never showed. They treated me with the utmost respect and approval and I never felt as if I was lesser than anyone. They taught me humility, kindness, and servitude, not by speech, but by example. I hope and I pray that I can bestow the kindness and respect everyone that I meet that that group showed to me. I was assigned to be leader of that site, and through my experience on other sites and by watching them interact, I learned how to become a true leader from their examples, and their love.
Anna Cunningham is the Homebuilding Coordinator for Project Mexico and St Innocent Service Works
Crazy Faith: Building Hope in Tonga
My name is Michael Jones. I am an Orthodox Christian living with my wife and four children in Eagle River, Alaska. After listening to a podcast about the extraordinary missionary efforts of the Holy Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of New Zealand, I felt a strong calling from our Lord to reach out and see how my family and I might be able to assist in their holy work. Because I am a building contractor, the Archdiocese invited me to assist in completing a temple that has been started in the Kingdom of Tonga.
My hope is that you will be inspired to support and participate in the missionary labors of our Holy Orthodox Church in some way – whether by supporting this project or another missionary ministry that speaks to your heart. As our Lord said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few” (Matt. 9:13).
On January 31, 2020 I emailed Fr. Paul Patitsas, the priest whose interview on Ancient Faith Radio inspired me to reach out to the Archdiocese of New Zealand. My momentum on this project had stalled out somewhat since my first trip in April 2019, and he strongly encouraged me to get a small group together and go to Tonga while the team from Greece was still working on the Church of St. George.
I thought it was a crazy idea. The timing couldn’t have been worse for me. My business is growing, but I’ve had to make some structural changes recently, and as a result money has been tight. We have four small children. Our time and money is extremely limited. Nevertheless, Fr. Paul continued to encourage me, saying it would be really valuable to connect with Ilias and the other men from Greece who have made so much progress on the church during the last four months. With their help we could learn some tricks to navigate the obstacles of working in that remote, developing island nation, plus get an idea of what projects remained to complete the Church of St. George with the hopes of bringing other teams back to finish the project.
Considering his request, I told Fr. Paul, literally, that this idea was crazy. His response moved me, because I know his own life is an example of this: “The church in Tonga would never have been started if the people involved hadn’t been a little bit crazy.” He calls it “crazy faith” – that willingness to step out on faith in response to a whisper from the Holy Spirit. Even if you can’t see the whole picture, you take the leap, put your hope and trust in God, and let Him direct the work.
After a lot of prayer and wrestling with our own hesitations, my wife Meghan & I decided that I should go for 1 week. As soon as we made the decision all our worries disappeared. Meghan & I both felt at peace about the trip. We put it in God’s hands – if He wanted us to go, He would provide the means for the trip to happen. And it happened!
My first task was to assemble a team – primarily skilled carpenters who could get some work done even in the short amount of time we had. The first person I asked was Myles Kelly, who had committed to going on my second trip to Tonga while I was still on my first visit 10 months ago. He has been very supportive and helped me keep up the inspiration about this project, even when I was feeling overwhelmed. Once he gave the “thumbs up” to go, I knew we would be able to make it work.
I contacted two friends who own construction businesses in Colorado, Peter Lynch and David Young, and they both were immediately on board. Unfortunately, Peter wasn’t able to make it this time around, but David found support from his parish and put his work projects aside to join us in Tonga.
We needed someone to handle logistics – purchasing, arranging meals, running errands, etc. – so I contacted Ryan Smith, who had just arrived to join the Project Mexico missionary internship program we are hosting here at St. John’s in Eagle River. I hadn’t actually spoken with him yet, but I figured if he had committed this part of his life to learning about missionary work he’d probably be the right kind of person for the trip. He turned out to be a great addition to our team. Plus, his participation led to the addition of a 5th member who also fit in perfectly – the Executive Director of Project Mexico, Fr. Demetrios Andrews.
When Fr. Demetrios heard that Ryan was invited to go work on a church building project in Tonga his immediate response was: “I want to go!” He called me and explained that he is working to reposition Project Mexico and St Innocent Service Works as an Orthodox youth service leadership initiative and expand building projects – both homes & churches – anywhere in the world where there is a need. This trip was an opportunity for him to jump right into an active church construction project and begin developing a framework for future construction-focused missionary trips. As you’ll discover as you read this blog series, Fr. Demetrios sees the big picture of any situation immediately, and before you blink he’s got plans in motion to get things accomplished that most of us never would have imagined possible.
Thanks be to God, with the support of Fr. Demetrios and the infrastructure of Project Mexico and St Innocent Service Works, I believe now more than ever that this church-building in Tonga will be completed, and other similar projects in Fiji & Samoa may finally get the support they need to be realized.
Stay up-to-date with Michael’s mission work at https://orthodoxyfortonga.com/
Everyday Saints: A Reflection by Faeli Heise
COVID and other life events made me realize how comfortable I had become with my life. Small things—perhaps even insignificant things—were pressing, panic-worthy, and rocked my world in a way they definitely didn’t need to. My endurance and my ability to have faith were barely being tested in the grand scheme of things. And yet, I felt like I was coming apart at the seams and like I had nothing to hold myself together with. I didn’t know how to even cry out for help...or rather, to Whom I should cry out for help.
I’ve had a perspective shift since then, and I can look back and see just a few of the ways that I was being prepared for where I currently am. God was making room in my heart that I didn’t know I had.
My endurance—my resilience—is perhaps greater than it was because of that process and the work that was being done in me. Thank God! I know Who to ask for help, now. And while I have so far yet to come, I am convinced that St. Innocent Orphanage is the best place to learn by example.
Have you ever met someone and then learned something shocking about them after getting to know them? A part of their history, something they’ve been through, something out of the ordinary? It probably changes your perspective of them. Perhaps you think of it every time you see them, or instead it just molds itself into their makeup and who they are to you.
But have you ever heard something shocking about someone and then met them later on? Maybe without having known you would ever meet them at all?
These are two different scenarios.
In my experience with the latter, the “shock factor” quickly wears off after you hear it. But then you meet the person it pertains to and you get to know them, and though it may take some time, it all comes back. And it comes back hard.
This has been my experience with every one of these boys.
It’s so easy to hear and say words like “abuse” and “institution” and “homeless.” It can even be easy to hear second hand stories about these things. It’s easy to watch the news, isn’t it? But if you ever live alongside those flesh and blood statistics and stories and they become like your family, things get very real very fast.
My experience has not been easy. I did a lot of questioning at first. I questioned my ability to be resilient in the face of these kids who have faced actual evil. As I have come to know them better, the mostly-faceless-mostly-nameless boy has become my neighbor, my playmate, my little brother, and my friend. The stories have sunk in deeper, stuck and sometimes I still question my own abilities.
But I continue to get to know them, and I continue to hear stories every now and then. Mostly I continue to pray that I will--one day-- be able to emulate their ability to accept the grace of God and to be resilient in the face of evil. Without knowing the stories or the facts, you wouldn’t guess what they’ve seen and endured. And if you guessed, you simply wouldn’t know. It’s truly humbling: I feel like I’ve come so far in my own journey, but I know now that everything is relative because their ability to endure puts me to shame. These eighteen boys will never know how much they influence and teach me.
As I write this in all my brutal honesty, I realize that I am surrounded every single day by everyday saints. We share meals, inside jokes, a laptop for school.We share the Eucharist, a home, and a family. I dwell among saints. Yes...they’re everyday saints who wipe their hands on their shirts, say “no manches” and fall asleep during catechism. They’re everyday saints that I give a “mom look” to every now and then. But they’re also saints who have overcome more than I will see in a lifetime. They teach me while I muddle along teaching them.
A wise woman who knows them well once said to me: “These boys are going straight to Heaven before I ever am. I will be asking for their prayers. After they’ve been through what they’ve been through...you just can’t blame them. For anything.” And I don’t; because you can’t. There is nothing to blame. There is only room for learning resilience and accepting the grace of God who never abandons his children.
Faeli Heise is a veteran homebuilding volunteer and current Project Mexico & St Innocent Orphanage Intern serving at St Innocent.
Annual Matching Grant Campaign 2020
This has been a different year altogether. We would have celebrated our 32rd season of homebuilding but because of COVID we were unable to build as the border closed and lockdown went into effect in Mexico. Over 300 volunteers were scheduled to join us this summer to build homes for 20 families.
As we prepare for the last quarter of 2020, our needs are greater than ever due to 40% loss in homebuilding revenue because of COVID-19. Your contribution is critical for us to continue our mission providing education and a safe home for the boys of St Innocent Orphanage.
Right now, we are planning for Christmas as well as finishing the details for the annual report that is sent to each of our supporters. One of the programs that has enabled our success over the past several years is our Annual Matching Grant Challenge. We pray to make our goal of securing $650,000 in matching grant sponsorships to raise the full amount of our annual operating budget of $1.3 million by December 31st.
We hope to not only inspire a gift this year but a commitment for 2021 as well. This way we can inspire a gift this year and a commitment for next year from our donors that will enable us to survive 2021.
We encourage you to become an Annual Matching Grant Donor.
Or, if you have the means to become a sponsor with a commitment of $75,000, $50,000, $25,000 you can make a critical impact on our organization!
With your support, we will survive these uncertain times and secure the ministry for 2021.
Send checks:
PROJECT MEXICO OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH 8210 PO BOX 8210 PASADENA CA 91109-8210 United States (619) 426-4610
Orthodox Service Leadership Program - Summer 2020 (Mexico)
Thanks to George and Judy and the Marcus Foundation for their generous grant, the Service Leadership Intern Program was a great success at Project Mexico. This video documents the months of work and service conducted by the dedicated Interns at Project Mexico. The Interns provided critical support for the boys of St Innocent Orphanage during the mandatory lockdown, assisted staff and counselors and made a lasting connection to Orthodox service. On behalf of Project Mexico and St Innocent Service Works we'd like to thank George and Judy Marcus for making this summer's internship program possible. We'd also like to thank our incredible interns for their patience, resilience and flexibility.
Video by Luke Andruchow
Homebuilding 2020 POSTPONED
While “Building Hope 365” is in our DNA for the first time in 32 years, we won’t be building secure and safe homes for families in Tijuana this summer.
With due regard for the safety and health of our boys and staff at Project Mexico & St Innocent Orphanage and our surrounding community in Rosarito Mexico, we have CANCELED Summer Homebuilding 2020 because of the global coronavirus pandemic, extended US/Mexico border closure and other circumstances beyond our control.
This postponement has a critical financial impact on our 100% donor-funded organization. Homebuilding volunteer trips directly contribute to our ministry with over 40% of our annual operating budget.
We are in a crisis we’ve never experienced even as a modest non-profit and our reliance on your support has never been greater. We've raised the limit and lifted restrictions on fundraising pages to allow you to share your link with your parish, friends and family. Donations can be designated to support the Orphanage or applied to a future trip. Simply log on to Volunteer.projectmexico.org.
As a homebuilding volunteer or group leader, you can:
Rollover your trip to 2021 (dates are available on our website)
Apply trip fee to a US Domestic Build (You must re-register)
In the event you request a refund, you and your group can STILL help support the boys of St Innocent Orphanage with a donation purchase of a one-for-one cloth mask or even painting your own church! See the details below.
In Christ,
Fr. Demetrios (JP) Andrews
Executive Director
Project Mexico & St Innocent Orphanage
Family, Faith and Fellowship During a Pandemic by Faeli Heise
“Glory to Thee for the Faithfulness of Friends”
This phrase above from the Akathist of Thanksgiving has a double meaning, I suppose.
The faithfulness friends have to each other,
And the faith they are full of.
Glory to God, for I, have experienced both of these; and when the two come together as one phenomenon, it feels like a miracle and it aids us in our theosis. Our love for God and our love for our friends often blend closer as we learn to always see Christ in someone, despite the frailty and disappointment of human nature.
My summer on the ranch was where I first realized the reality of spiritual family. Truth be told, the homebuilding season is physically and emotionally demanding. Intensely so. Without spiritual sustenance and the support of deliberate fellowship, I highly doubt it would be sustainable for any of us. “How do you all not get injured so often?” someone asked me after I explained the nature of the work and some of the shenanigans we got up to.
“Truly? The grace of God.” This is a very tangible example, but when it comes to spiritual strength, the same thing is true. The people I spent the summer became my personal prayer warriors, my most trusted advisors and confidants, and my best friends. We underwent countless experiences--joyful, heart-rending, exasperating, miraculous, worrisome--and came out the other side just about as close as any group of God-loving weirdos can be. I learned of the power of people who pray together and for each other; who hold space for each other in their hearts; who truly demonstrate how “iron sharpens iron” and how others lead us on our path of salvation. This sense of family is a gift I have carried with me for the last year, but I could not have known how it was to multiply!
Fast forward from last summer to March 15th of this year. The beginning of COVID craziness was even crazier for me: my life turned upside down on a dime and I was left in the lurch and a bit stranded. But when God deems us worthy of those experiences, He does not leave us alone, though we may feel as such! He sent me a lifeline: the unwavering, ever-present support of a small handful of people. They have sat with me in my sorrow, shown me small joys, and most importantly they have prayed with me and for me. Because of all of this, they were also all (figuratively) holding giant, neon signs that said “Turn to God! He is asking you to trust Him with this!”
This lifeline was conceived on March 18th, mere days after I moved for the 8th time in the last year--this time on two days' notice. Schools had sent students home the week before. Churches had just shut down. I was, to put it informally, a wreck.
My friend Elise (one of PM’s very own 2019/20 summer interns) called me up. After checking in, sharing my sorrow, and helping me find some solace, our conversation went something like this:
“Faeli, my Spiritual Father has suggested that every day for the next few weeks I pray the Akathist to St. John of Shanghai.”
“Oh, wow. That’s a great idea! Have you done it yet today?” She chuckled.
“Nope. I need to, though!” I looked at the clock. It was 9:30 pm.
“Let’s do it together. Right now.”
“Over the phone? That’s...actually a great idea.”
We did it then and there. And then the next day. And then we quickly realized how this could expand and grow. Everyone was grieving the loss of church attendance. But that didn’t mean that we had to lose our fellowship. In very little time, a WhatsApp group was created, our intern friends notified, a Zoom room designated, and our Akathist group chat was born. But it didn’t stop there.
We started with just three nights a week: St. John on Thursday (with Elise and sometimes myself still doing it every day) St Xenia on Friday (that was my request) and the Akathist of Thanksgiving on Saturday. (Anyone who’s been down for homebuilding will know how important that one is.)
Every other week or so, we decided to add just one more night. Akathist to the Mother of God on Wednesday. Akathist to St. Innocent on Tuesday. Pick-a-new-Akathist night on Monday. Small Compline on Sunday. We even spent Holy Week together: praying through the book of Psalms, keeping Vigil, and taking on the journey to Pascha as our own small church.
It soon became clear how important this routine and support system was to us all. Finals were hitting hard this last semester: but often anyone who was cramming into the wee hours of the night would still join to listen to us pray while they worked. My spiritual father passed away on Holy Thursday: I was joined on Zoom to pray a service for him the following day. One of us had a scare when his younger brother was injured in a mountain biking accident, hospitalized, and had surgery: that day, we all prayed the Paraklesis to the Theotokos together.
We’ve been separated from Holy Communion, but we have NOT been separated from communion in Christ with each other. We’re being kept from one another geographically, but we are not being kept apart in prayer and spirit. We have humbly (and informally) done what we can to carry on the life of the church during this time, and if you asked any of us “Why?” the answer would probably be “Because I NEED this!”
In hardship, pain, and confusion, I struggle so deeply to see the redemption that is brought about in the moment. But He has given me the camaraderie of these people at this time, and it has strengthened me in my love for Him and others. I could never have imagined being where I am now--where we are now--for better or for worse. There is a time to mourn it, but then there is the time to be thankful! This gift of Project Mexico, this gift of spiritual family, has strengthened my faith in Him and others. Truly, I would not trade it for anything. Glory to Thee for the faithfulness of friends,
Glory to Thee, O God, from age to age!
-Faeli Heise
Summer 2021 Homebuilding Dates
Summer 2021 Homebuilding Dates for Project Mexico
Below are the dates for 2021. These are subject to change. General registration will open on June 1, 2020. Priority will go to rescheduled groups from 2020 due to travel or pandemic restrictions. Groups may reapply fundraising towards summer 2021 deposits and trip payments (Contact Fr. Demetrios directly).
Intern Arrival May 22
Week May 26-29 INTERN WEEK
Week 1 June 1-7 Tue- Mon
Week 2 June 10-16 Thu-Wed
Week 3 June 22-28 Tue-Mon
Week 4 July 1-7 Thu-Wed
Week 5 July 13-19 Tue-Mon
Week 6 July 22-28 Thu-Wed
Week 7 August 3-9 Tue-Mon
Week 8 August 12-18 Thu-Wed
Intern Departure August 23
Week 9 (tentative) August 20-26 Fri-Thu