While the situation is different, the feelings I had as I watched the recent (and somewhat continuing) baby formula shortage stirred my memory of first hearing tragic stories in Juarez back in 2007. Just like then, I wasn’t personally trying to feed my own baby, but wow, did it break my heart to see others caught in a whirlwind of uncertainty and concern. If you or someone you know was struggling to find formula to feed a baby the last few months, you now have a more intimate understanding of what the moms in Juarez face on a regular basis. It’s precisely what wrecked me more than 15 years ago and inspired this ministry. Whether it’s due to scarce financial resources or depleted store shelves, I cannot fathom having a child I can’t feed. 

     Some of you have asked about the situation down in Juarez where formula is concerned. Thank you for thinking about and continuing to care about our friends in Mexico. I am happy to share some good news and also an opportunity for you to provide tangible help. First—as God often likes to do, he provided in advance. Before I heard anything about a formula shortage, we had a trailer of diapers, formula, and food in our driveway. Formula, thanks to donated funds and some wonderful humans who shop clearance all across the east valley of Phoenix; diapers, thanks to the Agritopia campus of Gilbert Christian School holding its annual diaper drive; food, thanks to Midwest Food Bank. Those supplies (pictured below as load 92) were taken down in June when I learned supplies were low in the colonias. I couldn’t get them down till July myself, but my hero friend Jerry drove them down with joy. This is one of the countless stories I’ve enjoyed over the years. God provided in advance through you, Jerry drove supplies to El Paso and was met by the Missions Ministries crew, a team took them across the border and happily stacked them for a picture. The beauty of the body of Christ functioning as intended. It just never gets old.

     Fast forward to today. Before I get to the pictures, here’s the challenge and opportunity to help. I learned yesterday morning that our diaper/formula storage in Mexico looks like what Old Mother Hubbard found in the nursery rhyme. In other words, the cupboard is bare. Formula is slowly coming back to the store shelves here and is hit and miss online at Costco and Sam’s, depending on the day. However, the stores are (understandably) limiting what can be purchased, so buying in bulk isn’t an option like I’ve done in years past. I need lots of people to contribute. If you want to do something tangible and deeply helpful for some families in Juarez, please consider helping us restock diapers and formula. Every can of formula and box of diapers helps these babies IMMENSELY.

     My address is 18619 E Chandler Heights Road, Queen Creek AZ, 85142. If you’re local, you could drop off any time or text me at 303.668.8221 and arrange for a pick-up. If you aren’t local and want to help…keep an eye on Costco, Sam’s Club, Target, Walmart, and/or Amazon and have supplies shipped directly to me. I’ll be heading to Juarez with a team on September 20 and would love to make sure these babies are well cared for. Thank you for your partnership.

With love and gratitude,
                Quinn

“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” Ephesians 3:17b-19.

Whenever I watch the walls of a house we’re building in Juarez go up, these verses come to life for me. God’s love knows no bounds, but I sure do love when he gives it enough boundary to see tangibly, especially in the dimensions of someone’s new home.

The main reason we stack diapers and formula at the team center before organizing it for distribution is to give you this same visual. These pictures of tangible supplies represent God’s love—wide, long, high, and deep—and great care of his babies. God’s love displayed through you and your generosity.

So what is a person to do when you’re on a team that’s building a house for a family, and as the walls are going up you learn their youngest three kids were raised on BOJ diapers and formula? You lose it, of course! Because their dear faces are too precious to keep to myself, I share them here with you…

Not only are they alive, they are vibrant, happy, connected, thriving kids. Look at sweet baby Amy. Her smile was so distracting, it’s a miracle we got any work accomplished. If you ever wonder why you sacrificially give of your resources or go the extra mile to drop supplies off—I present exhibits A, B, and C. These children are the answer.

So here’s what you sent to Mexico since my last update:
Load 56…

Load 57…

Load 58…

Load 59… (delivered the same week as number 58…)

Load 60… (Bonus story: my dear mama works faithfully before our annual Thanksgiving trip to raise money for supplies through Dorothy’s Match. Last year this also spurred on some wild generosity from my dad’s childhood friend and his sweet wife. They started a matching program of their own that was so beautifully funded, we are still using money from BOTH these gifts to supplement the loads all these months later. For more on the Dorothy’s Match program, click here.)

Load 61…

Load 62 is hanging out in our garage and in our storage closet as I type, patiently waiting to be loaded up tomorrow and delivered on Wednesday. Our school and church have been crazy generous in their giving these past few years. So many of you have given to keep these babies thriving. We view the stacks of supplies in our home as an absolute thing of beauty! Needs keep being presented—and God keeps meeting these needs through you.

Thank you for your continued partnership in caring for our babies. This is never lost on me.
How wide, how long, how high, and how deep indeed.

Mother’s Day is a mixed bag for a lot of people. Some long to be moms, but aren’t. Others have lost their mom and miss her terribly. Some have strained relationships with their kids. And others have a strained relationship with their mom. And there are also so many who are able to enjoy the day fully. Regardless of your situation today, I’d like to take a minute to thank you on behalf of the moms living in the colonias we serve together. At some point (or many points!) over the last eight years you’ve made a big difference in the life of a mom down in Mexico. Imagine having a baby you can’t feed or a baby desperately in need of a clean diaper you have no ability to provide. Thanks to you all, many moms in the colonias of Juarez have babies with full tummies and clean pants. Now THAT is my idea of a happy Mother’s Day.

Load 47 was collected by and went down with dear friends from Colorado . . .

Load 48 went down over Thanksgiving. In part it was made up of Dorothy’s Match and a large donation from a few Banner hospitals in the area. (Thank you, Lara and Spirit of Hope Lutheran Church in Mesa. An AMAZING gift to the babies thru Banner and your hard work…) Also, some wonderful pediatricians in the area made the effort to donate their expired supplies. Bell Mortgage is a fantastic philanthropic organization that was also part of this collection. Thank you, Glen and Brad, for such an awesome gift that made its way to the babies in November.

Load 49 went down in March from Arizona. It was a beautiful combination of donations from family and friends.
Now doesn’t this make you want to be part of grand load number 50?! (FIFTY!)

Load 50 will go down on June 21. (Poignantly and appropriately…this is Father’s Day.) Montview Presbyterian’s MomTime group in Denver and Gilbert Pediatrics have already given us a beautiful start. Want to join them in blessing the socks off some moms in Mexico next month? Here’s how . . .
· You can drop supplies off at 2735 E Flower Court, Gilbert AZ 85298 and/or 10208 Rustic Redwood Way, Highlands Ranch CO 80126.
· You can email me to schedule a pick-up of supplies.
· You can give online at https://www.justgive.org/basket?acton=donate&ein=84-1589315. (Just put BOJ in the notes.)
· You can send a check payable to Babies of Juarez to 2487 S. Gilbert Road, Suite 106-266, Gilbert, AZ 85295.
Happy Mother’s Day to every single one of you! Thank you for making a life-changing difference in Mexico.

This update comes long overdue. So long overdue that I feel I should explain. During this very difficult year for me personally, I found it necessary to back burner many dear-to-my-heart things. I’m happy to report that a most welcome corner has finally been turned, and I can now put my renewed energy into something I love to do—send you this update and say thank you!

You can tell from the subject line that the babies haven’t been at all neglected. Thanks be to God! Many have been so faithful to keep giving despite my lack of expressed gratitude. Loads of supplies have been delivered to Juarez by friends in Oklahoma, Arizona, and Colorado. We’ve had churches like Christ’s Greenfield step up and take a massive collection—of both supplies and cash. Very special MOPS groups from Cherry Hills Community Church and FBC Frisco (in Texas!) stepped up in a mighty way to bless moms in Juarez. A generous young man named Chase asked for supplies last Christmas. (Can you even imagine?) Discovery Bible in Oklahoma has been collecting and taking supplies with them on their house-building trips. BAE Systems in Phoenix took up a huge collection that we got to take down earlier this year. Every single collection represents individuals who have given their time and sacrificed resources to give some babies in Mexico a future and to help carry the burden of some in-need families. I just cannot thank you enough.

The large groups represent only a portion of the supplies given. Many of you give as individuals—of your time to get the supplies to me and also of your resources. Almost every time someone hands me a single can of formula or an opened bag of diapers, they tell me it isn’t much and wish it were more. All of you dear ones, please take a close look at the pictures below to see what a bunch of people’s “not much” looks like when combined. Basically, you rock.

Two more quick things before I share pictures.
· One sustaining reason we’ve successfully met the needs of the babies in Juarez this past year: monthly gifts. A few of you generous people donate money every single month to BOJ. And I love to spend and stretch these funds. I regularly shop clearance formula and use coupons sent to me. We put every penny to great use, I promise you. And, one other noteworthy thing—every single dollar given goes to buy diapers and formula. Any admin costs of the ministry are covered by someone else. If a person gives $50 a month for supplies, $50 is spent on supplies. So if you’re looking for an opportunity to regularly make a difference in a child’s life, please consider us. You can send a check to Babies of Juarez at 2487 S Gilbert Road, Suite 106-266, Gilbert AZ 85295 or give online. It makes a huge difference.
· My oldest daughter and I had the coolest opportunity to make a special trip down in June to be part of the distribution of supplies. We took lots of pictures, but the story deserves a separate post, so you’ll have to wait to see all the darling faces. For now, just know that the beneficiaries of your continued support and generosity are some very precious babies and very grateful mamas.

I can’t do your giving justice with my words alone…so here are some pictures.

You’re all very near and dear to my heart. Thank you for sticking with me and continuing this work of feeding hungry babies.

Quinn
Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much. ~Helen Keller

Babies of Juarez is having a wonderful year! Since our last update, we had the joy of taking loads of diapers and formula down to Mexico in both June and October. And as I type, supplies in Colorado have been loaded into a trailer and are heading across the border tonight. There are so many great things happening…!

Here’s one of the many cool things about the shipment that’s going across now. This sweet group of girls from a church in Parker collected these supplies and delivered them just in time to make the load. (Adds extra joy, doesn’t it?!)

And this is load 38 in its entirety. Heading down and across today. Yay!

Of the other fun happenings, one that tops the list is our expansion into Oklahoma. Here’s our newest flyer with the added drop-off area. What an incredible way to increase the number of babies we get to serve. We couldn’t be more excited about this addition to the BOJ team.

In the last few months, two sweet girls collected diapers and formula during their birthday celebrations.

Babies of Juarez watched a fun donation come to Arizona via an old Michigan connection. That friend worked extra hard to get us his family’s gift to the babies. His baby couldn’t use the formula they had purchased, so he and his wife donated it to the babies in Mexico. From a baby here to a baby there! An especially fun exchange.

Initially a friend of a friend from Colorado but now my dear friend in Arizona continues to collect supplies for the babies. (And how cool is this? Her family will join us for the second time at a parking-lot build here in Gilbert. They’re busy sending diapers, formula, and homes to our neighbors in Mexico.)

We had a friend from school get involved with a sizeable donation through his generous, community-focused company, Bell State Bank. That gift fed many hungry children. The project called Pay It Forward: Community Connect is making a difference through its employees.

A friend of the project put together a drive in Mesa and collected this for the babies!

While this picture reveals our annual trip to the Nike employee store, it also shows a sample of what was relocated from Washington to Oregon to Arizona to Juarez, Mexico. When God wants to take care of his babies, he finds a way! Every one of six suitcases held a stash of diapers and formula. TSA maybe thought we were nuts.

And there it is…the hauled-down, stacked-in-Mexico (to show you all), ready-for-distribution photos. Loads number 36 and 37. Our distribution methods have evolved over time. For most of our operating years the diapers and formula have been distributed through the pastors of five local churches. They have a pulse on the greatest needs in the community and this way the supplies are rightly viewed as God’s provision. Just recently we’ve had one local pastor take on the role and distributes during set dates and times, sits down with the families and leads them in a Bible study, and then distributes the supplies. We’re very grateful for Pastor Martin and his approach toward helping people physically and spiritually.

We press on to finish this year strong—helping babies not only survive but thrive—and look forward to a great 2014. We will make our last trip of the year over Thanksgiving and would be grateful for all supplies and monetary gifts. (We shop clearance and often find bargains on Craig’s List!) (And…100% of all donations go to buy supplies. All operating costs are funded separately, so every dollar given can be used to care for babies in need.)

Thank you for your incredible support over the years. You’ve given a brighter future to a whole lot of babies. From the bottom of my overflowing heart, thank you.