Virtual Tour
God has truly blessed the Home’s humble beginnings and the Reynosa campus has grown to include an elementary school, a large gymnasium/chapel with kitchen and apartments, a large storage building, an office, a swimming pool, soccer field & playgrounds, a cafeteria/auditorium, 2 dormitories that can house up to 50 people with an expansion for another 50 underway, all in addition to the original 6 houses used for the children.
Having the children being raised in individual family style homes under the loving care of long term house parents, affectionately called “Tios & Tias” (Aunts & Uncles) is at the heart of our ministry at RIN, and something that sets us apart from many other local children’s homes. In this way the children are cared for in family units rather than institutionalized. It is in this setting that God’s love and perfect plan for family can be best modeled and taught.
Over the years, so many new buildings have been constructed and the children and RIN staff have seen so many improvements take place, but yet their living quarters, the places where they spend the majority of their time, have remained virtually the same as when originally built. This does say something very positive about the original construction of course, to be able to withstand 1000’s of children for well over 25 years- but now, as we enter 2010, it is time for :”Project: Makeover mi Casita” our present top priority capital improvement project.
In the next few years, our dream is to do a complete remodel/update to all of our existing homes. (New windows, doors, kitchen, flooring, cabinets, etc.) And though the extra funding for this ambitious project (Approx. $20,000 per _________sq. ft. concrete block home) hasn’t come pouring in (…yet) we have already began phase #1 by adding extensions onto 3 of the five homes used for our youngsters. These additions have been added to our house parents’ private living quarters, in order to help them meet the needs of their own family and children who live alongside the RIN residents. By improving conditions for the house parents, everyone benefits and it adds stability to the lives and family units of the children which is so important.
Thanks to Brother Rocky Rhoades (yes, that’s really his name!) and the Hero Makers Ministry, an additional house to be used for the children is close to being completed. Basically the only thing lacking are the finances for the ceramic flooring – $4,000 which was what CHI had agreed to purchase and install. Once this happens, ”Casa #7″ will be used as our transitional house and the major remodeling can commence. If you feel led to help us out with “Project Makeover Mi Casita”, please contact us!
