Sunday -- A Tour of the City

Each year on Sunday, right after church and before the wonderful meal prepared by the mamas of the home, American Director Tom Begin takes our first-time members and anyone else who would like to on a tour. You quickly discover that this is truly a City, complete with its own barber shop, food and clothing stores, dentist and doctors office, movies, playgrounds, eateries, offices, educational facilities, dance and karate studios, music shop and arts studio, maintenance, security and leaders of the citizenry. It's virtual self-sufficient. Or as self-sufficient as of us are who rely on the grace and providence of the good Lord. In truth, 99.9 percent of the support for the City of Children is provided by various churches of Christ, Christian individuals, Christian institutions like Pepperdine, Lipscomb, Harding, Freed-Hardeman and others. And their support is the result of God's outpouring of resources and love -- a chain of love that binds us all, a conviction and realization that we have not been blessed for our own good but the good of many others, that we are conduits and not banks of God's wealth, that a penny put to use is worth more than a penny buried in a hole until the Lord's return. And that we have special charge in scripture to take care of the widows, orphans and aliens in this world. None of this is written to shame anyone in to giving because giving out of mere obligation misses the point of giving -- which is joy. It's meant only as an encouragement to discover the joy here that giving brings.

Thanks to all of you at North Boulevard who contribute to this work with resources and time, by supporting a child here or the trip of one of our young people who serve here.  Many of those who travel here and see this mission will one day grow up to support this place and continue that chain of love that binds us all. Our North Boulevard team understands that we stand on the shoulders of spiritual giants we have supported this place with time and energy and resources for many, many years -- servants like the Bateys, Webbs and Mayes family. We are honored to continue your work and to continue to build this city on a hill side a place that has become holy and healing for so many of us. A places that gives more than we could give in return. Lord knows.

American Director Tom Begin leads our tour, giving us the story behind the places and the many servants who have dedicated their lives to it.

The Creative Arts and Learning Center

Inside the Creative Arts and Learning Center. Note the bank of computers at one end. There's also a library.

A mosaic at the entry way of the Creative Arts and Learning Center -- Thanks for your help installing it Danny Alexander!

Karate and Flamenco dancing studio.

Artwork on display by one of the children of the home. The Arts are a great outlet for the children here, many who have suffered emotional and physical abuse benefit from personal expression.

The Mexican Staff Office with one of the leaders, Patty, seated at her desk.

Inside one of the dorms.

The next few pictures are for your use parents. This is one of the homes dorm rooms. They look like this all of the time. Neat, clean and with everything in their place. Your children have all seen this now.... So what do their rooms look like at home? You how our permission to use these pictures to your own ends.

Dorm kitchen area. The children are divided by gender and age into homes lead by dorm parents.

 

The American teen boys dorm where our boys are staying. I won't show you inside...it's not as clean at this moment as the Mexican teen dorms.

The American teen girls dorm.