Bethel Orphanage - Juarez, Mexico

17/02/2026

Friends!

I need your help!

We are struggling with paying our kids tuition/school costs!

Last year, we unexpectedly had to switch schools and the new school is 4 times as much as we were paying, so the money we had counted on for tuition only lasted until December and now we are behind.

This has been a really hard transition for us and the kids are struggling and to be honest, I’m struggling with keeping everything going. We have been having some issues with the kids getting teased or made fun of by other kids (many tears have been shed) and I’m asking for your prayers, it’s been tough and I feel guilty for putting them in this situation and I’m praying for wisdom on what next school year will look like and what to do.

Also, we had to pay costs of books for this semester for some of our grades unexpectedly and it’s looking like we will have to purchase new polos since they’ve been outgrowing and wearing out their old uniforms.

I always feel weird about asking for help, but to be honest with y’all, I’m getting a little worried about all the costs 😭.

We are looking to cover as many months as we can, praying for the rest of the year!

We are behind Jan/June (you pay both months in Jan), February and March (which is paid on Feb 23)

Tuition for elementary is $1600 a month
Jr High is $406 a month
High school is $250 a month
Books for high school this semester - $751
Uniforms for elementary (just the red polos they wear daily) - $589

We are looking to raise the money we are behind on and anything extra will go to paying April, May, July (June is paid with January tuition).

Thank yall so much for loving our kids, this ministry, and me.

Even in the midst of all of this, God is so good to us and the joy of the Lord is our strength always!

We have three new kids and it’s been a whirlwind since the new year!

Thank you for your generosity and your prayers, I wouldn’t be able to do all this without you.

Here are some ways to give! Any little bit helps!

Zelle - [email protected]
Venmo - -orphanage
PayPal - [email protected] or [email protected]
Cash app - $betheGOH

Or

https://www.bethelhope.com

Thank yall again 😭!!

10/11/2025

Hey friends!

We have a couple of new kids and one told me the other day that this would be his first Christmas with a tree and gifts. His mother is in prison and he's bounced around from relative to relative, until no one wanted him and he was staying with his half brother’s grandma (not related to him), she brought him because he wasn't her blood relative so she didn't want the responsibility of taking care of him and his siblings. He's in 5th grade and has never celebrated Christmas. We have some companies who throw us parties and they have the kids put 3 small things on their wish list (usually like a pair of sneakers, hot wheels, and a coloring book), so we ask each of them what they would like and when it was Mario's turn, he said, "I have everything I need, you can give my gifts to kids who don’t have anything.”

Yall. My heart.

I've had people asking about our Christmas wish list this year and so I got with the kiddos and we came up with this list! Every year we give away blankets and so this year, I found some good deals on comforters and blankets, so we decided to add them on! We dont have running water at the orphanage, we get it trucked in and during the holiday season, it is always hit or miss so we cant always wash the blankets. Right now we have 5-6 kids who wet the bed (thats why I put diapers on the list) so we would love to have extra blankets! The kids also picked out decorations. Christmas is always a bittersweet season for us, it's so beautiful and fun, but the kids really miss their families and so it can be a sad season as well. That's why we like to go big during Christmas, it may sound silly, but it means alot to these kids and to our staff.

Thank you for always making the holidays magical for us!! We love you all so so much!

Here is our Amazon wish list for this year!

https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/HR3FUKF9LVY5?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_ggr-subnav-share_8ETEVTEC09R207DJTQSK_1

Love yall!

04/07/2025

Hey friends!!

I hate asking again so soon, but we need your help! Our electric bill was almost double what it normally is (we got most of our solar panels up and running again, so it has helped lower the costs this year, praise God), we’ve gone and asked why it’s so much more, but they didn’t give us an explanation. Normally I have some extra money saved for emergencies, but we had unexpected bills come through and costs come up that depleted our accounts. Usually the bill has to be paid on the 10th, but they sent notice that we need to pay it by tomorrow or they will cut off our electricity on Sunday morning.

The electric bill is 29,798 pesos which is about $1650.00 dollars! The Mexican gov (who owns the electric company) doesn’t help us at all and offers no discount but instead overcharge us and threaten to leave us without electricity 😭, it’s wild.

If you would be willing to help us, here are some ways to donate, every little will help!!

I really appreciate you guys always helping us and loving us so well!!

Love you.

Venmo - -orphanage
Cash app - $bethelGOH
PayPal - [email protected]
Zelle - [email protected] or 2143352771

Or donate on here with the memo “electric bill”

Thank you!

20/05/2025

Hey friends!!

I need help!! Graduation is coming up/end of the school festival where the kids are putting on plays/dance routines and I have nothing. I got the list of the costumes and I am overwhelmed with how much I have to get, plus the formal attire for the kids graduation kindergarten and sixth grade (I think I am just going to have rent suits for my 9th graders because they’re all such different sizes, but I don’t know!). My heart for our kids is that they never feel like “orphans”, that they feel like any other kid and that they would go dressed like the other kids at these events. It always hurts my heart a little when all the other kids are surrounded by their families and I know it’s hard for our kids to see their peers with their parents, so I would love to be able to get all of their costumes/graduation clothes so they can feel special.

I did an amazon gift list with all the things they are asking us!

Thank you so much for your help, as I have said, it’s been a rough few months for us, I will share about that at another time, but I know I can’t do this alone and I’m so grateful for our community and support with all of you!

Love you all so much!

https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/19YN9RGMJLPDI

19/03/2025

It never gets easier.

It never stops hurting.

The tears always come after the interview, there’s no stopping the flood of emotions I feel when they leave the office.

My heart always feels heavy, even when I know it is the best thing for the child, it still makes me sick to my stomach.

M is a 5 year old little boy.

His grandmother brought him in today, her daughter (M’s mom) disappeared over a year ago. They think she was kidnapped or murdered, since she was involved with a local gang and had been a drug user, she’s been declared deceased by the government. Her mom says she still prays every day that her daughter will come back one day.

M was found by the police in an abandoned house, three years nine months old, covered in f***s, severely dehydrated, and malnourished, alone.

Social workers gave the grandmother custody, but she can barely support herself and has tried to take care of him the best she can.

“I want better for him. Better than I had growing up, better than I gave my daughter. He deserves better.” was her answer when I asked why she had come here today.

I don’t accept kids younger than 6 years old, that’s my rule, but how can I turn them away? He’s still in kindergarten, he is barely 5, tiny, malnourished, and has so much trauma that I can’t even begin to unpack.

She lists all the things that scare him immensely, “I don’t know what he saw or what my daughter put him through, but he scares easily.”

The grandmother is speaking, but my attention is on the little boy in front of me, coloring quietly. His large, haunted eyes are wide as he takes in the room, his buzz cut hair, his ragged clothes are too big for his skinny frame, his shoes are ripping at the seams, and he has a small backpack on his lap, it contains the only toy he owns. Lily, my dog, gets up from her bed and rests her head on his leg, sensing his fear and wanting to put him at ease.

“Do you want to stay here, M?” I interrupt the grandmother, but it’s a question I ask every child that comes here, I won’t accept a child who doesn’t want to be here, they should always have a say in where
they will be living and their future.

His head tilts to the side and he looks at me, then down at Lily, his hand gently petting her head, then back at me.

He nods, “Yes, I want to stay here.”

It never gets easier hearing their stories. Every single child we have here has one.

I’m honored that we get to be a part of M’s story, whether he is here for a year or 10 years, it is a privilege to serve him and help him and love him.

But it never gets easier.

04/02/2025

Part 3 - Now, months later, she is constantly smiling and hugging and wanting to be next to you! I call her my joy, joy, joy girl! She has flourished in school, she is learning so quickly, they might even move her up a grade! She writes us letters almost every day, telling us how thankful she is to be with us and how much she loves us.

I get emotional writing this, thinking about how far she’s come from the first day. She told me a few weeks ago, I’m so happy here that I forget about what happened to me, it’s like that part of my heart doesn’t hurt as much anymore.

This is why we exist. This is why we pour everything we have and all of who we are into this home, because we are a safe place for kids like this. They come broken, abused, scared. God’s unconditional love mends the broken places. She prays every night for her mom and grandma, prays that they’ll be ok and she prays and forgives all of the people who hurt her. Can you imagine? Forgiving the men who assaulted you and praying for them? These kids constantly amaze me with their beautiful hearts.

We are able to change their future, to give them hope. They are loved, seen, wanted, protected and whether they are here for 1 week or 10 years, this will always be their home.

Thank you for helping us change lives. We wouldn’t be able to do what we do without you.

Love you all!

04/02/2025

Part 2 - When she first walked into my office, her head was down and she wouldn’t look me in the eyes, she flinched every time I would speak to her. The previous home where she was at had given her q buzz cut because of how much lice she had (don’t get me started on how traumatic this is for kids and how angry it makes me when they do that). The psychologist told us that it would take time for her to feel comfortable around us and that she didn’t know if she would ever feel ok around men. The first night she was with us, she cried for hours, scared that something bad would happen to her.

We talked to the school and came up with a plan, to help her assimilate to classes (she hadn’t been in school for years). We talked to our kids, specifically our boys, about how we all needed to respect her space and that we needed to be mindful. It was incredible to see how all the kids would treat her, showing her compassion, unconditional love, and friendship.
The first time she high fived one of the boys, he came running to me and was so excited, “I’m glad she felt safe enough with me!” he said, “She knows we’re going to protect her.”

04/02/2025

Part 1 -

The social workers showed up at the small house, windows falling apart and trash all over the yard, a neighbor had reported suspicious activity that involved a 10 year old girl, so they went to investigate.

They knocked on the door, but no one answered. They waited a few minutes, something felt off, so they kept trying. The neighbor came out and said the little girl was inside alone, but was probably too scared to answer. She yelled the girl’s name and finally, a frightened little face appeared.

Her mother, a drug addict, had abandoned her two years before. The grandmother, not wanting the responsibility of raising another child, would often leave her alone for days at a time while she left the city to visit family and friends, claiming she did enough by leaving food for her to make herself. “It’s not my job” she kept saying.

The neighbor, a woman in her early 80s started noticing men coming in and out of the house while the grandmother was away and she knew the little girl was alone. She says she was too frightened to go over but she knew she had to do something.

The social workers aren’t sure if the grandmother began to sell her granddaughter or if some evil men just saw an opportunity, but this precious, sweet, innocent girl became victim of many, many brutal assaults. She later told the social workers that she would try to hide from these men, but somehow they would always find her.

The social workers found her birth father, a man who had been searching for her for years. They met and even though they were essentially strangers, he knew that he would do anything for his daughter. The social workers put him through parenting classes and had him meet with therapists, he did everything they asked. He is a single father and is rebuilding his life after a divorce, so the social workers recommended finding a home for his daughter while he worked and one of the social workers gave me a call, told me her story, and we immediately told them to bring her. We would do anything we could to help.

24/11/2024

His mom called and said she would like bring a cake for his 11th birthday. Visitations are on Saturdays and she asks to come on a Tuesday night after dinner. She hasn’t come for visitation in months so I make an exception.
She comes in with a cake and some cupcakes and her son greets her shyly, giving her a quick side hug before taking a few steps away.
I try to make small talk and thank her bringing enough cake for all of us, but it feels awkward.
The kids all gather and we sing happy birthday, he blows out his candles happily and runs over to give me a hug. I encourage him to go tell his mom thank you, she’s the one that brought the cake. He goes over and gives her another quick hug, not making eye contact and saying thank you.
She asks me to cut the cake, saying she’s not good at things like that.
I tell her son to sit with her while we eat cake, but she says it’s ok, he can sit with his friends.
She’s quiet for a few minutes and then she says thank you. I must have a confused look on my face because she continues, thank you for being here for him when I can’t be.
I reach out to touch her hand and reply that it’s my honor, she doesn’t need to thank me.
“I haven’t been a good mom, I know that. It’s something I have to live with, but I love my sons. I grew up on the streets and I never had anyone show me how to be a parent, I just don’t know how to be a mom. Thank you for being the mom they need.”
Tears fill my eyes and I don’t know how to respond, so I squeeze her hand and nod.
We finish our cake and she gathers her things to leave. Her son walks her to the gate and she reaches out to touch his face before saying goodbye.
He rushes back over to me, wrapping me in a hug, “my mom loves me, huh?” He asks, eyes full hope and joy.
“She loves you so so much.” I reply.
“I’m pretty lucky that I have a mom who loves me,” he squeezes me, “and that I have you too! And God loves me too! I have a lot of love.”
“You are so loved.”
He gives me one last squeeze and runs off to play with the other kids.
It may be a while before we see his mom again, but she showed up and I am proud of her. I can’t imagine how hard it is for her or how she must feel, but she showed up and her son felt loved. That’s what matters.
Each of our children have different stories and backgrounds and circumstances that have brought them here and some are with us for months, others for years, a few for a lifetime, but I always want them to know that they are unconditionally loved, by God, by us, by you, by their family even when they aren’t around.
That’s what matters.

14/11/2024

Hey friends! Someone made a fake Bethel Juarez account with our pictures and asking for money in messages, if you see this, please report it!

It is NOT us!

Thanks!

30/07/2024

“Sometimes I forget we live at the orphanage, it just feels like home to me. Like how I think any other kid would feel.”

One of our high schoolers said that to me last year and it brought me to tears. This is our heart, to provide such a loving and caring environment for them that it just feels like home. We work so that our kids have “normal” childhoods and get to experience things that other kids have. We never want these babies to feel like orphans, because they now have family, they have a Father who loves them unconditionally, they have us and they have you. They aren’t alone anymore, they are loved, valued, seen, and have such an incredible future ahead of them.

So as we go back to school, we are wanting to buy them uniforms for the year. They were two different uniforms during the week and we are hoping to buy two of each for our kids, so we aren’t having to scramble wash them every night and so they will last longer.

Any little bit helps! Thank you so much for always jumping and helping us make the children of Bethel Orphanage better! We love you!!

“Sometimes I forget we live at the orphanage, it just feels like home to me. Li… Anna Franklin needs your support for Help Us Provide Uniforms for Our Kids

24/06/2024

Wondering how you can help these sweet children? 🥰🫶🩵
You can donate to our Summer Fundraising Campaign!

https://www.paypal.com/donate?campaign_id=UUHHMEL7BTX5E