One of our favorite HERO Maker Mission activities is preparing and serving meals.  The team fixes our own and we prepare dinners for the children and staff at the different children’s homes at least four nights during the mission. Two classic items on the HERO Makers menu are 1) beef and chicken fajitas with grilled onions, bell peppers and homemade pico de gallo, and 2) grilled 100% ANGUS burgers loaded with bacon, cheese, grilled onions, jalapeños, mushrooms (“champiñónes”), lettuce and tomatoes.

Some years ago while visiting a children’s home in Reynosa, MX, Sheri asked about the children’s diet. The Directora said their standard meals primarily consisted of rice and beans and donated vegetables from a local grocery store. She mentioned that the children only ate meat about four times a year. That afternoon Sheri watched the older children trim away rotten portions of those donated vegetables as they prepared dinner for all the children living there.

Reflecting on the Directora’s comment, Rocky and Sheri realized these children only got meat when HERO Makers served them dinner during mission trips. We didn’t realize until then that our dinner time with the kids meant way more than just a night of fun fellowship at a backyard cookout.  At the time we also didn’t know just how special and memorable those meals were to the children.

The second year we visited that home in Reynosa we told the children we were grilling that night. One of the little boys asked Sheri in Spanish, “What’s for dinner?” When she said, “Hamburguesas,” he was so excited! “Did you bring the champiñónes?” Mushrooms?  Grilled mushrooms.

Can you remember what you had for dinner last week?  That little guy even remembered the burger toppings from the previous year!  And that detail was no big deal to us at the time – just a whim the first time we spontaneously decided to add mushrooms to the burgers.  Now champiñónes are available for every burger we serve!

When it comes to feeding the children we don’t skimp, we don’t buy tofu or turkey burgers, and the team eats last if there is anything left when the kids have had all they want. (There’s always plenty of food for the team at our base.)

At the end of every mission any meat and groceries that are left are given to the homes. Another director told us how much the gifts of groceries from the mission teams were a valued resource.  They didn’t realize how much they helped until teams stopped coming for a few years and the grocery budget soared.  HERO Makers came along just in time, as one of the homes we are now serving was just about to close their doors.

This mix of photos span about 10 years.  Click on any image to enlarge.  Two videos will also play when you click the image.