Thanksgiving 2024 Trip Recap
November 23-26, 2024
We are so grateful for the blessing of Thanksgiving Trip (November 23-26, 2024). Our 13 trip participants enabled a super fun weekend camp at Big Heart Orphanage Matamoros, as well as needed repairs at Pan de Vida, a refuge for women and children in need.
Scott and Cory arrived at Big Heart Matamoros on Friday, November 22nd. With the help of Jorge and Pepe from Big Heart Reynosa, Scott installed the zip line, tree climbing, slack lines, and pickleball courts. Thus, when the kids and our group arrived on Saturday, we were ready to dive into the fun! In total, we hosted nearly 40 kids from three orphanages. Saturday afternoon, after lunch, we made crafts (Christmas tree ornaments) and constructed Estes rockets. After dinner, we had a big fire with smores.
Sunday, we began the morning with a church service. The Simonsons (David on acoustic guitar, Andrew on cajon, and Samuel on bass guitar) accompanied Holly Vessa on vocals. David then gave a moving message on the parable of the lost sheep, with Pam Neumann translating. Afterwards, we went outside to launch the rockets we made Saturday. The windy conditions made it challenging and several rockets landed far from the orphanage. But it was an amazing experience that won't soon be forgotten.
Sunday afternoon, half our team went to Pan de Vida, located about 10-15 minutes from Big Heart Matamoros. They began work on repairing some electrical and exterior door issues. The other half of team continued helping the kids enjoy the zip line, tree climbing and other activities until it was time to shut down in the late afternoon to prepare for the school week.
Monday, most of the team went to Pan de Vida to continue the repairs begun Sunday (and a painting project facilitated by 45 gallons of recycled paint we had brought down from Austin). The ladies stayed behind to help Cory lead a STEM Catapult activity with the kids at the school onsite. The kids did a great job launching cotton balls via their popsicle stick catapults. After school, the ladies enabled the kids to enjoy the zip line.
Tuesday, our last day, we woke up with the sun and took down all the activities. We loaded the trailer and headed across the border. We all made it safely home and are so grateful for your prayers and support.
Big Heart Matamoros Location Information
Big Heart Orphanage, Matamoros is located in a rural area in between Reynosa & Matamoros, Mexico. The Los Indios International Bridge is 14 kilometers (15 minutes) from the facility, which you can see on the map. The facility sits on 44 acres in a rural farming area. The only travel in Mexico will be to and from the orphanage from the border crossing at Los Indios. Ensuring the security of all trip participants is our highest priority and we are happy to discuss in more detail how we will execute our plans surrounding safety.
The facility has climate controled dormitories (male & female), many recreational areas (including a pool), and wifi internet. A video of the facility is included below.



Big Heart Matamoros Video Tour
Learn more about the facility by watching this video tour made a couple years ago. Since Big Heart Orphanage took over the facility in 2023 (it was previously called Angels of God), many improvements have been made. Visit our Summer Mission Trip 2024 page to see the most recent photos and videos of the facility.