The Lost Children of Tijuana
- Barbara Whitesides
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
"And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children." - Isaiah 54:13
The Lost Children of Tijuana
In the original story of Peter Pan, written by J.M. Barrie in 1904, the lost boys were children that Peter Pan watched over from Neverland—a magical place where children went to escape the harrowing reality of tragic beginnings. In Barrie’s original story, the children were those who had inadvertently fallen from their prams and never claimed. If a child was not claimed in a week, they went to Neverland to be cared for. Barrie said they were all boys because girls were too smart to fall from their prams. In later versions of the story, girls were included.
I never fell from my pram, but recently I went to Neverland to celebrate Christmas with the lost children. What I discovered will change me forever. Neverland is known as Colina De Luz—lighthouse on the hill. It’s an orphanage located at the top of one of the untidy hills in Tijuana. Surrounded by disheveled, broken-down homes on traffic-snarled roads filled with wandering, frightened dogs, Colina De Luz is a sanctuary for children of all ages who have been mistreated and abused.
Ironically, Colina De Luz was inspired by Jim—the same first name as Peter Pan author J.M. Barrie. Inspired by their strong faith in God, Jim Drake and his wife left Southern California more than 40 years ago to help the children of Mexico who are unwanted. Here's the twist: This home is not meant to be a waystation until another home is found. This IS their home. With more than 60 children between 2 and 18 years of age, they eat together, pray together, and are taught everything they need to know to go on to college. Many of the kids have grown up to come back to serve at Colina De Luz, taking part in teaching the young kids, serving in the kitchen, or becoming part of the administrative staff.
Because of the generosity and help of non-profit groups like Reaching the Hungry, this sanctuary is completely staffed and run without paychecks. It is a family run by donations.
I visited Colina De Luz as part of a yearly mission arranged and managed by Reaching the Hungry. Their mission at the non-profit is “to mobilize individuals and churches to put their faith into action by providing opportunities to serve alongside missionaries reaching the physically and spiritually hungry throughout the world”. I heard about what they do when CEO and Founder Pastor Carlos Sales spoke at my church. I’d never been on a mission, so I signed up for the day-long trip to Tijuana. I had no idea what to expect.
Several of the people who took part in the mission that day had been there before. They recognized many of the young children they had met in years past. It was as though we were visiting friends. We brought sports equipment and crafting pieces to engage the various ages—I helped the 8–10-year-olds who wanted to create Christmas trees out of popsicle sticks, felt, and tiny ornament balls. It reminded me of things I sometimes have done to help out with the kids at church when their parents were attending the service. I knew these were happy children in the way they participated: they laughed with us, made regular eye contact with everyone, and were totally engaged in the projects. I was astounded. I fully expected these children out of abusive situations to be sad and shy.
What a blessing to witness this miracle program! No, they don’t speak English, but it wasn’t necessary. Who knew that there is no language barrier to love? I have just a little Spanish, but we interacted seamlessly.
Some of the more agile members of our group spent time playing soccer and basketball with some of the older kids. Then we all had lunch together and practiced our Spanish. Most of the time, we smiled and laughed with each other instead.
A highlight of the visit was the Christmas show that all the children put on for us. The show was designed and organized by a young woman who grew up at the orphanage and went on to become a teacher. While the show was in Spanish, the teacher provided subtitles for us. The message of the performance was that the greatest gift you can give is giving your heart to Jesus. Afterwards, we presented a personalized wrapped gift to each member of this miraculous family.
While Jim Barrie’s Neverland was inhabited by children who never grew up because of their traumatized beginnings, Jim Drake’s Neverland is peopled by grateful children who refuse to let their pasts hold them back.
