Mexico City… the largest city in the western hemisphere and arguably the 2nd largest city in the world. Its population density is unrivaled in North American.
It is a city plagued by ignorance, superstition, idolatry, and grueling poverty. Many people unable to make a living in other states have migrated here only to find themselves unable to leave or find suitable employment. A population of this magnitude in a high valley ringed by mountains has produced complex problems. Pollution, violence, underemployment, and an overburdened medical and social system has led the suffering of countless people.
Those who suffer the most are the children. One study estimates that there are as many as 14,000 children living on the streets of Mexico City. Some estimate even more… but no one really knows and the numbers change with each passing day. We do know though that there are thousands of children… uncared for… forsaken… forgotten…
Some of these children are orphaned or abandoned. Others have fled sexual abuse and family violence. Some have just been forgotten in families broken-down by the daily struggle for survival… Some are placed in institutions… but few find what they need most in these places: a home, a family, and Jesus Christ.
Over 10 years ago Dr. Leonardo Rivas, a 43 year old medical doctor, began to see the forsaken children wandering the streets of Mexico City. He said when God saved him He changed his heart and his eyes. Up to that point in his life Dr. Rivas had lived for wealth and fame. But now… a changed man… Dr. and Mrs. Rivas, already parents to 3 children, began taking these street children into their home and adopting them as their own. They soon outgrew their house so Dr. Rivas turned a clinic he was building into a home for children. He began caring for the daily needs of the children and soon had to close his medical practice and trust the Lord to provide for the children who came into his care. And God has been faithful…
All of these children have been abused… but some have very special needs such as ChuCho. ChuCho was barely alive when Dr. Rivas found him and brought him home… Because of birth defects Chocho cannot walk, but doctors believe this condition can be reversed.
Dr. and Mrs. Rivas have committed themselves to creating a home for these children and are specially gifted by God for this labor of love. They have successfully influenced the lives of many children who have stayed in their home. Some for weeks… some for years. They are assisted by their Son Omar and Daughter-in-law Silviana and a few other committed people.
As an Independent Baptist ministry the priority of Rivers of Mercy Children’s Home is the spiritual well-being of the children. Dr. Rivas presents a loving God who gave His own Son to die on the cross for sinners. It is from this unconditional love that the Children, rejected and abandoned by this world, will find their greatest strength. He prays that they will give the Lord their lives to become teachers, preachers, and missionaries. Along with caring for their souls they must be fed. A daunting task. But with prayer asking for God’s provision, and careful planning they are able to provide the children with healthy meals. Many of the children come to the home with little to no education. It is a passion of Dr. Rivas to develop the children into productive citizens able to provide for themselves and their future families. So during the day they are given a basic education including skills that will help them become working adults and able servants of Jesus Christ. They are taught the skills that make an effective home.
They have classes in instrumental and vocal music.
They are exposed to the skills needed in construction including Carpentry.
They are trained in art and a few show great promise in this field.
Among their favorites subjects is Photography.
But it’s not all work… In the home the children have comfortable rooms and places to gather and play… but until recently there has been no outside 
location for the children to expend their energy. While much has been accomplished there is still much to be done. The Home needs more teachers, materials, computers, and the other essentials so important to the modern classroom. God has been providing for the children through the sale of CDs produced by the children’s choir, the support of a few Baptist Churches and concerned individuals. While it has been sufficient for the basics there is still so much need. And there are so many children still on the streets. By not meeting every need God has left a door of ministry open to us. Will you step through that door and help? There is so much left to do.
1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
What work can these young lives committed to Christ accomplish for His kingdom in years to come? The commitment and love they have found in this home has taught them the truth that labor in the Lord’s work is never in vain.
There have been three great needs facing the home over the past few years.
1.) More space for more children
2.) A separate living area for the boys
3.) And the children needed a space outside to play
God has begun providing this need by the acquisition of land across the street from the existing home.
Through donations construction has begun on a boy’s dormitory and chapel. Upon completion the home will have room for over 100 children. But floor space is not enough. As the home takes more children off the streets there will be a great need for more dedicated Christian workers to become a part of this work… to bring the ministry of Christ to these children rescued from the streets of this huge metropolis.
