Clausons in Mexico

Every once in a while someone touched by the ministry of the Family Development Foundation (FDF) in Monterrey shares their story with us.  Adriana is a dear friend of all who have participated at the FDF.  Here is a translation of Adriana’s story in her own words…

¡Hola!  My name is Adriana Alday Vallejo and I am 35 years old.  I am married to a wonderful man that God gave me, Francisco Javier Chavira, and we have two beautiful daughters Abigail and Lizeth.  I would like to share my life testimony of my time here at the FDF.

I arrived about six years ago when I first brought my daughters to the kids’ club and since I had to walk back up the hill to go home, I decided to just wait around for them at the FDF.  There were other moms in the same situation and so Marisol Martinez, a Mexican missionary at the FDF, decided to offer the women Bible studies while our kids were in class.  We began with only three women, but as the kid’s club grew, so did our women’s group.  What I appreciated most is that even though I am Catholic, they respected my religion and my beliefs and that is why I felt accepted and loved from the beginning.

When Kerith Weld arrived, another Covenant missionary, she started arts and crafts classes.  She invited me to be a part of that committee and that is when I became more involved in the FDF.  A little bit later my daughters began to volunteer with Project Down (a ministry of the FDF that serves families with children with Down Syndrome), and not long after I also became a volunteer.  As you can see, my daughters were always the ones who encouraged my participation, and serving others has always been an important part of our lives.  We have experienced much joy and have received so much more than we have given.  It really is exciting serving others!  The feeling you get when you serve your neighbor is hard to explain.

Today I am the coordinator of the women’s arts and crafts group as well as a teacher for the youngest ones in Project Down, where my daughters continue to volunteer.  Project Down is something I really enjoy because besides serving we also share activities and fellowship together and this is something we do as a family.

I thank God for bringing us to the FDF.  My girls are now adolescents, 15 and 12, and basically they have grown up at the FDF.  They are really good girls with values and principles and the FDF has contributed to their formation, to their holistic development and most importantly to their relationship with God.  I see them with a hunger for God.  They want to know more of his word and this fills me with great happiness.

About two years ago I was given the opportunity to work as the Administrative Assistant at the FDF.  This was another big challenge for me and I thank God that I have done well.  When I first arrived at the FDF I never imagined that I would achieve so many things, but now I know God had a plan for me.  I have grown so much as a person, as a mother, as a daughter, as a wife and in my relationship to God. I also had the opportunity to be discipled by Erika Clauson, another Covenant missionary.  My spiritual growth is one of my most important achievements and now I am discipling a small group of women and I am learning together with them more about God’s Word.  The FDF has been a huge blessing for me and my family.

May God bless all those who help make it possible for organizations like this to exist and serve others.

Greetings and blessings!

Adriana Alday Vallejo