By Addy Griepenstroh,
a 2025 graduate of Lourdes Central in Nebraska City,
at the invitation of Hispanic Ministry
I have been to Mexico City with Hope of the Poor three times within the past three years, and the ministry has completely changed my life.
During these missions, we start the day with Mass and the Eucharist and adoration. Then we go out and share God’s love with the poor of Mexico City. Our days include going to the orphanage, visiting the women’s shelter, doing street ministry, and serving/connecting with the poor in the “La Raza” Community.
“La Raza” is a place in Mexico City where many vendors and small businesses stay because of constant traffic. When Craig Johring first founded this community, there were around 26 adults and 35 kids, and he felt called to bring the Gospel to them. Many of the mothers in this community could not afford to feed and provide for their children so they turned to prostitution.
Craig and his team started meeting with the La Raza community and brought them a sense of acceptance, hope, and love, which further led to them wanting to join the Church. The Hope of the Poor team provides these families with a safe place to live, helps them fight off their addictions, accompanies them while searching for jobs, and lastly, helps them to find their worth within the Lord.
During my second mission, in October 2023, I met two sisters and their sons, who had just joined the La Raza Community. Each sister had just recently had a baby, one was only a month old, and the other was four months old. These two women were found living in an abandoned building with no access to any basic necessities of life. They had previously been orphans, and they had been homeless for five years.
When Craig introduced them to Hope of the Poor, their lives drastically changed. The first time I met both girls was a day I will never forget. The joy on their faces, reflecting the realization that we genuinely loved and cared for them, was something so special. We spent the entire week with them and each day, we could see their walls coming down. Their eyes, originally filled with shame and fear, were slowly starting to turn to light and love.
I have always been known to be the babysitter, so I was with both girls for most of our mission, holding their babies and creating a connection with them. By the end of the week, I could confidently say that even with the language barrier, I had made one of the strongest friendships of my life.
During that week, the Hope of the Poor team rented an apartment for the girls, and on the last day of our trip we had the honor of supplying them with all their needs. Our mission group furnished their home with beds, appliances, dishes, cookware, food, and clothes. We also had the opportunity to get them everything they needed to have a smooth transition for their babies. Their apartment was full of diapers, wipes, and baby clothes.
In February of 2025, I went on my third mission trip, and I was reunited with both girls and their kids. The visible transformation in each of them was incredible. They were filled with immense hope and unconditional love. The boys were both baptized in the summer of 2024, and they are now 17 and 21 months old.
When I saw the girls, I immediately went up to them, and they thanked me for being with them in October 2023, while they were transitioning into a new stage of life. They also thanked me for helping them with their boys during that week so that they had a little bit of a break. It warmed my heart to know that our mission group had that much of an impact on their lives. Being able to spend another week with the girls and growing my connection with them even more was one of the biggest blessings from my trip.
They were the first family from Hope of the Poor that I had the opportunity to watch grow in every aspect of their lives since entering the La Raza Community. These sisters are an amazing example of how powerful prayer is and how much someone’s life can change just by being loved and believed in.
