Bob and Julie Mendonsa met in 1987 while attending Baylor University in Waco, TX. They graduated the next year, Bob with a B.S. in biology and Julie with a B.S. in secondary education. Bob was accepted to medical school at UT Medical Branch in Galveston, TX, and Julie took a job teaching middle school math in Garland, TX. They married in 1991 and Bob went on to complete a 5-year orthopedic surgery residency at UT Medical Branch in 1997. During Bob’s training in Galveston, Julie become the chairperson of the math department at La Marque High School.

After residency, Bob joined Orthopedic Associates of Flower Mound and Lewisville, where he served in private practice for 11 years. Bob’s practice focused on arthroscopy and sports medicine.

Bob and Julie had two children, Emily and Will, and bought a home in Flower Mound. Emily and Will attended Coram Deo Academy in Flower Mound.

In 2003, the Mendonsa family started taking yearly trips of one to two months to Kijabe, Kenya, for Bob to work as a volunteer orthopedic surgeon in a mission hospital. During that time they developed a vision and plan to move to Kenya and build a children’s home.

The Mendonsas moved to Kenya in 2008 and broke ground on Naomi’s Village Children’s Home in 2009. Bob and Julie both retired from their full-time jobs as surgeon and teacher, respectively, in July 2010. They now work full-time at Naomi’s Village in daily administration, intake of children, employee training, and continued fundraising. They plan to live in Kenya indefinitely to help raise Naomi’s Village’s children as future leaders of their nation.

Donate to the Mendonsa’s Naomi’s Village Story part 1 Naomi’s Village Story part 2 Naomi’s Village Story part 3