QUEEN OF HEARTS

I received this great e-mail recently, and I thought it should be shared.

Von, I wanted to tell you a little story about this money we are sending you/Spectrum. I belong to a Rotary Club here in Hawaii, and every week we have a raffle drawing called the “Queen of Hearts” drawing. Everybody gives a dollar for a ticket and a chance to draw the Queen of Hearts from the deck of 52 cards. One half of the money goes to the club and the other half goes to the winner. Well, the pot had grown to $2,800.00 with only seven cards left in the deck, so I bought six tickets and before they picked the winning ticket I felt God telling me to give the money to you if I won. So I told the gentleman sitting with me that I was going to win today and I was going to pick the Queen of Hearts.

When one of my tickets was called I knew it was meant to be. So I walked up and let God pick the card and we won!

The total came to $1,402.50 Then I went to your website (Spectrum Ministries) to get your address and read the story of the 100 children that were kicked out their orphanage. Well, my wife heard the story and wanted to match the $1,402.50, and then my Office Manager heard the story and she wanted to give $1,000.00. So you see all your prayers are being heard even all the way across the ocean.

Thank you von, for all you do in the world and Mexico. I know you will put this money to good use.

In His Grip, J.K. & M

TRIBE OF JESUS ORPHANAGE UPDATE

Yesterday I went back to try and locate Edith and the kids of the Tribe of Jesus. We hadn't heard fro them for a while. We drove to the last location and found all the orphanage stuff sitting like it was left, right across the dirt road from their old locked out location. Edith was sitting in a chair reading her Bible. As we stopped up the road Juanito saw me and came running up the road yelling von! Von! Juanito gave me a big hug, and held it for some time. It's been a lonely time for them all. Edith followed a little slower and gave me a big hug.

The last I talked with her she was hoping for a good piece of property with about three acres. (I've looked at it myself.) It has water and electricity available and a small very old house. Edith was so excited about it! She was hoping the owner would sell on time but he wants the $125.000.000 up front ... so back to waiting on God. At this point she's hoping to re-negotiate another contract with one of the three owners of the old property. I'm not particularly excited about that BUT ... at best it will be an insecure rip-off of her money.

Of course no one really wants to invest in the orphanage until they are sure the property is secure. A painful dilemma.

Meanwhile she sits there reading, praying and waiting. When I was about to leave six other Tribo kids, returning from school came running up the road to greet us. Hey von!!

We played a few games in which each kid won a dollar. Each boy wore a million dollar smile!

As we were leaving Edith hugged me especially tight asking for our prayers. We'll get her the money for everyday expenses but big money for the property? We just haven't got it.

The other kids have been shuttled temporarily to homes around the area and most are continuing with their schooling.

To think of it, there are people that could write off a check for $200,000.00 with out blinking! Here are a bunch of happy but dirty little kids ... just needing a place to call home. And a neat little lady still sitting by the dirt road, with no where to go but ... wait!

Let Your "Yes be Yes"...

As I drove home today from the dusty pot-hole infested roads of Tijuana I was asking myself a question I end each day with. Did I love God and love people today?

I was glad to answer yes to both. I sat with a young man today named Ernesto he is 21 years old and I have know him since he was 15. He was released last year from prison he did a year and half stint for robbery. He was proud to hold up his baby boy all of three weeks old. He said "Aaron now we can raise our boys together!" I myself have a little boy of five months. As Ernesto and I sat and talked about being fathers he reminded me of many life lessons he has learned from teaching he had heard in his time with Spectrum as a teen. I was amazed to how much he had been paying attention at times I wondered if he had learned anything. Obviously Ernesto has made some wrong choices and they continue to haunt him. But you know what? With God's grace and your continued prayers we will be here tomorrow and the next day loving God by loving people just like Ernesto. Thank you for allowing us to be out here serving.