NEWSLETTER: MARCH, 2002

Yesterday I visited the kids at Casa de Emmanuel. It was Monday, and I always stop in on Monday. House of Emmanuel isn't really an orphanage as much as a large building with about a dozen happy little misfits. Several go to school; others don't because they don't have birth certificates. We are working on that. These kids are just happy to have a bed, clothing and some food. Spectrum supports this little group of boys. The youngest is little Aaron, about six; and the oldest is Danny, almost fourteen.

Danny left his younger brother Ivon at home. Ivon is about twelve. He is a little slow and has been abused pretty much since birth. I often see him hanging out alone on the dirt street in front of the shanty he calls home. Lonely and quiet, he apparently has no friends. When I see him, I always stop to talk. Like a shy little puppy, he comes to the car and quietly says, "hi". That's about all he says; just stands there in his dirty, loose fitting clothes, looks at me and smiles. Sometimes he asks me for a chocolate. Last week he walked several blocks up to Casa de Emmanuel to see his brother and watched the kids playing. He didn't say much, just quietly studied the group. Finally, he summoned the courage and shyly asked if he could come to the home. He just wanted to be accepted somewhere. So now we have tall, thin Ivon with his big smile as part of the crew. He is responding well. Another mouth to feed, but well worth it.

After a meal and meeting with our staff, I was told that two houses had just burned at Trinchi. We knew the families, so I drove over to see what we could do. When these little shacks burn in Mexico, they go fast and burn completely to the ground. Fortunately no one was killed or injured, but they were left with only the clothes they had on their backs. All their photos and critical papers were gone too. Again it was the wind; two weeks ago after a big wind, another set of fires in Barrio Fausto burned sixty little shacks. We have been involved in helping them too. It's great to have the resources to help in a crises like this: tarps, wood, clothing and cash.

I finished my Monday by speaking in the evening to the teens at Emmanuel Orphanage. Clean cut kids. Their rooms spotless and neat. These young teens study hard in school. They are all learning computers. These were kids doomed to drugs, alcohol and violence. I couldn't help but contrast clean and neat Noah and Roman with their friend Pappy with whom I had spoken some hours before in Trinchi. Pappy had just come back from working the dump. He was dirty, tired and on drugs. He just stood there silently as we encouraged him to change. We talked about God's power to change him. He looked as if he were about to cry. Pappy was hurting and hurting bad, yet he remains there trapped by his habit while his two buddies are clean and free.

Unknown to me at the time, that same night, only yards away from Casa de Emmanuel, Eva's husband came home and shot her and then shot himself. In less than minutes another set of six orphans. Eva had been helping us on Thursdays and Saturdays. Our house may grow by some more. Such is our world.

Thanks again for your important prayers and for your support. As you can see we continue to try and make a difference where and when we can.