NEWSLETTER: APRIL, 2006

There's always something going on at Casa de Emmanuel orphanage! Well, with the possibly exception of when they are bedding down or watching TV. Mondays I'm there in the morning and the buzzword is school! Is everybody ready? After lunch, the kids get their final prep for school. Things appear quite normal when Robin, one of the orphanage staff, pulled me aside and said mocking a very serious tone, "Von we have a problem and I need your counsel" of course I stopped and listened intently. I don't like problems but they do come up and if I could be of any help well..

"Von, Julio's turtle has been under water for some time and it hasn't moved. I think it's dead but some of the other staff say it is alive and just resting. Of course, Julio thinks it's alive too, but it looks dead to me. What do you think?"

I went with Robin and Julio to a very small aquarium and noted two very live turtles huddled in a corner above the dirty water. Draped over a stone in the middle of the aquarium was a very deceased turtle. It seems that someone had kindly pulled him from the deep after two days and draped him over the stone. It was so sad as Julio stared at his pet turtle that was "taking a break" on the rock.

I studied the turtle. His head was hanging down one side of the rock, while his tail hung over the other side, his legs were hanging down as far as they would go. There was no movement. There would be no movement. He wasn't taking a break. Julio's turtle was dead. Very dead!

Julio looked up at me, I took him by the shoulder and we had a heart to heart on the death of turtles. . "Where do they go?" "I don't know Julio, I'm not a turtle!" "I'm sure God has a special place for much loved dead turtles."

Kids like Julio have lost more then their share of family and friends. Even losing a pet turtle makes it’s mark. It’s neat to be loved and part of the Casa Emmanuel orphanage family even when it means sharing the death of a little friend. I thought you might like this cute human interest story.

Here is another thumbnail sketch a little of what our ministry is all about.

For years, Jose has been a leader and teacher in his church in Tijuana: I met him the other day and he told me the story of how he got interested in the Gospel. He said he saw our Monday night Bible studies with the teen-age boys in barrio Obrera where he and his family lived. One night he went to the window after the meeting had started and listened again. Jose said he had never heard these exciting things about the Bible. Then he returned again the following week and this time he listened by the open door way. From then on he came inside and sat with the teens each Monday. I remember seeing him sitting on one of the chairs in the back, rather out of place but very interested. It was encouraging to hear how these studies affected a curious bystander that turned out to be a leader. This was the start of a change in his life.

The following short sketch is too common in our world.

Yesterday a two-month-old baby girl was brought to me in barrio Grupo Mexico with what looked like scabies over her whole body. I treated the baby with an anti-scabies lotion then asked the baby girl's mother how old she is, she said "15" Her mother quickly corrected her, "She is fourteen." Little kids having kids is a painful reality.

Each of these little stories has one thing in common and that's people. We try hard to keep our priorities centered on ministering to the needs of people. Thanks once again for your help in making this happen.

For all of us at Spectrum

Pastor Von.