NEWSLETTER: JULY, 2006

Working with thousands of kids and hundreds of families in our seven areas of the poor in Tijuana, it isn't a shock for us to be drawn into another tragedy. Hortensia asked me some time ago, what she should do with this thin little six year old girl who was so full of bruises. It was pretty noticeable as the child took a shower with the rest of the girls on our Wednesday work day. The little girl wouldn't say anything about the obvious black and blue marks covering her body. I advised Hortensia, "Let's wait and talk with her parents and maybe we can find out what's happening." Something of this nature is always very tricky, especially for us as Americanos.

I guess we all make mistakes; I gave the wrong call.

It was too late. Our little Cinderella was cruelly beaten to death by her stepmother last week. We read about it in the newspaper. Rosalina, only six, was washing clothes on a scrub board. Her stepmother got mad about something and flew into a rage. She pounded and beat the little girl, and then threw her across the room. After that she insisted that Rosalina hang out the wash, the girl obediently did this with what little strength she had left.

The next morning Rosalina could not get out of bed. Soon after she went into convulsions, her parents took her to the general hospital where she died a few hours later.

Mother and father were quickly arrested and put into prison leaving her little brother and sisters alone in the family's small shack for three days. This is where Hortensia enters the picture. She located the kids in their little shack in the canyon and took them home with her.

They were scared and very hungry. Rosalina's sisters, Yolanda, 12, and Maria, 10, and her little brother, Fernando, 8, had witnessed the cruel explosion of abuse that, only day's before, had taken their sister's life. Will they ever be able to forget? Hortensia saw to it that the Yolanda, Maria, and Fernando were placed into Emmanuel orphanage. I might add that the children's father has sent word that he intends to kill Hortensia, when he's released from prison for taking his kids away. This is Mexico and we've seen this type of vengeance played out more than once.

You've helped make it possible for us to be there when these kids needed us. Thanks on behalf of little Fernando, Maria, and Yolanda. Thanks to you folks, we were able to give little Rosalina a proper funeral. Please pray for them and their future as they are exposed to the Gospel and the love of Jesus Christ . . . and thanks once again, Hortensia!

From all of us at Spectrum, von

P.S . Thanks for your prayers. I'm doing much better and soon will have my right arm back and working. Writing with my right hand is still a proble

Von.

"He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, and God will payback what has been given." -- Proverbs 19:17