NEWSLETTER: JANUARY, 2007

It's true that a new year has just entered our lives, but the old one still lingers for some of us. Across the border it's still Christmas. In America, Christmas abruptly ends on the 25th; but in Mexico they like to stretch it a bit. In the coming days, we'll be giving out toys for a few hundred kids.

Christmas Eve is always a great night for us. We do a lot of traveling through dark and half-deserted streets. This year we started early by meeting at barrio Lazaro Cardenas at 2 pm. The cold didn't keep several hundred kids and their mothers from enjoying our COOL bus loaded with the new toys and blankets you provided. Each child got to choose one new toy and afterwards his thumb was dipped in purple ink to assure he wouldn't go through again. I kept busy taking photos of kids enjoying their new toys.

Hortensia and I left the barren hills of Lazaro to visit little Josue and his family. Getting to Josue's tiny house is always a challenge -- even for someone with a four wheel drive. Sure enough, they were waiting for us and each got a nice present. Josue insisted on having his picture taken with me. It was my honor to stand beside a courageous little boy burned beyond recognition.

Soon we were on our way to visit the Rodriguez family in barrio Trinchiazo. Earlier Hortensia had taken the family to the Swapmeet and bought them the clothing and shoes they wanted for Christmas. I gave gifts of toys to the kids and the hammer and level Mr. Rodriguez wanted so much. Also, some blankets and a tarp. Outside, their special dinner was boiling in a big pot over a wood fire.

Later, we joined the rest of our crew working in the Children's jail. Just imagine putting together meals for almost three hundred hungry kids! Christmas Eve is a big night for them. We gave each a big Mexican Christmas meal complete with tamales. Playing his guitar, Paul led the singing. It's great hearing a hundred boys singing. And even when I led in prayer, all the kids repeated my prayer sentence by sentence. Evidently most of these kids have been in church.

Indeed, Christmas Eve is a wonderful time of year; made more special by spending it with the poor.

Thanks to each of you for helping us make the joy of Christmas possible for so many poor across the border. May God bless you for your unselfish spirit. I'll enclose several photos showing some of the kids happy expressions after opening a little gift from you. You can see more photos (in color) of the kids you have blessed by clicking here.