NEWSLETTER: OCTOBER, 2007

"Hola, von!" I looked up from my work and saw Julio standing next to me smiling. No longer a little kid taking a shower, he was now a young man. He had just dropped by to say "hi" and to thank me. Julio still had on his thick glasses, but now he was able to take care of himself.

I remember many years ago when I first met Julio as a young boy. As he stepped into the little shower stall with his brothers and handed me his glasses. I looked down at his glasses; the lenses were thick and scratched. They were too large for his face and, hanging together with three band-aids, sort of draped over his nose and ears. Every three weeks he would come with his little brother for his shower and have me hold his pathetic glasses. How could this poor kid even see? At best, he was legally blind.

One Thursday I asked for his glasses and took them across the border to Lens-Crafters in San Diego. I was grateful to Lens-Crafters for looking the "other way" as their policies and procedures would not allow them to make a new pair of glasses from the old ones. But they did anyway! Not only did they make the new pair, but they didn't charge me when I told them the situation.

Julio was thrilled with his new glasses! They were made of tough twistable plastic. Finally, he could see, and left the shower room with a big smile.

Three weeks later Julio and his brothers came in for their shower. He apologetically handed me his new glasses all scratched and broken. It seems when the gang found out about his new glasses, they knocked him down, pulled off his glasses, threw them down and proceeded to grind them into the cement with their shoes then pulled them apart and handed them back to Julio laughing. (Our world is a cruel one)

Would you believe that Lens-crafters made three additional pairs for me? Julio and his brothers became old enough to defend themselves.

Now, there standing beside me, was a much older Julio, showing his appreciation for our befriending him as a kid. He's tough and, unfortunately, still a gang member. But like hundreds of others, Julio has an appreciation for all we have done for him when he was younger. Our work with these kids is not in vain. These seeds we've sown will pay off one day.

A letter like this gives me another chance to thank you for your part in making our many ministries happen.

This summer, like most of our summers, we have been able to touch a lot of lives both in Mexico and the Untied States. Unfortunately, these past three summer months we have taken a financial hit. For the first time in 25 years we are definitely down in our giving. So your gift this month means even more to us! Thank you!

Please keep us in your prayers.

For all of us working in Mexico, Von