Siempre Para Los Ninos Update 3.27.08

Central Community Christian Fellowship

30 More Reasons to Build!

Excitement at Siempre

This Week at Siempre

Siempre Changes the Community

Spring Break and college kids head to Mexico- to serve the poor. The photo's of part of a group of students, standing on Siempre's upper deck, from University of California at Santa Barbara who are at Siempre this week, led by their Young Life group, to stay at the church and work in our community. They'll not party in Rosarito, instead, they're painting the local school, where Siempre's kid's attend, working and painting at the local community center as well as completing some tasks around the church and Siempre, all the while, loving our kids. While at Siempre they'll sleep where most of our visitors sleep- on the floor of the church... amazing that anyone returns! Yet we have a greater demand than ever for groups to visit. Work is being accomplished and needs are being met across the community of poverty that we never imagined. God is good beyond measure. Keep this group in your prayers this weekend as they wrap up their time at Siempre and prepare to head back to classes. They'll have made an impact that will live on forever... and it would have never happened without your love and support. Each will return to UCSB and their families, changed by their experience in poverty- telling a new story of a different kind of spring break, and it's part of our story, part of our work together as it continues to grow. Children will return from Easter vacation to freshly painted classrooms, a new look to their little community center... and they'll be thankful for Siempre and all the good a group of abandoned children have brought to their families. God is so good. Hope your Easter was amazing.

The Gift of Great People

The Call to build Siempre has brought out the best in such a diverse group of leadership... one that only God could have brought together. I like this photo: that's Debi, my wife, from a small town in NE Ohio, Alejandro, Siempre's director, in the middle smiling, from a fishing town 1,000 kilometers south of Siempre on Mexico's mainland and Aida, with a new hair cut, Siempre's first girl, with us now almost 4 years, who came from the streets of Tijuana... all three have played such an important part in the life and growth of Siempre through our early years... and we're still in the first inning. Aida came to us wounded, in deep pain, not ready to trust anyone and wearing all the wounds of insecurity of abandonment, grief, confusion and loss. Learning to love her, share with her, break through the barriers that at first seemed impossible to breach, taught us lessons we'd need to use over and over in the years to come. Sharing in her growth has been a joy. She use to strike out by cutting her hair in private- leaving a mess that was tough to fix. This week we arrived to find her with a cute new hair cut, looking so much like a young woman to be. God continues to teach us through Aida. Alejandro, our director, came to us with a profound call on his life to serve. He's given his family, his time and his heart to learn how to be a father to dozens and administrator over the home. Wednesday afternoon he was working with Tony, finding tools, materials, undergirding the ongoing work... watching him go about his task without hesitation or effort, I praised God for his part in these early years of our work. And Debi, well Debi's been there from day 1 doing what she does best- suiting up, showing up, loving everyone and always adding that extra something special she always brings. Each Easter she picks out and buys new dresses for each of the girls, they all wore them just last week, as one small way to show her love. She never misses a birthday with a cake or present and always spends time with Aracelys, Vanessa, Brenda, Bianca and now Consuelos with a little "girl" talk each week. From NE Ohio, Puerto Libertad and the streets of TJ, God's drawing an incredible group of people together to share the work. We're looking for a new staff member to help us step up to the next level- taking over my job as fundraiser in the US and ready to live in their own place at Siempre teaming together with Pastor Israel, Alejandro and the rest of our leadership... it doesn't really matter where you're from... what matters is where you want to go with the rest of your life. If you know someone ready to enter the mission adventure of a lifetime with a group of incredible people- have them contact me.

Memorial Day 2008... Unbelievable!

I've always loved this picture... it was taken at sunset, after a long days work, as we all settled in to eat- outside, on van seats, work benches, the ground... in front of the first church we built. Some of you were there. The little church was taken down a couple of years ago to build the new, larger church at Siempre... but that first small step of faith is still making an impact on lives around the world. Some of the people in this photo joined us in Kenya, to build among the Pokot in a region hot and desolate. Today, this email reaches to Kenya and many other countries. This Memorial Day Weekend we're building a wonderful dorm building, showers and restrooms, dining hall and kitchen to house visiting missions trips for years to come. No more sleeping on the floor! Work groups will build houses, share in community efforts, continue to improve the grounds and facilities of Siempre and the church and begin projects we've yet to imagine. We'll also build a home for our new missionary- someone to travel the US and carry the vision of Siempre into churches and communities waiting to hear the exciting stories of rescue, healing and life change as children continue to be lifted out of the heartbreak and loss of devastating family destruction, death and abandonment that's so quickly played upon by pimps, human traffickers and the growing child porn industry in TJ. We're still in the first inning of our work in Mexico. Only God knows what's yet to come. You have the opportunity to share in this exciting time... to help us establish a work that will outlive us all in the success of young lives, once thrown on the garbage dump of life, rescued and redeemed to new horizons of not just survival but success and leadership in their community. Our families can share in God's Great Solution for healing the hearts of humanity. Memorial Day Weekend, 2008's not the only way, but it's one way, one already at work in the lives of so many, we can begin to make a difference together. You can register here. 3,000 sq. ft. in two days... it's a HUGE task... and we need everyone! And we don't sleep on the floor OR eat dinner outside anymore :-) Join us for a life changing weekend.

Siempre Para Los Ninos