Siempre Update 2.15.2008

Central Community Christian Fellowship

Changing Seasons Overnight

This Week at Siempre

Cold weather keeps everyone inside at Siempre. I'd packed a few new board games before leaving Riverside... no clue how valuable they'd become in the hours ahead. The kids latched onto them like lifelines thrown to a drowning man! It used to take long sessions to teach the kids how to play board games we'd assumed everyone knew how to play... there was always the language barrier... most of the games we bring down are in English... but kids, being kids in any language, caught on pretty quickly. After several years of Wednesday afternoons, we hand out the board games and the older kids quickly teach any younger kids the rules. Games with Dora in the theme are always a HUGE hit, since Dora speaks both Spanish and English and both languages are used in almost everything Dora. But we had a new chess and checker set as well as some little battleship type games that work well in any language. Soon, kids were spread across the floors, laughing, playing together and enjoying the afternoon break. Wednesday afternoons at Siempre are a celebration... even when it's freezing!

More Than Board Games

Hot Wheels! Don't have a clue how the boys know who's is who's... but when all the little cars come out to play, Siempre looks like Southern California at rush hour: total confusion to all but those involved. Each of the boys seems to have as many or more miniature cars as they have marbles and just as they do while playing marbles, there seems to be some mysterious set of rules that guide the kids into a sense of order... that if broken... shatters the peace of the playtime. The older boys seem to set the standard with the cars but all the younger guys- whether it's someone like little Juan Carlos, maybe 6 or 7, hoarding his collection... or Arturo... just 4... who keeps his little cars just so... Wednesday afternoon, Arturo would get his cars lined up into some imaginary line- a freeway, a group trip, whatever they were supposed to be about, when something, another car rolling by, an older kid, or Julia, jumping into his play time, would disturb the order of things and he'd go ballistic! Arturo throws some of the most outrageous tantrums. He gets so indignant and his face contorts into a little mirror of how he must be feeling inside. Such an expressive little guy! Can't wait until he gets behind the wheel of his own car someday... whatever you do, just don't cut him off in traffic! It was a fun afternoon filled with plenty of time to play together. You really missed it! I'm quite certain that some of our most important time spent building Siempre is time spent hanging out with the kids. It's one of the best reasons to have a safe, warm house: so that you can spend time together building a home, building family. Family is what our kids lost and it's one of the most valuable gifts they can receive at Siempre. It's always a cold afternoon without family.

Siempre's Kids have been given a second chance in life because of your continued financial support, loving personal participation and continued prayers. That said, we could do all we wanted and without the amazing group of adults who've given their lives in service to the children of Siempre, our best thoughts and hopes would be futile. We see the sacrifice, made in love, each time we're in the household. Wednesday afternoon, we watched as Vanessa, Pastor Israel's wife and Siempre's cook, unloaded food for both the community breakfast program as well as food purchased for the breakfast program run through the church. Two women, both workers from DIF, Mexico's version of Child Protective Services, came into the community with a jeep loaded with food. Some is sold by DIF at discounted prices to helping agencies across Tijuana, the rest is for a children's program Vanessa helps facilitate in the community at large. Watching these strong women work- for meager wages -with the needs of children at risk as their primary motive -I couldn't help but be inspired against the cold, gray afternoon. God is good and He's using so many good people to meet needs that would otherwise be completely overlooked... needs with names... too many of them children, well outside the promise of Siempre today. Pray for those who take a good breakfast and warm friendship to children we'll never meet. When we built Siempre, everyone told us that DIF would be against us. Wednesday afternoon DIF made another of many visits- in support of Siempre - and I had the opportunity to thank them for their part in what we're trying to do. Keep Vanessa and each of our workers in your prayers. They deserve it. They've earned a place in our hearts. They're one of the biggest reasons that Daniella's smiling.

Siempre Para Los Ninos

phone: 1-951-689-5806