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Outdoor Play Time
A Sunny Day at Siempre
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Feb 29, 2008 - Vol 3, Issue 8
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This Week at Siempre
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Our Favorite Sites
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Sunny weather returned and both the kids and adults of Siempre made the most of every minute of the day. It was the kind of afternoon the chamber of commerce would like to package up and keep for visiting dignitaries. After so many cold, wet days, fighting mud, wet clothes and too much time indoors- it was glorious... wish you had been there. Can't believe this is part of my job.
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Our directors, pictured above, have reason to be smiling these days. Not only has Bianca returned but after a long search, Alejandro finally located a much needed additional worker for Siempre. That's Consuelos and her boys. They joined our little team last Tuesday and already Consuelos was surrounded by the children and finding her place in the household. We look forward to getting to know her in the days to come... what we've learned, through broken English/Spanish stories, (can't wait for one of you that speaks Spanish to sit and talk with her), we've learned that she either: a) grew up in an orphanage or b) has spent the last few years working in one. When I asked Pastor Israel to clarify things for me he said, "I just met her too! I don't know." She's joined the household with her kids and will be one of our full time workers- that's 24/7 -in return for the love, hard work, and responsibility of helping to raise 30 children in a Christian home, she'll be given room and board for herself and her kids along with $40- a week in salary. She'll earn... as well as deserve, so much more. Pray that she quickly learns the way of our workers and that she loves and lifts up each of our kids. So far, she's only had bright, sunny weather! Pray also that our support will increase. Our directors and workers all deserve so much more financial compensation. The downturn in the US economy has been reflected these past two months in Siempre's support. God's sending us workers to care for our children... pray He continues to lift up those with a heart to rescue children abandoned into poverty. Siempre... it's a big promise.
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Waiting at the top of the hill, watching the older boys who'd joined Pastor Israel and I for a long ride, give their best efforts, enjoying the absolutely perfect backdrop of a crystal blue Pacific, dotted with the Coronado Islands, no wind, 80 degrees... I wondered what it is that I do...? I get so much more out of what God's given us at Siempre than I could ever give. My friendship with Pastor Israel, time spent with the kids out on our bikes- when so many of my peers are strapped to a desk, the joy of watching our work grow and prosper in the heart of poverty... the gift of watching young lives, rescued from heartbreak... What do I do? So many Wednesday afternoons I feel like I'm just along for the ride. It's not that there's not enough work to do. With Memorial Day Weekend coming, a new building to put up, new employees to hire, a bigger vision to cast... my plate will be full. But Wednesday afternoon, sun shining, workers in place- doing an amazing job -kids healthy, out on a ride together... what I did was just enjoy the gift of Siempre... enjoy that God has given me the opportunity to be in the middle of it all. Funny, Siempre, the word, came to me in the middle of the night... long before we'd sheltered even one child... didn't even know what language it was. Wrote it down on a piece of paper- went back to sleep -typed it into google the next morning for translation: siempre - it means always. That simple wake up call has guided so many of my days since then. God is too good... sometimes kind of mysterious... but good beyond our understanding. Some Wednesday afternoons I just take the kids for a bike ride.
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You might not be able to join us every Wednesday afternoon, you might not have the liberty to take a bike ride with the kids... but you can do something even more important... you can insure that boys like Mario will always have the promise of Siempre to live in forever. Mario, along with his three younger brothers, was dumped on our doorstep months ago. We've had the opportunity to love, feed and shelter each of them- the younger boys go to pre- school, the older are in school and doing well. They're in church services every week, see a doctor when necessary, never miss a meal and each of them sleep in the dry, wonderful, loving warmth of Siempre Para Los Ninos. We can never take away the pain of being abandoned but we can begin to teach them that God still has a plan for their lives, that they've not been forgotten, that they can learn, grow, love... even ride a bike on a sunny afternoon. Your regular financial support guarantees that we're able to keep our promise to each of the kids. Your giving keeps our doors open... without you, Mario will never learn to ride a bike... much less experience the full promise of Siempre. You can write the children and promise of Siempre into your budget and know that each month your making a difference in the lives of children abandoned into our arms. And whenever you have the chance, you can join us for a Wednesday afternoon, or visit Siempre for a weekend, or join us Memorial Day Weekend and help us build. Good friends of Siempre sent a check for $1,000- last month, it helped us make it through. Thanks so much.
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Remember Siempre's Golf Tournament, Saturday, April 26. Visit the link to Siempre's web site for more information. We need golfers, volunteers, tee sponsors and those of you that own a business or have friends who are business owners, we still need more donations for our silent auction. Last years tournament and silent auction paid for our building- this year we'd like to do even more. Money for our new property has already been donated. The golf tournament can raise all the money for the building while sharing the vision and hope of Siempre with hundreds of new people. It's also a great day together playing best ball. Hope you'll come out and join us. You're always invited, to golf, or join us any Wednesday afternoon, you're needed, now, more than ever.
Please keep the family of Harry Booth in your prayers. Good friends of Siempre- from day one -anyone who's built with us Memorial Day Weekend has enjoyed his wife Jean's great cooking. Jean lost Harry this last Monday. His wife, children and grandchildren have all helped build Siempre and as one final gift the family has asked that in place of flowers people make gifts to Siempre. Harry had always wanted to buy every child at Siempre a new bike... We're thankful for all the Booth and Burns family has meant to Siempre over the years. Harry's funeral will be this Monday. Harry will be missed.
siempre,
Eric M. Denton
Siempre Para Los Ninos
phone: 1-951-689-5806
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