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You might remember Vanessa. If you
knew her, if
you knew her story, she soon becomes impossible to
forget. Dropped off in the middle of the night.
Filthy, crying, hungry, she seemed such a lost child.
Abandoned by her mother who quickly signed over
her birth certificate and all parental rights to
Siempre, forever. We thought she'd be one of our
children we'd never hear from family on again. Than,
several weeks ago, her mother dropped in on
Wednesday, didn't stay, just came to say it was
Vanessa's birthday and she wanted her to be
remembered. She left a beautiful store bought cake
and Vanessa - who's birthday was unknown to us -
celebrated her first life milestone- well second, after
being abandoned, with her Siempre family. We have
no idea if Vanessa's celebrated Christmas before or if
she remembers the day. This year, she's hearing
stories from the other kids. Each week when we
come she's a little more excited. What will she get?
I've found that in my preparations for Christmas
Vanessa's mom keeps coming to mind. What will she
do for the day? Where will she go? Will this be her
first year without her little girl to celebrate with? My
prayer is that she makes another suprise appearance
at Siempre and chooses to spend Christmas day with
us. Each of our kids came from someplace and
someone will be thinking of them, hopefully, as the
holiday approaches. Pray for our directors as they
deal with so many tender hearts.
One of the blessings of Christmas at Siempre
is not just what little Vanessa and the other
kids will get under the tree. Each year we've had so
many toys and gift items donated that we've been
able to shower the school kids who would go without
and the community in general with blessings for the
holy days. Not only do we brighten homes that
might otherwise be dreary for Christmas, we continue
to build good will with our neighbors. That's a good
thing. We're the largest family in town and we fill
the little school. We want them to love our kids -
not dread them.
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Our Group Photo for The Day. So
many great people. Pastor Ken brought down Terry
and Treena and they spent the day working on
getting the apartment ready for Alejandro and
Aracelli. There's still a long way to go. Pastor Israel
spent his day working along side them building a
house someone else will live in. The goal is to have
the apartment ready before Christmas. Ken's taking
another group down tomorrow - Saturday, December
2, if you'd like to join them - give me a call or meet
them there. Hardly a better place on the planet to
work hard then down at Siempre.
So much is happening in the days to
come. Our older girls are going on a retreat
at friends of Siempre who live in Mexico - in the
community above the Marriott - and have been
gracious enough to invite the girls in for the
evening. Keep them all in your prayers. I know the
break will do them wonders. Also, this Wednesday,
December 6, we're decorating the house: taking
down a tree, putting up lights, baking cookies and
you're invited! We also have a medical clinic planned
for the day. Dr. George Ricks, fresh back from clinics
across Kenya, will be seeing community members as
well as all our kids - they need it - there are plenty
of sniffles going around. If you're a health care
professional and would like to join us- you're invited!
We'll be doing medical clinics the first Wednesday of
each month. We're also getting ready for our Big
Christmas Party on Wednesday, December 20 and
you're invited! Everybody's going to need a present -
so do a little shopping - we'll have needs, wish list,
ages and sizes posted for each child and worker
online - then join us for the day. If you have friends
and or family members that would like to help out-
don't hold back. Invite them! It's going to be a
great Christmas.
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You Keep Our Doors Open! Without your financial support Karla, Vanessa, Fabian, all our kids would be facing a much different Christmas. The promise of Siempre - Always - has replaced the reality still being lived out by so many children fighting poverty around the world and just across our border in Tijuana. People still buy and sell little children- human trafficcing is finally getting some coverage in the news- in the western hemisphere it's heart is TJ. You've rescued children from a future filled with horror and placed them in a life of promise with your loving support. Thanks is not a big enough word. You don't have to travel half way round the world to make a difference. But if you'd like to, our trip to Kenya is set for February 20-March 5, 2007. The heartbreak for children in Kenya today is real and doesn't go away when we come home. Join us for the missions adventure of a life time. What a great Christmas present for your family. Also, Jackets for Jesus, our work with the homeless in downtown LA is having it's Christmas Party on the streets Sunday evening, December 17. I've purchased 700 empty backpacks and now need 700 people willing to fill them with everything a homeless person will need to make it through the winter. This year every person will get a backpack! Questions? Call me at 951-907-9100 or 951-689- 5806. Check out www.siemprekids.org for more info on how to give to support Siempre Para Los Ninos and how to do it. Also, let me know if the new format worked for you. I'm trying valiently to keep up with the growth of our list by personally learning new software. Send me an email and tell me how it came through for you. Pass it along to friends and family. It's easier than ever to opt in or out. Merry Christmas!
Siempre,
Eric Denton
Siempre Para Los Ninos
email:
eric@centralcommunity.com
phone:
951-689-5806
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