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She's why we built Siempre Para Los
Ninos... her name is Abbie. She's been sleeping
on the streets and alley's of Tijuana in the arms of her
mother. Filthy, hungry, having traveled thousands of
kilometers from a Mexican border village near
Guatemala. No longer a man in her life. All family a
universe away for a woman in poverty. She left Abbie
with our workers Sunday afternoon. Hard as the
precious first years of this 4 year old's life have been,
she still spent Monday and Tuesday crying all day for
her mother... I imagine her mother is crying as well... I
pray she's still alive. I'm so thankful that when she
came to her moment of release she didn't abandon
little Abbie into the arms of TJ's child porn trade,
prostitution rings or prospering human trafficking.
Instead, looking into those huge eyes, she still
believed there was hope for her daughter when it
seemed she'd traveled so far without finding any hope
for herself or her family so many miles away. We
welcomed little Abbie in love. The staff at Siempre
have come to know her well as she's shed tears that
every child in the household remembers... each tear
must reopen a wound that will never fully heal... and
yet today, she, along with all the children at Siempre
are safe, warm, well fed, well loved and are living with
new hope through the heartbreak- each story unique -
of their young lives. The weeks I have the opportunity
to welcome a new child, to open my arms in a loving
embrace are some of my favorites... hugging one
child, little Abbie this week... reminds me that millions
still are waiting on the promise of Siempre... until
then... when every child is safe, protected, educated,
well fed, well loved... we know that Abbie's secure.
Keep her in your prayers today. Her life took a radical
turn this week when her mother entrusted her to us.
Pray for our staff. Pray that God gives them strength,
wisdom and encouragement for the day. When you
support Siempre, you're caring for Abbie and the
promise of an open door to so many more like her.
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We built that... everything you see when
you walk onto
Siempre's campus: the church in the foreground, (2
years ago), Pastor Israel's home, the children's dining
area and kitchen, medical and dental clinics, (last
year), Siempre's two story addition, (3 years ago) and
our original building, 4 years ago this May... by God's
Grace, at His command, we built that... and next
month we're building again. The new property has
been purchased and secured- thanks so much to
those that donated to make it possible -fenced in, it
looks much larger. I've made a video of it I'll post by
Saturday so you can check out what's up by clicking the link marked our
videos. I'll title it- We Built That - or Memorial Day
Property 2008 -or some other easy to find title among
the other videos. Pastor Ken's already working out
every detail, from hotels to the number of nails we'll
need. Our staff and children at Siempre are gearing
up for the weekend and looking forward to the
prospect of so many new friends to meet and hooking
up with friends they get to see just a couple of times a
year. And tractor work begins today on the property
and concrete will be poured in the days to come. Not
only will this be our biggest and most expensive
building, it will also be the building that sustains
Siempre Para Los Ninos, financially, long after many
of us are gone. It will house a bridge building
missionary- someone to travel the US, to share the
vision of our work with people just waiting to get
involved for years to come. It will sleep 64 people in 4
separate dorm style rooms, have showers and
restrooms as well as a dining hall and kitchen all it's
own with a patio overlooking the beautiful view of the
Pacific. Every church group, small group, family
group, business group that wants to come and share
the promise of Siempre will have a place to stay right
on our campus, year after year. The opportunity to
spend more than a Wednesday afternoon and to do
more than go for a bike ride. An entire community in
poverty is waiting to be reached and whether it's
building new homes or setting up a new "safe
surrender" program for infants, we'll have the facility to
house people from across the nation and around the
world. I believe that everybody wants to do something
good for God, they just don't know how. We can teach
them. We can give them a starting point. We can
build a network of support- people who share time at
Siempre -large enough that we'll never have to worry
about even one child at Siempre going without his or
her
needs being met. A place for "Good Samaritan's" to
take a minute from their life and help those caught up
in the ditch of poverty, heartbreak and pain. I'm so
excited about the prospects of it I'm about to burst! I
can't wait for the weekend. Hope you're planning on
joining us. We bring all our own food, water and
snacks from the states- it's all included in the price -
along with your room at the beautiful Marriott, as well
as transportation from Riverside. It's a family friendly
event- after all, Siempre Para Los Ninos means
always for the children and this is a great opportunity
for your family to experience missions together.
There's nothing else like it anywhere... believe me...
I've looked, I've asked. If you find a group crazy
enough to build 3,000 sq ft in one weekend, I want to
meet them! It's the hard work of a miracle in the
making. It's how the children of Siempre have found
safe haven. I hope you'll join us. If not, send the
biggest check possible as a donation. I promise
every penny will be put to great use.
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Siempre's Annual Golf Classic is next Saturday, April 26th, and there's still room for you to golf, join us for the dinner and auction, (some very cool items: a week in a beach condo, a weekend in Mammoth, classic golf outings, a ride along with the Riverside police in their helicopter, new bikes, watches, roombas... well the list goes on and on!), or volunteer. Everyone's been so generous. Now we need everyone to golf, share the dinner and participate in the auction. Every penny goes right to building at Siempre. You'll have a tough time finding a better cause. Hope you're planning on making a day of it. It's not too late. You can call the church office at 951-689-5806 or register online at www.siemprekids. org or www.centralc ommunity.com. The golf team has done an amazing job of planning a great day- please join me in making the most of every minute of it. I've still got some calls to make. If you've meant to do it- call a few friends and invite them along for the day. It's best ball, with prizes, great raffles and a good time for a great cause. I can't wait! And remember, we're going to Siempre this Wednesday and Ken's going more frequently now, putting the foundation and early work in place, you're always invited- at the price of gas it helps to have a full car -you're always needed, now, more than ever.
siempre,
 Eric M. Denton
Siempre Para Los Ninos
email:
eric@siemprekids.org
phone:
1-951-689-5806
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