Hope through their heart break. Every
child come's to Siempre because of some
combination of death, tragedy, loss, abandonment,
desperation, poverty and pain. That's Daniella and
her little brother Ricardo in the picture. Their mom left
them with us when Ricardo was just an infant... over 4
years ago. A single mom, fighting to survive, she saw
no way to keep her kids and we opened our arms.
Daniella and Ricardo have been such a blessing to
love and know. Their mom, in her early 20's, was
brutally murdered last month. Everyone at Siempre
had come to know and love her. Some children are
left at our doorstep- papers are signed -and no one
ever visits again. Leticia, their mom, visited at least
once a month. It broke her heart not to have her kids...
but she was thankful for Siempre. She has living
siblings, even a mother... she didn't trust them with
her children... their stories are interwoven with so
much of the violence that's held Tijuana captive for the
last year. Her death hit the entire household in the
gut. Every child at Siempre dreams that someday
their mom or dad will come for them... that a different
life is waiting. When our leaders told the kids- leaving
out the violence -that their mom was dead... that she
hadn't forgotten them, but she couldn't visit anymore...
it
was as if they'd been abandoned for a second time.
Little Daniella, just 7, said: "First my dad died, now it's
my mom. I'm all alone." Alone, in Spanish it's a
simple word we all know: "solo." Daniella cried as if
she'd been abandoned on life's stage... solo... alone.
Wrapping Daniella richly in arms of love, wiping her
tears, holding her face, Vanessa, Pastor Israel's wife,
an integral part of Siempre told Daniella: "You're not
alone. You have your brother Ricardo who needs you.
You have Jesus who loves you. And you have your
brother's and sister's at Siempre... your siempre
family who will always be here for you." The next day,
little Ricardo was waiting for me when we arrived,
running to the car, hugging me, talking full speed,
Pastor Israel translated his 4 year old thoughts: "My
mom's gone to Heaven. She's with Jesus. Someday
we'll all be with Jesus. Until then I have my family at
Siempre." Daniella wanted me to sit with her, where I
hugged her, told her how sorry we were, how much
we loved her and Ricardo. Reaching out to Brenda,
just 10, Daniella smiled at me and said: "We're
sisters. This is my "Siempre" family" I hugged them
both and they ran off together to play.
Light in the darkness. Think this is one of the
reasons
I haven't written an update this month... it's a story I
haven't wanted to tell... but silence doesn't make their
pain any less real or the need for thousands of
children just like Daniella and Ricardo all across
Tijuana any less urgent. Our siempre family. Keep
each of them- our leaders and our children -in your
prayers. Hearts are still very heavy and wounds that
won't heal have been ripped open as every child has
considered the reason they're at Siempre and
wondered about their own family member who never
visits. Your loving prayers mean so much. And pray
also for us... holding those heart broken children I
remembered the first time I stood on that piece of dirt,
thought back on the night God placed siempre firmly
in my heart, reflected on all the good people- so many
of you who have given so much to get us to this day -
and quietly thought to myself: "What a mighty God we
serve." He knew these moments were out ahead and
placed the vision in our hearts, the will to work in our
spirits, guided our feet to our little community and
continues to make a path for healing - Light in the
darkness -where one would never expect to find it.
He's too good. May He hold Leticia safely in The Palm
of His Hands for all eternity.
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