Dear Friends:
This month, DIF (Mexico Children & Family Dept. that oversees orphanages) showed up abruptly and took 2 of our girls, Frida and Angelica, who have been living with us for about a year, and both of whom have done very well with us. They were not clear about what they wanted, but they said they wanted to put them in a special program. We think it is a new foster care program they are trying. They believe that this new program may lead to more adoptions.
The success rate of adoptions through DIF in the past, seems to be poor, from what we have seen, as more than half of our girls have been through failed adoptions, and in some situations they have been treated very abusively by the “adoptive” parents. So, the question arises, when we provide more help for our girls, more opportunities, a better quality of life, a high level of emotional and spiritual help, why would they choose our girls out of the more than 1,000 kids they have in their system in Chihuahua? One can only wonder. But, it was very traumatic for Frida and Angelica, who were crying as they left, and it was traumatic for us and our other girls to suddenly have 2 of our “family” suddenly taken away. Now there is fear, “what if they show up and take me?” There is distrust—just when they thought they had stability and a good path forward in life, they were taken away. The girls already all suffer from abandonment and distrust issues, and now DIF has added to the emotional load they already carry.
So, what can we do?
This last month, God has been reminding us of the need for faith and the power of prayer. We read the news about the Mormon women and children that were traveling on a rural road, not many miles from Palomas last week, and they were ambushed, with 9 of them being killed. We read about the rise in violent deaths occurring in Cd. Juarez over the past week. We realize that life does not often go as we planned it. What can we say then?
We must remember that our anchor in life is having faith, trusting in our Creator, realizing that He loves us enough provide us with an eternal relationship with Him, where He promises to heal us from the scars of this life. Rev. 21:4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” And, he can give us peace even in terrible occurrences here. Jn. 14:27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.
But, there are many who will never be able to find this peace and reassurance in the tempest of life and death. Matt. 7:13 “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way.
This narrow gate is the gate of faith and trust in Jesus as Lord. And what this really means is committing your life to follow him. Many people say, “Oh, I believe.” But that is not what is required.
Mat 7:21 Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Mat 7:22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out
demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?
Mat 7:23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.
The will of the Father is that we seek the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives to help us become involved in the things He is doing, and to avoid the things He is not doing. For example,
1 Co 6:9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,
1 Co 6:10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
1 Co 6:11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
This is what we are seeking to accomplish with our girls. This is the best way for them to be able to deal with the storms and setbacks of life.
There is great power in prayer, and great power in multiple people praying.
Psalm 107:28-30 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven.
So, please keep Frida and Angelica in your prayers. In a couple of weeks, we are going to Chihuahua to talk to DIF to see what can be done about getting them and our 2 other girls, Nahomi and Vanessa, back. They were taken after they tried to run away. We also want to explain to DIF that the methods they are using of disrupting the girls’ lives is not good. Please pray that we have favor.
October was a busy month, as the year comes to an end the annual activities and responsibilities with our students and their families begin to pile on; I say this with a happy hearth, since as time goes by we have been able to stay committed to the students in the program and the community we serve.
This month we invited Pastor Roberto to share the gospel with the leaders and pastors from the different churches we work with. He addressed the importance of practicing kindness. He reminded us the importance of being more like Jesus every day.
The youth group from La Trinidad, did a wonderful job engaging our students and parents this month. They prepared different activities and skits to teach them about Samson, the parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25), and anxiety and peace among the different groups.
We also had a separate meeting with our juniors and seniors from high school. Raymundo spoke of the importance of thinking about their future and options after high school. He also encouraged them to take an exam of vocational orientation, to help them discover their qualities and strengths.
This month we took pictures of all of our students, and their siblings in preparation to our Christmas celebration. You will soon be receiving the pictures for your sponsor student; inviting you to send them a Christmas present.
Lastly, I want to recognize our student Zabdi Hassey, who was in the honor roll this trimester with the highest GPA (9.5) in her class. She is a very hardworking student with the capabilities of doing great things. I would like to remind you that your contribution to the education of these students is very important and valuable.