Dearest Friends,
TWO ORPHANAGES
We have visited two orphanages in the last two days. One was a large facility with over two hundred children. They invited us to do a puppet show and we were able to tell all the children about Jesus.
The second orphanage had only fifteen children, and was set up like a home. When I walked inside the home, it was the sweetest feeling. It was very very clean, and it felt like a family’s home. This place is run by the Salinas family, and their daughter Sarah Grace serves as an advocate for the children and their needs. I want you to hear some of their stories.
CITLALLY’S STORY
Citlally is a sweet little girl with dark hair and big eyelashes. She is always smiling and loves hugs. When she came to the home she was covered in scabies. She was molested by her father and never smiled. Now she is a very happy little girl who has put her faith in Jesus Christ.
MIRIAM AND ISMAEL
These two children were the first ones to come and live at the Salinas’ childrens’ home. Their parents could not take care of them and they had nowhere else to go. Miriam is a dreamer who loves singing and drawing. Ismael loves airplanes. Recently, he told Sarah Grace that when he grows up, he wants to have ten children. She asked him what he was going to do with ten children. He smiled and said, “That’s not a problem, I’ll just bring them here to my home!” He was referring to the orphanage, which has become his home.
LESLIE AND MYRA
Leslie came with a cleft palette and it was recently repaired. She is always singing, but now she can be understood when she sings. Her favorite songs are songs about Jesus. Her speech is improving, and she is discovering the safety of being loved.
Their father is in prison, their mother tried to commit suicide. Myra was a very very angry little girl when she came to the home. Jesus has begun to heal her heart, and her face reflects the change in her heart.
BRISEIDA’S STORY
Briseida is the oldest little girl at the home. She was molested by her father and rejected by her stepmother. Long ago, her mother abandoned her. She dreams of growing up and having a family. At the home, she has learned what a family is supposed to be.
LUPITA’S STORY
This little girl’s story is so horrific that I honestly cannot include all of the details. She is six years old and her parents would tie her in the dump with the pigs as though she were and animal. They made her eat the pig feces. She came to the home very afraid of food. Lupita is doing better now as she has discovered God’s love through the people at the home.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
If you are interested in helping with the needs of these children, please contact Sarah Grace directly at this address: sarah.g.salinas@gmail.com. There are many needs that you can help meet. Ten thousand dollars in needed to purchase a piece of land that connects to the home, so that a proper sewage system can be built. This home was never designed to have as many people in it as it does now.
Sarah Grace is seeking to raise one thousand dollars a month for her salary for the work she does for the children. Presently she has two hundred dollars of this support. Please contact Sarah directly, and she can tell you how you can help with her support. I hope these stories have made your hearts tender to the needs of the children. Please pray for them and look for a way to help this orphanage.
STREET SHOWS
We have been doing shows at basketball courts around the area. Everyone comes. All ages are represented. We are all delighted to see people listening from their balconies and on the other sides of fences. We have heard so many children calling on Jesus, asking Him to rescue them.
We are working on a mountain which has mostly been covered in concrete and sidewalks. It is a very poor area where the children experience all kinds of problems. There is lots of alcoholism and abuse of all kinds. It is very dirty, not a good place to be a child.
Please pray for the children in this place. Please pray for the mothers and fathers. Please pray that we will be wise as we tell them who is hope.
In Jesus,
Linda, Kelsey, Drake, Leslie, and the Salinas Family and Puppet Team