lots of tears...

I experienced my fair share of tears yesterday- not mine, but the tears of gratitude and the tears of a broken heart.

Yesterday I lead a women's soccer team from a Christian College in California to our Eastern Colonias to help a Christian family with a roof. They had received a tarp last year from us to keep the rain out and it was pretty helpful at least over a couple of beds, but not over the rest of the house.

They live in a 2 room modest home made of scrap wood at the side of the railroad track on squatters land. The husband has health problems and recently had surgery on his intestines. He has been unable to work so they survive on the equivalent of welfare which pays them about $100/ month to feed the couple and their 2 teenage daughters. The mom raises budgies to sell to veterinarians for some extra income. She sells 10 birds for $40 every few months to supplement their income.

One of their teen daughters is about 14 and was about to enter secondary school next week, but cannot because the cost is way too high for them. She is deaf and mute, but has been able to excel in school. Last year she received the equivalent of an A Average and was looking forward to going to high school. The cost for her to go- for books, shoes, uniform and tuition is about $200. About 2 months wages for the family. This is the ordinary cost for this!

Well the team finished putting rolled roofing down on the house and in the end prayed with the family and gave them some clothes and food. At which point in time the mother began to cry. She had tears of gratitude and thankfulness to God for sending this group to be a blessing to them! Their roof before this consisted of plain wood of different types shapes and quality, with huge gaps that allowed the rain to pour in in the winter. Praise God they will be dry this year!!

During this I went to visit a pastor I know in a nearby community. He had recently lost his paying job and has been struggling to make ends meet. He started a welding business out back of the church and he welds gates, doors and security windows out there. The problem he is finding is finding customers! His neighbourhood is quite poor and the material is pretty expensive. There are wealthier neighbourhoods, but people are generally not willing to give half down before the job to someone they do not know. So Pastor Julio is kind of relegated to people he knows who would have the money to pay him.

While we were visiting, Pastor Julio mentioned that school was starting soon and he had 10 kids in his church who can't go to school this year because they do not have the money for books, uniforms and tuition. Tears swelled up in his eyes as he thought of these kids being destined to desperate poverty for the remainder of their lives. But it wasn't so much the poverty he was worried about, it was the things that happen to kids in poverty.

Pastor Julio grew up in a rough family. He was getting beaten so much he left home at 8 years old to live on the streets. He almost immediately turned to drugs and alcohol to dullen the pain and struggled to survive on the streets. At 18 he was drunk, living on the streets and God spoke to a woman who was walking by him. "Tell this boy about me" she sensed God saying. But he's drunk and a mess, there is no way he wants to hear about Jesus! But God persisted and this frightened woman shared Jesus with a drunk 18 year old who had never known love. He believed her and placed his Trust in Jesus and began to follow Him. His life took a dramatic turnaround. He got training and a job as an iron worker and after some time went to a Bible Institute and became a pastor. He has a true pastors heart and loves the people God has given him, especially the vulnerable kids. He had tears in his eyes as he spoke about their potential and their vulnerability.

YUGO's back to school has had to be scaled back this year because of lack of donations. Last summer I went to Canada and shared the need and we had over 20 kids sponsored, but this year we only have received 2 donations from Canada!

If you are willing and able to help there is much need here! We are only able to work with a few of our poorest churches to help at least get the church kids in school as a blessing to our brothers and sisters in Jesus.

The costs are as follows:

High School - $550
Jr High - $300
Elementary - $150
Kindergarten - $120

If your heart moves you and you are willing, you can send a check made out to YUGO Canada to :

YUGO Canada
Box 231
St. Albert, AB
T8N 1N3

Please send a note saying it is for the Backpack program!

Thank you for your love! We appreciate you folks and your partnership with us! I'm hoping to be able to see a bunch of you when I'm back in Saskatchewan and Manitoba in November!

God bless,

Mike