La Esperanza Chile

SPILLING THE CHILE BEANS...

May 2006 To Send a Message to Shana

Spilling the Chile Beans… May 2006

A clip from an itineration stop in Smithfield, Virginia: While settling in at a pot-luck dinner, I was asked by five year-old Matthew Montgomery, “Did you get a roll?” I nodded, unaware of the moment of grace that was about to be experienced as Matthew continued, gesturing appropriately, “You know, this is like when Jesus took the bread and broke it and gave it to his disciples.”

Such have been the moments of fellowship and communion as I have journeyed through Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia. My life has been touched in the sharing, in meeting new brothers and sisters in Christ and in being reunited with others. Many thanks to all of you for receiving me with open arms and for sharing your gifts of hospitality.

Annual Conference Attendance: I am in my last few weeks of itineration and will attend Annual Conference in Arkansas and North Carolina in June. I will have a display table at both locations and hope that you will stop by to visit and pick up new printed material to share with your churches. For the churches that I have not been able to visit, I will have CDs of my presentation available so that you, too, can gain knowledge of the ministry of La Esperanza. I will be speaking at the Arkansas Annual Conference at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, June 12^th. At the North Carolina Conference, detailed information about the Pilgrimage to Chile will be available.

New Volunteers: I am excited to have new volunteers on board in the area of communications! The Central District of the Arkansas Conference has taken on the responsibility for sending the hardcopy versions of the newsletter, and Karen Branton of Little Rock, AR will be handling all of the details for this means of distribution. The electronic database will be managed by Vicki Sweet of Jonesboro, AR. (Thanks, Karen and Vicki!) This new volunteer support means not only a tremendous help for me, but also a change in return addresses. The hardcopy versions will now be postmarked from Little Rock, AR, and the electronic versions will arrive from: spillingthechilebeans@yahoo.com . Please note that this address is being used only for newsletter purposes. If you wish to reach me, you may do so at sdhchile2003@yahoo.com.

Text Box:
First Semester 2006

Twenty one participants are active at the workshop this semester. We are pleased to welcome Maria Regina to the family and to have Rosa Delia and Mariela with us once again!

Text Box:
Happy Anniversary!

On May 6th, the community gathered to celebrate the 5th anniversary of La Esperanza with a big, family breakfast. The workshop participants treated their families to a theatrical presentation.

A big thank you to all who have supported us over the years. Without your faithfulness in prayer and Christian service, this would not be possible!

Special Request: We greatly appreciate your on-going support through prayer and financial gifts. Many lives have been touched through the outreach of La Esperanza, and we trust that this will continue. In the past, we have survived on a system of sporadic support, unaware of when or from where our support would be arriving. Due to our growth and bigger responsibilities, namely the formation of the group home, we have reached the point in which our system desperately needs to change. We need to be able to plan in a more responsible manner, and in order to this, we need your assistance.

Without a doubt, many of you have plans to continue supporting this ministry both in 2006 and 2007. What we need from you is to know your plans! If you or your church is planning on making a financial commitment to this ministry, please notify us by either filling out a pledge card that has been or will be sent to your church office or by simply e-mailing the commitment and an approximate date of when the gift will be sent to sdhchile2003@yahoo.com.

Knowing your financial commitment to this ministry enables us to be more faithful stewards in leadership and administration and will assist us in determining whether or not we can feasibly hire more staff and begin a second group home. We are blessed by your partnership in ministry!

Prayer Concerns: We extend our deepest sympathy to Soledad Hoecker, a long-time participant of the workshop, in the death of her mother in March and her aunt in May. Please remember Soledad and her family in your prayers as they grieve and as Soledad transitions into living with her sister and brother-in-law.