Sweet Little Ninos

You know that the children's home in Mexico has been close to my heart ever since I visited. This is an e-mail update that the Benedict family sends out that I thought you might enjoy. You can check their website www.benedictbunch.com for more info on the work there. There is also info on sending money to help the children's home if you feel led. It goes to their home church in Missouri and they handle it so that there is no question of security. You also get a tax receipt at the end of the year.


Alejandro's Shoes

We wanted to tell you a story about a little boy named Alejandro. If you think giving just a little bit it doesn't make a difference...

Jorge and Alejandro came to the office to talk to Amber to tell her that Alejandro's tennis shoes were falling apart. Boy, were they right. The soles were flopping, his sock was showing through all the ripped and torn places, and they definitely needed to be replaced. Jorge asked, "Can we throw them away?" Of course, Amber said, "Yes, get rid of them."

So they did. But what Jorge failed to tell us, and Alejandro decided not to tell us, was that it was the only pair of shoes he owned. We were unaware of this fact as we had only had him a few weeks. After a little while, Amber noticed Alejandro running around in just his socks. That is just not permitted here. There is a saying here, "If it doesn't stick you, it pokes you. If it doesn't poke you, it bites you. If it doesn't bite, you it stings you." We have all kinds of cactus spines, burrs, thorns, not to mention spiders, scorpions, snakes, fire ants, etc, and lots of other things that don't feel good on bare or socked feet.

When Amber asked him why he didn't have shoes on, the boys informed Amber that he didn't have any other shoes. We had him borrow a pair of shoes from one of the other kids and Amber took him to town. He tried on pair after pair of tennis shoes, but nothing seemed to fit just quite right. Amber soon tired of this and decided that they needed to switch gears and shop for school shoes instead, and then later they could go back and look for tennis shoes. Alejandro very quickly found the school shoes that he liked, and they fit just right. And then, miracle of miracle, the very next pair of tennis shoes he tried on were just right too. Apparently he had decided if he were going to get a new pair of shoes that he wanted school shoes. He didn't realize that he was going to get both.

Later, Amber asked him, "How many times have you gotten two new pairs of shoes in the same day?"

"Just once", he replied.

She asked him when,and he said, "Today!"

It was the first time in his life he had gotten to pick out even one pair of brand new shoes!!!

I'm sure he went to bed that night with cramped cheeks from smiling so much.

This was all made possible because someone was faithful and decided to give just a little bit of money to some obscure Children's Home in a small rancho in Mexico, never having met the 8 year-old boy named Alejandro who desperately needed shoes.

Matthew 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
THANK YOU!!!

Your Co-Laborers in Christ
Mexico division
Steve, Amber, 37 kids, 3 workers & 6 dogs