When God shows you fruit...
“O God, you have taught me from my earliest childhood, and I constantly tell others about the wonderful things you do.” “…Let me proclaim your power to this new generation, your mighty miracles to all who come after me.” Psalm 71:17, 18b
For years we have often prayed over how to get our churches more involved with our families and our families more involved/comfortable with church… it has been one of El Jordan’s desires to connect, be the bridge in this gap, knowing that for our families to grow, we ourselves can not be the only ones to walk alongside of them. The strengths and support from a church family would fill needs (physical, emotional and spiritual) that we alone would never be able to do by ourselves.
This year, El Jordan, decided that we would concentrate on three churches, asking them to help with our monthly chapels, extra activities and walking alongside our families… This week on Monday morning, I asked our staff (who are from these churches) to share “a God sighting” from the weekend…
They returned!! ...after missing a few weeks, the people from under the bridge and canals, came back to church… it might just be for the food, but they came back!... and even though some were drunk and high our church family weren’t scared like before! – Patricia.
This was the first Sunday, that I wasn’t the first one or didn’t have to ask someone to talk/greet one of our (el Jordan) families… I was busy at the beginning, once church started I frantically looked around for our student and there she was sitting with one of church families… her kids were sitting with another family… after the service, others were helping our family with bus fare!! ...it was encouraging to see our families being loved by my church family!” – Alejandra “we have started up again! Now with Tim and Chantelle and us (Wilma and Eulogio), our weekend soccer games, and bible studies are back on!! ...its only a few of our (el Jordan) families from our neighborhood, but we are having a wonderful time!... they are excited to come and are asking about it!! –Wilma
Encouraging to see God working hard in our staff, volunteers, churches and families… we can see the gap getting smaller and prayers being answered! Continue to pray as we know, when our families take steps forward, Satan comes to destroy those steps… Pray for our churches too, as they step out and walk with our families!
Where we are now...
For those of you that were able to hear first hand, or watch the video, or share a cup of coffee with me this summer, know that El Jordan is a tough spot… Financially we are barely able to make our monthly operating costs… Some of you heard and have wonderfully given over the summer to some of our specific needs (a new washing machine, replacing the broken 17yr old one!!), and some are praying for those needs, for that I am so grateful! I see God working in this too and I love to watch as He cares for the sparrow, Him caring for us… But I am going to ask one more thing… for those who have heard and for those who have had God touch on their hearts this summer with El Jordan, would you be willing to partner with us?
Looking towards our end of the year and the beginning of the next, I am over whelmed at where we are financially… I want to just share a little, on behalf of our kids program, where we are at… over the years I have saved up extra money, and money has been placed aside as it has come in, for the operating of the Children’s program… if we, in 2018, are at all where 2017 has been, we will not have enough funds to last us through that year… because of the growth (more families coming) and the consistency of our families, our children’s floor is out growing our space and our staff/volunteers available… this past year we have spent $100 US a week on paid staff (kids program alone), not including any extra program costs… Next year if our numbers stay the same (90 plus children/per week) then our weekly staff cost I would like to move up to $150US (for 1 full time staff, with benefits, and 2 part-time staff). These workers plus a couple of international volunteers and 8-10 national volunteers would fill our staffing needs on our children’s floor. Because of the high-risk children that we work with and desiring to not just meet a physical need, but emotional and spiritual needs, we require more hands-on staff working with smaller groups of children… So, what can you do? Jump on board!!! You can do this by the following:
1) Become a monthly donor to the children’s program: $600us monthly for staffing costs or share that between friends- 6 friends/100us or 10 friends/60us.
2) One time gift towards our children’s program: designate to “workfunds- Heidi Gladman” and that gift will be used directly for our staff or any other program need (material, supplies, an outing, Christmas/birthday gift for child, etc...)
3) Become a volunteer! Come for a year (January-December), see and be a part of what God is doing here… touch a life of a child, a mom, a family… fluent Spanish isn’t needed, only a willingness to learn! Come and meet the faces in the pictures and hold the hands of those who need Him so much…
Please be earnestly praying for us… for wisdom on how to make our finances stretch, for our staff and volunteers now, who are constantly going beyond and doing so, so faithfully, and that Satan wouldn’t be allowed to destroy the joy, peace and work that God is doing here in our families (and us!)
Thank you so very much, I appreciate you all and know that we are not alone in carrying this…
With love from Heidi (and her kids!)