BIBLE SCHOOL GRADUATION

Last night the Doers of the Word Bible School held its graduation ceremony. 3 students graduated from their academic studies, including Adalberto's son Adalberto Jr. 10 students received their final diplomas, which are given to students after a year of active service in ministry, and 13 students received their certificates having finished their first trimester. Pray for these students as they embark on a life of service to their God in hopes of bringing love, peace and grace to the people of San Luis.

NEWS AND NOTES JULY 2009

Hey Everybody!

We are gearing up for a busy two weeks as the last two groups of the Summer season come to us back to back. God will be moving all over San Luis as these short term missionaries come to bless the people. In the meantime, we have been busy here. The kids of Bethel finished their Summer School, but their beauty classes will continue all Summer long. At Oasis they have started their carpentry classes and have finished their first door frame. They have also begun the construction of a block house which the groups will be helping with.

At this moment I am typing this from my home office as my office computer bit the dust this morning. Thankfully I backed up everything, but I will need to spend time getting that straightened out. Couldn´t have happened at a worse time, with a lot of groups, a family wedding etc. all at the same time, but God is in control, and I am trusting He will work it out. Pray for me, and if you would like to help financially with a new computer, let me know.

Here are some pictures of the projects the boys have been working on.

CARPENTRY WORKSHOP

Members of a local Rotary Club and the local Votech school have joined together to present a carpentry workshop for the boys of Oasis. They will be teaching them how to make frames and door frames with the hope of starting a small factory that can sell the items to local dealers. The Rotary has provide various tools, materials and a teacher to start this new project. They had a grand inauguration yesterday in the workshop where members of the rotary club inspired the boys with special messages. Here are some pictures from the event.

SWIMMING PARTY

Some of our Summer groups have taken some of our children to a local swimming park. Fun is had by all, but the atmosphere of the place isn't real appropriate for our younger children. They are have not been able to go. Juana and I recently discovered a local private pool that can be rented for $150 a day with a nice sized adult pool and a large wading pool. Our last group took all of the Bethel children to this and we had a great time, I am sure it will be the highlight of their summer. If you are coming during the Summer, consider blessing the Bethel kids with a party at Aqua Splash. The water park is still the best option for Oasis, but we can do a private party for them too. I think the place would be too small to do a combined party. Here are some pictures of the Bethel kids enjoying their day in the pool.

MURRYSVILLE COMMUNITY CHURCH

A small but active group from Murrysville Pennsylvania just left San Luis, leaving behind happy kids and blessed people all over San Luis. They built a new counter for the expanded Soup Kitchen, helped out a number of shut ins with cleaning and food, visited the jail and nursing home, and spent some quality time with the children of Caring Hearts. They also ministered in the dump, Indian Village and three churches. Enjoy their testimonies and pictures.

The needs of San Luis are innumerable. It was my privilige and honor to imagine, with God's help, we were able to meet even one of those needs. That makes the whole trip worth every effort. At times, the amount of work to do - or needs to meet - becomes overwhelming. I felt insufficient - Praise God! I AM. But God's grace is sufficient for all of His children. I saw God meeting needs through the lives of the staff here as well as through the lives of the kids here. God is busy in San Luis! His Word is strong here and miracles and healing happen each day. If God is calling you to the mission field - especially a hot one - open your heart to San Luis. I pray God's blessing and best to His people and look forward with anticipation to coming here again. In His Grip - Marissa

This is my fourth trip to San Luis. It was a huge blessing to return. Everyone is like our family now. We have built relationship with the children and adults and it is like coming home when we arrive. This year we were able to spend more one on one time with the children which was wonderful. We also ministered to shut ins, the women's prison and the nursing home. We go as the Lord's servants and are richly blessed. We thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts for your service to Caring Hearts. May God continue to bless you and keep you. - Cheryl

This trip made me more committed to trying to help "the least of these." In every aspect of the trip I was reminded of how very blessed I am and of how I need to share those blessings more with others. In Adalberto, Ken, Juana and Sister Ines, I saw the most unselfish, caring, giving hearts of a servant of Christ. They truly reflect His love in all they do. May God continue to pour out His blessings in the ministries of Caring Hearts as they serve the people of San Luis. - Sherry

This summer was my 5th trip to San Luis, Mexico. This trip was totally different from any other. Not all of our attention was focused on having fun with the kids of Bethel (even though we did) but we were showing them first hand with them by our side, how to live a Christian life by helping others. We showed them the importance of helping others and put the seed in their hearts to want to continue to help others. It is always exciting to pull up to the orphanage and see some familiar faces that we have gotten to know over the last few trips. David and I have a special relationship we have developed and it is always such a pleasure to see him. This trip we saw each other from across the property and he came running at me. He gave me the biggest hug I have ever had. It melted my heart to know that he remembers me just like I remember him. I pray that he knows when I am thinking about him during the rest of the year. It was also a blessing to get to know some of the newer kids and show them some love. I am already counting down the days till I will be back. God Bless San Luis and Caring Hearts! - Becky

This was our fourth trip to Bethel as a group. Our size had shrunk a bit from previous years partly due to the economy , the "narcos" and fear of the swine flu. When we checked with Ken, he assured us that things were "as usual" in San Luis. But he also encouraged us to seek whether the Lord was "calling" us to serve in San Luis. Eight of us were passionate about returning and felt called to serve the kids of Bethel and Oasis and the people of San Luis. Being a smaller group was a blessing in many ways. We enjoyed the fellowship with one another and were able to be more flexible with activities with the kids and ministries with Caring Hearts. We were blessed to be a part of Sister Ines' outreach to the shut ins in the surrounding community. Some of the older girls from Bethel accompanied us as we ministered by cleaning, bringing food, visiting and praying with these poorest of the poor. It was an experience I will never forget. I think everyone from our group would agree that the highlight of the week was taking the kids to a local pool. We reserved the pool from 8 AM to 2 PM. It is no problem swimming at 8 AM when it is HOT! As I looked around at the faces of the kids, I felt privileged to be a part of such a great joyful experience. "Priceless" we all said. Come to Bethel and be blessed. Love the kids, you won't regret one cent or moment spent - Jamie

TECATE CLINIC

We had a trouble free trip to Tecate, 4 of the 6 patients we took were operated on, the others will be returning in November. Here are some pictures that Adalberto took.

REHAB FIRE!!!

The Rehab Center of our good friend and Bible School Teacher Ricardo Ruiz suffered a devastating fire Wednesday afternoon. Please pray for Ricardo and the 6 men who are going through rehabilitation there. If you want to help Ricardo in any way, let us know. The fire destroyed 70% of the center, so anything or any amount can be used.

MEDICAL VIDEO

I hope this video inspires you to help us some way. Without your help, we may not have a clinic this year. We also need financial and in kind donations to make this work.

MEDICAL CLINIC COMING UP

Our annual medical clinic is only a few short months away and WE NEED MORE medical personnel. Right now we have just one medical doctor officially signed up, and one chiropractor. We are anticipating a smaller clinic this year for the change of government and economic crisis, but right now we barely have enough medical personnel to have one location this year. If you are a doctor, nurse practitioner or other medical professional or know of one who may have a heart for missions, the deadline to sign up is coming soon. We will be having a meeting August 6th and that will be the deadline, from there we will have to decide how big the clinic will be. We also need the medical licenses soon to get the necessary permits. Please contact Blake Richert if you are interested: 412-780-6303.

CHILD LIST UPDATE

Hey everybody,

I just updated our kids list at the website. If you want to know who is here at Bethel and Oasis check it out here - http://www.caringheartsmexico.com/KidList.htm. Some group favorites have left recently. Have they gone to better situations? I really don't know, but I severely doubt it. Others who have gone and then returned come back thin, dirty and with a lack of care and education obvious in their attitudes and behavior. Every child wants to be with their parents, no matter how bad their situation is, but they often find themselves neglected and mistreated. If a favorite of yours is now gone, pray for them fervently.

CROSSFIRE TESTIMONIES

Here are some testimonies from our last group, Crossfire Youth from Monroeville Assembly

Before I came on this trip I was more selfish than I ever could have been. This trip, the ministries, the orphans, and God's presence has taken a toll on me and humbled me since day one. Ever since the day I came last year this city and their people have had a special place in my heart and I will truly never be the same. - Sarah

One time Maria fell asleep on me. As I was holding her, I was thinking about how she does not have a mother to hold her like I was holding her. I realized how much I love my mom. I was asking God how it was fair that this beautiful little girl does not have a mommy when I have one who loves me so much. I decided to pray for her. As I was praying for her, I realized that God has a plan for her life and He loves her so much. There is a reason why she is here and not with her parents. God will always be there to wrap her in His arms. He loves her even more than any mommy could. - Karil

This trip was amazing. I really enjoyed being around the kids again. It is so amazing to see how much love they can give to you after going through what might be the hardest part of their lives. All the kids are so sweet and always have smiles on their faces that will just brighten up your day. I would love to come back and I had a lot of fun. - Lettie

Being in Mexico blew my mind. I am amazed how these people have so little but are so happy and so thankful for everything we did. It made me have a new outlook on things. - Amy

This was an amazing trip. God was present the whole time. He worked through us and we lead so many people to Christ. He is so amazing and so powerful, anything is possible with Him. He loves everything about these people no matter what. Miracles happened this week and it felt so good to help. - Kaitlyn

This is the third year I have been here and it has been an amazing experience. The dump ministry was amazing. Seeing those people and making them feel loved and encouraged. We gave our shoes and sunglasses away. You could feel the presence of God everywhere we went. I am so happy to be a tool of God. I will most likely be coming back next year and I encourage anyone reading this to do the same. Thank you for everything - Jack

My trip at San Luis was incredible. As soon as we arrived and got out of the vans, the kids were there smiling at us. They are all so full of love. They don't have a whole lot, but were constantly giving me pictures and bracelets we made with them. When they wanted me, the would call out "Amiga!" Also, we did a lot of ministries in the villages. It is so awesome to see people walk away smiling with their beans and rice. We give them hope that there is a God who has everything under control. Also, we went to the woman's rehab center and prayed with the women. Something that really opened up my eyes were the shut-ins. At first I was nervous but God gave me boldness because those people need us. Our prayers were powerful and they were happy to see us. I will never forget their faces. Then we went to the dump. It smelled bad and there were flies. But God loves them and he helped me see the the way he does. I gave a woman the shoes off my feet. Overall, this trip has placed a new compassion in my heart for the needy and a desire to pursue missions and tell others about God. - Natalie

This trip was not what I expected it to be. I didn't think God could use me in such small things, like handing out beans and rice or just by saying Hi to someone. God really touched me on this trip and I feel like God helped me show His love to others. This was my first year coming and it was absolutely an amazing experience and I can't wait to come back. - Veronica

On this trip I learned how much more I could be expanded. I gave an altar call and everything else. God used me as a vessel for the lost. I am glad I came and want to come again. - Joshua

This trip was a real eye opener. It was out of my comfort zone. I know the Lord was weighing upon my heart to come. I needed to see the Lord's work. This was a wonderful experience. Going to the villages and doing the ministries was awesome. I still have a lot to learn. I have lived in a bubble most of my life. I know that the Lord provides. I am living proof of that. I am so glad I came to Mexico. I was scared, but I overcame that. Going to the dump was the best. I was glad to give up what I had. I know I have more where that came from. the Lord is wonderful. He always provides and I would have been going against Him if I would have missed this. - Natalie

This was my second year coming to San Luis, and like last year, I did not know what to expect. About a day after we arrived. One little girl I had become attached to last year went home with her parents, so I was very discouraged and sad. After that, I found a verse in my Bible about the story of Peter walking on the water to Jesus and how Jesus saved him when he looked down at the waves and lost trust in Jesus. I felt like that verse was for me, and that I needed to just renew the faith I had in my Jesus, that he would get me through the week after the sadness I experienced. God never fails! Throughout this week God reassured me that I am always in his hands and that his love never fails. He also really showed himself to me at the garbage dump when our group blessed the people there by giving them their shoes. It was awesome to see our whole group standing in our socks in the middle of the garbage dump. I aways have amazing experiences in San Luis and I hope I can come back next year - Katie

TECATE TRIP

We are ready for our 6th trip to the Rotary Plastic Surgery clinics in Tecate. This time Adalberto will be taking 6 patients. Most are through with their major surgeries and are now having details and cleft pallates taken care of. Pray for little Grecia, she is a sweet heart, and this will be her 6th time, and she still has a major issue to deal with. Pray that the doctors have the wisdom and equipment to fix her upper jaw and gums. Here are pictures of all of the patients.

SUMMER LEARNING

Here are some pictures of our girls during their Beauty Workshop, which will be given by a local stylist the next two weeks. She is helping our junior high and high school girls learn different techniques used in the beauty shop. Our elementary aged children from Bethel and Oasis are attending Summer School at our children's pastor Eleazar's school. They are involved in a program of Spanish, Math, Sport and Computers. The older boys of Oasis have a number of workshops going, they just finished the soup kitchen tile, and are working on setting up a woodworking factory which is being sponsored by a local Rotary Club. They have also been doing some metal working projects. A busy Summer for our kids, preparing them for their future.

CROSSFIRE GROUP

Hey Everybody,

We hope you had a good July 4th weekend. I was sick for a while but back in the groove now. Here is a report from our last group of June, Crossfire Youth Group from Monroeville Assembly of God. Pastor Tony, Wendy and their team had a great time of ministry as they painted Bethel, did VBS for the Bethel Kids and ministered throughout San Luis. Both American and Mexican lives were changed. One new thing this group did was go to the Santa Clara Gulf, a small fishing town an hour and a half away San Luis. We ministered in a park in front of the local cathedral and then spent some time at the beach. The ministry was well received by people hungry for the word. Many commented that they need more ministry as drug addiction and alcoholism are a big problem in the town. Enjoy the photos, tomorrow we will have testimonies.