Emilio, along with his brothers, was moved from foster home to foster home. At each new foster home, he would arrive and get settled and then the beatings would begin.  Every home they lived in they were treated with cruelty, as if they were animals. After being passed from home to home, the feeling of belonging was a desperate desire for Emilio and his brothers. They began to hang out with other boys and go to convenience stores and rob them.  After this, the brothers got taken out of the foster homes and placed in a temporary orphanage until they found a permanent place for them to live. That is when we came across them and brought to live at Rescue a Child Orphanage.  Since then, Emilio has adjusted very well.  He loves his new home and always has a huge smile on his face and has a great positive attitude. He has not quite decided what he would like to be when he grows up yet.

Here are Emilio’s own words:
I am Jaime Emilio Gonzalez Perez. Before I used to live in Creel and slept outside on rocks. I would eat eggs, beans and weeds. I miss my house, but I like it here because they give me a lot of food, clothes, toys and shoes. I also like school and the teachers that get here in the afternoon to do our homework. I also like the people that take care of me Arnulfo and Lupita. Here I have a bed for myself and some bathrooms that I never knew before and the way I drink water & take a bath. When I grow up I would like to be a teacher and I would also like to build my mom a house. Help me achieve this. Thanks Jeff, Halee, Patty & everyone else that doesn’t know us.

I caught myself daydreaming today. Suddenly I was just thinking about the beauty and hope that comes with spring. I found I was smiling and almost chuckling at the thought of simply being outdoors. Quickly my thoughts turned to the majesty of the Lord. He spoke all of this beauty into being. He certainly is a big dreamer. What dreams are in your heart? What new level of hope does the Lord want to bring to pass in this season over your life? When was the last time you allowed yourself time to simply dream? I encourage you to take some time to just be with the Lord and let Him overwhelm your thoughts, desires, and dreams. The Lord has placed big dreams in our hearts for Streams of Water and Rescue a Child ministries. They are truly bigger than we are. We value and appreciate your prayer covering as we seek the Father’s wisdom and direction concerning those mighty dreams. We must dream big because we have the DNA of the Lord. We serve a big God!

Every time I think about the children in the orphanage I am amazed at how the Lord is showing these precious children that they can dream again. Have you ever watched a time release camera as it captures a beautiful flower as it gracefully unfolds from a bud to a full blown blossom? That is what watching the children in the orphanage is like. It is beautiful. It is magical. It is totally the Lord. The kids are expressing a desire to form a worship band. How wonderful is that? So we do have a need for all kinds of music equipment. We have some very simple speakers and a small mixer. We could really use some microphones, tambourines, guitars, drums or anything else along this line that these aspiring musicians can learn to play. If you would like to partner with us in this endeavor, please just let us know. We praise God for how He is transforming these young lives. We believe He will use them to impact the world around them for His kingdom in a mighty way.

We would like to give a big thank you shout out to two of our partners who have donated a suburban and a pickup for the work in Mexico. Thank you for your generosity. Thank you for listening to the Lord. These vehicles will be used to spread the love and kindness of the Lord.

One other update we would like to share is about the upcoming May mission trip. The trip is sponsored by Arena Church in Canyon. This is one of our partner churches. It is scheduled for May 4th – 7th. We would appreciate your prayers as plans are being made for this adventure. We want the Lord to be glorified and lives to be changed as a result. We are asking for divine encounters where people experience the majesty of the living God. Please pray for provision and safety for everyone involved. We are praying for each person the Lord will be sending on this trip.

We would like to introduce you to Jose Candelario Gonzalez Perez.  Candelario was born April 11, 2000 and is now 11 years old.

Candelario was one of the brothers that was passed from foster home to foster home. He was beaten physically and abused emotionally. He was involved with his brothers in the group robberies of the convenient stores. We found Candelario and his brothers at the temporary orphanage in Creel. We were able to bring him and his brothers from there to our Rescue a Child orphanage in Juarez. Candelario is very smart and loves to go to school. He wants to learn as much as he possibly can. He works very hard to complete his homework and get the best grades he can. He has adjusted well to his new home and really loves living there.

Here are a few of things Candelario had to say:

I lived in Chihuahua for three years, and in Creel for five years.  I did not like living there.  Now I’m living in a house with my new family.  I feel well and happy.  I play, and I go to school and church.  I do my homework.  I am learning about computers.
I want to be a singer for God.  I want to thank God, Jeff, Halee, Patty, Arnufo, Lupita and my pastors Daniel and Claudia for all they have done for us.

Today I see the signs of spring. The daffodils are emerging. The trees are blooming and there are hints of green in the grass. This seemed to happen overnight. I realize winter was turning into spring even when it wasn’t evident to my naked eye. God set the seasons in motion and even when I couldn’t see the visible signs of spring the Lord’s hand was still at work.  Nothing has changed except my perspective.  Perhaps I was too focused on “life” yesterday to notice the subtle changes that were in deed taking place right before my eyes.  Perspective is a powerful thing.  If you find yourself in the midst of crisis—look up! Get the Lord’s perspective. His nature is to bring His goodness and kindness into our lives. So remember even when circumstances look hopeless God is at work on our behalf.
The Lord has definitely been at work on behalf of Streams of Water Ministry. We are so excited to share that we are now partners with the national organization “Feed the Children”.  There are so many hungry people that the Lord has placed on our hearts this is an answer to prayer.  However, the supply that is available right this moment through Feed the Children is very limited. The world wide drought and the warmest winter on record in the last 2 decades have affected the supply chain.  Please pray for the supply to be replenished, just as the Lord replenishes the earth. We trust His hand is upon this supply line.  He sees the starving and desperate people. We believe that the Lord is causing good to come about for the hungry people that He has placed in our lives.  We are asking for an abundance of food both to feed them physically and spiritually.  God does reign.
Good reports abound over the children in the orphanage also.  They are doing well in school and growing every day.  The children are learning to dream again. God has endless possibilities for them. In fact Norma just realized a dream that had been in her heart. Recently there was a celebration for Norma’s 15th birthday.  This particular birthday is celebrated differently than any other birthday in Mexico.  A quinceanera was held at Iglesia Penial, Pastor Hector’s church for Norma to mark this occasion. Traditionally a quinceanera is held to mark a young girls transition from childhood to young womanhood.  This was very important to Norma’s heart.  She was so blessed and made to feel like the special child of God that she is.  She had a beautiful dress and tiara. There was about 120-150 in attendance on February 19th to help celebrate this event in her life.  She experienced the goodness of God.
Thank you for your faithfulness in prayer and support for this ministry.  You are helping make an eternal difference in the lives that are touched through Streams of Water and Rescue a Child. There is much more work to be done in Mexico. We are still in need of vehicles to help get the food transported to the areas of need. These need to be road worth and capable of hauling the food supply.  We also are in need of school supplies.  We need spiral notebooks, pencils, crayons, coloring books, puzzles and  art supplies.  The children are inside a lot of the time and are very creative.   We do have a construction trip planned for March 30th.  Please pray for every detail of this to come together.

April 30, 1988 – 13 years old

Alfredo is the oldest brother and has suffered so much in his short 13 years. He was moved from home to home, and kicked out most times because he was too old and difficult to take care of. He worked for the cartel as a mule. He would pack the marijuana out of the fields. This is how he began to get involved in drugs and hanging with the wrong group of boys. He witnessed many different things that the drug cartels were doing in South Mexico; from drug to weapons trafficking. He finally was placed in a rehab facility for over a year and completed the program with flying colors.

He has made great progress towards rehabilitation since then and is searching for his place to be in the world; what kind of interests he has, that may lead him to a job or career someday. When we brought him to Rescue a Child Orphanage he did not know what respect was or how to give it. He struggled with obedience and how to trust people. Little by little he is becoming more confident that he is in a safe place now and will never be kicked out or abandoned again.

Here are some of the words Alfredo used to describe himself in November 2011: I was a drug addict. I thank God for changing the way I live. I want to be a guitarist and sing to the Lord. Thanks to everyone that supports us without even knowing who we are. I am very happy.

God’s extravagant, outrageous love amazes me. He truly is the God of more than enough. He has shown us this facet of His character over and over. Te orphanage is full of smiles and laughter from the beautiful children the Lord has brought to this place of refuge. Our family was blessed once again on December 8th when a family of 4 came to live in the orphanage. We now have Norma, 14, Verenize, 9, Reyna, 5, and their adorable brother, Jony, 6, as part of our extended family.

On December 17th we celebrated Christmas with our family in Juarez. This was a Christmas celebration full of many firsts. The children had never experienced a Christmas celebration full of love, a Christmas tree or gifts. Plus all three of our children, Halee, Matthew and Anna were with us. This was the first time Matthew and Anna had met the children and of course, it was love at first sight. There were many tears of happiness, joy and thankfulness shed that night.

We would like to shout out a huge thank you to the Hill family, Amarillo Fellowship Church and Kathy Johnson’s life group for providing new coats, hats, gloves, clothes, shoes, socks, pajamas, warm blankets and toys in all shapes and sizes that were sure to please any child. Thank you for helping make this special Christmas celebration possible.

Our cup is overflowing. God provided us the means to send 2000 lbs of food along with some clothing and blankets for the second time to the starving Tarahumara Indians in the Copper Canyon area. We plan to do this again this month.

We had the privilege to help eight widows between the ages of 65 to 82 in Iglesia Peniel with much needed food in November and again in December.

We are so excited about what the Lord has in store for this year. We would appreciate your prayers concerning our board meeting coming up in February. We are seeking the Lord’s direction, vision and goals. We need His wisdom concerning the 2012 mission trips. We want to do only what we hear from the Father.

We need your prayer coverage for the continued provision for the orphanage. We are asking for the favor of the Lord with the Mexican government for crossing the food, clothes and medical supplies the Lord is putting in our hands.

There is an immediate need in the ministry we would like to make you aware of. We need 1998 or newer model 3/4 ton pickups and suburbans that would be road worthy to drive deep into south Mexico. These vehicles will be used to get food, clothing and supplies to many starving people. We are trusting the Lord for His provision.

We wish each of you could meet the children face to face. God has already touched these children in amazing ways. It is exciting to see the children realize they can dream about the future.

We will be featuring a biography on a different child for the next months to give you a glimpse into who they are.

Please read about Alfredo, our oldest in the house, on the next page. Please feel free to place his story in your Bible or on your fridge and pray for him, speak destiny words into him. God has a great future in store for each of the children.

The experience of building the orphanage has given me greater perspective concerning Noah. I’m convinced one struggle he had was to take every thought captive once he realized the call on his life. I can see him as he continued to build when the sun was shining brightly and skeptics were all around. Then the suddenly of the Lord began to transpire in his life. The sky began to change — the season over his life was changing. It began to rain and the landscape of Noah’s life would never be the same. The promises of the Lord began to manifest.

The calendar is reflecting a change of the season even though the weather continues to teeter between summer and fall. Transition is in the air. The last few weeks have certainly been filled with days of transition for Streams of Water Ministries. We have moved from the building phase to the support phase of the orphanage. We are confident that we will have at least 3 others very soon.

These children carry inside of them a future and a hope planted in their DNA by the Lord Himself. The suddenly of the Lord is upon us. It brings us great joy to get to partner with Holy Spirit as He brings forth in each of these children’s lives the purpose and destiny the Lord intended from the beginning.

Along the way we too have encountered skeptics. People just couldn’t believe that we were going to Juarez. We have been called crazy – and that was to our faces. However, we have had an outpouring of prayer and support from our friends and partners. We would not be where we are without you. Your support has helped usher in this new season.

It is with great excitement we take this opportunity to share with you that we are hosting our 1st benefit for Rescue a Child. The event will be held on Sunday November 6th at Trinity Fellowship with the proceeds going directly to Rescue a Child. This will also be a time we come together to celebrate the Lord and all He has already done through this ministry.

This will be a night to remember. Thanks to the diligent efforts of one of our treasured friends, our special guest is Christa Black. Christa is a multi-platinum-selling songwriter, mesmerizing entertainer and powerful speaker. She has traveled the world and shared the stage with renowned artists Michael W. Smith and the Jonas Brothers. Christa’s captivating message is for people to know their worth and value—their true identity. We believe the sincere, authentic talent of this beautiful young woman of God will touch your hearts.
We would like to extend an invitation for each of you to participate in this landmark event. There are several ways you can do that.

•You are invited to attend. Space is limited so you must RSVP to Patty at 806-670-8636 by call or text message no later than October 7th.
•You can share with your family and friends and invite them to partner with us in this worthwhile endeavor. They can visit us on face book at Rescue a Child.
•You also can support this effort with your giving. We have enclosed a giving card for your convenience. In fact it would be a great beginning to a successful event to have several giving cards in our possession before the event even happens. Please feel free to drop this in the mail to us today.

We stand in awe and amazement of the Lord. We celebrate His goodness and faithfulness. We are asking for His vision and dreams as we move into this suddenly season.

Their names and ages are Benjamin (7), Jaime (7), J. Emilio (8), Candelario (10), German (11) and Alfredo (12). God has a future and a hope for these little warriors.

Their journey has been a heart wrenching one up to this point. They have survived in circumstances most of us cannot even imagine. Several of the boys were living in caves. One of them was living with the sheep and goats. They have had very little food, no running water or substantial shelter. They were left to survive on their own. God literally has picked them up out of the depths of hell.

We knew we had to begin the process of helping them see they are of value and have worth. This began with scrubbing showers; hair cuts (that revealed lice and fleas), cutting of their toenails (it appeared these have never been cut) and new clothes.

The children spent their first night in their beds at the orphanage on Thursday, August 25th. Several of the boys have diarrhea. This was probably caused by them eating too much and different foods than what they were used to. One of the littlest boy’s tummy is distended. He will be going to the doctor to see if this is from malnutrition or if there is something else going on.

This sudden population boom brings about an urgency to get the van registered, provide school uniforms, food and personal care items for these children the Lord has entrusted to our care. We value and appreciate your prayers concerning each of these matters. Plus, we cannot do the work of the ministry without your financial support. The donations you send today can make a different very quickly in these young men’s lives.

Donations can be made online (on the right) or mailed to: Streams of Water Ministry, PO Box 161, Bushland, Texas 79012.