Over a thousand people of all ages and walks of life gathered on August 17^th at the Ysleta Lutheran Mission Human Care (YLM) campus for the 6^th Annual YLM Health Fair.  As people gathered under the sprawling branches of the tree in the center of the 4.2 acre campus, Rev. Dr. Karl Heimer, YLM’s CEO and Senior Pastor at San Pablo Lutheran Church, started the morning with a beautiful devotion, followed by familiar and beloved Spanish songs with YLM’s Music Director, Miguel Muñoz, playing his guitar.

As everyone bowed their heads for the closing prayer, Rev. Heimer asked for continued comfort and healing for those painfully affected by the tragic shootings on August 3^rd.  The reminder of how blessed we are stayed with so many as the organized chaos began.  With the help of volunteers from the Zaragoza Rotary Club of El Paso and Ascension Lutheran Church in El Paso, lines were quickly formed and the distributions began.

“This year, we had over 900 children registered to receive backpacks,” Elvira Viramontes, YLM’s Program Director, shared as parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles lined up with their pink registration slips to pick up backpacks filled with school and hygiene supplies, “We’ve been greatly blessed with donations year-round, making it possible to meet the need here in El Paso.  However, we still need school supplies and hygiene items, especially shampoo and washcloths, to be able to have enough completed backpacks for the children in Anapra, Juarez.”

Not only were backpacks given out during this hot Saturday morning, but inside the YLM Dining Hall, volunteers had set up an assembly line to fill bags, boxes, or carts with necessary food staples –beans, lentils, canned goods, and cereal.  Boxes of grapes along with cartons of eggs were also given to over 300 people, along with smiles and kind words.

“This is a great help,” a woman shared as an Ascension youth volunteer placed bags of beans and lentils into her bag, “Every day, God blesses us with life, and with others to help us when we’re struggling.  God bless you for being our help.”

For the last six years, the distributions of backpacks have morphed into a Health Fair, with local organizations coming to give out information regarding the services they offer to the El Paso community –from healthcare to continued education, people were able to ask questions and gather pamphlets from each of the nine tables set out along the Education Building.

All in all, it was a blessed Saturday morning, with many children and adults walking away with food, backpacks, and smiles, having been reminded in very simple ways how much they are loved.  Thanks to your continued support of YLM’s mission to change lives every day through simple acts of kindness, we were able to give help to those who need it –together, we’ve been able to share the Good News, all the while being a light and source of kindness at a time when it is greatly needed.