In Mexico, children are given a special day of their own known as “Dia de los Ninos”, which takes place in April. Schools, organizations, and even business will host or sponsor events to give children a day of fun and laughter. For the mission-churches in Juarez, this is an opportunity to show God’s love for children within their congregation and community. In partnership with Ysleta Lutheran Mission Human Care (YLM), three of the Juarez mission-churches held events where they gave toys, candy bags, and even a meal to the children who came.

Iglesia Luterana Santisima Trinidad has been using this day of celebrating to reach out with compassion and love to the impoverished community of KM30, where San Pedro y San Pablo, a small home-church Santisima Trinidad has planted and supports, works to reach out to neighbors through acts of kindness. For the last few years, a member of Santisima Trinidad has donated the funds necessary to provide 200 hamburgers, chips, and drinks. On April 26^th, members of Santisima gathered together early in the morning to grill the hamburgers, build and wrap them before packing the coolers and vehicles for the drive to KM30.

Along with these hamburgers, toys were also packed into the vehicles, and gathered at the house of one of the church-leaders of San Pedro y San Pablo, these men, women, and several teenagers, helped efficiently distribute the meals, drinks, and toys to the children who came. The next day, after church service, the children of Santisima Trinidad enjoyed their own hamburgers before receiving their toys.

The next Friday, Iglesia Luterana La Santa Biblia hosted their own event after the morning devotion led by Rev. Stephen Heimer, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in El Paso, TX, partners with YLM in the efforts to bring pastoral support to the Anapra missions, among them La Santa Biblia. This unique church has been working to reach out to the surrounding community, including ministering to a local primary school with limited federal funding. Many of the students attending this school are from families struggling to make ends meet, which tends to impact education, and La Santa Biblia has committed to showing them God’s love in tangible ways.

Over 300 kids, including those of the congregation, attended the “Dia de los Ninos” celebration, which took place the first Friday of May. The deaconesses came together to pray over the children, teach them several worship songs, then they were given toys, juice bottles, and corn in a cup, a favorite for many kids in Anapra. The school children were brought by buses, teachers and the school director coming along, and the joy in their smiles testified to the love and care they experienced through this event.

On Sunday, children of Iglesia Luterana San Lucas, the second Anapra mission, received their candy bags and toys after the afternoon worship service, along with a meal provided by the mothers in the congregation. This small church has been growing in faith through mid-week Bible studies, with several baptisms taking place. Their small congregation continues to work towards being a place of compassion and refuge to people in need, and their celebration of the community’s children displayed their desire to be a light in a dark world.

The continued prayers, encouragement, and support of our partnering mission-churches gives opportunities like these to take place.
Prayerfully consider in becoming our partners in ministry and supporting the Missions of YLM.