Her right eye was extremely defective: it constantly rolled up into her eyelid — the left one had the same tendency, but it was her right one that required surgical correction.

You may remember our request a couple of years ago for help for Evelyn. Thanks to friends like you, who provide the emergency funding of the “Extreme Poverty Fund,” Evelyn was able to have the corrective surgery, and her right eye is very nearly normal!

Her left eye is still in need of correction, but her doctor believes special glasses may cause the condition to correct itself. Once again, you are coming to the rescue through the Extreme Poverty Fund — and providing Evelyn’s new glasses.

Thanks for your generosity and prayers for the children we serve. What a blessing you are!

Complicated family problems drove Yelin and her family from their home in Lima, Peru, to a whole new nation and culture.

They moved into an impoverished barrio in Chile, but at least here Yelin was able to find another A/G school and continue receiving the good education she’d begun in Lima….

The school, her new friends, and teachers, all helped Yelin adapt to her new home —

And when she took the Chilean equivalent of the SAT test to prepare for college, her score on the history exam was the highest in her school — and the highest in the nation!

“I never expected that score,” Yelin said. (She had been worried about the test going in, but after taking it, she thought she’d done “okay.”)

Yelin hopes to study law after her graduation from Cristiano Emmanuel de Florida, her high school.

On January 18 of this year the Children’s Choir from our Latin America ChildCare School in Linda Vista, on the outskirts of San José, Costa Rica had an audience with Laura Chinchilla, the President of Costa Rica. One of young boys in the choir, Jonnathan, had opportunity to address President Chinchilla and to a hushed room he said – “President Chinchilla, God loves children and you have understood this. And because of that, God says to you; Look at what I have given to you. Be strong & courageous because the Lord is with you. Do not be afraid, because when you feel alone, remember that the children of our school and this country are with you.”

You never know what opportunities even the youngest will have to bring encouragement to those of great power.

In this picture you see President Chinchilla, Johnny Eaquivel, (LACC National Administrator) Corallia (Director of or School in Linda Vista) Rodolfo Saenz (President of our Board in Costa Rica) and of course Jonnathan.

Ryan Sieh has had a heart for Latin America ChildCare for a long time now.  Growing up his family sponsored children and even went on many trips to help build LACC schools and minister in churches. Now as an adult, Ryan continues to sponsor children with Latin America ChildCare and is passing his love for LACC and missions on to his children.

Ryan is the Music Pastor at Evangel Church in Kansas City. One day we received an email from Ryan with a song that he wrote for LACC.  We thought we would take this time to share the song with you and we hope you will share it with others.

We are thankful for sponsors like Ryan and for his talents.
I am Here – by Ryan Sieh

Here are some images from a recent trip to Haiti to visit a number of our LACC Schools there. What an awesome opportunity we have to change the destiny of children in this incredibly poor country and give hope for a better future. Be the Change!

We love to receive messages and notes like the one we received from Josh Houston.  Josh is the Student Ministries Pastor at New Life Community Church in Hawthorne, CA. The Student Ministries decided to start sponsoring a child about 10 months ago.

“I was looking at our account for the girl we support. In the ten months our youth ministry has raised more than $1000 for her. So on Thursday I asked our group if they wanted to pick up another kid. It was a unanimous yes. I also started a challenge this past Thursday in the group to see which guy and which girl could raise the most money for our sponsored kids through the end of the year. Just on Thursday (with only about 20 student there) they gave $96. So cool!!”

It is truly amazing the impact that the Student Ministries group at New Life Community Church is having on the child they sponsor. Every month they are helping to give Hope to a needy child.  What is also amazing is seeing the impact that it is having on the New Life Community Student Ministries.

A recent story from Missionaries Carrie and Matt Love…

On one of my return trips from the DR, a Dominican came up to me and said, “hey aren’t you a missionary? He recognized me because I preached at his church. He remembered me because of some very Dominican jokes I used about beans. We were both on the same flight to Detroit and I switched my seat to sit next to him. As it turns out he attended one of our LACC schools while growing up! His family was very poor and the only way he could attend was through a sponsor in the US. He graduated and today he is married with 2 kids and is an architect. Plus he leads Royal Rangers at the church!! Time and time again Carrie and I are blown away by how God completely transforms the lives of students through LACC in the DR. Thanks for being a part!!

Carrie and Matt Love are Latin America ChildCare Missionaries to the Dominican Republic. You can keep up with them at their website http://www.thewaytheyshouldgo.org.

It wasn’t supposed to happen! A tragic car accident … his mom injured … both his dad and little brother killed.

Christhian’s life was thrown into turmoil. Not only was he heartbroken and grieving … but he and his mom soon found that eking out a meager existence became a daily struggle.

Today, though, Christhian says, “Thanks to the help of the people in our church and my school, we’ve been able to survive.” He attends the LACC school in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

“Thank you to God and all the generous people who help me have an education, lunch, and many other blessings,” he says.

We’re grateful to friends and sponsors like you who allow Latin America ChildCare schools to be there for children when they suffer such terrible loss.

Denisse, another student at the Guayaquil school, has also benefited from the strength and comfort of her teachers and church family: her father died when she was just in second grade. Almost simultaneously, her little sister was born … but the birth was difficult, and both mom and baby suffered severe complications.

The little family struggles, but Denisse says, “I want to thank all the people who help me with school, food, and clothes, because they are a blessing to my family.”

She wants to be a doctor when she grows up, saying, “With the school’s help, I will make my dream come true.”

Her mother has recently chosen to follow Christ as Savior, and Denisse is thrilled that everyone in her family is now a Christian.

Texting in class? Unacceptable.

Hacking a teacher’s Facebook page? Possibly illegal.

But these offenses were nothing compared to what went on at Jeyco’s old school. The public school in Ciudad Sandino, Nicaragua, was overcrowded with students who would fight each other at the drop of a hat, regularly cussed at the teachers — who also cussed back at them! — and didn’t seem to learn much, no matter how often they actually came to class.

Then Jeyco was able to come to Nueva Vida, or “New Life” School, the Latin America ChildCare school in Sandino City. Everything began to change for him!

He made new friends, settled down to become a good student, and he really got serious about his relationship with the Savior, Jesus Christ.

Plus, the daily meal was a Godsend. His family has been struggling just to get food on the table. Knowing that Jeyco would have at least one nutritious meal a day at school was a wonderful blessing!

Jeyco’s mother passed away last March, and of course, he was bereft. But he is coping, with the help of his friends, teachers, family, and church.

Thanks for helping young people like Jeyco get a chance at “new life,” through your support of Latin America ChildCare. You’re making a powerful impact!