Danilo Sponsored By Ohio 8th Grader

We recently received an online donation of $420 for a full year of Child Sponsorship with the following note in the comments box:

My son Ryan took cash in leiu of presents this year for Christmas, and has saved enough to sponsor a child... yippee!!! He would like to sponsor Danilo @ Limón... is that ok, or do you need to pick the child for him. Just let me know.. and thanks for the work you do.. we love you!! - Julie

We asked Julie if we could share more about Ryan, and this is what she provided to us...

"Ryan is a 14 yr old 8th grader from Kings Mills, OH.

He was part of the Rivers Crossing Community Church group from Ohio that went to Guatemala in July of 2009. He was the youngest student on the trip, but has a heart for the Lord beyond his years. Ryan was touched while on the trip to Lalimonada, and talks about it all of the time. He says that people just don't understand what is going on around the world. He has a strong desire to go back and serve, which we hope to do again soon.

The past couple of Christmas seasons he has opted to forgo presents and has asked for money instead to give to charity. The first year he gave to the needy in our community, this year he took his "presents", added the extra from his bank account and sponsored a child... This make a mother very proud!"

Ryan, thanks so much for your heart for God and for the people of La Limonada! We are grateful that you will be sponsoring Danilo and helping to provide food, education and love for him though what God is providing at Escuelita Limón.

Transforming Power of Grupo de Vida

The Life Group gatherings, or Grupo de Vida, have been occurring for less than a month now, and yet powerful things are happening in the community as people come together to worship, pray and spend time together. The power of God is being released in a supernatural way that leaves no room for doubt as to the source.

Last week, the group met on the Mandarina side of La Limonada. By the time the Lemonade team reached the school, a crowd had already gathered to be escorted to the house in which Grupo de Vida was meeting. They met in a room that was no larger than 15 by 20, with so many people in attendance that every flat surface of the room was taken by a body. People stood, sat on the dirt floor, or occupied what few chairs were available. As the singing began, more people from outside began to come in to find out what was going on.

“We start worshiping and I was totally carried away. It didn't matter that we were not in a beautiful church with fancy stuff... or that we were not sitting in chairs... or that we were not wearing our nice clothes... we were worshiping God who was right there with us giving us more hope and pouring down His love. It was amazing.” said an attendee of Grupo de Vida. The power of such simplicity and love was felt throughout the room, and undoubtedly, throughout the surrounding barrio.

It’s exciting to see God moving in this community, pushing past the devastation and hardship of everyday life there. La Limonada is transforming under the force of the love. Its unmistakable that the wonder of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross is sweeping change over the lives there. Its only a matter of time before the effect of that ripples out to the rest of the community and produces such change that it will be unrecognizable from its original state of being.

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” -Hebrews 10:23-25

TEN DOLLARS CAN HELP ALLEVIATE POVERTY - "50 States" Update

One of the three ways you can provide monthly support for the children and families of La Limonada is by simply making a commitment to give TEN DOLLARS a month - through "TEN2END" - our campaign to end poverty, injustice, hunger, hopelessness and despair in the largest urban slum in Central America.

TEN DOLLARS

Many here in the US easily spend $10 a week on fast food or specialty coffee drinks. We spend three times that or more on pizza for our families on a Friday night.

$10 is also equal to what it costs to feed one child at our schools in La Limonada - FOR ONE MONTH

Join TEN2END today... or encourage your friends and family members to join... and help put your state on the map as part of our "50 States in 50 Days" campaign! To sign up for TEN2END now, click on the Donate button below and select "TEN2END" from the fund drop-down menu on our secure online Donation Page.

Group Schedule For 2010

The group schedule is shaping up for 2010. We are very excited about each of the groups who will be traveling to Guatemala to spend at least a week in La Limonada!

We have already hosted a medical/dental team from Pennsylvania and a dental/construction team from North Carolina so far this year. Our groups range from four to twenty people and are from 8 different states in the US.

Here is what the schedule looks like for the remainder of the year:

March 15-17: Life of Hope - Joplin, MO
March 21-28: Origins Community - Boulder, CO
March 22-25: One Day's Wages - Seattle, WA
March 23-24: Life of Hope - Joplin, MO
March 25-27: Estrategia de Transformación - Guatemala
April 18-24: Life of Hope - Joplin, MO
May 2-8: Lifepointe - Raleigh, NC
June 13-19: Bridgepoint - Houston, TX
June 20-26: The Well - Philadelphia, PA
July 11-17: Trinity Baptist - Mentor, OH
July 14-16: Life Of Hope - Joplin, MO
July 18-24: Lifepointe - Raleigh, NC
July 25-31: Rivers Crossing - Kings Mills, OH
August 1-7: University Baptist - Houston, TX
August 8-14: Rivers Crossing - Kings Mills, OH
October 3-9: Chapel Pointe - Hudsonville, MI

If you are interested in leading a group to serve in La Limonada this year please send an email to bill@lemonadeinternational.org or call 919.848.1553.

Teachers Meeting - Rejuvenation

Our teachers and staff are the most amazing group of people that I have ever worked with. They pour their lives into the children and community every day, fighting to give them more opportunities and choosing to walk beside them, love them, and encourage them through good and very difficult times.

Once a month we meet together with the staff from both schools. Last month we went bowling. Today we went to a local park to play basketball, and had an absolute blast!

Dealing with the reality of life in La Limonada every day (the poverty, brokenness, and despair), it's wonderful for us to get away for a little bit and enjoy being together, being silly, laughing, playing, etc.

It helps to refuel us, and to bring rejuvenation to some of the weary parts of our hearts.

-Tita Evertsz

Sam's 11th Birthday - Dedicated to Helping The Children of La Limonada

One of our child sponsors, Nona, from the Cincinnati, OH area, has been to La Limonada two times in the past six months and has passionately shared with her friends about what God is doing in the community and in the lives of the children there.

Nona's experience in La Limonada inspired her friend, Susan, and her family to sponsor a child... and Susan's son, Sam, was inspired to dedicate his birthday to helping the children in La Limonada.


Here's the story of Sam's birthday party from Susan...

"A couple of months before Sam's 11th birthday we were talking about what he might want as a gift and about party ideas. We had thought about sponsoring some type of organization the previous birthday and it just didn't work out. After our friend, Nona, had made her visit the Guatemala we really felt led to sponsor a child. Sam is the only brother to 4 sisters and wanted brother! So, the decision to sponsor then turned into 'what more could we do'.  There was our party idea!

We had the party at our church gym and Sam invited all of his friends and classmates. We played dodgeball, basketball, and had all kinds of contests. The kids had an awesome time! We set-up a Lemonade Int'l table at the entrance to the gym. I had included pictures from Nona's trips and made a notebook with information about La Limonada. We had lots of questions and a lot of interest from the parents and kids about La Limonada.

One mom said that when her son received the invitation he was very puzzled by the fact that it said 'no gifts'. She later said 'thanks for showing that everything doesn't always have to be about us'."

With the help of his friends, Sam raised $360 from his birthday party for our work with the children of La Limonada!


Sometime in the spring we'll be sharing a new initiative to empower people all over the country to create networks and "tribes" within their communities to advocate for the children of La Limonada... and Sam's birthday party is a perfect example of just that!

Sam, thank you for following your heart and for dedicating your birthday to the children of La Limonada!

64 Children In La Limonada Need Sponsors - "50 States" Update

As we reach the 14-day mark in our "50 States In 50 Days" campaign we are focusing on our Child Sponsorship program.

The children of La Limonada live every day under the effects of extreme poverty. Hunger, physical and sexual abuse, drugs, neglect, horrible living conditions, gang activity, violence, and prostitution surround them.

We believe this is an issue of injustice. We believe every child has a right to grow up in an environment where they are loved unconditionally, nurtured, educated, provided with proper nutrition and protected. And this is what every child experiences at our two schools in La Limonada.

Over the past two years, 301 children in the community have been sponsored by individuals and families here in the US. The impact this has had on the children is immeasurable. People here in the Sates have an opportunity to be connected with a child in La Limonada through prayer and through a personal relationship established through correspondence (and in some cases through personal visits).

Right now there are 64 children at the two schools in La Limonada who are not sponsored. One of those children is Jaquelin Polanco.

Jaquelin is 13 years old and she lives with her grandparents, father, aunt, and cousins. She is extremely timid and shy. She is in 3rd grade, and school is hard for her. She is surrounded by extended family, but her dad is addicted to drugs (we always see him on the street walking near one of the schools and he is almost always strung out on drugs). Her mom lives within the community as well but in another barrio.

Kate, one of our team members in Guatemala, said of Jaquelin,

"She is just so sweet and I think she could really use the support, love and prayers that come with being sponsered. I honestly think it could be life changing for her to know that someone picked her and committed to love and pray for her. Her cousin is sponsored, and I think it would make a huge differnece for Jaquelin to be sponsored."

In Matthew 25 Jesus painted a picture of himself being hungry, thirsty, treated as a stranger, naked, sick and imprisoned. He said there would be those who would ask 'when were you all those things and when did we help you?' (paraphrased). He said his reply would be,

'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these
brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.' - Matthew 25:40

To sponsor a child now, go to our website and click on the "Sponsor A Child" icon and follow the instructions provided.

Help spread the word to your friends and family members in your state and other states around the country by forwarding this email along with a personal note, or send them a link to this blog post, update your Facebook status with a link to the Lemonade Website or make a good old fashioned phone call to encourage someone you know to sponsor a child.

Thanks for all you do to make a difference in the lives of the children of La Limonada!