Purchase Your Fund-Raising Gala Tickets Today

We are just two weeks away from our Fund-Raising Gala... and the excitement is building!

We have some great Silent Auction items (a Beach House for 4 days/3 nights, a hockey stick signed by the Carolina Hurricanes team, an authentic jersey signed by Cam Ward, 4 Durham Bulls tickets, beautiful artwork, photography packages, etc).

The evening will also include great hors d'oeuvres, wine and entertainment as well as a short presentation about our work among the urban poor in the "La Limonada" community of Guatemala City.

Purchase your tickets today and help us launch our first full year of "bringing hope to the people of La Limonada".

Date: Tuesday, April 14

Time: 7-9pm

Location: Caffe Luna
136 E Hargett St
Raleigh, NC 27601

Tickets are available for $40 each or $350 for a group of 10 and can be purchased by clicking "Donate" at www.lemonadeinternational.org.

Parking for the event is available in the parking deck accessible between Blount and Wilmington Streets. Additional street parking is available on Blount and Hargett Streets.

If you have any questions please contact bill@lemonadeinternational.org

Thanks so much for all you have done to help transform the lives of the people of La Limonada!

Team From Carterville

As Leah sharred recently, a team from Carterville Christian Church in Joplin, MO spent last week in La Limonada and were a huge help to the children, families, teachers and the La Limonada community.

They purchased almost $2,000 worth of tools needed for the renovations happening at Escuelita Mandarina and work boots for the workers; they rearranged furniture in Tita's house to accommodate the growing "family" living there (more on that soon), and an specialist on their team conducted an ear clinic where they checked the ears of all 300+ children at the schools.

Thanks again to Bryan and the team from Carterville for investing a week of your lives in the people of La Limonada!

Introducing... TEN2END

Now there is a way almost everyone can get involved in our work among the urban poor in Guatemala City.

Introducing... TEN2END.

We're inviting everyone to...

• Set aside TEN minutes a week to pray for the people of La Limonada
• Give TEN dollars a month to help the Lemonade Int'l team END poverty... injustice... hunger... hopelessness... and despair in La Limonada
• Invite TEN friends to join our Facebook Cause and to be a part of TEN2END

As a tangible step in your commitment to help END poverty in La Limonada go to www.TEN2END.org and click on "I Want To Help"... and give a recurring monthly donation of TEN dollars starting today.

Help make a little bit go a long way... www.TEN2END.org

Mandarina's First Field Trip

This morning at 5 am (still yawning) I dropped off the team of 7 from Carterville Christian Church at the airport for their flight home. They were here for a week working with us at the schools in La Limonada and they were such a huge help and blessing to all of us.

They helped with many things: an ear clinic for all the children at both schools, renovations at Escuelita Mandarina, serving in the classrooms, and providing encouraging words to the teachers at their weekly meeting. But I think something that the children will remember the most is their first field trip to Play Zone.

We took all the children from Escuelita Mandarina to Play Zone on Sunday and they had such a blast! They were talking about it all week and wondering when we're going back. It's very rare that these kids get to play outside... let alone outside of La Limonada.

So thank you to the Carterville team for all your help, hard work, prayers, and love this week... and especially first field trip for all the new children we are reaching through the new school.

Child Sponsorship - Changing Lives in Guatemala and in the US

Since beginning our child sponsorship program last summer we have seen a huge impact being made in the lives of the children in La Limonada... but we have also witnessed a tremendous difference in the lives of the individuals and families here in the US who are sponsoring children.

Here are a some quotes from letters our sponsors have written to their children:

"I have shown your picture to so many in our family and our friends! Everyone says you are so beautiful and YOU ARE!!!!"

"We will pray for you and your family everyday. You will always be in our hearts and our thoughts. Know that you are loved by us! If you are ever having a bad day just think of all of us and know that we love you! We would love to come and visit you one day, we will be praying about that. Keep smiling, keep praying and keep dreaming!"

"Wahoo!! We are very excited to be a part of your life. We keep your picture up on the piano so we can always see your shining smile."

"Remember that you are in my prayers everyday and I am so happy that I know you! You are a very, very special girl and God loves you very much. Keep studying and doing your best in school! You can write me anytime!"

"You are such a blessing to our family and have touched our hearts more than you will ever know. Keep praying, smiling, and dreaming! We love you!"

"We are so happy to be a part of your life. I thank God for the opportunity he has given our family to get to know you and will pray that one day we can come and meet you."

"We are happy to write this letter to you and tell you about ourselves. We are a grandpa and grandma with 8 grandchildren. Maybe I should say we have 9 grandchildren because we have all their pictures on the wall and your picture is there also."

Child sponsorship is not simply about sending money every month. It is about building a relationship with a child who's life is made that much better by knowing there is someone here in the States who is praying for them, writing letters, sending photos and inspiring them with hope for a better future.

Thanks so much to all of you who have committed to make the children a part of your lives and part of your families!

Alejandro*

On a recent trip to Guatemala I met Alejandro* as our group walked with Tita from Escuelita Mandarina to Escuelita Limon. He was just returning from work at a legitimate business in the city... which is rare for the people of La Limonada.

Business owners in the city rarely hire people who live in "the ghetto" because of their perception that everyone from the community is involved in gangs and drugs or simply because the people of La Limonada are looked down upon as a lower class in society.

So, to see Alejandro all dressed up and returning from work was a surprise. As we stood there overlooking the ravine that is La Limonada, he pointed out his home and shared a bit of his life story. He shared of his struggles and hinted of a "crazy" past life. We prayed for him and asked God to give him peace and to forgive him of the darkness of his past.

A couple weeks after we left I talked to Tita and she told me that she met up with Alejandro* as she was walking through the ghetto and they exchanged some brief greetings. Later that day he tracked her down, confessed some specific things regarding his past and broke down crying as he talked about being abandoned by his mother when he was 9 and his younger brother was 4 years old. He spoke of being sent to an orphanage where he and his brother were physically abused. He wept as he shared about the pain of growing up in a world filled with crime, pain and despair.

As Alejandro* shared what life had been like he experienced a burden being lifted from his heart that day.

Tita says. "God sent us to this community not only to reach the children. As long as we seek for God, there is hope for all the people in La Limonada."

*Name changed to protect his identity and ensure privacy.

ten2end is coming soon...

Be on the lookout for an inexpensive new way to support the work of Lemonade International as we seek to bring hope to the people of La Limonada.

ten2end is coming soon...

Life Of Hope Medical Team

Our good friends from Life Of Hope in Joplin, Missouri took a team to La Limonada to conduct medical clinics at Escuelita Limon and Escuealita Mandarina this week. The team is from Tomoka Christian Church in Ormond Beach, FL. Tita said they have been an awesome group of people to work with the whole week. They were able to treat about 800 of people and even performed five much-needed minor surgeries.

Thanks so much to Rick Grove from Life Of Hope and the team from Tomoka for your partnership with Tita and her team and for serving the people of La Limonada this week!

Guatemalan Inmates Kill Teacher

An article appeared on the website of the News & Observer newspaper here in Raleigh today describing the violent killing of a teacher at a Guatemalan juvenile prison.

On Tuesday a riot broke out among the inmates as they protested the transfer of fellow inmates to another facility.

Prior to the police gaining control of the riot, the inmates killed an mutilated one of their teachers.
Friends of ours, including Leah, have visited with inmates in the Guatemalan prisons and have said that the people they have visited are sincere young men who have been swept into a life of violence and in most cases it is all they know.

The work we are involved with in La Limonada is all about prevention. We are reaching children while they are young and investing in their lives. They need to know that God has a plan for their lives and that there is hope for their future.

We cannot give up hope on those who are already in prison or already involved in gangs, but incidents like this serve as a reminder of how important it is that the at-risk children of La Limonada need to be reached with God's love now.

Buy "Double Dipp" & Support Lemonade Int'l

My childhood friend, Denny Sant, just published his second novel, and has chosen to have all the proceeds from the sale of the book go to Lemonade International.

"Double Dipp", the sequel to "Bean Dipp", is available at www.lulu.com/dennysant.

I've known Denny since we were about 10 years old. When we started Lemonade International he and his family were one of the first to officially sponsor a child through our sponsorship program. They pray for Jonny regularly and write him letters. Their involvement in Jonny's life is making a lasting impact and providing him hope for a better future.

The following is from Denny:

"Double Dipp for Lemonade"

Dear Friends,

I've known Bill since I was a kid. It is so exciting to see him and Cherie serve the children of Guatemala.

I've written two novels, "BEAN DIPP" and the sequel, "DOUBLE DIPP". The proceeds from these works of fiction are dedicated to support Lemonade International.

All books can be purchased at www.lulu.com/dennysant

Happy reading - hope you enjoy!

Denny


Denny... thanks so much for your friendship and generosity!

The Schools Have Names

Since the second school was established on "the other side" in La Limonada we have been referring to it as "the second school", "School #2", "Esculeita #2",and "the school on the other side". This was getting a little confusing and it was becoming a challenge in our communication with people in La Limonada and here in the States.

So, now the schools officially have names.

The original school will now be known as "Escuelita Limón" or simply "Limón" (which translates to "lemon" in English). The second school will be known as "Escuelita Mandarina" or simply "Mandarina" (which translates to "mandarin" or "orange" in English).

The school color for Esculeita Limón will be green (because a lemon in Guatemala is a lime to us here in the States... but that's a whole different story), and for Escuelita Mandarina the school color will be orange (a Mandarin orange is a common orange for people in Guatemala.).

As you can see... we are sticking with the fruit theme that is in keeping with the name of the community - "La Limonada". This makes things fun for the kids and helps provide a sense of identity for them in relation to where they go to school in La Limonada. We think the fruit theme also provides a good metaphor for what we believe will develop in the lives of the children whose lives are transformed through these two schools.

There is more fruit to come... both in more schools in La Limonada and more lives that will be forever changed!