2009 Year-End Giving: Last Chance to Provide "Gifts Of Hope"

The last day of 2009 is quickly approaching... and the ball is going to drop in Times Square in just a few days to signify the beginning of a New Year: 2010.

Thanks to the prayers and generosity of so many of you - it has been an incredible year. You have helped to educate and empower hundreds of children in the largest urban slum community in Central America: Guatemala City's La Limonada.

As we wrap up the year, we ask you to consider giving a year-end donation. Charitable gifts to Lemonade International can provide you with special tax benefits as well as helping us to meet our goals.

Year-end donations will go to our Gifts Of Hope campaign - to provide shoes and backpacks filled with school supplies to 76 more children from two schools ($50 for each child) and bonuses for 4 teachers in La Limonada ($250 for each teacher).

As of today 274 children's "Back To School Packages", 35 High School Scholarships and 30 Teacher's Bonuses have been covered by a total of $24,700 in donations.

We currently need to raise an additional $4,800 to meet our goal of providing every child with a Back To School Package and every teacher with a bonus by the end of the year.

To give a secure online gift, please go to our Donation Page and choose the "Christmas - Gift Of Hope" fund. In the comments box explain how you would like your gift to be applied. As always, gifts of any amount will help significantly.

As you get ready to make your year-end gift, please keep in mind that you can receive tax and additional economic benefits from gifted assets. Please consider giving donations of stock, real estate, business interests and other non-cash assets through our Ministry Fund with The Christian Foundation of the Triangle.

If giving by mail, donations need to be postmarked by December 31, 2009 to be applied to your charitable contributions for the current tax year. Please mail checks to:

Lemonade International
PO Box 26204
Raleigh, NC 27611

Thank you for the incredible impact you have made on the lives of the children and families of La Limonada in 2009. We look forward to another great year together!

Merry Christmas!

Dear Friends of Lemonade International,

Our team, both in Guatemala and here in the United States, want to thank you for your love and support for the children and families of La Limonada throughout 2009. It has been an incredible year of expansion and growth with the establishment of a new school (Escuelita Mandarina) and with now over 270 children sponsored.

More than 200 of you have given of your time to travel to Guatemala to spend a week of your lives to serve the people there and to meet the child (or children) you sponsor. Medical teams, dental teams, construction teams and groups who have conducted special programs for the children have made a tremendous impact on the lives of the people there. And each individual who has been a part of those teams has been personally impacted in unforgettable ways.

Please know that we are all grateful for the investment of your money, your time and your prayers. This vital work among the beautiful people of La Limonada would not be possible without you. We look forward to another great year to come.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

- The Lemonade International Team

Dulce Rivera: June 17, 2006 - December 21, 2009

One of the youngest children at the schools in La Limonada passed away yesterday morning. Dulce Rivera (or "Pita" as she was known) died as a result of head injuries caused by a fall from a second story a few days earlier. She was three and a half years old.

Many of our team members are heavy-hearted because they have shared a very close relationship with Dulce and her family. Please pray for her mother, father and the four siblings she is survived by.

Dulce may have left this earth, but we fully trust she is now and will forever be in the hands of an all-loving God.

Incredible Generosity... A Little More To Go: "Gifts Of Hope"

Over the past several weeks you have heard about Yoli, Eddy and "M" and the opportunities you have to provide children and teachers just like them with "Gifts Of Hope" this Christmas. And we are grateful to say you have responded with incredible generosity:

• We asked you to supply 350 children with shoes and backpacks filled with school supplies... and as of today 253 "Back To School Packages" have been provided.

• We asked you to help send 35 high school students to a private school in Guatemala City where they could receive a quality education... and as of today 12 "Scholarships" have been granted.

• We asked you to provide 34 teachers with a fair wage for the month of December... and as of today 29 "Christmas Bonuses" have been covered.

Groups of friends have collaborated. Churches have taken special offerings. Child Sponsors have gone above and beyond their monthly support. So many people from all over the country have helped to provide gifts that will help to impact their lives in a significant way.

Overall we are 72% of the way to meeting all of these needs for every child and teacher. To reach our goal of 100% we need:

• 95 76 more "Back To School Packages" at $50 each (total - $4,750).

• 23 more "Scholarships For High School Students" at $100 (total - $2,300). Donated 12/21/09!

• 5 4 more "Christmas Bonuses For Teachers" at $250 each (total - $1,250).

To give a secure online gift, please go to our Donation Page and choose the "Christmas - Gift Of Hope" fund. In the comments box explain how you would like your gift to be applied. As always, gifts of any amount will help significantly.

As we think of our friends in La Limonada (the teachers, the children and their families), we are grateful that so many of you have extended your giving this Christmas to include them.

Thank you for continuing to support Lemonade International as we provide a physical presence of God's love in La Limonada and as we "educate and empower children in the largest urban slum in Central America".

Friends Collaborate To Provide Student With Scholarship

This week we received a Gift Of Hope in the amount of $125.00 to provide a high school student with a scholarship to attend a private school in Guatemala City to receive a quality education. The donation came from Nona Peyton, a Lemonade Int'l child sponsor, along with this note:

"This is from a womens group that I am a part of. We would like our donation to go to educate a high school student."

Nona later shared this with us:

"This year instead of going out to lunch and doing our 'White Elephant' gift exchange we decided to eat at one of our homes and skip the gift exchange. We each put a dollar amount in an envelope what we would have spent on lunch and the gift . We collected $125.00 and would like it to go to send a high school student to school this coming year."

A huge thank you to you and your friends, Nona! We are grateful for this act of generosity and love. Thank you for creatively celebrating Christmas together in a way that will make a huge difference in the life of a La Limonada student!

Meet "M" - Christmas 2009 "Gifts Of Hope"

Meet "M". Living in one of the filthiest homes in La Limonada, she is the oldest of 5 children. Her parents are petty thieves, and the profits from selling their bounty are the only income for the family. Her step-father was caught and imprisoned, leaving her mother as the only parent. While her mother is out “working,” she is responsible for her brothers and sisters, most of them being under the age of 6.

"M" was temporarily removed from her home because of what was believed to be sexual abuse, only to go and live with her grandfather and be physically abused there. She was moved again to a safe home, but chose to return to her mother’s home after only 3 weeks. Even through all the hurt that she has endured, "M" comes alive when she is loved and nurtured. Her time at Escuelita Mandarina is her only chance to receive the love and care that every child should be entitled to, having not received it at home.

Because of her poverty, "M" is not afforded the many simplicities of life, including the supplies that she needs for school. Without a back-to-school package, "M" and many of the other 355 children of La Limonada will return for the new school year without a new pair of shoes and a backpack filled with necessary supplies.

We purchase these things without thinking much of it. The children of La Limonada need your help in order to receive these basic necessities. This holiday season, please consider giving a $50 "Back To School Package" to affect the lives of the children there.

To give a secure online gift, please go to our Donation Page and choose the "Christmas - Gift Of Hope" fund. In the comments box explain how you would like your gift to be applied. As always, gifts of any amount will significantly help with these projects.

Con Gratitud Para Iglesia Bautista Camino al Cielo

We want to express our gratitude to the people of Iglesia Bautista Camino al Cielo in Chino, California for their generosity. The church community, just outside of Los Angeles, collected an offering in recent weeks to go toward our 'Gifts Of Hope" Christmas 2009 project.

The church raised $5,500 for the project that will provide shoes, backpacks filled with school supplies, scholarships and bonuses for teachers at the two schools in La Limonada.

Thanks to our friend, Liz, (who works with Tita in La Limonada as well as with Estrategia de Transformación in Guatemala City) for helping to make this happen. Her uncle and aunt, German and Zandra Galvez serve as pastors at Camino al Cielo, and wanted their church family to be involved in something meaningful as the year came to a close.

Thank you to the generous people of Iglesia Bautista Camino al Cielo for making an impact in the lives of the people of La Limonada!

Meet Eddy - Christmas 2009 "Gifts Of Hope"

Meet Eddy. As a scholarship student, he is one of the fortunate few able to receive a quality education at a private high school in Guatemala City. His father was murdered 11 years ago, so he has grown up with his mother trying her best to raise him on her own. Being raised in these circumstances, Eddy is one of thousands of kids in La Limonada who is at a high risk for continuing in the path of poverty and gang violence. His main chance at breaking the cycle is in obtaining a quality education, which will give him the opportunity to secure a job with a higher salary, and the chance at a better life.

Even at a young age, Eddy realizes the value of his education at a private school and wants to gain as much out of it as possible, with the hopes of continuing on to college after high school graduation. Without his scholarship, none of this would be possible. Eddy would be among the thousands of other children from La Limonada who are in the public school system, with sub-par standards and a lax education.

This holiday season, please consider helping give a child the chance to break the cycle of poverty in his or her family. With only $100, you can provide a child with the necessary funds to provide tuition, books and the uniform to begin a new year at a private school beginning in January.

To give a secure online gift, please go to our Donation Page and choose the "Christmas - Gift Of Hope" fund. In the comments box explain how you would like your gift to be applied. As always, gifts of any amount will significantly help with these projects.

Thank you for your willingness to effect change in the ghetto of La Limonada!

Gifts "In Honor Of..." & Corporate Matching

We have received several requests recently for donors to be able to give a "Gift Of Hope" in honor of a loved one this Christmas and we wanted to let all of you know that we have created a way you can do that.

Simply click on the following link to download and print a a pdf file that you can insert into a card to be given to the person you would like to honor:

Gifts Of Hope - "In Honor Of" Christmas Card Insert

This can be given in someone's honor or it can be given in lieu of a traditional Christmas gift.

Also, we have received donations which have been matched by corporations our donors work for. So, check with your company to verify their corporate charitable gift matching program and consider that as a way to double your Gifts Of Hope donation.

Thanks so much for your generosity as you seek ways to engage in a meaningful celebration of Christmas this year by giving to those in need!

One Boy's Life - More From Arts Camp

It's incredible how 5 days can change a life. To grow up in the ghetto of La Limonada in Guatemala City is to grow up without hope, to see death, poverty, destitution. Having been to the ghetto in the past, I had seen first hand the depravity of the slum and knew that there were vulnerable hearts and minds that were being shaped by their circumstances. I knew that the week with the kids at the art camp was going to be an incredible one.

One boy in particular stole my heart completely. His home life is enough to make anyone cry. I have a distinct remembrance of him from my last trip. I think he stood out in my memory because of the intense sadness that covered him. His eyes seemed to be pleading for an escape, for a respite from the daily existence that was his life. I had a few pictures of him, smile-less and empty. Things haven't changed since February. At the start of the week, he caught my eye right away, still stoic in expression. He ended up in one of my dance classes, and ritual began between us where I would give him a huge hug and kiss each time I saw him and would then proceed to push up the corners of his mouth into a smile. After a few minutes, it would typically turn into a real smile, however slight it might be. There would be times where the weight on his shoulders would win out, leaving that small mouth in a straight line. Heartbreaking doesn't begin to describe how I felt looking at this kid.

Something happened with him though... Perhaps it was the relief of being away from home. Or perhaps it was his soul getting a chance to express itself. Whatever it was, I began to see this boy come alive in my class. The transformation was shocking in its unexpectancy. He would get so excited when the music came on, as if it was transcending in its presence. That was the moment where the awful bus ride out to the camp, the heat, the sweat, the preparation, the anxiety was all completely worth it. Just for that moment of seeing him smile, unabashed and free. I swear I could practically hear the heavens singing the hallelujah chorus, rejoicing as much as I was at this boy being freed from the sadness that surrounded him.

I spent a chunk of the week going out of my way to make this boy feel loved. By the end of the week, the change in this kid was incredible. He was smiling and laughing and playing. I don't recall ever feeling such violent love for a kid that I just met. All I wanted to do was to help take the hurt away, to remove him from his reality and give him some relief. I loved him so much that it actually hurt.

I think that is what our time with these children was really about... love. Loving them in giving them our time, our effort, our art. Loving them to help bring healing from the hurt.

Loving them enough to care about the future of their existence, to bring a message of unity to a violently torn apart ghetto.

Written by Bethany Streng - Lemonade International Partner

Meet Yoli - Christmas 2009 "Gifts Of Hope"

Meet Yoli. She lives in La Limonada with her three daughters. She also took in a baby boy from another parent in La Limonada who was unable to care for her child. An employee of Escuelita Limon for ten years, she works faithfully with the 4 to 6 year olds. Her motivation? To teach the children about Jesus. In the years that we at Lemonade International have known Yoli, her faithfulness to her Savior and to the children has been evident.

Her humility and moral character make her an incredible role model for the young minds and hearts that come through the school. With the volatile home lives that many of the children have, Yoli provides them with another important quality: consistency. Her dependability and devotion make her an utter necessity to the lives that Lemonade Inter-national is determined to affect.

During this season of giving, please consider giving a gift that will affect a life. The average worker in Guatemala City makes $14 a day. Yoli and the 33 other staff members in La Limonada only make around $7 a day. They sacrifice each and every day to provide love and education to the children of La Limonada, in an effort to break the cycle of poverty and hopelessness that grips the ghetto.

Christmas Bonus for Teachers: $250 - For $250, you can provide a Christmas bonus for a teacher in La Limonada and bless his or her family tremendously.

To give a secure online gift, please go to our Donation Page and choose the "Christmas - Gift Of Hope" fund. In the comments box explain how you would like your gift to be ap-plied. As always, gifts of any amount will significantly help with these projects.

Over the next several days we will be highlighting the three opportunities you have to give "Gifts Of Hope" to the teachers and children in La Limonada (all three options are listed on our initial "Gifts of Hope" blog post).