Summer Newsletter 2012

His own father abused him ... so seriously that his grandmother called the authorities. His mother died in a traffic accident when José was only two months old. But his alcoholic father beat him repeatedly, without provocation. José was rescued by the state, and delivered to us at Casitas Kennedy, just last year. He was only 11, nervous and sad. As horrible as “home” was, he had never been away from home. But today, José is thriving! Transformed! He’s healthy, he’s outgoing, a happy sixth-grader. His Orphan Helpers teacher Victoria Rodriguez is watching him grow.

José especially likes the Orphan Helpers library. “You learn more by reading,” he declares, “and learn what you do not know or understand.” His favorite book subjects: animals, science — and cartoons. He also enjoys the computer center. How long will José be with us? We don’t know. The government will have something to say on the subject. But José is praying he can live with his grandmother. His father is still in terrible shape.

When you pray for the orphans in our care, please pray for José. God has begun a good work. May He complete it (Philippians 1:6), by His mercy and grace ... with the help of caring and supportive friends like you!

When people open their hearts to the orphans of Central America, God does something won-derful ... not just for the children, but for those who are giving to make the ministry possible. Meet Tom Manthei, a business owner and member of Orphan Helpers’ board of directors. He attends Stutsmanville Chapel in Harbor Springs, Michigan, and has led a number of vision trips to Central America. Several of the Manthei family businesses support Orphan Helpers by buying our Orphan Helpers coffee, providing staff support, or donating financially to specific projects. The Manthei family story is a beautiful example of how God leads people to express His love to the orphans of Central America.

Ben’s brother; and Jim and Marlys, another brother. The team continues to expand as God speaks to the hearts of those who hear.

Q: How many mission/vision trips to Central America have you been on?

A: I’ve been on three trips, Ben has been on three, Mark has gone once, and I think Jacob has gone two or three times. On our first vision trip, we visited most all of the centers in both El Salvador and Honduras. Since then, most of us have concentrated on San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa.

Q: What has been your most memorable experience?

A: As I walked through the door of the babies’ room at Nueva Esperanza, I felt a bit lost to see a sea of babies, as many as three or four to a crib. My specialty in life is not holding babies (this is a bit of an understatement), but as my eyes glanced around the room, I saw, among the chaos, a beautiful little girl about 18 months old just staring at the wall. At the same time, Ben’s daughter Lindsey also noticed this

IN HIS OWN WORDS“God speaks to the hearts of those who hear”

Tom and Ben with Maria Felix and Sandra

Q: Who else in your family is involved with Orphan Helpers?

A: Several of our family members have since joined the team: Ben and Nancy Manthei along with their kids Lindsey and her husband Eric; Jacob and Rachel, and their son Andy; my brother Dan and his wife Kathy; Tim and Pam, who live in California, along with their daughter Christy and her husband Seth Harper; also Mark and Gwen,

Tom, Adiel, Lindsey, Ben, Andy, Eric, & Sandra at Nueva Esperanza

SUMMER 2012

little girl, and walked over to her crib. She was just sitting there staring at the wall, oblivious to all the noise going on in the room. Lindsey gently approached her and began talking to her. You are a beautiful little girl; can I hold you? The little girl continued to stare at the wall, making no movement at all. Lindsey continued talking to her, rubbing her back for what seemed like a long time; but she appeared to have no reaction. Then all of a sudden, without looking up, the little girl raised her left hand and put it on Lindsey’s arm. Lindsey took this as a sign that the little girl not only heard her but wanted to be picked up. Lindsey gently picked her up and continued talking to her. Her arms con-tinued to dangle at her sides for several more minutes; then she slowly raised her arms and put them around Lindsey’s neck. It was plain to see that a bond was forming.

The next few minutes were special to me as I watched this bond grow. The little girl’s arms slowly tightened around Lindsey’s neck. Tears began to well up in my eyes as I saw a faint smile begin to appear on the little girl’s face, because I knew that in just a few minutes our tour guide would reappear in the doorway and announce that it was time to put the babies down and we would have to move on. As this bond developed, I saw a ray of hope develop in this little girl’s eyes. It’s amazing what joy a loving human touch can bring to a child. All too quickly, the call came to put the babies down. Pain gripped my heart as I watched Lindsey pry the little girl’s arms apart to put her back in her crib. The smile was gone and tears began to well up in her eyes, but she didn’t make a sound. For her, it was another heartbreak that she didn’t deserve, another broken promise that she didn’t understand. As I walked out of the room, I glanced back with tears in my eyes to see the little girl slowly turn her head, to once again stare at the wall. For me, to witness the perfect, beautiful and innocent creation of God having been abused if not destroyed by abandonment by parents or loved ones is a truly heartbreaking experience. I believe God prepared this little girl special to break my heart. It was a call for me to get involved and stay involved. I’m as emotional today as the day I first saw this little girl, and that was over two years ago.

Jacob Manthei with 2 girls in Honduras

Edward Rivera, our Central America Director of Partnerships and Alliances, brings us news of an extraordinary recent event. This account is based on his great report:

More than 600 children eat well, every single day, in remote parts of Honduras — thanks to the ministry of Roberto Orellana. A Chilean now residing in Puerto Rico, Roberto has been operating his “kitchen ministry” in Honduras for several years. But Roberto has another talent: he’s a tremendous singer. A few weeks ago, he presented a wonderful concert for the people of the La Colonia El Carmen area, which is home to our Genesis Center. It wasn’t easy. The region is known for violence. But by God’s grace, army patrols made the region relatively safe. As an act of faith, pastors in the area joined forces with Orphan Helpers to bring Roberto in for a concert and spotlight their commitment to work with our volunteer/mentoring program. Eight churches cooperated, and numerous volunteers came to Genesis to help with the grounds and maintenance, electrical, and wall painting. Some $3,000 worth of donated improvements will benefit the orphans for a long, long time. More than 500 attended; many toured the Genesis facilities. The Gospel was clearly proclaimed — and people received Christ! Again and again, we heard people exclaiming their amazement that “a famous artist like Roberto Orellana” could present a concert in such a dangerous neighborhood. “God must be doing something tremendous!” people said. And they were right. Just like when the prophet spoke to the dry bones in Ezekiel 37, and they sprang to life, the people of the Genesis Center neighborhood have received the breath of life ... and now they’re ready to share it with our orphans. This is the first time that the Genesis Center has been a witness of God’s movement in this magnitude — but we are sure that is only the beginning! “‘The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘And in this place I will give peace,’ says the Lord of hosts” (Haggai 2:9). May it be so!

GENESIS CONCERTGod must be doing something