Saludos a Todos,
Thank you so much for your love and prayers for the children at the Refugio de Los Suenos in Ecuador. Your concern, and above all, your prayers have made such an INCREDIBLE DIFFERENCE in the lives of so many children. Thanks to St. Mark these children have a place to escape from hunger, severe abuse, and extreme poverty…and they are even able to go to school.
This year was a record year for taking care of children. While administratively 120 children are on the rolls at the Refugio approximately 150 attend. In some cases we are seeing older children (6-170 bringing their 34 and 5 year old siblings with them rather than leaving them at home alone. A total of over 250 children (Refugio children and their siblings) were taken care of during the “Community Medical Campaign” in February funded by St. Mark’s Adopt a Child program. During these campaigns lab work is done on each child and then the child is treated for ailments ranging from multiple parasite infestation, anemia, epilepsy and malnutrition, just to name a few.
We are also seeing many family units coming to the Refugio. The 4 Lema children recently arrived crying at the door of the Refugio. The Mother died in early January and the father no longer wanted them. The 4 beautiful Torres children were brought to the Refugio by their mother explaining that Colombian father was a drug runner and extremely violent with the them. They didn’t even have shoes when they arrived. The Refugio offers them a temporary safe haven. Attending school offers them a chance at a better future.
Our “Special Needs” Program continues to help so many children in severe medical crisis. Anderson Vaca is a child who was completely dysfunctional due to his inability to hear or to speak. He now attends a special school, wears a Hearing Aide and can say Mama along with all of his brothers and sisters names much to their delight. Isreal Chantasig’s mother no longer worries that her son will die from a rare disease thanks to the medication he receives. Miguel Villarreal suffers from a severe case of Epilepsy. He is now on the correct medication and no longer suffers from the humiliation of having seizures in from of his High School classmates. Jefferson Diaz continues to be our miracle child. He was born with multiple deformities and not expected to live very long after birth. Thanks to St. Mark’s prayers and medical help throughout his childhood he is still with us.
Catechism clases continue to be a huge success and many of our children continue to be Baptized, receive First Communion and be Confirmed. The priest is very grateful to St. Mark for the support we give hime in the form of materials for the Catechism classes.
While preparing packets for the “Adopt a Child” program I glance over the letters that the children wrote. One of the questions they were to answer was what they “don’t like”. We would assume at that age they would answer things like “doing homework” or not liking “carrots”. It was heart-breaking to see that so many answer this question by writing that they did to like being beaten, the violence in their house, being screamed at and told terrible things. If you take a moment to look at the display board on the Ecuador table in the Narthex you will see the SUCCESS STORIES of so many former Refugio children who suffered these very same horrors. Thanks to your prayers and generosity these children have grown up to be CARING, PRODUCTIVE adults and RETURN TO THE REFUGIO ON A REGULAR BASIS TO HELP. One young man is now the co-ordinator at another Refugio.
On behalf of the children, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH for your love and concern for their well-being. when we look at the photos of happy clean children at the Refugio it is hard to imagine the horrors these children actually face when they are not at the Refugio or in School and the terrible conditions in which they live. Your sponsorship of a child through the “Adopt a Child” Program feeds a child who would normally go hungry, gives them a safe haven where they can play as a child, provides them with medical and dental attention, and much needed mental health therapy to deal with the severe conditions in their lives. Above all, it gives them hope for a better future by receiving an education.
If you are interested in renewing your sponsorship or sponsoring a child for the first time please join us on Sunday, April 27 during our “Adopt a Child” Campaign or fill out a form on the Ecuador table and place it in the shoe box located on the table.
For those who would like to make a one time donation please join us as well on Sunday, April 27 or fill out a form on the Ecuador table and place it in the shoe box on the table. These one time donations go towards helping with the cost of food for the children, gas to cook with, cleaning supplies, and other much needed items to care for the children.
Little Sara Saico is a new child at the Refugio. When given a piece of a birthday cake she placed the paper plate back on the ground. She had never seen a birthday cake before and was not sure of what it was
If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact Susette Goff