Love's Right Hand Secrets

Matthew 6:3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:

How can we do that? The word translated “alms” means charitable acts or giving. How can I keep secrets from my left hand? I realize this is an idiom for secrecy in Jesus' culture, but it is an interesting metaphor, and may teach us more about how our mind should work than we see at first glance.

After I spoke in public speaking class for the first time, my professor said, “Your gestures were excellent, gesturing will help keep people interested in what you're saying, so keep it up.” I was surprised... everything else in that exercise was planned. I had prepared notes, illustrations, the introduction, the ending... but I didn't plan any gestures. In fact, I had never thought of gesturing before... it was, and is, something I do involuntarily. I am one of those people who uses my hands to talk. With me it is a sure thing that my left hand doesn't know what my right hand is doing most the time.

Could it be that a person's charitable acts and giving can become so much a part of who they are that they don't even think about it... they just do it? That each caring act becomes an involuntary result of a decision to love made at an earlier time which has now become their soul's passion? A love that now defines them. Each action flowing invisibly from a mind and heart that is overwhelmed by love. Could I come to a place in life where someone says, “Your care for that person is amazing!” and in return I give them a confused glance, because the care I give is as involuntary for me as breathing or gesturing. If I think about it at all it is to wonder, “Doesn't everyone do this?” like “Doesn't everyone breath?” Or, now that this person has moved my attention to my actions, I chide myself for not doing more... a bit embarrassed because my actions seem so small and inconsequential compared to my love.

Do you think Jesus thinks about helping you through your difficulties, or does He help because He decided to love you so long ago, and His heart will allow Him to do nothing less? Is His care for us an involuntary action that flows out of His love for us? Is He overwhelmed with love for us? Is an act of love from a Being described as “love” in 1 John 4:8 and then again in 1 John 4:16 something He thinks about? Or is it an involuntary act pressed from a heart overwhelmed by love?

I am privileged to know people whose acts of charity seem to involuntarily flow from love. When I complement their obvious sacrifice they dismiss it with a wave of the hand. They seem to be an embodiment of “when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth.”

The Death And Resurrection Of A Family

Michael, Betsy, Nathan, Heather
Carol, Larry
Collin, Cory, Nora, Tyler

There was death in the waiting room of that hospital... Carol lay unconscious on a cold table in another room as a surgeon removed her life's dream. The disease had forced her to decide between the death of her body or the death of her dream: a radical hysterectomy at 23 years young. In her grief she thought it God's judgment upon her. And indeed it was, just as all death is the result of His justice. But He is also the God of resurrection.

Carol is the only child of Mary and Forrest. Two parents who had love enough for a house full of children, but, as God willed it, they gave their house full of love to her. Now that singularity seemed forever fixed... there would be no grandchildren. Dreams died.

Carol and I had just been married for four short years. Having been raised in a broken home, it was my dream to have an intact family--to be a faithful husband and father--but the second half of that dream was over... ending that day in that waiting room. Death came.

It is through death that the heart of Jesus is placed in the risen soul. It is life from the dead. We must know the pain and loss of death before we can experience the rapture of resurrection. And in resurrection He changes our hearts and our eyes. I am raised a different person than I ever would or could have been before death. We are born through death into His image, and He is, among other things, the Father of the Fatherless.

It is a choice He makes. He chooses who will bear what reflection of His image in this world. And this resurrection wasn't for Carol, Larry, Mary, or Forrest. It was for them-- the fatherless. Our death was necessary for them. Did you think resurrection was about you... about us? Death is about us... resurrection is about them... others, it's always about others.

There was life from the dead a few years later in the hallway of that hospital. Carol, Larry, Mary, and Forrest stood looking through the nursery window at Nathan's face. Resurrection! At birth Nathan became parent-less, but the Father of the Fatherless had resurrected a family for him. It was life in another hallway a few years later when Betsy--sweet Betsy-- was first placed in Carol's arms. For us it was and is heaven on earth.

It is life from the dead to hold our grandchildren. It is more than our dreams. It is life from the dead to hear the children at Amazing Grace Children's Home sing in the morning. It is resurrection when they crowd around us in a group hug, and look at us with eyes of love. You may not believe me... but Carol and I agree: death was worth it. We would not change a thing. Thank you, Lord, for taking us through that shadowy valley.

Thousands Of Homeless Babies Rescued By George Frideric Handel And His Messiah

George Frideric Handel

A wealthy shipbuilder, Thomas Coram, retired early in an upscale district in London. He stayed fit by vigorous walks, but had no idea that something he found on these walks would change his life. Babies... he found dead and dying babies left on the streets. They were called foundlings.

Foundlings were babies born to unmarried women. These women where in a horrible situation since there were no homes to take their babies and no jobs for an unmarried woman with a child at her breast. It was starvation for both mother and child. So in the early morning hours these heartbroken mothers took their babies to the upscale areas of London to leave them on the doorsteps of well-off families who they hoped would have pity on their innocent infants. The babies who survived were usually taken to workhouses where the death rate for foundlings was over 90%.

Thomas was appalled and committed his remaining years to rescuing foundlings. There were homes for orphans, but foundlings were considered a different class because of how they were born. Orphan homes, like the famed homes of George Mueller, would not take in a foundling. Before George Mueller would receive a child into his homes evidence had to be provided that the child was born to parents who were married when the child was conceived. Adoption was not a legal option on either side of the Atlantic at the time.

Mr. Coram faced great difficulty getting permission to open a foundling's home (called a Foundling's Hospital). But permission was not enough. There were thousands of foundlings born each year... where would the money come from to feed, house, and cloth these children? Where would he get enough wet-nurses and other caregivers for the babies?

Enter George Frideric Handel, the Kapellmeister to the future King George of Great Britain. George Handel became a life-long supporter of the efforts of Thomas Coram to rescue foundlings. He was a beloved friend of the children, a governor of the Foundling's Hospital, and opened the doors for Thomas Coram to British aristocracy which led to the founding and survival of this great endeavor to rescue children. There is a permanent exhibit in the Foundling Museum in London dedicated to George Handel.

Thousands of children were rescued! Hundreds of babies were placed into the care of the home by heartbroken mothers. In the first few years, after the age for entrance to the Home was raised from 2 months to 12 months, the home received 15,000 babies!

George Handel annually performed the Messiah at the Foundling's Home and donated all the income to the home. He was the chief fundraiser for the chapel, built so the children could learn of this great Messiah's love for them. He bequeathed a full copy of the Messiah to the home which can be seen today in the museum along with the organ he presented to the home.

His music legacy in the home was great. One of the most popular choirs of the day was a choir filled with blind children from the home. Many of the foundlings made successful careers as musicians playing in orchestras and bands throughout Britain.

This Christmas don't forget the foundlings and orphans. Give to a Children's Home. If you don't know of one you are welcome to give to the home sponsored by our Church. It is Amazing Grace Children's Home (Formerly Rivers Of Mercy). Every cent given to the home goes directly to the home, we take nothing out for administrative costs. If you want to be placed on our mailing list simply send me your e-mail at blawrencejones@hotmail.com. Make your checks payable to Santa Fe Baptist Church with children's home in the memo of your check. The mailing address is:

Santa Fe Baptist Church

12902 6^th Street

Santa Fe, Texas 77510

A Homeless Child's Prayer Answered

Blanca was standing in the park on a weekend morning. It was a good time and place for a 9 year old to beg, and her little sisters needed food. But today the pain overwhelmed her as she watched the fathers and mothers all around her. The families... Why can't I have a mother and father? Someone to love me like that? She turned her face to heaven and said, “If there is a God will you give me --give us-- a father and mother to love and take care of us.”

Ah... but the Father Of The Fatherless was listening. Blanca didn't know He had already prepared a father and mother for her. But it hadn't been easy. He had to first give His own Son so she could have parents. The father He had chosen for her, Leonardo, had seriously fought Him to retain his old empty life. But his resistance had given way to God's loving Spirit, and God had given him a new heart and new eyes. Leonardo was ready now to be the answer to a parent-less, homeless child's prayer. Can you imagine being an answer to a prayer like that one?

He gave Leonardo a father's heart and wisdom, and new eyes to see the pain in hearts like Blanca's. This M.D. who had lived for himself, until God gave him some of His own heart, was working with street addicts when he first saw Blanca and her three sisters. He brought his wife, whose heart had also been changed, and they took the girls home... beloved daughters they became... all because the Father of the Fatherless is still doing His work. Now they are the beloved legal parents of almost 30 children, and have made a home for them and any others who need a safe haven: Rivers Of Mercy.

Blanca will be graduating from college this coming Spring (2011) with a degree in sacred music. And she knows how blessed she is to have two fathers: the God of heaven, who calls Himself the Father of the Fatherless, and Leonardo Rivas.

Video: Blanca singing a solo at the dedication of a new facility at Rivers Of Mercy. Girls Ensemble: Blanca on the left and her three sisters in blue tops beside her... of course she sees and treats every girl in this ensemble as a sister. Sorry the video is so poor and shaky, but I took this Video by hand.

The Other Children

Carol and I spent this week at a family/youth camp in East Texas. We had a great time visiting with old friends, spending time listening to the Word, and watching the children play. But for us these experiences always bring the other children closer, and I have found myself praying for them in my morning walks.

The other children are those in northern China who live the harsh winters in the tunnels around the heating pipes which run from the central heating stations to the residential buildings in the city. 

They are the children in Islamic countries who were born to unwed mothers, and are, therefore, placed permanently at the bottom of the society. 

They are the thousands of children in Mexico City, and other huge urban areas, who live on the streets and in holes in the ground. 

And the children in “orphanages” worldwide which don’t have enough income to properly provide for the children in their care. Many of these homes  are still taking more children because they have no choice... the children need a home.

For those who are working with them, and for those who should be answering the call to go to them, I have prayed for you. I have prayed that God would strengthen your hands, that the Father of the fatherless would do His paternal work through you. And… I have prayed with thanksgiving for the children here this week, but I have not forgotten the other children, so I sit here with a burdened heart this morning to do more for the other children in the coming months.

Perhaps in your youth camps this year you could give to the other children. If you don’t already have a home to give to, then perhaps you will consider giving to Rivers Of Mercy. Rivers Of Mercy is providing a home for homeless children in Mexico City, one of the top 5 most populated cities in the world. Every dime (100%) you collect will go straight to provide for the children. Nothing is taken out for stateside administration, our church joyfully provides those expenses.  You can send checks to:

Santa Fe Baptist Church

12902 6^th Street

Santa Fe, Texas 77563

Make your check payable to the church with ROM or children in the memo. We deposit the funds into a church account set up for the Children's Home. ROM's director, Leonardo Rivas, has a debit card on that account. He withdraws money as needed for the children. Send me your e-mail address and I will put you on our mailing list.

Bastardy In Old Testament Law And Some Modern Implications

I received a question recently about bastardy in the Old Testament, specifically about Deuteronomy 23:2. In this post I've briefly addressed the subject and carried it through to some of its modern implications.

The term "bastard" carries a different meaning in the context of Old Testament covenant law than it does in our culture. The Hebrew word is almost identical to the Aramaic term for incest, and primarily means a child born from an incestuous relationship. Prohibited incestuous relationships are listed in Leviticus 18:6-18.

The penalty for the participants of incest was to be "cut off" from the people, which is banishment. Leviticus 18:29 But there was nothing mentioned in chapter 18 about the standing of a child produced by incest, or the child's access to the "congregation". It seems Deuteronomy 23:2 closed this potential loophole by joining the descendants of an incestuous relationship to the banishment of the parents.

The law addressed, prohibited, and penalized all other relationships which could potentially lead to childbirth outside of marriage. Briefly:

• Premarital intercourse where both persons are known. Penalty: marriage without the possibility of divorce. Deuteronomy 22:28-29
• Premarital intercourse where the male participant is not revealed. Penalty: death for the female. Deuteronomy 22:20-21
• Adultery. Penalty: death for both parties. Deuteronomy 22:22
• Rape. Penalty: the female must declare immediately, or potentially face being executed later. Deuteronomy 22:20-22 If the woman was married at the time then the rapist must be executed. Deuteronomy 22:25-27 If the woman was unmarried the man must pay a fine to the girl's father, and then marry her without the possibility of divorce. Deuteronomy 22:28-29

Basically, under Old Testament law, there were to be no children born out of wedlock. If a girl was pregnant without a husband her only choices under law were: to reveal a non-incestuous father of her child and be forced to marry him, or reveal an incestuous father of her child and be banished with him, or be stoned to death.

There's no provision for adoption in Old Testament law. If a baby was born to an unmarried girl in Israel, and she refused to admit to authorities who the father was, then the child could be considered the product of incest by an unknown family member, and both mother and child would be banished. The child could also be considered the product of a premarital relationship which could result in the execution of mother and child.

I expect there were a lot of pregnant daughters quietly taken to neighboring countries by their fathers or mothers to be left there permanently. Once a girl lost the evidence of her virginity she risked being executed if she married a Jew, so girls risked death by execution if they returned. Deuteronomy 22:20-21

Joseph was going to quietly divorce Mary, the mother of Jesus, when he found out she was pregnant. She would have lived in banishment. But God intervened. Matthew 1:18-20 Joseph could have lawfully had her executed.

The rise of children born without declared fathers in a culture based on laws like these was evidence that obedience to the law was failing in every aspect. This is where the modern concept and laws of bastardy enter the picture. There was no legal provision for or acknowledgment of these children born in Old Testament based cultures. Adoption had no legal basis. Even orphans were not adoptable. They basically became wards of the nearest kin. In a failing Old Testament culture a destitute unwed mother's only choices were, generally, to starve to death with her child, let the child die, or find a home for the child.

This legal predicament in “Christian” nations who used this law as a model for their laws, led to children dying in the womb, outhouses, streets, and doorways of the rich while society willfully ignored the horror. Biographies on Thomas Coram and his efforts to rescue foundlings give a good background to these legal and cultural problems.
  

We Christians are historically well known for vocally opposing abortion and infanticide, but then we are also often notoriously known for doing nothing for the children and mothers who chose not to abort. I know... I know there are many of my colleagues in ministry who preach long and hard against abortion, but don't personally donate a dime to take care of un-aborted, needy children. And, sadly, many churches and God-fearing Christians don't regularly give to ministries that provide for these kids.

Sex outside of marriage is wrong, abortion is wrong, but Christians who oppose abortion without doing anything for un-aborted, at risk children are hypocritically negligent, and... oddly, they end up contributing to the cultural pressures on unwed mothers to abort by their failure to act on behalf of the un-aborted. Also, failure to oppose the prejudice against adoption, and the rising legal difficulty and costs of adoption, adds to the plight of unwed mothers, and further promotes abortion. Christians must... we must... change the way we think, and become proactive on multiple fronts for the sake of the children.

I'm glad, as a Christian, I am not under Old Testament covenant law, and I rejoice that there are men and women, like the Rivas family, who provide a home for children in need no matter what their situation. I rejoice that I am a member of a Grace based church. Grace... Mercy... these are the practical tenets of New Testament Christianity. Let's rescue the mothers and their children. John 8:3-11

I Just Prayed For Some Amazing People

Romans 15:26 For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem.

There were basically three categories of poor at the time Paul wrote this letter. The first were the “working poor”. These were people who held jobs which brought in just enough to live day by day. Then there were the underemployed, who only had some of the daily essentials for living. Then last were those in abject poverty who, without help from others, had nothing. This is the word used in this verse. It means to be in the continuous state of destitution and dependent on others for life’s essentials.

The poverty in the church at Jerusalem was not caused by laziness. It was brought on by a double persecution. The Jews and Romans both persecuted the church. Many of the Christian men and leadership of the church had been killed, imprisoned, or severely injured. This left a large number of widows and orphans in abject poverty, and there were more in this condition than the healthy families could support.

Christians were also kept out of the economy. The Jews would not give them jobs or buy their products. So the only jobs available to them were the ones no one else wanted. Everyone who could work did, but there was still not enough to go around.

The healthy men in the church and their families could have moved away and found better jobs elsewhere. But they stayed... They faced daily grueling sacrifice to meet the needs of those who could not provide for themselves. These were amazing men and women who Paul and Christians around the world were committed to help with their awesome task. Paul was carrying a large amount of money, collected by the churches in other regions, to be given to the Jerusalem church for the needs of the poor.

In today's world there are still some amazing people who give their lives to help the poor. Sometimes, I expect, they wonder if anyone cares or understands the heavy load they carry, and if we know how deeply they grieve when there are not enough resources to go around. Please know, if you are giving your life to the poor, that you have been prayed for today. Those workers who I know personally have been brought before my Lord by name. But I do not want to be as those who say, “be ye warmed and filled,” then walk away having done nothing to help. I and my church are not only committed to pray for you, but to give and go.

Orphan, Foundling, Or Runaway?

George Muller, the British pastor famous for starting orphanages in the 19th century, would only allow “double” orphans into his facilities. He would not take “half” orphans, foundlings, children impoverished by divorce or abandonment, or runaways. While he is to be commended for the help he gave, it must be noted that none of the money he secured by prayer was allowed to be used to feed foundlings, half-orphans, or runaways. The great London preacher, Charles Spurgeon, had an Orphanage that would take double and single orphans (paternal), but no others.

A double-orphan is a child who has lost both parents by death. George Muller wrote, “It was proposed to receive only such children as had been bereft of both parents...” All children who entered his homes had to prove that their parents were married at the time of their birth, and that both were now dead. He strictly followed this policy throughout his ministry. A single or half-orphan is a child who has lost one parent. Widows often watched their children (paternal half-orphans) starve because they were unable to support them.

“Foundling” is only one of a category of names historically placed under the catchall heading: “illegitimate”. Generally an unwed mother would be unable to provide for the child and herself, so to survive she was faced with the decision to abandon her child. These mothers would often leave their newborns on church steps, or by mansion gates hoping someone would have pity and care for their child. I know it’s hard to believe, but foundlings generally died in the streets because there was no home for them, and adoption, as it is known today in the western world, has generally been illegal throughout most of history. Historically, and in much of the world today, runaways were usually children who had been cruelly beaten and/or regularly abused sexually in their homes to the point that their only way out was to run.

British almshouses (poorhouses) were more difficult to get into than either of the other institutions mentioned in the first paragraph. Spurgeon and Muller both lamented the cruel system of gathering signatures, securing votes, and the complex paper work necessary to place a child into an almshouse. Most almshouses were notoriously horrible places. 90% of the foundlings who went into almshouses died before reaching 10 years old. It took Thomas Coram, a wealthy retired shipbuilder who was shocked to see dead babies in the streets of London, years to get legal permission to open the first home for foundlings. Afterwords his legal charter was repeatedly debated, and at one point rescinded, because saving foundlings was considered a corrupting influence on society.

It seems strange to many modern Americans that children would be categorized in such a fashion, and that homes for destitute children would choose between homeless and impoverished children based on how they came to be in such a desperate condition. Yet prejudices against these children are still deeply woven into the darker fabric of our culture and history, but, to our credit, still not as boldly woven as in much of the rest of the world. In the modern world prejudices against homeless children who are not orphans remains entrenched and open. The children in Rivers of Mercy, a home we sponsor in Mexico City, are often called “recogidos” meaning: trash you pick up in the street and take home. Many church-goers will not allow their children to play or socialize with these rescued children.

Legal adoption has been a great source of help for orphaned and non-orphaned children. In the U.S. and Britain it served to remove the opportunity for prejudice by giving a child the name of their adoptive parent. England didn’t allow couples to legally adopt children until 1926. It only became legal in the U.S. in the latter half of the 19th century. Even then it took almost a century before adopted children could get new birth certificates without an “illegitimate” stamp.

In many eastern and middle-eastern nations children still suffer under these oppressive categories and laws. For example: adoption is illegal in Islamic states because it is prohibited by Islamic Law. Children are legally categorized as: latim (double-orphans) and Laqit (foundlings). In some more secularized Muslim states Latim can be adopted, but not laqit. Laqit also are given, by law, names which identify them as “illegitimate”, or they are not allowed to use certain “clean” names. These laws essentially brand them forever as laqit thus affecting their ability to marry, be educated, and find good employment. Under Islamic law it is also illegal to remove a child from his birth country, or allow him to be placed into the care of non-Muslims. Under these laws well-meaning western or Christian organizations are prohibited from changing the legal status of these children.

In most of the world there is still little remedy for children caught in this vortex of deep poverty, abuse, and prejudice. My view… and perhaps the view of many others is simple: children who are hurting and impoverished for any reason are just simply children... in need of help. Let’s help them! Oh... just so you'll know, I was once a foundling.

They Came From A World Of Neglect And Abuse

I saw it in Marco's eyes. Something had changed. That glint, that brightness was gone... replaced by confusion... worry. Then Dr. Rivas told me: Battered Child Syndrome. These words tell me what was done to him, and his three sisters... and that the pain is not over... it may never, in this life, be completely over. The effects are different from child to child, but there are always lasting effects from child abuse.

When I first saw these four children it was clear they came from a world of neglect and abuse. The girls had to have their hair cut short because of lice and hygiene issues. They had to be taught to bath, care for themselves, and... read. But... there are things that are almost impossible to teach. Like how to get past the pain, that they don't really know is pain, because it is all they've ever known.

Childhood development... these words in the “normal” world bring warm thoughts of home, attentive parents, teachers, first words, ABCs, stuffed animals, “I wuv you”, and loving hugs. It is during the crucial developmental stages of childhood that our view of the world is molded. Our childhood experiences become as much a part of us as our own skin, and not until much later do we realize not everyone has the same early life experiences.

At every point in the development of some children all they know is abuse, until they are removed from their “home”... but even that removal, to a child, is abuse-- necessary--but still abuse. Abuse for which they, more often than not, blame themselves.

Dr. Rivas went further, with his calming voice, knowing how much I loved these kids, and how painful the news. “For two years we have tried to help Laura but we have been unsuccessful. She needs to be in a home that can give more intense psychological help than we can provide. Her attacks on the other children are becoming uncontrollable. And the other two are showing signs of the same disorder. And little Maria (the youngest) will have to go with them.” Each of us looked at the ground, shook our heads, and the tears came.

Little Maria... all smiles and joy, at least she has been spared much of the abuse her older siblings experienced. But now she must experience separation from the life and loving parents she has known at Rivers Of Mercy. Another abuse... but it is either separation from the home, or separation from her siblings. This is part of the criminality of parental child abuse, once it begins the child is put in a state of abuse that can be mitigated, but never completely overcome. Parental child abuse puts these painful, hard decisions on others, and, in that sense, broadens the abuse to an untold number of people who care for abused kids. Stop it... stop child abuse... Stop it.

I'm glad I know a God who loves children. I have seen what He can do for these kids, and I pray... I pray for Margarita, Laura, Marco, and Maria. I pray God will do what only He can do. Will you pray for them?

Thank God for children's home workers who pour their lives into these kids, but I wish the need wasn't there. I wish there was no abuse, no self-centered, abusive parents, so... not only must I pray for the children, I must pray for parents. When I pass a family or child through the day I silently pray for the parents. When I see the new born babies in the birthing centers, I pray for the parents. I pray that the abuse will stop. Will you pray?

It's Simple: A Child Needs A Home

I was in a planning meeting in the office at Rivers of Mercy when Dr. Rivas was called out of the office. This is a regular occurrence in any meeting with a man who provides a loving home for 40+ children. In a few minutes he reappeared in the doorway with his hand resting on the shoulder of a boy I had never seen before. 

Dr. Rivas introduced him to us: Alejandro. He had been placed this very night into the care of the Rivers of Mercy Children’s Home. I had never been present for such an occasion, and was touched by the fear on the child’s face. With every breath he shook. But he was home now… rescued right off the streets...

As we stood and welcomed Alejandro I was struck by the simplicity of it all. Just like that… the authorities tapped on the door, gave Dr. Rivas some papers, and a child to care for indefinitely. Can the child be fed? Will there be cloths to wear? A place to sleep? I witnessed something so simple, and yet so profound. Acceptance… Immediate unquestioning acceptance of this new awesome responsibility. For Dr. Rivas the decision was simple: this child will either be on the streets or we will do whatever is necessary to give this child a home.

Whatever is necessary... I think most of us in the “1^st world” insulate ourselves from the reality that there are many children in the world without parents, homes, or families to care for them. We make it all so complicated, and cover it up with red tape. But it's really simple: a child needs a home... a family. If we can't personally give a homeless child a family, there are people who will and do. Let's get behind those people.

I watched Alejandro calm quickly as he played with the other children. He was immediately one of them. Their brother. Simple as that.

Give to Rivers of Mercy Children's Home. 100% of every dollar given goes directly to care of the children.

Rivers Of Mercy Children's Home

Santa Fe Baptist Church
12902 6th Street
Santa Fe, Texas 77510

Make your checks payable to the Church with ROM in the memo. These are tax deductible gifts. 100% of the proceeds are sent weekly to the Children's Home. Pastors Larry Jones and David Locke are available to present this ministry to your church or civic organization.

(There are a number of children's homes using the name Rivers Of Mercy , this one is unaffiliated with the others and is outside Mexico City. The director is Leonardo Rivas)

Bible Reasons For Supporting A Christian Children's Home

Involvement with A Christian children's home partially fulfills the Great Commission given by our Lord in Matthew 28:18-20. There have been literally hundreds of children who have made professions of faith over the years at Rivers Of Mercy Children's Home. Many of those have been baptized. 

Supporting a children's home partially fulfills the commission of our Lord concerning children in Luke 18:16 “But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.”

God is a Father to the fatherless and partnering with a children's rescue ministry is participation in God’s Paternal work among children. Psalm 68:5 A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation. 6 God setteth the solitary in families:”

Participation with a children's home ministry partially fulfills the call for pure undefiled religion. James 1:27 “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.“

Supporting God's work with abused children brings blessings to you. Deuteronomy 24:19 When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be... for the fatherless, ... that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hands. 

There is just something right about helping destitute children in an organized, scriptural way. The time is now.

Give to Rivers of Mercy Children's Home. 100% of every dollar given goes directly to care of the children.

Rivers Of Mercy Children's Home

Santa Fe Baptist Church
12902 6th Street
Santa Fe, Texas 77510

Make your checks payable to the Church with ROM in the memo. These are tax deductible gifts. 100% of the proceeds are sent weekly to the Children's Home. Pastors Larry Jones and David Locke are available to present this ministry to your church or civic organization.

(There are a number of children's homes using the name Rivers Of Mercy , this one is unaffiliated with the others and is outside Mexico City. The director is Leonardo Rivas)

New Facility At Rivers Of Mercy Children's Home

This is the new facility at Rivers Of Mercy Children's Home in Mexico City. We rescue abandoned, abused children. The Auditorium is to the right, the dorms are in the back, and the educational wing is on the left.

A Night shot of the educational wing.

Educational Wing

Library from Dorm 3rd Floor

From The Library to the Auditorium

Auditorium

New Kitchen

Dining Room window

Elvis on the roof

Mercy Trains

The people of the mid and western United States have a unique heritage of meeting the needs of homeless children. This is also a Christian heritage. They called them Mercy or Orphan trains. As eastern cities grew in 19th and early 20th centuries so did the population of homeless children.

These children were a mix of foundlings and orphans who ended up on the streets with no home or parent to care for their needs. Children’s homes were filled to over-capacity. These were children of every age and gender who were not receiving what a child needs most: love and attention. They needed homes, parents, and families. Finally, a group of pastors devised a new method to get these children into loving homes: trains headed west.

The pastors and volunteers back east found and created a network of pastors and volunteers in towns along the railroads. These concerned helpers would recruit families in their region to take these children into their homes. The volunteers back east would load the children onto trains with all their earthly goods, and send them to their new homes in the west.

The west was ready for them. At every stop families and parents would be waiting at the train stations for their new child. These children were scattered all over the mid-western and plains states of the US, and their children and descendants still live there today.

I am thankful to live in one of the most caring and generous nations in the world… let’s never forget our heritage, or the needs of homeless children. Open your hearts, your homes, and your wealth to these kids worldwide. They need us.

I Dreaded The Guilt...

I deeply dreaded going into this place again… an unsettling apprehension tightened my throat. I dreaded the stench and filth. I dreaded the feelings of guilt from knowing I could not, or would not, work in this shelter… not even for a day. I dreaded the frustration of knowing I was helpless to change the situation of most of these people. Never had I visited a place like this, and here I was again.

As I stepped through the gated entrance past piles of garbage and debris higher than my head, I noticed a few children shyly watching with mixed expressions of suspicion and childish curiosity. We walked past a fairly young man bent at the waist, resting his thin shoulders on worn, patched up crutches with his rear pant pockets resting against a dusty wall. He stoically watched as Dr. Rivas, Pastor David Locke, Missionary Rob Lee, and I moved toward the entrance.

This was an unusually beautiful day in Mexico City. I’ve been in this huge city on winter days when the sun was browned out by the smog and dirt roiling through the streets in suffocating clouds. It may sound strange, but I felt such a smog filled day would have balanced things a bit. The bright sunlight and gentle breeze seemed so incompatible with what I was seeing and feeling.

I stepped carefully through the narrow entrance, then walked down a dim confining hallway past a light-bulb gently swinging on wires that traced back to a tangled wad of spliced wires clustered on a wall. I was relieved that on this visit I didn’t have to share the cramped hallway with cartons of rotting vegetables, but as soon as I turned the corner I was struck by the nauseous odors emanating from the blackened, grimy room used as a kitchen to feed over 150 individuals per day… 70 of them homeless children. Many of the adults who reside in this shelter are visibly insane. Adult men and women mixed together with children of both genders… over 30 of these children are younger than 8 years old. A mix mash of society’s lost...

After we entered the large room where those who weren’t wandering the streets during the day congregated, a woman, who was curled up against the raised concrete floor where we stood, began to howl and scream... The pitiful, crazed language of the un-medicated mentally ill. The children in the room continued to play, hearing nothing strange in the screams of this woman. This is the world they wake up to everyday. I guess it is better than the street… What a sad, almost criminal choice: the street or this place.

The children were dressed well (there were piles of donated cloths), and somewhat cleaner than my first visit during the rainy season. I saw no malnutrition. The caregivers, while few, work hard to bring some order to a chaos of overwhelming proportions. They have my respect. But these children need more… much more… I watched as Dr. Rivas spoke in his calm caring voice to each person. He walked over and picked up a child and swung him around like a father just home from work, except this child was unused to such attention, and his eyes opened wide with fear. So Dr. Rivas just held him close and talked to him. Something the child was also unaccustomed to, but needed so desperately. Dr. and Mrs. Rivas are attempting to rescue the children in this place who are 8 and under. He wants them to have a loving home where they can hear the Gospel. Pray... and give... we must feed and cloth these children.

Give to Rivers of Mercy Children's Home. 100% of every dollar given goes directly to care for the children.

Rivers Of Mercy Children's Home
Santa Fe Baptist Church
12902 6th Street
Santa Fe, Texas 77510

Make your checks payable to the Church with ROM in the memo. These are tax deductible gifts. 100% of the proceeds are sent weekly to the Children's Home. Pastor Larry Jones is available to present this ministry to your church or civic organization.

(There are a number of children's homes using the name Rivers Of Mercy , this one is unaffiliated with the others and is outside Mexico City. The director is Leonardo Rivas)

Who's Really Important?

People passing by on the street would never just walk up to that group of men. Everyone can see they are in a serious discussion about important things. And that big gringo from North America must be important... I mean just look at him... standing over six feet tall with graying hair, dressed in a suit and tie. The other men listening carefully as he speaks. But... that little kid doesn't seem to understand what's going on.

Look at him... ears that stick straight out from a scrawny little frame with two large prominent teeth that will probably always be a little too big for his thin face. He's boy... all boy... Eyes filled with mischief, but laced with need. The need to be chased and lifted high into the air by a father. He's one of them isn't he? One of those parent-less kids who used to live on the street. Trash...

They watch as he sneaks up behind the big gringo, pokes him, and jumps away. The big gringo just keeps talking as if he didn't feel the jab. He's talking about important things that the boy just couldn't understand. Things adults talk about. Then, they watch as the urchin pokes him again, and there's an undignified whirl of suit and tie as the big gringo breaks off the important conversation in mid-sentence, and moves quickly, trying to grab the boy.

The boy darts like a rabbit, yelling with delight, as the gringo jumps into action right behind him, laughing out loud as he runs. They run, darting in and out, around the corner out of sight, and then back just as the gringo catches up and grabs the boy, throws him into the air and catches him in his arms as his laughter floods the neighborhood. Treasure...

The people watching are like most the rest of the world... they don't know who's really important. Just like they don't often know the difference between trash and treasure. But the gringo knows who the important one is, and it's not him. It's the boy, Marco. That former street kid. Those watching would be shocked to know that the gringo sees himself as a servant to that boy. In fact, that important discussion was about how to serve Marco and his brothers and sisters better. Marco was the most important person on that sidewalk that night, and, Marco, you are important to me....

Give to Rivers of Mercy Children's Home. A home for homeless children. Marco's home. 100% of every dollar given goes directly to care for the children.

Rivers Of Mercy Children's Home
Santa Fe Baptist Church
12902 6th Street
Santa Fe, Texas 77510

Make your checks payable to the Church with ROM in the memo. These are tax deductible gifts. 100% of the proceeds are sent weekly to the Children's Home. Pastor Larry Jones (the big gringo) is available to present this ministry to your church or civic organization.

(There are a number of children's homes using the name Rivers Of Mercy , this one is unaffiliated with the others and is outside Mexico City. The director is Leonardo Rivas)

Violence In Mexico

I have been deeply concerned about the news of violence in Mexico. Carol and I love Mexico and have many friends in this complex, beautiful country. We have traveled to or through most of the Mexican states, and have just returned from Rivers of Mercy Children’s Home in Acolman, a town on the outskirts of Mexico City.

Before leaving I received calls from concerned friends encouraging me to put the trip off until the violence has stopped. People I trust warned me not to travel through the border towns and northern states of Mexico. I always fly… so I miss these states.

The morning we boarded the plane I grabbed USA TODAY because of a front page headline about violence in Mexico. The average North American reading this lengthy article would think Mexico was falling into violent anarchy. The article was so sensational that I wondered what I would find different in Mexico City from when I was there five months ago. In a word this is what I found to be different: Nothing…

I asked every Mexican I met to tell me how the violence in Mexico has changed their lives. All of them looked at me like I was from another planet. When I explained about the news reports in the US they all expressed knowledge of this violence, but said it was taking place on the border and had no effect on their lives in central and southern Mexico. When I said there were rumors of possible civil war or the fall of Mexican government they all laughed.

Most North Americans know little about the geography of Mexico. When they read city names in articles they generally don’t know where these cities are located in relation to other cities in Mexico. Here’s a short primer on comparative distances in Mexico. The article on violence in Mexico and a US State Department Tourism Alert mentioned the following cities as crime hot spots:

Tijuana – located south of San Diego, California and 1,429 miles northwest of Mexico City. Tijuana is as far from Mexico City as the Canadian border is from Houston.

Juarez – located south of El Paso, Texas and 965 miles north of Mexico City. Juarez is as far from Mexico City as Washington D.C. is from Miami. I had opportunity to visit with a pastor from this city of almost 2 million people. He said the crime is mostly centered in areas Christians don’t visit, but, sadly, many US tourists visit these areas and do become victims of crime. (bars, prostitution, & drug related areas)

Matamoros – Located south of Brownsville, Texas (the southernmost US city on the Mexican border) and 456 miles from Mexico City. Matamoros is just about as far from Mexico City as Nashville, Tennessee is from New Orleans. (All distances from Google Maps Driving Directions)

Anytime a citizen of the US visits some of the outrageously overpopulated cities of the world they should always know where they are, keep a low profile, and avoid all dangerous areas and events. When we take guests to Mexico City, possibly the 2^nd most populated city in the world, we deliberately avoid certain areas and know exactly where we are at all times. Crime is a horrible reality in every major city in the world… even the US. If you ever visit New York, Miami, Houston, or LA you better know where you are at all times…

I personally think much of the reporting, while factually accurate, is deliberately sensationalized with political motives. It is my hunch that this bad news will be used to modify existing laws and immigration policies concerning Mexican citizens living in the US.

I have been leading groups to Mexico for decades and, thanks to God, have never had an incident. We are still planning a group visit to Mexico City and the Rivers Of Mercy Children’s Home this July. Safety is our priority… always. But, with that being said, the cities just south of the US/Mexican border should only be visited by people who have extensive experience in these areas and a good reason to be there. Pray…