Gratitude Report 2023

Gratitude23

CHILDREN’S HOME

Honoring Our Past

HOW WE BEGAN — LOOKING TOWARD THE FUTURE

In 1963 God called missionary Herb Hatfield across the border of El Paso/Juarez, to share the gospel of salvation to the Mexican people. He joined a Christian woman, named Jesusita, to care for children who were on the streets, neglected, hungry, dirty and hurting. Children who roamed the dangerous streets of Juarez while their mothers worked across the border for weeks at a time. My father, Josue Lopez, who was ministering the area as a pastor from the Salvation Army, felt God was calling him to join Herb and Jesusita to care for the needs of the many children that kept coming under Jesusita’s care. Josue, a young Mexican pastor, running into Herb, a young American missionary was no coincidence, it was a God appointed meeting. They became friends and for 12 years Herb and Josue worked together building a ministry that has stood the test of time.

After 60 years, the passing of Jesusita, Herb and Josue, and after enduring a fire that destroyed all the original buildings in 2020, Emmanuel Children’s Home continues to have its doors open as a refuge for children and families in crisis.

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

–James 1:27 NIV

Juarez is now one of the most dangerous border cities in the world. Emmanuel is a place of refuge where children in vulnerable situations find love, care and the beautiful gift of salvation in Jesus Christ. God’s faithfulness for over 60 years has been a testimony of His love and the power of the unity of the Body of Christ. JUNTOS — TOGETHER for 60 years, brethren from the United States and Mexico have worked hand in hand to make our big Emmanuel Family, the village that is raising the next generation of children who love the Lord.

Join us as we rejoice with gratitude for 2023, and for all the children the Lord has brought through Emmanuel to heal their hearts, change their lives and transform their futures.

Withagratefulheart,

BetelLopez CEO 2ndGeneration

the Children

LIFE AT EMMANUEL

“Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’ “

– Matthew 19:14

Our children live at the Home from Sunday to Friday receiving all basic needs, care, love and support.

the Children

LIFE AT EMMANUEL

Basic Needs

Our children come from broken homes and extreme poverty. At the Home, with your support, we provide for the most basic necessities like personal hygiene and clothing.

Food

NOURISHING BODIES AND MINDS

Many of our children are malnourished when they first arrive at the Home. We provide three nutritious meals and two healthy snacks every day.

Gratitude23 Shelter

A SAFE ENVIRONMENT

“And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.”

– Matthew 18:5

The Home is like a big house with many moms and many siblings, a big yellow house where our children know they are cared for and safe.

Medical Care

KEEPING OUR KIDS HEALTHY

“ The Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous.”

– Psalm 146:8

Children arrive at Emmanuel many times in need of urgent health care. First we pray for our little ones, then we provide the best medical, dental and therapeutic care thanks to your support.

At Emmanuel Jesus is our Healer.

Emmanuel Children’s Home is packed full of remarkable stories and miracles – each one represented with the sweet face of our children at the Home. Mario was born into heartbreaking conditions. Because of drug addiction and crime, Mario is under the care of his kind, but aging and heartbroken grandmother. Addiction during Mario’s development in the womb had severe consequences. He has received numerous diagnoses from various doctors – some very discouraging, among them microcephalia. His brain cannot grow or develop impairing him from developing healthy feelings or learning new information. ADHD has produced serious cognitive and developmental setbacks for Mario.

When he arrived at Emmanuel, his grandmother was desperate. Mario had been expelled from every school and every institution she had tried to get him help. While he is bright, helpful, and a very cheerful little guy, he remained literally unable to sit still for any amount of time. The chemical imbalance in his brain was such, he was unable to lay still even to sleep at night.

We began to pray and ask for wisdom to know how to help this family and for God to heal Mario. We sought various medical and psychiatric evaluations and treatments in attempts to understand Mario’s specific needs and improve his developmental progress in any way possible. While we are grateful for medical intervention through therapy and medication, we rest in knowing that Jesus is our healer.

After 6 months of treatment and against all odds, Mario’s brain is growing. He is learning to read and write. He now can sit still to participate in many more activities, new and exciting for his life and development.

God is giving us a beautiful miracle in the healing for Mario. All praise be to the Lord!

Education

“All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children.”

– Isaiah 54:13

KINDERGARTEN AT EMMANUEL

We are grateful that with your support in 2023 we were able to open our Kindergarten and teach our youngest children here at Emmanuel basic early education and Christian values.

Gratitude23 Education

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

Our children ride the bus each day to attend a nearby public elementary school. With your support we provide them with uniforms, school supplies, tutoring, and constant encouragement for them to overcome all obstacles, we pray with them for the Lord to give them wisdom and help them succeed.

“And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and all people.”

–Luke 2:25

Celebrations

SPREADING HAPPINESS

At the home we always have reasons for celebration! Every month we have our children’s birthday celebrations, Easter, Child’s Day, Mexican holidays, graduations, Thanksgiving and Christmas, just to name a few! We invite you to come and visit and join our children during one of our fun celebrations!

Spiritual Care

We are committed to sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. We believe it is our job to plant the seed and God takes care of the rest. We ask for your prayers for our childrens’ hearts to always turn to God.

“Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!”

– Deuteronomy 5:29

KEEPING OUR FOCUS ON GOD

Helping our Families AND THE COMMUNITY

We serve our children’s families and our community

Emmanuel Ministries shows God’s love in action to the families of our children in our community. We provide urgent basic needs like food, blankets, medical and dental attention as well as spiritual support and counseling.

TheTarahumaracommunityisoneof thelargestindigenoustribesinNorthAmerica with nearly 100,000 people. A few blocks from the Home, there is a small space that houses the traditions and customs of at least 99 families who live in this community, a total of about 350 people, who fight every day to maintain their origins in the middle of the city. They have faced the marginalization of some services such as electricity, gas or water, education, and health services. They have their own religious practices, their own education and even their own government. And they follow their own rules and customs. Unfortunately like every culture, the Tarahumaracommunity struggleswithalcoholism,drugaddiction, andpromiscuitymakingthewomenand childrenthemostvulnerable.

Seven years ago, God brought the first Tarahumara family to Emmanuel. Juana, a single mom of four, came to Emmanuel against the instructions of their governor to find support with the care and education of her children. TodayatEmmanuelweserve14familiesand 23Tarahumarachildren.

During 2023 we served families by installing window and door security ironwork. Our girls shared their fear of intruders while at their homes on the weekends. We were happy to supportourgirlswithsomethingsoimportant astheirsafety.We are impacting the Tarahumara community as we serve, clean, paint, secure and refurbish their homes. Showing these families God’s love in tangible ways has been a powerful message.

Our Emmanuel Family

Our children are blessed when YOU come and visit bringing love, joy, VBS, pool parties, pizza parties, games, fun and lots of hugs. Thank you for coming to this city and showing the world what God’s love looks like!

“By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another.”

–John 13:35

Our Emmanuel Family

Our Emmanuel Family

“Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.”

–Romans 12:4-5

TOGETHER – JUNTOS – we are raising the next generation of children who love the Lord. We are so grateful for YOU.

Thank you for being part of the body of Christ and loving the Lord.

Sponsorship

Child sponsorship at Emmanuel is a model that allows for one-on-one relationships between a child and a sponsor, while pooling the gifts of all sponsors who support children at the children’s home. As a result, we are able to provide holistic, long-term support for lasting change. Our suggested child sponsorship monthly gift is $45. It is a significant commitment, but the incredible difference it makes in the life of a child is invaluable. Our kids receive all of the following benefits:

•three healthy, well-balanced meals each day,

•medical and dental care

• specialized care by neurologist and psychologist when necessary

•a safe warm place to call home

•a Christian, high-quality education

•creative outlets

• loving care and personal attention by a team of caregivers and professionals.

Our children always love to receive letters and packages from their sponsors. Our first recommendation is that you send a photo of you and your family! It is a great way to introduce yourself to your sponsored child.

I love that I have been able to be a part of child sponsorship these last 12 years. These kids and Emmanuel have changed my life. They have shown me who God is and they have exemplified his strength, joy, grace, and mercy. I have learned how to love others better because of my relationships at Emmanuel. I love that I have a connection and relationship with the kids that I sponsor. They are not just a face in a picture –they are people who I know, who I love, and who I get to see all throughout the year.

–Scotti Moats.

SPONSOR a child. Invest in the future of a child and develop a relationship with them.

Hands On THE EMMANUEL TEAM

We are blessed with a group of people dedicated to serving the needs of our 60 children. Our staff feels called by God to serve at Emmanuel. We are a big family, we work together, we eat together, we pray together, we cry together and together we believe our children are precious and they deserve all our love and dedication. We ask you to keep all our Emmanuel staff in your prayers for health, patience, joy, peace and wisdom to raise the next generation of children who love the Lord.

Building Our School

We need our school building. Our children need their own school given their difficult situations and special circumstances. We continue to have many issues with the public education system, teachers who are not sensitive to the needs of our children and the situations they are going through. Most importantly, public school does not teach any Christian values. We want to give our children not only the opportunity of a good education but a Christ centered one.

By the grace of God, and with the support of all of you and the summer mission teams, we were able to build our kindergarten classroom and the foundations and cement platform where the elementary grade classrooms will be built. Our kindergartners are already attending school at Emmanuel. Praise God for all the progress!

We need to build the next classroom for 1st and 2nd grade. With your prayers, financial support and encouragement we know we can do it. Pray with us. And if the Lord is calling you to come and help build our new school, do not hesitate to contact us.

We will be using a Montessori curriculum so first, second and third grades will be combined and use one large classroom. This is Phase 2 of the project.

Scan the QR Code to view the video and learn more about the rebuild.

Kindergarten Room t

2023

Of the donations to Emmanuel Ministries, 89% are used for programs directly, benefiting children in need, their families, and our community. This has been our targeted goal over the years and we praise God for His faithfulness through each one of you who makes this work possible.

n Children’s Care and Education

n Management, Fundraising & Promotion

Hope. Love. Joy.

THANKS FOR YOUR FAITHFULNESS

We Always Need…

There are many items that are needed when caring for 60+ children. Here is a list of some of the things we use on a daily basis.

• Children’s socks (6-16)

• Jeans (4-12)

• Boys & girls summer pajamas (4-12)

• Red Polo shirts sizes 4 and 5

• Shower flip-flops (4-12)

• Shower towels

• Bathroom floor mats

• Plastic shower curtains

• Crib mattress size sheets for boys dorm

• Hair brushes

• Girls hair bands

• Kitchen rags

• Large kitchen storage containers

• Ziploc bags for sandwiches

• Small children’s dining chairs

• Watercolors

• Bracelet making kit

• Face masks for children & adults

• Adult plastic gloves

• Lavender and eucalyptus essential oils

• Toothpaste

• Children’s Tylenol

• Neosporin

• A+D ointment

• Band-Aids

• Bandages

• Children’s wipes

• Sugar-free multi-vitamin gummies

• Sugar-free magnesium gummies

Use this QR code for a link to the Amazon Wish List

Thank You Emmanuel Family

Churches, sponsors, organizations and businesses who join us in our mission to show God’s love to children and families in need.

And the King will say, “I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me.”

–Matthew 25:40

PRAY WITH US.

Please pray for the children, staff, supporters and our plans and mission.

PARTNER financially.

Become a recurring donor. Invest in the future of our children through an automatic recurring donation.

VISIT us. Leave a lasting mark on the children’s lives as well as yours. 915.269.2211 for more info.

SHARE with others about our children. Sharing who we are, and what we do, with friends and family who do not know about Emmanuel and our beautiful children.

Give online or mail your donation to:

Emmanuel Ministries

El Paso, TX 79942

• P.O. Box 147

Website emmanueljuarez.org

Email contact@emmanuelgo.org

US Phone 915.269.2211

MX Phone 011 52 656 6 15 11 37

Facebook Emmanuel Children’s Home Juarez lnstagram Emmanuelonthego

Emmanuel Ministries is a registered religious nonprofit organization. In MX and USA all donations are deductible.