2008 Ninos Highlights

Hello Rancho Vista Church,

Saturday was the culmination of our Niños de Natividad 2008 campaign – without question the most successful Niños yet!  It was an incredibly emotional and life-changing day for me and I’m sure those who were able to come would agree.  So many of you played important roles and I want to give everyone a final report on this year’s Niños campaign.

1. In the midst of severe economic times for all of us, we managed to collect more than 3,500 new toys, shoes, jackets, and blankets!  It was an all-time record and an amazing display of generosity.
2. On Sunday, December 14th more than 100 people joined us for our “wrapping fiesta,” another new Niños record!  The event attracted several new families to RVC for the first time, so thanks to everyone for being bold and intentional about inviting friends and neighbors.
3. On Saturday, December 20th about 56 of us piled into cars, trucks and vans and caravanned south to Ensenada to deliver the gifts.  Highlights of the day included:

• Safely transporting 3,500 gifts to Ensenada without any mechanical or border problems.  And thanks to our friends at Hilarious Givers, we also transported approximately 4 TONS (5 full shipping pallets) of food that was eventually shared between Rancho Esparanza (where the Niños event took place) and the orphanage we support in Ensenada.
• Enjoying our synergistic partnership with the church in Ensenada.  We arrived to the facility to find that they had already provided chairs, jumpies, live music, and food for the thousands who would attend.
• Watching approximately 3,000-4,000 local families arrive at the event by foot, cars bicycles and buses.  A huge thank you to those of you who provided financial contributions that helped to fund the rental of the buses, which accounted for the largest portion of the huge crowd.
• Seeing the Gospel shared with all of these people – and many of them (I’m guessing 100+) responding to God’s message of love and forgiveness.
• Partnering with new friends from Tulare churches, who augmented our 3,500 gifts with approximately 1,000 of their own.  Amazing things happen when God’s people are united by the Holy Spirit.
• Finishing an amazing day by passing out those 4,500 individual items to the poorest of the poor in Mexico in less than two hours.  As one of the leaders once said “We are the only Christmas these people will have this year.”

It was a chaotic, overwhelming, and life-changing event!  We left Saturday afternoon feeling challenged to collect even more items and to deliver them more effectively to more of these needy people next year!

Thank you so much for your support.  This event would have been impossible without so many of you donating items, underwriting costs, wrapping, and transporting these gifts.  I can’t imagine a stronger Biblical testimony than watching everyone set aside their own financial (and other) challenges and going above and beyond in helping their less fortunate brothers and sisters in Christ.  In tough times a spirit of generosity prevailed.  Praise God!