"Mama, tengo frio//Mommy, I'm cold"

Those were the heartbreaking words I heard a few minutes ago as Pastor Dolores, his wife Sylvia and I visited in the home (I use the term loosely) of the new family in our church. Most of you know that extreme cold has come to Saltillo - the last few days have been in the 30s and tonight sleet is falling, making all the surfaces icy.

Hugo, 5 years old, had the hood up on his light jacket but was huddled near his mother, shivering with cold. We were sitting in their "kitchen" visiting, encouraging them in the Lord, listening to them talk about their struggles. They have no money, no heat in their home, no refrigerator; the father is barely able to find sporadic work but with the poor economy, sometimes the employers have money to pay him; most of the time they don't.

The couple have 4 boys; their 2 oldest boys spent the day in our home, playing with our boys and eating meals with us. The hunger was obvious on their faces as they ate BBQ Chicken, Cheese Potatoes, Corn, Cole Slaw, Rolls and chocolate chip cookies. Who knows the last time they had chicken to eat?

We prayed with them and Sylvia gave them some hot chocolate and strawberries she had brought from Guanajuato. They were so thankful; someone knocked at the door and brought them a bowl - 1 bowl - of soup; again, so thankful...

We walked out through the sleet to our car and my heart was breaking. I walked in the door of our little house, which now looked like a mansion. I felt the heat from our space heater. I looked at my plastic "pantry" shelves with food on them, at my refrigerator, my microwave....and felt like I had walked into a mansion. I began telling Marc all about it...we started pulling things together to take to them: food items, blankets, an extra electric heater we have. Pastor Dolores and Marc drove back to their house and took them the things we had collected....so thankful, they were.

Lord, help them keep warm tonight, help them keep following You and help me be thankful for the multitude of blessings You've given me. May my hands hold loosely to those blessings so I can share them at a moment's notice with some of your most needy children. And please, Lord, keep Hugo warm tonight......