Shining On Stage at El Jordán

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Published: Sunday, 26 November 2017 13:46

Written by Corina Clements Soria

Graduation night at El Jordán always is a highlight for me… it brings the whole year together… Everyone celebrating… kids, teenagers… parents… volunteers and workers… families… Remembering who God is… what He has done… pointing towards what He still is going to do… Can there be a better day than that?

People sometimes ask… “Why do the girls wear graduation gowns?” (or in other words, Why do you make such a big fuss about just coming to some classes at El Jordán?) Let me explain: it is a prize… a special recognition of our girls´ efforts and sacrifices… a celebration of their worth and dignity…

Imagine for a minute… someone who has maybe only studied until grade 2, 3 or 4... someone whose own family rejected them or kicked them out of the house when they were barely in the double digits… whose family may never have gone to look for them when they ran away… someone who the only “love” they knew was a moment of being used, and then thrown away… Our girls can close their eyes and still hear accusing voices hammering in their heads, “Stupid….”, “Idiot”, “I curse the day you were born!”, “You are good for nothing!” “I´m not your mom! (grandma, sister…) I am dead to you!!!” Now imagine when they get all dressed up… hair done… makeup on… the graduation gown on… and they hear THEIR name being read… they walk down the (blue) carpet with all the eyes just on them… Eyes that aren´t mocking… hateful… or rude… Eyes that are happy… eyes that are proud… They hear the applause of the people… for THEM!!!! They get a diploma with THEIR name on it… they get to go up on stage… honored… appreciated… Can´t you see how amazing a night this is?

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On the Battlefield

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Published: Sunday, 08 October 2017 12:46

Written by Corina Clements Soria

Ever since the garden of Eden, God´s enemy has strived to destroy “the apple of God´s eye”… Those tactics have continued to this day… The thief came to steal, destroy and kill… and even now, Satan doesn´t want us to know THE WAY, THE TRUTH and THE LIFE… God says, “I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one.” Ezekiel 22:30

God wants our eyes set on HIM… As we walk along THE WAY, that we encourage, uplift, exhort others in their walk… as well as: “standing in the gap”, “snatching others out of the fire”, “Rescue the weak and needy; Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked,” and “deliver those who are being taken away to death, And those who are staggering to slaughter, Oh hold them back.” Can you hear the passion? Can you feel it in the pit of your stomach?

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Update From Heidi

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Published: Sunday, 03 September 2017 12:46

Written by Corina Clements Soria

When God shows you fruit...

“O God, you have taught me from my earliest childhood, and I constantly tell others about the wonderful things you do.” “…Let me proclaim your power to this new generation, your mighty miracles to all who come after me.” Psalm 71:17, 18b

For years we have often prayed over how to get our churches more involved with our families and our families more involved/comfortable with church… it has been one of El Jordan’s desires to connect, be the bridge in this gap, knowing that for our families to grow, we ourselves can not be the only ones to walk alongside of them. The strengths and support from a church family would fill needs (physical, emotional and spiritual) that we alone would never be able to do by ourselves.

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Survival - An Update From El Jordán

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Published: Friday, 01 September 2017 12:46

Written by Corina Clements Soria

I´ve known María Eugenia since she was only a couple months old… in her mom´s arms… on the streets… That was about 19 years ago… You might not recognize her name or her nickname… “Mamuka”… but you just MIGHT remember me telling a story about her… a story that 17 years later, still touches my heart…

Back then, social services wasn´t as active and babies and children would grow up beside their parents on the streets… I can close my eyes and see little Mamuka… dirty cheeks… blue corduroy overalls… two years old… living on the back side of a downtown market in Santa Cruz. It was as much home to her as anywhere else...

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