Summer kicked off with seven of my kids graduating!! I got to be the godfather for four of them!! It was such an honor being able to walk with them in their graduation ceremonies. I met several of these kids when they were just halfway through 2nd grade, and now they're going on to middle school!! It's been so awesome to be able to be with them every week and watch them grow into the amazing people that God has designed them to be. I've been able to be with them through good times and bad times, and it was all so worth it. I'm excited to see what great things God has in store for them in this next huge step of their lives!!
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The week after, we jumped in to Días Locos Para Cristo, our kids summer camp! We had 33 kids with 25 teens and 15 adults helping out. It was our first time going camping with the kids, and, to be honest, it was a huge and stressful learning experience. Through it all, though, the kids had a ton of fun, and they heard the most valuable secret: that they are loved and valued by God and that He is their Heavenly Father who cares about them so much. Also, they learned that they are Secret Agents of Christ and that they need to complete their mission of sharing this secret with the whole world so that everyone can be a secret agent for Jesus!! For me personally, it was really stressful, but being able to spend time with the kids and do something fun for them was all worth while. Thanks to all who donated to help make this possible!! Another thank you to Courtney, Carissa, Hedgar, and Christian for coming out and helping out with camp!! The kids, as well as I,
appreciated your guys' help!! If you or a group of you would like to come help with an event with Operation: Worth, whether it be camp or kids crusades or just normal day-to-day events, please send an email to daniel.ratz92@gmail.com, or send me a message on Facebook!!
The week after Kids Camp, we had our Vacation Bible School!! Our theme was HeartWash, where we taught the kids that there are many things that can dirty our hearts, but only God's forgiveness through what Jesus did on the cross for us can make our hearts clean again. Unfortunately, I only have this one photo from when we were eating since I was so busy during the other times of VBS. We had around 40 kids show up, and about 15 of them were new!! Please be praying with me that the new kids come back to our Saturday kids club, and that all the kids remember that Jesus is the only One who can make us clean again!__________________________________________________________________
The 9-12 of August is Adolescentes Unidos, our Teen Camp!! We were planning on going to a ranch in Rosarito and doing something huge for the teens, but no one could pay :( So, we're having it at the church again. I know that God is still going to move in a mighty way. Please be praying that the teens are willing to receive from God and that everything flows smoothly. Also, several of the kids still can't pay for camp, although I cut the price in half to only $15. If you can help sponsor a teen for camp, please do so at paypal.me/DanielRatzMissions, or on the right side of this blog (if you are seeing this from the actual website and not in email.)__________________________________________________________________
I don't believe that I announced this, but I am officially the founder of Operation: Worth!! It was a long and confusing process, but the board and I did it!! Hopefully, we will have 501(c)(3) status very soon. A huge, special thank you to Abigail M. who helped so much in making this possible.
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School is coming up soon, and I'm looking for school supplies!! If you can donate school supplies, whether it be for elementary, middle school, or high school, please let me know, and I'll be sure to send you an address on where to send stuff!! A great idea would be to fill a backpack with school supplies and send it with a name tag attached to a certain kid who needs it!! Here are a list of names and grades of some of the kids who are in need:
Cesar - Kindergarten
Marco "Alex" Alejandro - 2nd
Fernando - 4th
Juan Carlos - 5th
Jaqueline - 10th
Robert "Estif" Steven - 7th
Natalia - 4th
Luis - 5th
Edwin - 3rd
Julissa - 7th
Alberto - 9th
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As always, thank you so much for your attention and for caring about me and these kids. You don't know how appreciative I really am.
May God continue to shower you all in blessings upon blessings,
Daniel Ratz, founder of Operation: Worth
