This Thanksgiving, we had a massive feast on Cypress St. Our plan was to feed and bring festivities to at least 700 people. We are great friends with a fabulous caterer who was dreaming big and donated meals for 800 people. Early Thanksgiving morning we gathered with our volunteers in the rain. We swept the street and got it ready for the feast. We set up tables and chairs, DJ equipment for music, a bounce house and other fun activities. The afternoon began with music blaring and kids running from booth to booth. It rained on us for a few minutes but that sure didn't stop us from having fun! After a few hours of playing, we lined everyone up and distributed meals. This process was flawless, due to our amazing volunteers. By the end of the feeding, there was absolutely no food left. We fed over 700 people! God truly showed up and multiplied our meals and people and made sure everyone was satisfied. Once we began eating, our Amigos friends put on a concert and shared the true message of Thanksgiving. It reflected what I believe the true meaning of Thanksgiving is. Family and friends gathered together in fellowship and reflected on their blessings. Everything ran without a hitch and the community was so blessed. This was truly a blessed day and got our focus on what it means to be fully thankful and set the tone for the holidays to come.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
THANKSGIVING FEAST!
This Thanksgiving, we had a massive feast on Cypress St. Our plan was to feed and bring festivities to at least 700 people. We are great friends with a fabulous caterer who was dreaming big and donated meals for 800 people. Early Thanksgiving morning we gathered with our volunteers in the rain. We swept the street and got it ready for the feast. We set up tables and chairs, DJ equipment for music, a bounce house and other fun activities. The afternoon began with music blaring and kids running from booth to booth. It rained on us for a few minutes but that sure didn't stop us from having fun! After a few hours of playing, we lined everyone up and distributed meals. This process was flawless, due to our amazing volunteers. By the end of the feeding, there was absolutely no food left. We fed over 700 people! God truly showed up and multiplied our meals and people and made sure everyone was satisfied. Once we began eating, our Amigos friends put on a concert and shared the true message of Thanksgiving. It reflected what I believe the true meaning of Thanksgiving is. Family and friends gathered together in fellowship and reflected on their blessings. Everything ran without a hitch and the community was so blessed. This was truly a blessed day and got our focus on what it means to be fully thankful and set the tone for the holidays to come.
PRAYER
Thank you to all who keep us in your prayers. We would be nothing without your support. Because Letty has so many supporters all over the country, we maintain this blog to keep everyone updated. Here are our current prayer needs:
- PRAY that all 114 members of the Cypress community get sponsored for Christmas gifts and need this season.
- PRAY for the Christmas gift shopping for the community. This is a big task but we have fabulous volunteers pitching in!
- PRAY for our volunteers! They have committed to us and been so faithful to help in the community. We ask a lot of them!
- PRAY for Letty as she just celebrated her birthday. Pray for many more birthdays and years of ministry.
- PRAY for safety as we distribute our Christmas gifts to Cypress St.
- PRAY for safety as we take our service team to help build floats for the Pasadena Rose Parade. Such a fun opportunity!
- PRAY for unity amongst the high school students as we serve another community together.
- PRAY for Letty as she heads back East to spend Christmas with her family in New York.
- PRAY for safety as she heads to Pennsylvania to visit supporters.
- PRAY for wisdom as she encourages the local church in PA by sharing highlights of 2008.
- PRAY for safety as we head to Mexico to serve at an orphanage and in a community that does not have sanitary bathrooms, running water or electricity.
- PRAY for the leading of the Holy Spirit as we serve. Ask the Lord to give us His heart of compassion, and His eyes, hands and feet to GO and BE Jesus to a dying world.
THANK YOU for your prayers and support. Remember December 31, 2008 is the last day to make a 2008 tax-deductible donation. Payable to Hill of Hope, PO Box 436, Yorba Linda Ca 92885.
Fall Recap



FRIENDS!!!!
It has been a long time since our last update. I have been crazy busy with school, finals, winter festivities, music, travelling... This month has been so full for both Letty and I. Letty is having fun in New York City as I write from my parents cozy house in Orange County. As I think back over the last few months, I feel so blessed to have a schedule full of fun activities. As an organization, we have seen new support abounding. As a missionary, Letty is able to take a break and spend quality time with her family on the East Coast. As a student, I am able to take a break from my studies and focus on our organization and making sure everyone is covered for the holidays. As I reflect, let me share with you some of our past events.
On Halloween this year, we were able to bring over 60 kids and adults from Cypress St. to our YLFC's Family Fun Fest. The service team did a fantastic job of gathering volunteers and making sure the night ran smoothly. We had high school students and volunteers from another church come and adopt the Cypress kids for the night. They took them around the festival and gave the a night to remember. After the evening was over, we took the service team cosmic bowling, in full costume. It was fabulous! There was a DJ and dance contest, which of course Vicente was the winner. We danced down the lanes and did not stop all night. This truly was a highlight.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Wanna Help?
So, we are constantly asked, "how can I help?" Let me show you!!!!!!!!!
- $50- provides a week of program material to keep high school students off the street.
- $250- Gets one teen out of the neighborhood for a weekend trip to camp to experience a life beyond violence and fear, specifically high school camp with Yorba Linda Friends Church in February.
- $300- Helps elementary age children excel in school by providing incentives that they earn from working hard on their homework.
- $500- Provides groceries and meets domestic needs for families in the community.
- $1000- Help cover transportation expenses and after school activities, such as transportation to and from church and our tutoring program.
- $2500- This would fund our entire summer program for 2 months, and help build and continue relationships with 100 children and their families.
- $5000-$10000- Will pay for a part time staff member for a year to invest their time in the lives of our families through relational programs.
All donations are tax-deductable. Make checks payable to:
Hill of Hope
PO Box 436
Yorba Linda, CA 92885
Please reference in the memo portion of the check: LOT 318. This will assure that the monies donated will go directly to the organization and Cypress St. ministry.
Check out our website to become more familiar with our mission statement and all that we are a part of.
www.thehillofhope.com
Thank you for your continuous love and support! Crazy, amazing things are happening here and none of it would be possible without you.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Prayer Requests
We have so much to be thankful for. Letty and I have been blessed with an amazing organization that supports us with whatever God calls us too. We have endless resources and fabulous people to work with. I am so grateful. At the moment, our town is in a crisis. I feel it is necessary to turn our attention to our surroundings. Yesterday, a major fire broke out in Yorba Linda and surrounding areas. Never have I seen such a devastating sight. I was driving into town from Carlsbad, and it looked like the end of the world. The sky was so clear where I was, but turned completely black as I drove into Yorba Linda. Last night, my uncle stayed with us as he and his family were evacuated from their home. One of our students on the service teams backyard was engulfed in flames. A very good friend of mine's home burned down to the ground. Nothing left. The local schools are cancelled until further notice. Ash has covered our streets and the air is still full of smoke. I don't know what God is trying to tell us, but I cannot help but be so attentive to His voice at this time. It is confusing and sad and horrible, but God is so faithful. Please keep Yorba Linda in your prayers.
In the midst of tragedy, great things are happening. Here are things you can please pray for on Cypress Street.
1. Our Tuesday night bible study. Families in the community are gathering every Tuesday night to do a bible study. People are falling in love with Jesus Christ all over the place.
2. Letty is in Tennessee right now visiting supporters. Please pray for her safety as she travels, and continued support from those in Tennessee.
3. We are preparing for our HUGE Thanksgiving feast in two weeks. We are expecting to feed 500 people on Cypress Street. Things are falling into place, and time is moving quickly. I cannot wait for this day, it is my favorite holiday! What a blessing to share it with those I love!
4. Please pray for the residents on Cypress St. We are having some issues with people having to move out of their apartments. Pray for housing for them and that the landlords will be merciful with this community.
5. Pray for continued support for Hill of Hope. We are eternally grateful for you support and pray that it continues because the Lord is not finished with us! Major things are happening, Placentia is definitely being put on the map!
Words cannot express our love for our supporters as well as the work we get to do. God is just getting started here and it is an exciting ride for sure! Thank you for your prayers and support. WE LOVE YOU VERY MUCH!!!!!!!!!
Friday, October 31, 2008
Awakening
Our eyes are continuously being opened to the work God is doing around us. Honestly, I am seeing people and my community in a completely different light since working on Cypress St. I have to share with you my most awakening moment thus far. This summer, we had a huge 4th of July slip n' slide block party. The kids were having sooooooo much fun running and sliding through the soapy/grassy/dirty water on the slide. After about an hour of the shenanigans, I noticed Eddy ( a majorly cute sixth grader) standing against the wall, watching everyone play. Now a little background. Eddy was born with one leg. He has a prosthetic that he can take on and off. I was unaware of this at the time, because he always wears long pants. I asked him what he was doing standing against the wall instead of participating in the fun. He told me he really wanted to play but was too embarrassed. I was like, "What? Why would you be embarrassed? We love you! This is your family! No shame here my friend!" He still hesitated but then disappeared into the apt. complex. About 45 minutes later, here comes Eddy in his swim trunks hopping down the grass and flopping onto the slide! He got the courage to remove his prosthetic and come play. This was a beautiful sight. I could not believe the courage this youngster mustered up to be a participant in the fun. I had to sneak away and show Letty what was happening. We both stood there teary and in awe of the power of the Lord in the most simple pleasures. I was awakened that day to the beauty of the people and the absolute power of God in my life and the lives of others. I will never forget the courage I witnessed that day. This is why we do what we do.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Love God. Love Others. Summer edition.

LOVE. The greatest commandment. Our calling. If we can sum up our summer into one word, Love is what it would be. We love the community we get to work in. We love the people we work with. Above it all, Christ loves us so we can love others. We love God, we love others. It is truly that simple.
The summer started with a multitude of movie nights. We set up couches in the middle of the street and projected a kid-friendly movie onto the side of one of the apartment complexes. We made popcorn, snow cones, had barbecues. The evenings were perfectly simple and filled with fellowship and fun. These movie nights continued on through the summer, every other weekend. Our first major event took place on the fourth of July. We took advantage of the scorching heat and made a massive slip n' slide. We put together gigantic water balloon launchers and had water balloon fights from one side of the street to the other. The men in the community came out and barbecued hot dogs and hamburgers. Then in the evening, we packed the beautiful people into our trusty church shuttle and took off to watch fireworks in the park. This was a chaotic, crazy, amazing experience. There were at least 2500 people at the park, so navigating 40 kids through the masses was a little scary, but worked out wonderfully. The kids put on their best behavior and stood in awe of the show put before them. Most of them had never seen fireworks before, let alone 2500 people all in one place. The looks on their faces were absolutely priceless. The day was filled with new experiences and great awakenings. What a good day that was. Shortly after the fourth, Letty left for Cuba and left me alone to run things! Aah! I was honestly freaked out, Letty may be small but she has got huge shoes to fill! The movie nights continued as well as a few beach days with the older students. Things ran without a hitch. God was showing a lot of mercy on me :).
Letty and I recently made a new contact which is now supporting Hill of Hope in major ways. Richfield Community Church has jumped on board with our vision for Cypress Street, and has been a huge support to the cause. They raised over 8000 bucks in two weekends for Cypress St.! In addition, they "adopted" elementary and junior high students to take back-to-school shopping. One adult got one kid and took them to Wal Mart for a shopping spree. What a great experience! The kids were so grateful for not only the clothing, but the time spent. Isn't it an amazing feeling, knowing someone loves you and wants to just spend time with you? These new volunteers have really made the kids feel special. After the shopping spree, Amigos Church (the Spanish church from Yorba Linda Friends Church) donated backpacks and school supplies to the same kids. We had an end of summer BBQ/talent show in which we distributed the backpacks. All the parents came out and took pride in their children who are truly learning the value of education. One thing that Letty and I are passionate about, is showing these kids that they are worth a good education. These backpacks really made them feel special and gave them a head start on a good school year. This was a jam-packed summer, full of new opportunities for growth and friendship. I truly learned the value of people and how spending simple quality time can make such a difference in a persons life. This community is so beautiful. The people are even more beautiful. It is such a blessing to be in the midst of the great handiwork of the Lord. The thing is, it really is simple. Love God. Love Others. Ama Dios. Ama Otros.
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