Posts by Jennifer Ward

By Danae Weaver Hello from Tecate, Baja California. My name is Danae Weaver and I came to Shining Light as a caregiver three months ago and have committed to a 15-month term. I have a 12-year-old girl named Erika and a 2-month-old boy named Mateo. As long as I could remember, I have wanted to…

Written by Nidia Evelin Ruiz Lopez I have many memories of life before coming to Shining Light. Although some memories are not happy, I am grateful for the time I had with my parents and the opportunity to carry those memories with me through life. On April 24, 2010, my siblings, Pancho, Jaqueline, Alana, and…

By: Herb Miller   In this and the next newsletter, we want to introduce our readers and supporters to the organizational structure of Shining Light Children’s Home. Any organization, whether small or large, needs to be organized in such a way that it brings clarity while minimizing confusion and disorder to all involved in the…

September 6, 2022 welcomed the students of the Spanish and English schools back to the classroom ready to learn and interact in an academic setting once more. This year Roland Rojas is teaching 1st-5th grade and Kiara Beltran is teaching 6th-9th grades in the Spanish school. Eager students energetically entered the classroom excited to continue…

Below is a poem by one of our former caregivers, expressing the loss that comes with leaving. We would like to give recognition to all the former caregivers who have felt God lead them on a different path. The pain of leaving behind vulnerable children affects both the caregiver and the child. We thank each…

Greetings in Jesus’ name our Savior, who makes us overcomers. I am Uryas Apuy, from Costa Rica. Seven years ago I came to Shining Light to work as a caregiver of boys ages 10-12. Now I’m married to Leanna and we have two baby girls, Ashlynn and Astrid. We also have four boys in our…

On June 10th, a normal Sunday afternoon, some of the youth smelled something burning and soon discovered an electrical fire in one of the children’s bedrooms. Guido, trained in fire evacuation and protocol, quickly and efficiently evacuated everyone. He and other staff members with fire training quickly stopped the fire with fire extinguishers and water.…

By Leland Ulrich, Board Chairman What would you do differently if you had to build something to last for fourteen generations? This is a question I often ask myself when faced with meaningful decisions. It greatly impacts the response or answers we give when we think long-term. Fourteen generations is a long time; however, eternity…

By Ruth Domenica Smith My service at Shining Light Children’s Home began in the fall of 2019 when I served as a caregiver for four girls. I quickly fell in love with the children, Spanish language, and Mexican culture. After several months, I transitioned to work as a kitchen manager due to some changing circumstances.…

Written by Alfredo Beltran Segura I came to Shining Light in July 2008, when I was 4 years old. I have one younger brother, Angel Gabriel, and an older sister, Kiara. I remember that Greivin, the administrator, picked us up at the DIF office and brought us to the children’s home. This is my earliest…