Have A Heart

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STM Shoebox Toy Drive in Full Swing
Annual Christmas distribution blesses needy children and families
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Picture this: callused, curious, little hands curled around a gift box, eyes wide with excitement, eager to see what’s inside. Now that’s what it’s really all about: bringing smiles and Christmas cheer to little ones!

It’s hard to believe that we’ve threaded more than four decades into this ministry of collecting and distributing thousands of toys and gifts for needy children and families south of the border. It goes without saying that it is our Christmas tradition!

So, once again STM launches into this season of gathering gifts with great anticipation. What impact will this year’s demonstration of the love of Christ bring? We can’t wait to find out! In the past we have seen entire families come to Christ through this amazing outreach.

As we work our way through this rewarding event each year, there’s one thing we keep in mind: we never know whose life we’re touching.

Recently Donna and I met a young man and through the course of the conversation, he learned about our annual toy drive. In amazement, he shared how that he was once a poor little boy deep in the heart of Mexico with no hope, no future. He shared about some missionaries coming by and giving him and his siblings some toys at Christmas. It changed his life forever. Through the outpouring of love and kindness he and his entire family came to know the Lord and in the process, he developed a love for music. Later, he was able to obtain legal citizenship in the U.S. and today he is the worship leader at one of the largest churches in Dallas.

This is just one of the many stories we could tell about the incredible impact a simple shoebox gift makes.

Did you know that for each $20 donation you can provide a shoebox gift, candy and a traditional tamale Christmas dinner for a child? Or perhaps you would like to give toward the ladies handbag project, or to one of our sponsored families.

There are many ways that you can participate: by sending a check, money order, Bill Pay through your bank, or by scanning one of the QR codes provided in the pictures here.

If you’ve given before, you know the heartwarming feeling. If this is your first time, you too can start a Christmas tradition. Be a world changer this year; join our efforts and transform some curious, little lives!

Merry Christmas, everyone!!

Breaking News from STM: Recovery efforts have begun from the flood that swamped two of our lead pastors' homes last week in the northeastern region of Mexico. Your donations have been a tremendous help and we thank you! We're happy to report that all our feeding centers are back in operation. So many families lost everything, so the feeding programs are filling a vital role in helping people to get back on their feet. We are so grateful to you for helping us in this critical situation.
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The Denton Diary
April - May 2025
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Tracing the Beginning of the Feeding Program
A look back at where it all started

Everything that exists today had to have a starting point: our lives, our jobs, our walk with the Lord, even back to the creation of the world. They are all marked by a specific beginning.

STM has been operating feeding centers in Mexico for more than 30 years. Perhaps you may have wondered how they began. What made us decide to start the Feeding Hungry Children program? What moment in time can be looked at as the start of it all?

It happened on a day that we had looked forward to all year long. It was our annual Christmas distribution. On this occasion we were going door-to-door in impoverished neighborhoods giving out gifts to children as well as blankets and care packages of food to families.

The dirt road was lined with lean-to shanties made from warehouse pallets and ragged tarps. Some were fortunate enough to have a “roof” made out of rusty tin.

Most did not.

We stopped at one such place, our hands filled with goodies for everyone. From the rickety, barbed-wire fence that lined the tiny lot, Donna called out “Buenos dias!” to whoever was inside the little hovel. With eyes trained on the torn bedsheet, draped over an opening they called a doorway, she waited for someone to come out.

No one did.

Donna continued to call out and finally a little girl came out of the hut. After much persuasion, we got her to come toward us as other littles began to emerge.

By this time a neighbor had arrived and let us know that there were four children in the home alone. Their mother, a pr******te, was in the city “working.” If that wasn’t unsettling enough, it turned out that the oldest girl was 4 years old and she was having to take care of her three younger siblings, aged 3, 2 and 1.

We lavished gifts upon the four children and after their shyness had subsided, they were all smiles as they excitedly played with the toys they had received. We wanted to stay awhile and love longer on the precious kids, but there were lots more toys to give, lots more children to bless. As we walked away, we looked back to see the girl dancing and twirling about, lovingly holding the baby doll she had just received.

With that image forever stamped in her mind, Donna began to think about all the food that we had left for the family. There were beans, rice and flour to make tortillas, all items that had to be cooked. And no four-year-old would be able to do that! How were they going to eat? All that food and no way to prepare it!

That was the spark that ignited her desire to start the Feeding Hungry Children program. And now, three decades later, we have witnessed a multitude of children from all over coming to our various feeding centers to be nourished with hot meals, loving caregivers and the Good News of Jesus Christ.

To God be the glory!
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Want to Have a Heart?
Did you know that children who attend the feeding centers, before their meal, pray over the Day Sponsor (or the name of the Day Sponsor's loved one of their choosing) who provided the food for that day? In each feeding center, we have calendars with hearts posted on them for every day of the month. On each heart is the name the children pray over before they eat.
To become a Day Sponsor we ask that you commit to at least a year of giving $25 per month (or $300 for the year.) The program is called Have a Heart and you can enroll in one (or even more!) of our feeding centers. Check out below the various methods of giving that are available to you.
1) You can give automatically from your checking account each month by using Bill Pay or bank draft. Contact us or your bank to find out how to get set up with either one of these methods.
2) You can send your gift using a payment processor app on your smart phone. | Zelle: 956.802.7160 | Venmo: | Cash App: $STMMexico |
3) You can give online by going to paypal.com and donating from your checking account to [email protected]. Recurring giving is available.
4) You can give online using your debit or credit card at
tinyurl.com/stmdonation
5) You can mail a check or money order to:
STM
PO Box 2635
Mission, TX 78573
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pages:
fb.com/stmin.mx
fb.com/randyrdenton
fb.com/donnadenton1
fb.com/haveaheartfeedingministry
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It's all about people, people helping people, working together,
Changing lives, seeing the world through Jesus' eyes.
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Only 39 more days until Christmas.
We still need dolls, trucks and shoebox gift sponsors. Your $20 gift will make a child’s dream come true this Christmas. 🎄 How many children would you like to bless??
They will receive a gift, a bag of candy and Christmas dinner. 🎄