Cheaper By The Dozen?

Well, can you believe summer has come and gone? The leaves are beginning to turn. What a lovely time of year. Fall in Kentucky has the beauty of an artist's dream. We usually have warm and pleasant weather until December.

Events here at the home continue to make life interesting. Children have a way of bringing joy one minute and frustration the next.

The "Angel House" has twelve babies under the age of two. Their mommies are in prison. Our latest baby came from Connecticut and by the time you receive this newsletter, a set of twin baby girls will also arrive from there. Their mother has 6 years and couldn't imagine losing her babies. Several of the newborns we cared for were rescued from abortion. The "Born Free" ministry began 9 years ago with one baby and since then over 250 babies and children found refuge here because their moms (and often their fathers, too) were sent to prison. The "Angel House" can house over 40 babies. But the most we ever had at one time was 24.

We now service the State Prison near Louisville and the Federal Prison in Lexington. The babies are taken once a week to visit their moms.

You can't even imagine the joy that these two women get by holding their child, even for a few hours. We have witnessed many women who have had a complete change in their lives because they didn't lose their baby.

Besides the babies, our medical ministry continues to grow. Two teenage boys, Hilario, 18, and Pedro, 13, are both preparing for a leg amputation. Little Frankie still awaits his "elephant like" leg to be removed. His doctor is Dr. Breidenback, who did the hand transplant on a man from New Jersey. Then there is Juan, age 18, who recently arrived. He never had a family life. He was put on the street to fend for himself at the age of four (4) in Honduras. Juan ended up at an orphanage in Guatemala and at the age of ten (10) ran away. He swam the river four times to the United States and got caught and was deported every time. While on a train in Mexico, some bandits tried to rob him of the little money he had. He refused with a struggle, so they pushed him of the train which ran over his arm, leg, and the bottom of his other foot. He ended up at another orphanage, this time in Honduras, where some missionaries found him and arranged for him to be sent to Shriner's Hospital in Tampa, Florida, where he was fitted with an artificial leg and arm. His other good foot is now infected and he may lost it. And we thing we have problems!

The amazing part of all this is that every time you see Juan, he is smiling. In fact, all the children smile here. Please don't feel sorry for these children. Feel sorry for those who didn't make it to the Galilean Home.

Your prayers and support are important to us. We depend on you so that we can reach out to the ones too young or too week to reach back. We know that God doesn't call everyone to go on foreign missions. But, He does call everyone to do something, even if it's to send a dollar to help for your the 100 gallons of milk we use every week.

Yes, I said 100 gallons every week. We are especially thankful and grateful for the children of many of our supporting churches who sent their mission offerings to us. Every cent adds up to dollars and God will bless the gift and the giver.

Our restaurant campaign is progressing and we hope to see a miracle in raising the funds we need. We really want to have a secured income for the future of this ministry. Not to mention job and education training for the many teenagers and young adults who live here. With over two dozen young people, both male and female, it is important to keep them busy and productive. We welcome anyone who is interested in investing in the future of this ministry.

Oh yes, I wish to thank everyone for the thoughtful cards and letters. I regret not being able to answer them since my illness robs me of my strength. I appreciate the health that God allows me to have for now. Eight more chemo treatments and I'm finished. Praise God!

God bless you for believing with us,
Jerry, Sandy Tucker and Children.

P.S.
The mom from Connecticut prison wrote me a letter, thanking us for going the extra mile to get her baby.
"You surely cannot imagine what a Godsend you are to Mothers such as myself who have nowhere to turn. The fact that my daughter will not fall into the unpredictable policies and procedures of a state system is in itself a blessing. The idea of being reunited with her upon my release is the light at the end of my tunnel. It is this apprehension that will prove to be my inspiration at times when I need it most."