Yesterday we participated in the Texas Association of Business Pre-Kindergarten Conference in Austin. This was a meeting of educators, policy makers, and others committed to raising the bar in preparing our state's youngest residents for school and, ultimately, to become meaningful, effective members of society.  

Did you know that 60 percent of Texas children reside in disadvantaged homes? Research shows that low-income children are exposed to 30 million fewer words than their middle-income peers by the age of three. Since the brain undergoes unparalleled growth during this period, all of those words--and the interaction that goes with them--are an irreplaceable component of infancy and early childhood. This is why we encourage and equip parents to read to their babies and children through our Books for the Border and Beyond project, and why we advocate for families every chance we get.

This summer, we gave away books by the thousands through lunchtime feeding programs and back-to-school fairs in north Texas. Later, we had the opportunity to send books to the southernmost portion of the state.

The 2015 fall TEX ESL teacher trainings came to a close last weekend. In all, 292 volunteers received instruction in 13 locations across the state, through weekend workshops during August and September.

TEX trainings lead to exciting ministry opportunities. In Midland, for instance, one pastor attended with the intention of applying his new skills to working with other pastors to teach English to Chinese restaurant workers after hours.

Whether through advocacy, books, or in the community, we invite you to fall into ministry with us!