The picture and story of the life of our friends in Managua's trash dump continues to amaze us.

It is not only unlocking hearts here locally in the States, but it is also starting to stir and unite hearts the world over. Love Light & Melody exists because of the impact this Nicaraguan community had on our own lives first, but now to see how far the ripples have spread and that people are continually being drawn to the story both locally and globally is proof that HOPE is captivating. Over the last few months Braddigan has been on tour in both Brazil and Japan where he has found fans waiting to hear more about the current status of the children and families in the dump. How has this story spread so far so quick and into different cultures and languages? It is because darkness, extreme poverty, and evil are universally appalling; and hope, perseverance, and love transcend culture and language. It is because trash and people don't go together!

In one week Braddigan will begin his fall US tour in support of his new album The Captive, which showcases several songs directly inspired by his time spent in the trash dump. Also, Braddigan's tour will include a growing number of Love Light & Melody benefit shows where he'll be sharing his experiences first hand, as well as incorporating recent video footage and slide shows. These events are geared to bring new eyes and ears to the story, while also raising money for LL&M's current projects.

Beyond this, it seems each time we turn around we're face to face with another person who has been inspired to use their own particular gifts to partner with LL&M. We consider ourselves privileged to observe more people being drawn deep into their own passions to serve others through this story.

Kim Braun, in an effort to get involved, used her wedding as a platform to contribute to the LL&M cause. Instead of giving each guest a party favor to take home from the night she donated money to Love Light & Melody on their behalf. In addition, Kim also wrote up a letter to each guest about the issues occuring in Nicaragua allowing for the story to be told.

Two graphic designers, Kelli and Dan, found their voices by offering up their skills to help LL&M create high end art designs to use as promotional material for all of our upcoming benefit shows and presentations. Be on the look out for posters, postcards, stickers, and t-shirts that we will be using to share the LL&M story with countless others in the months to come!

This last month the school in Managua's city dump was in need of $1200 to sustain their feeding program for the next several months. Cam and Jim, friends of ours from an organization called Global Connection International heard about the need, got involved, and generously committed to funding this initiative.