Christmas in July 2017~ San Antonio
The Mission of the Ma Hila's Heart Project
To inject the soulful medicine of LOVE ~ JOY ~ HOPE into the lives of others who need comfort.
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About "Christmas in July"
To fulfill our mission - the Ma Hila's Heart Project is happy to create "Christmas in July". In this event, we are supporting children and their families that are affected by cancer.
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Our Dream
With humility and a thankful heart, we are grateful for our friends at the Hyatt Regency on the Riverwalk for sponsoring the venue (Regency West ballroom). We are happy to make this Christmas Party possible for kids with cancer, and their families.. Of course, we are grateful for the sponsorship of the Christian Chamber of Commerce as we continue to bring "Commerce + Compassion 4a Community".
Truly, the community is coming together for this beautiful cause. As of today, the Ma Hila's Heart Projects' family of sponsors include:
*DASA Spa on the Riverwalk
*Christian Chamber of San Antonio
*Hyatt Regency on the Riverwalk
*The Ferrari Kid
*Metal Works by David
*Last Chance Ministries
*Painting with a Twist
*Mirror Magic Photobooth
*PAWS for Service
*South Texas liberty Alliance Group
*Jaxon's FROG Foundation
*Taylor Trash Productions
*Mark Jones Ministries
*Allen's Flowers & Gifts
*Monarch Mountains
*Noble Art Ministry
*Clifton Jansky
*Elva's Skin & Body Spa
*Las Palapas
*River City Christian School
*Paul Anthony Hair Studio
*Sergio's Salon & Spa
*ELEVATE Ministries
*Lenz Contractors
*Chick fil A
*Mi Tierra
*Las Coronelas
*Southtown Pizzeria
Now, all we need is YOU. Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to help bring smiles to our special guests... by helping us buy their gifts, and pay for some special features during their Christmas Party.
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The Story behind the Ma Hila's Heart Project
The Ma Hila's Heart Project is a community service organization founded by the owners of DASA Spa on the Riverwalk, Gloria & Albert Rodriguez. The Project was established to honor the legacy of Gloria's mom ("Nena" who went home to heaven in 2010, after battling pancreatic cancer). The Mission of the Project is to inject HOPE ~ LOVE ~ JOY into the lives of others in need of comfort. 
As Gloria describes the story of the Ma Hila's Heart...
"When Mom was asked to visit her doctor at MD Anderson for her test results, all 8 of her adult kids had that uneasy feeling. It had been too long that she had felt her best...maybe a couple of years or so. Still, when the doctor gave us the news that Mom had Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, it was a moment of surreal exasperation. Our minds hurried to try to "fix what was wrong" - but we couldn't, and we knew we couldn't. The only one in that sterile hospital doctor's office that offered some semblance of grace and peace in the middle of this emotional storm, was Mom. Even the doctor was moved when he saw the sea of tearful eyes. He had given her a prognosis of 9 months. She lived only for 3, until July 30, 2010.
But in those 3 months - what an example of living & dying in grace. She taught us all that death, as painful as it may be, can be a glorious experience of LOVE ~ HOPE ~ and yes, even JOY!
She asked the doctor for only one thing - "Dr., I know that it will be painful. I saw my mom and my grandmother die of pancreatic cancer. I have just one wish - that I not receive pain medicine, as much as possible, as I want to offer up my pain and sufferings for the souls in purgatory."
For almost the full 3 months, Mom found comfort in (ironically) what we do professionally. She loved massages, warm blankets, aromatic essential oils, and soulful spa music! She also loved praying the rosary, singing the Divine Mercy, receiving the eucharist regularly, and eating pure organic foods. There were days that we thought she was glowing. Her skin was healthy. There was joy in her voice. She had the sweetest singing voice.
Still and sadly, the time had come when she couldn't smile as much or talk as much. It was heartbreaking to see what pancreatic cancer was doing to her...
One day her small voice whimpered "I want my Ma Hila's Heart". Her beloved sister, Margaret, explained with tears in her eyes that....
"when we were little, we used to love to play outside. When one of us got hurt, like your Mom, falling off her bike...she would run into our grandmother's house. We called her "Ma Hila". 
Ma Hila had a way of distracting us from our pain and reminding us that we are not alone when we are hurting. She would cut out a heart shape from red construction paper, give it to Nena, and say... "OK, Nena, you told me what happened. Now put this heart where it hurts and we are going to pray that Jesus will help you feel better. Do you believe that Jesus is with you and will help you feel better, Nena?"
"Yes, Ma Hila, I believe."
They would pray together. Afterwards, Ma Hila would ask Nena "Do you feel better?"
"Yes, I do."
"I want you to take this heart and every time it starts to hurt again, put the heart where it hurts, and remember that Jesus is with you and is helping you feel better."
Mom was remembering in her last days what brought her comfort in her childhood years. With her last breath, crossing from this earthly home to her heavenly home, she held her Ma Hila's Heart in her hands...
