Dear Friends:
Big things on our plates as we end this school year. Our 4 girls who are graduating from high school are going to try to obtain their Mexican passports at the Mexican Passport office on June 7. This has been a very trying process, as it has taken months to get it done, and it leaves us with a short time to put the other puzzle pieces together. We have a new opportunity for them to attend Western New Mexico University language school and they may each receive a partial scholarship, so that their tuition would be $4,000 apiece for the year. Also, Tom Bates and Dale Giese, our Board Counselors, may be able to find homes for all the girls to stay in Silver City and they would be within walking distance of the school, which would be a huge help! Once we get all of the school matters in order, and an I-20 form issued, which is a school certification that they qualify for a student visa, then we need to get an appointment for each of them to go to an interview at the US consulate in Cd. Juarez. IF they are successful, and this is a big IF in today’s negative immigration climate, then they will be able to start school at Western in August. I want to fill you in on the details so you can pray with us! In addition, we still do not have sponsors for their expenses for the school year, which we estimate at $500 per month, including paying for their books and tuition. Hopefully, the second semester, they will be able to obtain jobs on campus, as that will greatly help in them becoming more self-supporting. So, our steps that need your prayers are:
- Obtain their Mexican Passports.
- Obtain the school acceptance into their program.
- Find a host family for each girl.
- Make sure we have adequate support for each girl this school year.
- Obtain a visa.
- Bring them to the US to start school in mid-August
If you can help financially, please let us know right away! Their immediate future is in our hands! If you are not currently giving to Casa, would you consider adding us to your monthly support list? You can call Pat, 505.670.5659, and provide EASY PAY automatic deductions from the bank each month that will go a long ways in meeting the needs of our orphans.
1 Corinthians 13:3 If I give all my possessions to feed the poor . . . but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
It is hard to imagine anything more commendable than giving everything to the poor. But if it is done without love, it is of no benefit to the giver. We pray you will become a part of the love we have for these orphans, and give out of the abundance of your heart.
We believe this is an amazing opportunity for Briza, Cielo, Victoria and Lourdes, if the Lord will open the doors for them. Their options and opportunities are so limited in Mexico, and the possibilities of greatly expanding the horizons of their lives are so much greater if they are able to become educated here! I think of Prov 4:10-13.
Prov 4:10-13 Listen, my son (daughter), accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many. I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble. Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.
There are so many opportunities for them to develop their talents, their love for the Lord, and their impact on the world for Jesus, each with their unique talents! We pray that as they now come out of childhood and begin to assume the role of responsible adults, that the Lord will order their steps in the paths that glorify Him and bring blessing to them!
This month, we will be meeting with D.I.F. to plan for the 4 new girls we will be bringing to Casa. We know that this is such an amazing opportunity for orphans who otherwise have such limited options. We are the only orphanage we know of in the State of Chihuahua that actually helps orphans to transition to becoming responsible adults who are equipped to succeed in supporting themselves and following God’s plans. There are probably about 200 orphans each year who turn 18 in Chihuahua, and at that point, they go out to try to figure out how to live. Unfortunately, much of the time, they end up going into the same kind of lifestyle their parents chose, a lifestyle that often leads to addiction and death, leaving their own orphans behind. WITH YOUR HELP AND PRAYER SUPPORT, WE ARE BREAKING THIS CYCLE FOR AT LEAST SOME OF THEM EACH YEAR!
It is simply a delight to see how girls come to Casa, usually with a huge number of problems caused by their past and by their living in an institution, and then Betty and Ana and Gracie begin ministering to them; gradually they begin changing, they become receptive to the Lord, most of them accept Jesus as their Lord, and (in spite of being teenagers), they manage to avoid the pitfalls that trap so many teens, and they begin to believe that they are unique and loved and that God has a plan for their future so much greater than they could have ever imagined! It is truly a time of awakening for them at Casa, even though, of course, they still act like teens!
Ps 1:1-3 Blessed is the man (girl, woman) who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.
Report on this last month. Ana has been able to come back to work with us at Casa! We are continuing to believe for her complete healing from kidney failure. Right now, she is still on dialysis. Gracie has finally been able to obtain a good diagnosis of her condition that is destroying her liver. They have determined that it is a particular strain of hepatitis that would cost $75,000 to treat in the U.S., but in Mexico, the treatment is available for $3,600. Betty is continuing with weekly Bible Study and Worship and many of our girls are attending. Please pray that the Holy Spirit will touch all of our girls, and they will all take advantage of this opportunity!
This last month, the blessings of kids in our program honoring their mothers was demonstrated in all the churches we help in Palomas. It was a great time of honoring moms!
We are winding down the school year and we will have our annual awards ceremony on June 8th. We will not only give out certificates for the year’s participation in the program but we will also recognize the outstanding students who have grade averages above 8.5 or higher. We will have around 20 students who are in this category. We will also recognize the 9 Seniors who are
graduating. They will each receive a nice Study Bible. We are really excited because this will be the first graduating class from the Public High School that so many of you helped us pray and finance into existence 4 years ago! That graduation ceremony will be on June 29th. 6 of the nine are planning on going on to college. We are making a difference in Palomas!!!
We have around 40 new students who want to be in the program. Each year we lose a few either because they have moved, dropped out of church or school or don’t keep their grades up. With the new children we will have around 120 in the program. Those of you who sponsored a student last year whose student is continuing in the program should have received a letter and a new picture. We hope you will consider sponsoring your student again. For those of you who do not yet have a student to sponsor, we have students in all grade levels that are in need of a sponsor. Sponsor levels are High School, $450, Secondary $350 and Elementary $250 for the year. Your sponsorship provides: registration fees, PE uniform, dress uniform, shoes, back pack, supplies. It also provides for the cost of our monthly meetings where we have a youth group from one of the churches in the area, (Cd Juarez, Ascension) minister to them with teaching and games. Each student must get a signed form from his/her Pastor and teacher for us to review each month. They are also required to write a letter to you (the sponsor) We have those letters translated for you if necessary.
We started the Alas program in the 2011-2112 school year! We have gone from about 30 students to 150! There is a huge need and we are excited to continue on for another year. You will make the difference as to whether many of these children will be able to attend school! We hope you will join us.
Blessings,
Bere, Jim and Pat