Dear Friends:
All of our girls ended up getting COVID symptoms! However, all of them had light cases, with no real sickness. None of our staff have contracted it, just maintaining social distancing, wearing masks, and washing hands frequently. So, as many have reported, this does not appear to be a disease that will seriously affect most young people, and it also appears that the social distancing directives are effective even when a person is near others who have it!
We feel very fortunate, and since all of the girls are now over it, Pat and I will go to see them this week-end. Since we haven’t seen them for 2 months, we really miss them! It will be a chance to congratulate Maria and Paola for graduating from high school, and Ana (Paulina) for graduating from elementary.
It appears that the fall semester may be virtual, meaning people will receive their instruction over the internet. This creates many problems, because, first of all, the internet is very poor in Palomas, and secondly, there are many kids who cannot afford a smart-phone or computer to take their classes. It is going to be especially challenging, and in a system where the high school education is already weak, this is very concerning. We have been talking with an Engineer in Palomas who is very concerned for, and invested in trying to help the community. He is trying to bring quality internet to Palomas, and we have agreed with him that one of the transmission tower points can be on our property. Let’s hope he has success!
In these days, when we hear and see so many different ideas and approaches to the world we have been living in for the past few months, it is extremely important that we keep our focus on the Lord. The government should not be the supreme authority in our lives, the medical specialists should not be the supreme authority, and the opinions of others should not be, either. Eunice shared a wonderful story with me this past week, about her father, Pastor Beto. Beto helped us get this entire ministry off the ground 20 years ago, and still encourages and teaches others as a part of this ministry today. He has been with us from the beginning. She was sharing with me how people would come to him with all of these ideas of what they should do in various situations. So often, we listen to everybody except the one we should be listening to. Beto is a man of fasting and prayer. He does both a lot every week. He once told Eunice that people are always searching for answers everywhere except for the place they should go. If we will just dedicate ourselves to fasting and prayer, God will give us the answers we need. This is so simple, but so profound. Why are we unwilling to exercise that discipline more? It is time for us all to dedicate ourselves more completely to Him, to seek His face, to ask Him our difficult questions, to ask Him to lead us, to ask Him to show us the way.
I remember in Acts Ch. 5 how the apostles were emboldened to endanger their lives for the sake of preaching the gospel in the hopes that some who heard might be saved. The religious leaders threw them in prison, and threatened worse. An angel of the Lord let them out in the middle of the night. They went back to the temple and began preaching again!
Acts 5:26-32 The captain went with his Temple guards and arrested them, but without violence, for they were afraid the people would kill them if they treated the apostles roughly. 27 Then they brought the apostles in before the council. 28 "Didn't we tell you never again to teach in this man's name?" the high priest demanded. "Instead, you have filled all Jerusalem with your teaching about Jesus, and you intend to blame us for his death!" 29 But Peter and the apostles replied, "We must obey God rather than human authority. 30 The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead after you killed him by crucifying him. 31 Then God put him in the place of honor at his right hand as Prince and Savior. He did this to give the people of Israel an opportunity to turn from their sins and turn to God so their sins would be forgiven. 32 We are witnesses of these things and so is the Holy Spirit, who is given by God to those who obey him." NLT
We see something simple, yet profound here. The disciples were so close to God that they knew they must seek to bring salvation to others even at the cost of their own lives, and God supernaturally protected them because they were obedient to what He was telling them through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is available for us today! It is time for us to be as serious about God as He is about us. It is time to seek to hear His voice, and then to act. All of the powers of hell cannot stand against the power of God!
What questions do you have? What concerns? What direction are you going in your life? Is it the right direction? How serious are we about obtaining the answers we need from the Source of Life? This is a challenge for me, and I hope for you, as well. It is time for us to exercise the kind of faith that moves mountains!
Please pray that we will be able to share the Words of Life with the girls this week-end that will change them. Please pray that God will bring the increase as we sow and water! Please pray for our financial needs at Casa. Please pray for divine protection for staff to continue! And, please pray that DIF will send us more girls, as we need about 6 new girls for the coming school year!
Heb 12:2 I would love to hear any reports from any of you this coming month if you determine to steadfastly seek the Lord. Maybe you are already doing that! It is great if we can encourage one another with the things God shows us! May the Lord richly bless and encourage you this month! May we all be able to keep “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
I am amazed by the overwhelming support we received to ensure all of our students found a sponsor. I would like to personally thank you for opening your heart and resources to bless your student and their family. We appreciate your support and pray that God blesses you enormously. I want to use this letter to provide you with an overview of the program and the community you all are supporting.
Community
Palomas, is a small town in the state of Chihuahua with a population of approximately 5,000 people. The main source of income in this community is domestic work, agriculture fields, and factories that are an hour away from Palomas. All of these job options are only enough to make ends meet week by week.
Family
Our students are from single-parent families, no parents, or from homes where both parents have to work. The fact that their parents are working does not guarantee that their income will be sufficient for the month. Some of the families you support are making as little as $45 a month. We also need to consider that most of our families have a least two children or more. Depending on the gravity of these circumstances, our students are required to do more than we usually expect from children. Some our students are responsible to help with the chores in the house such as cleaning and cooking while their parents work. Some of them are even responsible of looking after their siblings. Even more, some of the students have to work to support their families with the weekly expenses.
Education
Only until five years ago, Palomas did not have a public high school. The town only had a private high school, this meant that if the students wanted to continue their education, they had to pay for it. Therefore, many opted to dropout. In 2015, a public high school was opened in Palomas. This has opened the doors for many more students to continue their high school education. Now we are working on encouraging all of our students to obtain a higher education. This is a new challenge we are eager to take on as we know that obtaining an education can change the course of our students lives and their generations.
Scholarship requirements
We work with nine different churches from Palomas and the surrounding areas. In a normal year, the students are responsible for participating and helping in their churches. They also need to have a minimum GPA of seven (out of 10 possible), attend our monthly meeting every month, and write a monthly letter to their sponsors. Due to COVID, we will not be having monthly meetings until it is safe. Therefore, we will be preparing workshops and teachings for them through Facebook. There will be several challenges, since not every family has access to internet, but we will strive to keep constant communication with all of our students and their families on a monthly basis.
This year we will also be modifying the different items our students receive every month. For the time being, we will not be purchasing uniforms since it appears they will not be attending school for this semester. However, we will continue to support the families with pantry kits and cover all schools’ expenses for the students. We know this will make a difference, since several families were affected financially by the pandemic.
Conclusion
Due to the living circumstances and education system, some our students are academically disadvantaged, but I hope that doesn’t stop you from continuing to support and encourage them to continue in school. Let me reassure you that your support is an immense blessing to each one of the students and their families. The scholarship is covering expenses that otherwise most the of the families would not be able to cover. For most of the students, having this scholarship is the only way they can afford to continue their education. If you take anything away from this letter, it should be that you are making a great difference in the community of Palomas and you are taking part in transforming the generations of these families.
May you have a blessed month.