Dear Friends
We will be in Palomas this coming weekend, June 7-9. This will be our final formal meeting with the students, their parents, and Pastors for this school year. In July, Raymundo and Anita will be planning a day of fun with the kids at a local pool. They want to include worship and teaching, as well as fun and games, so anyone who wants to help with this would be greatly appreciated. There is a lot to do, from running the various activities to praying with the kids, so let us know if you are interested in helping out! It is scheduled for July 13!
This month, we will be giving certificates to all of the kids for successfully completing another school year. We will be giving awards for the best students, and we will be honoring the high school seniors, who will each receive a Study Bible.
Those graduating from high school are
Mireya Adilene Sillas Vazquez
Andrea Melendez Valeria
Agripina Montoya Peña
Pablo Cesar Ortiz Avendaño
Jose Ignacio Maldonado Fierro
Gabriel Ivan Gonzalez Pantoja
Of those 6, 5 are planning on going on to college. College can make an incredible difference for young people in Mexico in their ability to help themselves and their families escape the poverty cycle that 90% of Mexicans are trapped in.
The grading system in Mexico is based upon a 10 point system, with 10 being the highest grade possible in each subject. We have 6 students who scored perfect 10s for their grades for this school year! We have another 20 who held onto a 9 or above all year! It is awesome to see so many students doing so well!
We also currently have 9 students we are sponsoring for college, in a wide range of studies. One of our students, Edith Gonzalez, graduated from Teacher’s college in December, and she is currently teaching at the local Telebachierato (high school). She will be one of our speakers at the awards ceremony next week
While schooling isn’t as important as a personal relationship with Jesus in their lives, often the discipline and hard work of staying in school helps to also keep them on track with the Lord. As we all know, the teenage years are especial lly hard, especially in our current crazy world. So, please, keep these kids in your prayers, and for those you may be sponsoring, spend some extra time in prayer! Pray for their Pastors and church leaders to have a passion for the youth, and pray for their parents to lead them on God’s path!
In the orphanage, Vanessa recently turned age 18, and so we can no longer require her to stay. She has decided to leave and make it on her own. We are praying that the hounds of heaven will seek her out and protect her and bring her back to the safety of Casa. Please keep her in your prayers, as she still has another year to complete of high school, and we are hoping she will also go onto college. That leaves only Angelica at the orphanage now, and of course, being there alone is confusing and difficult for her. She won’t turn 18 until October of next year, so she will be a long time by herself unless we are able to get some more girls into the orphanage. So, we are praying for God’s will in all of that!
I love the blessings of obedience to the Lord that we are promised in Deuteronomy 11. In verses 18 - 21 it says, “So commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these words of mine. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, so that as long as the sky remains above the earth, you and your children may flourish…”
Many Jews have taken this literally over the years, as a constant reminder to keep God first in their lives. We Christians tend to do it with posters, things we put up on our walls and around our necks, daily Bible reading, and daily prayer. It is good to keep ourselves reminded of God’s standards for life, and even better when we cover it with his Grace that redeems us and draws us back to Him because of His amazing love for us! What a great promise we have in Jesus, who told us in John 14:20, “When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.” What a wonderful promise for us! Jesus is in God, and we are in Jesus, so we are also in God! And just to make sure we understand, Jesus tells us that He is also in us! As it says in Romans 8:31, ”If God is for us, who can be against us?” Which might be better understood as, when we are in God, and He is in us, nothing the devil or the world does can destroy us! These great promises are the reason it is so important for us to pass on what we have received to the next generation. We are praying that these young people we are ministering to will be involved in bringing Revival to our world!
It is time for us to be planning next year. Please let Pat know if you want to keep sponsoring your child. Some have dropped out and we have many new kids who are in need of sponsors. Watch your email for news from Pat.
The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.
Jim and Pat