Dear Friends:
Our next ministry meeting in Palomas will be June 14! This will be our official “graduation ceremony”, honoring the students for successfully completing the school year, and encouraging them to continue to be forward-thinking in their education. We will have speakers, the Pastors will hand out awards, and it will be a great time of encouragement. On the orphanage side, we are still hoping to find a new housemom or houseparents who could run the orphanage so that we can repopulate it. If you know of anyone looking for a mission field to work in, please let them know about this possibility!
Here are some pictures of our Family Day Fiesta, in which we had more than 400 attendees! It was a great time of fun, although we did have a problem with mid-day winds that tore up our tent canopies and sent us all inside for the remainder of our celebrations. (We have decided that from now on, we will rent a salon to hold this event, so that we do not have to worry about weather!)
As you can see, we had a great time, with lots of games, and even a bull ride! We held a raffle in which moms won prizes such as a microwave, mini-blenders, and other kitchen appliances. It was a blessing for many women to get these prizes!
We want to remind you that we are looking for 40 new sponsors for kids in the Alas program, and we are also looking for general sponsors who do not necessarily want to sponsor an individual child, but want to help the program! Unfortunately, our costs keep creeping up, but we are trying to hold the sponsorship fees in the same place they were this school year, $30/mo. for an elementary student, $40/mo. for Jr. High student, and $50/mo. for high school student. College student fees vary, but are higher, usually more like $100 per month. We work out an individual budget with each college student, depending on their needs and their expenses. We also expect them to seek part-time work to help cover some of their costs!
Next month we will be posting pictures of all of the kids who need sponsors for the coming school year!
Here are some prayer points that we hope you will pray for our families and the ministry in Palomas!
1. That the power of the cartels will be broken.
2. That the Believers in Christ will be able to stand up against corruption.
3. That the Pastors and church leaders will have the full gifts and fruit of the Spirit manifested in their lives to lead their congregations into God’s Holiness.
4. That the congregations of Palomas will both grow and grow stronger in the Lord!
5. That the parents will raise their children in love and obedience to the Lord.
6. That the children will be able to resist the deceptions of the devil that are all around them!
7. That the teachers in the schools will have a passion for teaching the children well!
May 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 & Pat