Saturday, February 06, 2016

Hello everyone! It is a brand new year, full of new challenges and adventures in serving Christ here in San Vicente.  We know that His hand moves all things, and we are thankful to be here on the front lines of service, in His fields ripe for harvest.  Greetings from your family at Casa del Pastor.

A huge thank you to Calvary Chapel Moreno Valley, for once again blessing our family with a Christmas party at the church, complete with individual gifts for every child and mom that make up Casa del Pastor, the graduated moms, and the church body.  It is incredible the effort they go to so that each child, many of whom have never received gifts like this before, feel special and loved.   It was a beautiful time of fellowship as well, with our brothers and sisters from Moreno Valley, as well as Calvary Chapel Nuevo, who provided food, and CC Oasis who served and assisted with the event.  Thank you and God bless you all!

The entire team, along with Pastor Mark and Katrina, was able to attend the Calvary Chapel Missions Conference in Murrieta this year, taking an all-too short week apart from ministry for fellowship with other missionaries and friends from all over the world.  The theme was "The Gospel and the Nations", with an emphasis on the current refugee crises all over the world.  We were glad to see many brothers and sisters in the faith, to hear what the Lord has been doing in their lives and ministries.  Every year this trip is a blessing, a chance to rest in Him and be refilled in the Word for the year ahead.



This month we would like to introduce Alberta, who is currently expecting twins in the next week or so.  She has had a difficult road to Casa del Pastor, and has many challenges ahead.  But the Lord has been working greatly in her life to protect and provide for her and her children.
When she was a child growing up in Baja California, there was great strife between her parents.  Her mother was a harsh and controlling woman, to the point where her father left the home.  He later fought to gain custody of the children, but because he had technically left them, the child protective services (DIF) gave custody to the mom.  She soon got together with another man, who began molesting Alberta at age 11. Her mother approved and encouraged this, wanting to have another child by her daughter.

Alberta was essentially kept as a slave by these two, kept inside at all times with no shoes so she couldn't run away.  At age 14 she had her first child by this man.  A year and a half later, one of Alberta's brothers managed to convince a neighbor, who had known her since childhood, to help her escape. She fled the home with his help, yet was unable to take her son with her.
Alberta began to live on her own, still hoping to recover her child from her domineering mother.   She met a man, and lived with him for three years, having two more children by him.   Yet drugs and abuse on his part began to plague their relationship.  She was directed to Casa del Pastor by a ministering couple, and was accepted into the program.

                                                                                                                                                               After receiving the Lord, and four months living at CDP, she again felt the desire to remain a part of her lost son's life, and decided to move in with a friend in that area so she could continue to see her firstborn.  Yet her proximity was not appreciated by her mother, who accused her of trying to steal her son.  She worked in the fields in the meantime, where she met another man that she formed a relationship with.  Yet this man abandoned her very quickly, leaving her pregnant with twins.

She then returned to CDP, she had her twins on Feb 3 , they arrived  c-section so she is in alot of pain. they were born at 2.5 kilos each and are very healthy   However  she  still is  seeking a way to regain custody of her first child.  She deeply loves her son, and her main goal at this point is to regain custody of him.  In that aim she seeks to establish a life for herself, get a home, and get her son back.  We are doing all we can to assist her in this, yet we know it will take the Lord's hand to open this door. Please pray for her and her children, that her twin boys would be born healthy, and that DIF would grant her rightful custody of her firstborn. 


We reported earlier this year that the work camp in Las Brisas would be closing down.  Since then we have learned that this is not the case, and the camp will remain open for the foreseeable future.   For now, it remains an open avenue for ministry to the families and children that call it home.  Last month they were blessed by gifts provided by Calvary Chapel San Bernardino, who have been giving presents at Las Brisas for the past 24 years now!  Though they are an hours drive from us, we love any opportunity to reach out to our extended family there, to help meet their needs and to preach the gospel. 

Two months ago we welcomed the newest member of our family, Itzayana Yoali.  She was born November 15th to Andres and Maggy Rios, and the first time parents have had their hands full ever since.  They are also in the last stages of finishing up their house adjacent to Lisa's home, and looking forward to moving in soon.  Prayers for wisdom as they raise their daughter, it is a brand new experience for them but they are excited for what lies ahead in their lives and ministry.
 
 Thank you for the cloud of prayer you lift up behind this ministry, for all that God makes possible through His love.  It is a hard fight, but more than worth it, and we give thanks that you are alongside us.  We pray that you in turn are blessed in the same ways that God has blessed us through you.  May He continue to guide and direct Casa del Pastor, and make us more fruitful to His purposes.  Dios les bendiga!
Hello everyone! September is here, school is in full swing, and life continues at Casa del Pastor.  We give thanks to God for His provision, that through the love He has imparted to this ministry these families have not lacked for anything.  




Last week we were overjoyed to hear that a new member of our family, Ana Yazari was brought into the world to Carlos and Reyna. Reyna is one of Jeanie Sue's many spiritual daughters, who married early last year. Though they are a state away and we have not yet seen her face to face, we give thanks to God for this new life imparted to these two servants.  We ask God to bless their ministry at the orphanage in Bachiniva, Sonora where they are serving, and to protect and keep their newborn daughter.  We hope to see them soon, and Lord willing that others who have known and loved Reyna can get a chance to
meet her child. :) 


For this past summer, Shelley our educational director prepared an extensive summer school program to keep the children's minds engaged and learning throughout those long weeks.  This year we had over eighty children participate daily in this program!   For two hours each day, our children read, read to younger children, completed math and reading worksheets, journals, and many more activities.  It was a great deal of preparation and oversight by many of our staff and volunteers, but a resounding success. We pray that these children continue to grow academically, grow to love reading, and stand out in the local schools as good, God-fearing students.  




Last month our kids received new school uniforms and shoes, thanks to the generosity of teams from the Gathering, Calvary Emerald Coast, and various others, who went to great measures to provide for our children. School supplies were donated as well by Revival Christian Fellowship, and new shoes by Red Barn's Soles for Souls ministry.  From kindergarten to high school, all of our kids are ready for the year!  Thank you all for being such an incredible blessing in the lives of our families, and for investing in their future. We ask for prayer for them this year, that they would be beacons of light in the public schools of San Vicente, and be strong for Jesus in the face of the world. 



Many of our long-time friends and missions teams are familiar with the Las Brisas camp in Camalu, south of San Vicente.  Our missionaries have visited the camp many times over the past 25 years, ministering, feeding, and preaching Christ to hundreds of families altogether.  It is a difficult environment, as these families live in cramped metal-roof shacks that are sweltering in the summer and freezing in the winter.  Last year a fire destroyed a section of the poorest part of the facility.  Now, we have heard that Las Brisas will be closed down, as it is in a flood zone and rebuilding efforts will not be permitted there.  Families that have been there for over eight years will supposedly be receiving homes in a new area, though the camp itself, like many over the past decade, will not be reopened.  We hope to find where these families will be relocated, so that we can continue to be a part of their lives, and ask for prayers that the Lord provide for their needs and that their new homes will come through. 

This month we would like to share a bit about Sebastiana, a mom who has been with us for nearly a year. She was born in the southern state of Puebla in 1975, part of a large family of 12 siblings that all worked in the fields, even at a young age.  When she was twenty, she moved north to Hermosillo, in Sonora, to work in the vineyards.  Over the twelve years she lived in that city, she met a man and had two children by him, Jesus and Lluvia. 



This man, while kind at first, quickly turned abusive to her and her two children.  He would hit her with chains, sticks, rocks, anything he could get his hands on.  She did not see any way out of her situation, even after they moved to the Las Brisas camp about seven years ago.  The abuse continued, as he would force her to work while doing nothing but heap abuse upon her and waste her earnings while she and her children went hungry.  They would get in arguments which would end with him choking her neck.  He burned her on the arm with a frying pan, and threw rocks at her.  When her daughter was born, the man refused to accept her initially, and even kicked the premature infant across a room.  He would also throw Jesus against the wall and kick him when he got angry. 


Sebastiana was desperate for help. She had met Jeanie and Lisa, as well as Scooter and Katrina, through their frequent visits to the camp.  She began to learn about Christ, seeking help from ministries in the area who would offer her food and teaching. The man would not let her go to church or these ministries, and would beat her when she did, but she went anyway. After a large group of missionaries had visited the camp and given out bibles, Sebastiana found a discarded one in a trash can and took it as her own.  During this time of her life, she came to accept Jesus Christ as her savior, the only one who could rescue her from this man. 

While at Las Brisas, she had heard about a shelter in San Vicente that would take in moms in her situation.  After a horrible night in which the man attacked her with a machete and broke a broom handle over her head, she took her two children and made her escape to San Vicente.  There, asking around for directions, she found Casa del Pastor, and was taken in. 

After three months in the shelter, her man made contact with her, promising that he would change and everything would be different.  Against the counsel of Jeanie Sue, she left CDP and returned to her man.  For two weeks he was gentle and kind.  Then he went right back to his old ways, beating and berating and abusing her.  After a fight where he cut off some of her hair, tore up her clothes, threw a knife at her which barely missed, and locked her outside in the rain for two hours, she came back to CDP with her children.  

She has learned and grown a great deal in her time in the house, and is well-liked by many.  Her children, seven year old Jesus and four year old Lluvia, are healthy and happy (Lluvia always has a bright smile!)  The Lord rescued her out of a terrible situation, and has blessed them immensely.  Sebastiana would ask for prayer for her children, that they would grow up strong in Christ and not have to endure the things she went through.  

We have had some issues still with our school transportation vehicles.  Earlier this year the team invested in a new school van purchased here in Mexico for a bargain price, knowing full well that it was a fixer upper.  While it saw out the rest of that school year, we have had difficulties in repairing it for this year.  Lord willing the issues will soon be addressed, but we yet pray for a new school van if it be within His will, that is dependable and reliable to keep the children safe to and from each school.  We are also in need of a new vehicle for use in crossing the border, as our only insured car has had serious problems over the past months.  Prayer for both of these needs is greatly appreciated. 

We pray that all is well with you in the states.  May God strengthen you in trials, and bless you all abundantly.  Your love for this ministry is no small thing, and we cannot state enough how much it means to these families, all that you make possible for them.  Through His love, imparted through you, families like Sebastiana are rescued out of the darkest and most desperate situations, and given a chance to begin again with Christ as Lord of their lives. We hope to see many of you down here again soon, or have opportunities to visit. :)  Jeanie Sue and Lisa are planning to visit friends in Washington very soon, and hope see some familiar faces.  Dios les bendiga!

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