MARIA DE OCHO, HAS BEEN WITH US FOR NINE YEARS AND HAS FINALLY PURCHASED PROPERTY , PAID IT OFF AND HER HOUSE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION .......

 

As a young lady  11 yrs or so she was lead to leave her home in the hills of Chihuahua and come to Baja ,  ( cannot recall  why but it was not for good reasons ).  She was with a cousin or aunt  working in the fields and met a man so of course joined with him....got pregnant and he left .So there was a couple who came to her rescue and she took them up on their offer to assist her with  all the comforts of a "loving" family. She worked along side of them and then after the baby was born she was being checked out and they took the baby and told her to  meet them at the front door. She sat in front of the hospital for hours,  a day later she left after realizing they had stolen her baby.     So she  went on ... working in camps and living the empty life she had been dealt.  She had no recourse but to continue, bitterness I am sure set in on top of rejection, abandonment  a gamut of emotions I am sure .... .... 

Then she met  another  man ...... She did the best she could with no Jesus nor any real love.   The man was decent at first . Her oldest girl even has fond memories and wants to go find him.  (Her oldest  is 18 now and I may be helping her .).  However, the babies came and I believe Maria never really recovered.  Then , a missionary couple tried to work with her a few years when  five of the children were young and beginning in schools however the man became a drunkard and he did drugs and had women on the side .  Maria became depressed  and barely took care of herself much  less her children.    

Finally Maria did some soul searching and accepted help from this couple who offered her our home as an Out .  Maria took it and    

arrived dirty, sad , forlorn and depressed plus   her children were wild, dirty and unkempt.  That was the beginning ,  nine years ago.   Her children  (then ages 9, 5,4,3,2) thrived  under love and discipline.  She began to see hope and received the LORD AND SAW THE LOVE FINALLY.... Then after a few months she decided to return to her pueblo and get her birth certificate and to register her children ,none  of  which were registered . So that was her priority 

She knew she was pregnant but did not tell us and asked me to care for her children.  So for 6 months she traveled back there and  these children stayed in my home .   She arrived sad and without hope because she saw what she came from and was not registered nor knew any way to change this. We continued to encourage her and pray for her .   She was doing well working, saving and after the birth of her baby girl and was finally seeing life with some hope but then all of a sudden  she stopped working and became sullen and withdrawn .   We had no clue what had happened,  after months  of encouragement and  counsel she just stopped everything and  it seemed like she was just fed up .  Depression was filling her.    

See she was doing so well, then nothing.  We knew something had to change so we told her if she stayed she had to be  actively    working toward a goal .. She got mad and left 

Then we heard she had gone to a home similar to what we have so we wondered...... But Praise the Lord we thought she was gonna be ok.   6 children and so much progress and now this but then we got an un expected visit from the home  director asking us why we kicked her out after she had been Raped!,,!!!   We were shocked !  We told our side and what we knew.   Very sad to say she felt we had kicked her out and she  felt abandoned again.   However, we had no idea and it turns out she knew the guy and was going against our firm rule of no boyfriends and anyway ....... there was much confusion and conflict!!!    

You can imagine the turmoil and emotions playing a part of accusing her , in this culture it is part of a woman's duty to be used by men.  So I will not go there so ...... the story continues ..then we heard that twins were born but had been  given up for adoption. This was a shocker because  she loves her children!!   So ..... 

One day I was at a missionary thanksgiving celebration and there was a couple,  new missionaries who were showing off their two adopted twins and guess what?  They were Maria's . I could tell as they were  duplicates of her other children!!!  

I backed off not really knowing how to feel.   My children who kind of knew the situation were gushing all over them and asking about the birth mom and then adopted mom Karen realized who I was ( director of the other shelter).  She asked to speak privately with me and  I complied.

She was troubled at how the adoption had happened and how quickly it occurred.  She had a check in her spirit and kept talking over and over again about how she did not understand and how she loved her children but still sensed something amiss So of course I was on it in prayer wondering why she told me all this because I was not in touch with the other home or the mom  at all.  

Then we found out there had been some odd goings on and the home ( which was at first a CC but had a change of leadership a few years ago and now we are hearing  it was going back to CC).    After some time passed I was at a CC missions conference in Murrieta  and see the adoptive mom.  AGAIN.  She is from Calvary too which I had no idea ......so she starts talking and as it seems she is really bothered by the results of the paper work and says please if you ever, ever talk to Maria and Maria says she wants her babies please tell me !  I am shocked of course but remain closed mouth!   So while we are at the  conference I get a call from Cdp mom Nati (she is In charge when we are not home-you will meet her if you come down ) telling me Maria is at the door and wants to come back!   I, of course, say yes but say nothing to the adoptive mom, Karen.   

When I returned to Mexico I meet with Maria and welcome her seeing a vulnerability in her I had never seen before.   My heart was sad but I waited, seeking the Lord as to how to deal with the situation.  

A few weeks later  I was taking her to get some paper work because, due to the birth of her twins, she was allowed  to register her other children and so we were working with this other ministry to get it all done . It was my opportunity to ask her details.   She broke and wept and wailed. As it seemed the old director who was  not there at present time had pressured her by saying things like ..." The babies are of rape you will not love them ,  you can not  afford more children , you are not a capable of caring for them etc.."...  It was awful  the things the people who convinced her to give up her children said ( Praise the Lord these people are gone now from that other shelter).  I was praying and comforting her then asked her the all important question... Do you want your children back?  She screamed, " Yes ! I love my babies! I do love them and I want them back!" Through her tears she was a broken and desperate woman!  I immediately called  the adoptive mother, Karen,   and she replied, "When do you want to make the change?"  I was shocked and amazed at the love shown through both moms!  

So within a few days we made arrangement and we are so blessed to see the reuniting of moms Maria and her twins . They were 7 months old then and now they are turning 7 years old in July!  I am amazed as I write this at the turn of events over 9 years so as you can see I want her to  succeed and to have a life of peace and love. At the present time she is struggling with realizing her children are really sinners. They know how to manipulate her to believe their twists and of course they are always the victims ya know!  So it is now with a 18 year old who loves Jesus and the 15 and 14 year who are full of energy and righteousness  who thinksthey are justified in their own rights  and filled with self.  Then she has a hardheaded and bright child who is her little angel  and then the younger ones who see all the sinners doing their thing !!!    Oh the dynamics of this family is outrageous !  But. God loves them all and each has possibility and promise that if directed to the Lord are going to be ok.  However it is difficult with the Mom protecting them  and taking a strong stance  against truth as she thinks she is protecting these sinners .... But we are seeing her maybe realizing the truth and  we will see what happenes. .   Prayer and counsel is the key!,  So keep praying she really needs it 

 

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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