With the girls...
We've been able to go through a couple of Bible studies, the most recent one on the book of Ruth. I was blessed with the help of my bilingual boyfriend (more on that subject later) in translating the notes to make sure the message was clearly communicated, and that was followed with the blessing of seeing a few of the girls really grasp onto a couple of the subjects we covered in the study. I love that "ah-ha!" moment of seeing the light go on!They've had several projects in school, and some of them have worked so hard to make the grade and do quality work. Others need a little more encouragement. One huge challenge for me in this area has been in how to motivate them to study and be diligent in their schoolwork. One huge blessing has been to see those who excel in school voluntarily taking the time and energy to tutor those who struggle more.
Naturally, in a dorm of 18 teen girls, there will be some conflicts of interest. It has been a blessing to see some girls from different cliques integrating with other groups. They have also had to work together on a couple of projects, like their latest school projects for this week preceding Guatemala's Independence Day (September 15th,) in which they've prepared food, costumes, miniature replicas of important sites in Guatemalan History. (The food, by the way, was delicious!)
Within our staff...
We have been blessed to see the addition of the Parker family, who is heading up youth ministry and community outreach (more on that later,) to our Casa community. Please keep them in your prayers as they gear up in this new aspect of ministry here, and also as Carla Parker has just lost her father. They are currently in the States with their family and are expected to return soon.
Staff unity and communication continues to be a struggle for us, although the blessing is that we are struggling at it now. This month we began a training on parenting children with Attachment Disorder (AD,) led by Jan Morrison, our semi-permanent resident psychologist, who has years and truckloads of experience in teaching on the subject, as well as in working with and ministering to children with AD and who've lived through traumatic experiences. We are thankful to have her. The training sessions have proved a valuable time for discussion and problem solving as a staff, so please continue to lift us up in prayer in this area. We also pray that through this training, we can be better equipped to minister to our children here.
In "Baby" Church...
In an effort to minister more intentionally to the youngest crowd at Casa Aleluya, we separated out the preschool children from the older little ones on Sunday mornings, starting up "Pueblo de la Verdad" (Village of Truth,) in accompaniment to the "Cuidad de la Verdad" (City of Truth) for the older young children. The leaders were originally only from our dorm, but have now expanded to include a few of the teenage boys as well. One challenge for me in this area has been organization, as I have seen firsthand how my organizational skills, or lack thereof, set the example for the leaders' attitude. One blessing for me has been seeing the program come together a little more cohesively over the past few weeks, and seeing the leaders step up to take initiative in planning and preparation. One of the goals since starting the program has been that the teen leaders would eventually be able to run the program independently of any adult leader.Regarding Teen Leadership, Growth in Faith & Church Community, and Outreach to Surrounding Communities (and much answered prayer!)...
As I shared with many of you a few months ago, in March the teens began holding their own voluntary praise and worship services on Monday and Friday nights. Out of this new ministry came an outpouring of new salvations, renewed commitments to the Lord, and much deeper and intimate relationships with the Lord. During this season, we also saw the Lord provide for Genesis, our little 10 year-old Braveheart, to finally have her kidney transplant at just the right time to remove her about-to-rupture appendix. We have now watched Him carry her through her required 90-day isolation period post-operation, and now see her running around so happy and healthy--praise God! The faith of so many staff and children was grown exponentially through this trial we underwent as the Casa Aleluya community. Another blessing through this trial was seeing the kids band together to pray and uphold Genesis, and then each other in prayer for other issues and trials they were struggling through.
In the most recent months, we have seen both the teens continuing to step up into leadership roles, and God continuing to answer prayers that we as a community have lifted up:
• The safe arrival of the Mike and Carla Parker family, as a permanent Casa Aleluya fixture, who have now begun to lead the older kids in youth ministry and several outreach events to our surrounding communities, at which the Casa teens had the opportunity not only to share the gospel, but also to lead several people to trust Christ as their Savior.
• The provision of the property and funds to build a church adjacent to Casa Aleluya, with the purpose of reaching out to our neighboring communities. This church will be led and even designed (to a certain extent) by the teens of Casa. They wanted it; they prayed for it; many gave towards it; and we all had the privilege of seeing God answer and provide! What a testimony to the kids' faith and to God's faithfulness! Mike (Clark) has just purchased the property, so now we'll be preparing the land to start building.
• Several of our older boys and even a couple of girls have said they know the Lord has called them into full time ministry, in one area or another. For the girls, this is often a more challenging step of faith in the more male-dominated culture of Guatemala--please understand this is not my personal political viewpoint, but rather a realistic description of the cultural environment in this country, meant to communicate the extra joy that comes from seeing Guatemalan teenage girls voluntarily step into a position of leadership, especially for the Lord. We have even seen one of these older boys, Esdras, take his first pastorship in a rural community church about 2 hours away from here. Please keep him in your prayers especially.
All of these events, with regards to the older "children" stepping up into leadership are pieces of the larger answer to prayer, as we see the Lord bring about the fruition of the Casa Aleluya vision: " to impart Christ's perfect love to broken innocence and create an equipped follower of Jesus who is transformed into a powerful witness of God's grace and mercy to the world." Our heart is to see these kids' hearts and lives transformed by the power of Christ, that they would then go out as a light and witness to transform the lives of others, both in San Bartolomé Milpas Altas, and in all Guatemala and Central America, and even to the remotest part of the earth. (See Acts 1:8) And so we rejoice.
In my personal/extra-Casa life...
A huge blessing to me was in May, to have a team from the 20s groups at PBCC come down for a week and serve here at Casa, as well as in a few other capacities around our area. We were even blessed with the chance to spend time with my friend Christine, who's serving in the Peace Corps near Lake Atitlan and see what life is like in a small, traditional Maya community.
As I shared with many of you in March, I have been blessed with a church home in Guatemala City, Union Church of Guatemala, which strives to reach out to the English-speaking community of Guatemala. We are truly an international and interdenominational community, coming from many different backgrounds to grow together in the Lord and His word, ministering and fellowshipping together. This has been a sweet "extra-Casa" circle the Lord has provided as a refuge for me.
An added blessing of this Union Church circle has been the sweet man the Lord has brought into my life, René. After meeting the first night I visited Union, we've been dating for a couple of months now, both growing and learning together, and hopefully encouraging and blessing one another towards greater an more fruitful ministry. He is currently serving as the Sending Director for Missionary Ventures Latin America, as they aim to equip the locals of Guatemala to go out as missionaries to other parts of the world. As a part of that goal, he is also serving as the youth pastor at Union Church. He is indeed a sweetness and blessing to me, and even to the girls, for which I am so thankful. We have also been blessed with the opportunity to serve the community of Union by helping out with music one night a month. It has been sweet being able to minister together in that way.
Another answer to prayer, I finally bought a car! Oh it is so sweet to have my own personal transportation! And believe me, the girls did not miss a beat! The moment I announced the happy news, they were already asking about taking it out for its christening! Oh how they love that I now have my own transportation! But seriously, it is a blessing of freedom to be able to take them places, both the necessary and the just-for-fun. Thank you to all who gave towards that purchase!
In closing, let me say that if there's one thing I've learned, it's that this ministry would never be possible without, first and foremost, the Lord Almighty leading the way, but secondly, without the enormous community of believers who support it by prayer, finance, material supplies, time, even input and feedback (and I'm sure there are ways I'm forgetting) throughout all the ups an downs and all that goes on here each day. I am so thankful for the opportunity to get to share in this ministry with you all! You are all a blessing to me in a way you may never even know, and even to kids and other adults you may never even meet. May our Lord God, who is rich in mercy and abounding in love, bless you and keep you always, make His face to shine upon you, and give you peace...
Forever in His beautiful hands, your sister,
Ginny :)
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