would you hold my arm up?

6 years ago I started teaching English at the orphanage Anna Vitiello, 60 something kids at the orphanage at that time,  one thing was quite obvious: the kids did not have any counselor or psychologist that would help them process.  A girl died that year at the orphanage and again… no one to help process that with the kids.

The Lord had called me to bring hope and love to those kids, I thought I would take some classes about phycology.

Here I am 40 classes after that, 5 years where I would go to University every Saturday, no weekends for me, reading and writing essays for 5 years, to finally become a better tool to the kids not only there but also in Sumpango garbage dump area.  In the midtime, I became a mom; the ministry grew to the fact that more short-term mission trips are coming to Sumpango, God has used us in many ways.

Today I am asking you to hold my arm up, to continue the ministry, I can not do this alone, and need your prayers, this coming Saturday (May 20^th) I will be taking my last writing exam (God willing!) and latter that evening or the morning of the 21^st, I will be holding my board exam. Please pray for me, I need to be calm and find grace in front of the eyes of the board. Pray for them.

Pray for energy for me this week, I should be studying! But also getting ready to host 400 missionaries in 11 weeks during the summer, we will be building 14 homes, painting, teaching, sharing, VBS at Sumpango to about 50 kids eveyweek for 8 weeks, well… lots of logistics to work with.

The doors that God is opening to us overwhelm me, because is a lot to carry by myself, I feel like Moses when praying on the mountain and I need your support to continue. Please join me in this ministry, be part of it, pray for us!

Pastors Manuel and Dorita

I am honored to have met a man that really cares for the kingdom, a man and his wife that at age of 68 in obedience to  God left the church they had planted in Guatemala City to plant another one in Sumpango... 68 years old and eager to start from the beginning again. Action that moved the heart of another family... Marvin Juarez and his family moved to Sumpango a year latter to help Pastor Manuel.

After 5 years in Sumpango and not one church but two.
Pastor Manuel and his wife Dorita both had surgery in their eyes due to cataracts couple of weeks ago. Dorita is recovering well but pastor Manuel had an eye stroke and  he can’t see in his left eye.

The doctor urged him to rest and lower his stress levels. Their daughters begged him to slow down, the church at the neighbourhood had been going through some important problems, and after praying they took the very hard decision of closing up the church as it did not have leadership to keep this ministry going.

Right now their plans are to fusion the congregation at the neighborhood to the one near the garbage dump church in Sumpango, and visit the churches they have been part of during the last 52 years of ministry.



Pastor Manuel is quite sad by this unplanned retirement, we are planning a party to thank his many years serving the Lord, we want to encourage you to send him a card to:
AMY TROTTIER/ PASTOR CRUZ
11242 Vessey Circle, Bloomington, MN 55437

Cultural fact: In Guatemala only the people who has worked for the government has the right of receiving money when they retire. Pastors and missionaries  in this sense do not have the advantage of receiving any money. If the Lord guides you to support financially to the Cruz family, you can include a check payable to MANUEL CRUZ in your card.