2012 news letter

I thank God for my family, my mom is doing well, He protected her in New York during the storm that hit the West Coast this year. She is still working (cleaning apartments) but she is tired, I pray that 2013 would be her last year there and then she can come back home and enjoyed her grandchildren and beautiful daughters here J

My father is doing OK, he is still drinking but not too bad, he has a lot of physical problems that had kept him away from drinking too much. He lives by himself in Guatemala City. I see him often, it is hard for me to see him drunk, I love my dad!

I thank God for the opportunity to visit my sister Cynthia in September, her husband William is a marine and he is serving in Afghanistan, I got to visit her right while his base got attacked, God protected him but some other marines died, and I was with my sister while that happened. I got to see my mom who came from NY to see me in California as well as my aunt who raised

 me, her name is Zoila, she is 75 years old, and prayed for her son conversion for more than 25 years... God gave her the gift of seen his 50 year old son walk up to the altar to accept Jesus in his heart!

My sister Doris, is doing good, she did great in university and she is only one year away to become an E.S.L. teacher, just like me, I love when my sisters follow my steps! Except when I fall, than I don´t want them following me!

My bodies, Junior and Milly, Junior became 8 year old last August, he loves Milly, she is full of energy, playful, and does not like to listen! I love them both, but Junior is the one I love the most. (please do not comment anything in front of Milly!) We love going to visit the children at the orphanage, and the children there LOVE them, they love Milly the most but I don’t tell Junior that. 

PRECIOUS MOMENTS

2012 has been a pretty busy ministry year; I continue teaching Bible lessons, at Precious Moments, a school for poor children that live near the garbage dump of Santa Fe, zone 13 of Guatemala. This year we only got 2 teams to visit us, to do ministry there. It is hard to teach about a loving father if their father here in earth is a gang member who kills people as a job. This year we got 2 families that the father was killed, and another family, of a single mom, whose 2 children got to be in the wrong place, at the wrong time, they both got shot, both alive thank God, but seriously injured. I visited this 3 families a number of times now, but their heart  is hurt and love is not in their eyes any more. Please continue to pray for these children, for Martita the founder of this ministry, and for finances that would cover the teachers’ salaries, we are looking for next year 8 churches, small groups or schools that would like to “adopt” a classroom for $250.00 per month, this year we served to 180 children. (in a 3 bedroom house!)

And please pray for me! As I drive there now once a week, please pray for safety more than anything.

HIV ORPHANAGE

There had been some changes, If you had ever visited the orphanage you have to had noticed the lack of adults in the babies area, only one or two nurses to take care to 8 to 12 children… thank God a church from Minnesota started a program called “Hug a baby” and they hired a nanny to hold babies while they drink their bottle, change their diapers regularly and also give some physical therapy to the children, she is doing a great help and I can see the improvement in the health and social skills of the babies, if you want to be part of this ministry let me know and I can give you the information you need to do so.

One of our children is in heaven now, she (Ingrid) had some cardiac condition that affected her, if you visited she is the one in bed, or wheel chair, she could not walk, talk, or move, now she is free as an eagle!
The children learn in a slower pace, but they have fun doing it. Please pray for me as I want to be a witness of the love of Jesus for me and for them.

 

it is an eathquake!

I was driving my new car, got stuck in traffic in the middle of a
bridge when all of a sudden the car started rocking… that is weird, I
thought… then I heard on the radio “there is an earthquake” ayayay if
the bridge can´t take it that is it… but the bridge is still there and
I am still here!  But that is not the same story in other parts of
Guatemala.
I want to share some of the GREAT blessings God has giving me in the
last 2 months.
In September I got the blessing to go to CTEN ORIENTATION in Texas,
got to meet lot of great people, I got to see God’s work in other
parts of the world like Bolivia, Brazil, and Uruguay. I was honored to
share the same room with all of them!  I praise the Lord for the
provision for that trip; the same family that donated the air ticket
also got me to visit my sister in San Diego. Right at the same time
that my brother in law base in Afghanistan got attacked,  it was the
right time to be with my sister, thank God Billy is safe but please
keep him in your prayers.
I also got the chance to share the gospel with my cousin Juan Carlos,
28 year old, who accepted Jesus in his heart while we were talking in
my sister´s kitchen, so talking about been where God wants you to be…
In September I got to lead an exploratory trip for a Church from
Indiana that is praying about bringing a team to Guatemala next year,
so I hope and pray that they do!
October was a pretty busy month, is the end of the school year, so I
needed to pass final exams and grade them, lots of work but it is over
now!
I got the visit of the pastors of a supporting church for a few days
and it felt really good to be loved and cared by them while they
visited Guatemala.
A week after they left was the earthquake, 50 people died, more than
1,000 homes were badly damaged, over a million people were affected by
it.
The same week Ingrid a girl from the orphanage died, because she had
heart problems, she was 12 but now she is with Jesus for eternity.
Violence is still very bad in the city, 3 students from precious
moments had been victim of it,  one family lost the father because the
gang members came to their business and asked for their extortion
money, when the father refused to pay… they killed him.
3 weeks latter 3 people were killed one of them was the father of
another student of mine, Junior… who is doing really bad! And last
week, 2 of my students got in the middle of a gang territory fight and
got shot just because they were in the wrong place…
University is going well but it is extremely hard! 4 classes per
semester plus teaching is hard! But take a look of the circumstances
of this children, I am obligated to keep my studies and become a
children psychology for them!
On other subject, my van thank God has been rented this month, 7 more
payments of 500 US each and then every time the van is rented 10%
tithe. 30% will go to precious moments , 30% to maintenance  and 30%
to my personal support… but so far nothing for December or January
please help me praying for rental opportunities.
Thank you for your prayers! I need them, here are some suggestions:
Health
•       Spiritual life, that I can spend enough time with the Lord
•       Protection
•       Financial support, still behind(US250) monthly support
•       Energy and intelligence to keep all the knowledge I am getting at
University in my brain!

I was driving my new car, got stuck in traffic in the middle of a
bridge when all of a sudden the car started rocking… that is weird, I
thought… then I heard on the radio “there is an earthquake” ayayay if
the bridge can´t take it that is it… but the bridge is still there and
I am still here!  But that is not the same story in other parts of
Guatemala.
I want to share some of the GREAT blessings God has giving me in the
last 2 months.
In September I got the blessing to go to CTEN ORIENTATION in Texas,
got to meet lot of great people, I got to see God’s work in other
parts of the world like Bolivia, Brazil, and Uruguay. I was honored to
share the same room with all of them!  I praise the Lord for the
provision for that trip; the same family that donated the air ticket
also got me to visit my sister in San Diego. Right at the same time
that my brother in law base in Afghanistan got attacked,  it was the
right time to be with my sister, thank God Billy is safe but please
keep him in your prayers.
I also got the chance to share the gospel with my cousin Juan Carlos,
28 year old, who accepted Jesus in his heart while we were talking in
my sister´s kitchen, so talking about been where God wants you to be…
In September I got to lead an exploratory trip for a Church from
Indiana that is praying about bringing a team to Guatemala next year,
so I hope and pray that they do!
October was a pretty busy month, is the end of the school year, so I
needed to pass final exams and grade them, lots of work but it is over
now!
I got the visit of the pastors of a supporting church for a few days
and it felt really good to be loved and cared by them while they
visited Guatemala.
A week after they left was the earthquake, 50 people died, more than
1,000 homes were badly damaged, over a million people were affected by
it.
The same week Ingrid a girl from the orphanage died, because she had
heart problems, she was 12 but now she is with Jesus for eternity.
Violence is still very bad in the city, 3 students from precious
moments had been victim of it,  one family lost the father because the
gang members came to their business and asked for their extortion
money, when the father refused to pay… they killed him.
3 weeks latter 3 people were killed one of them was the father of
another student of mine, Junior… who is doing really bad! And last
week, 2 of my students got in the middle of a gang territory fight and
got shot just because they were in the wrong place…
University is going well but it is extremely hard! 4 classes per
semester plus teaching is hard! But take a look of the circumstances
of this children, I am obligated to keep my studies and become a
children psychology for them!
On other subject, my van thank God has been rented this month, 7 more
payments of 500 US each and then every time the van is rented 10%
tithe. 30% will go to precious moments , 30% to maintenance  and 30%
to my personal support… but so far nothing for December or January
please help me praying for rental opportunities.
Thank you for your prayers! I need them, here are some suggestions:
Health
•       Spiritual life, that I can spend enough time with the Lord
•       Protection
•       Financial support, still behind(US250) monthly support
•       Energy and intelligence to keep all the knowledge I am getting at
University in my brain!

His base was attacked last week, gun shooting, darkness, marines hurt, some don´t move any more... his family in his mind, his 5 year old boy William, who wants to be a marine like his daddy, his 10 month old baby girl Addrianna who looks just like him and his beautiful wife who was just in a car accident the night before... more gun shootings, his heart beating so fast, in the mist of all of that GOD WAS IN CONTROL OF ALL, and he knew that, that gave him peace.

I was coming to meet my niece, little I knew what was the real reason why I came this week!

 

On the other side of the world, in America God had taken care of everything, yes Cynthia (my sister) got into a car accident, it was pretty bad but thank God she is fine and the kids as well, I was coming to visit her in San Diego so she prepared a surprise "for me" but she was been used by God to comfort her! the accident was the very day that my mom and my aunt who raised us came to visit her, so yes Billy was in Afghanistan when the accident happened but my sister was not alone! I came the following week, the day after I came Billy´s base was attacked, he is OK and once again she was not alone, THANK GOD because He allowed things to happen but He takes care of us.

I go back to Guatemala today and I pray and ask for your prayers over my brother in law Billy and my sister in California Cynthia, their kids and that the car that was in the accident gets fixed soon.

wow it has been a long time! but here I am again