“But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” - Isaiah 40:31
Navigating the Gap
When we began our adventure with God and the children of Casa Hogar Elim, we heard clearly that we were to stand in the gap between what the world offered and what God had planned. We were to act as a bridge between what was and what could be. What a privilege it is to begin to see the children accept the possibility that the Creator of the universe knows them by name and has a plan for their lives!
Our greatest takeaway from the last few years is that it is foolish and exhausting to get ahead of God when you are on mission with Him. Not every good work is work that we were meant to undertake. When you live this close to the children, you see the impact of the lack of early childhood skill development, nutrition, and education.
We got ahead of God trying to implement solutions for every child’s individual need. After finding ourselves exhausted and not seeing the success we expected, we stopped and prayed and clearly heard God say:
“Stop. Go back to the beginning. I didn’t ask you to fill the gap. I asked you to stand in the gap. I will bring the solutions and the workers.”
What a relief it has been to go back to being the connector and not the solution. Waiting on God can be hard sometimes, but without fail, it is always worth it!
Overcoming Barriers
In an orphanage, the barriers to higher education are most often cost, transportation, and instilling a belief in the child that education will make a difference in their lives.
We are so grateful that we have amazing financial support that has allowed us to not only provide uniforms, shoes, and a learning center for our primary and secondary students, but also given us the ability to continue the children’s education into high school and university or technical school.
Thank you for your faithfulness in this. We are seeing the fruits of sowing seeds of hope and expectation into the children. Rejoice with us over these latest updates!
Adrian graduated from university with his commercial import/export degree. Nuevo Laredo is one of the largest ports of entry into the United States, so this will serve him well as he builds his dream business in carpentry.
He understands it takes years to develop clientele in woodworking and that he will need other work to sustain him in the meantime. His dream is to be a full-time carpenter, find a common-sense woman to marry, raise a family, and return to Casa Hogar Elim to share his skills with the next generation of children.
Itzel graduated high school and has entered the commercial import/export degree program.
This week, we toured the Cecati Training Center for Industrial Work with the intention of entering Tomas and Cris into the Refrigeration/Air Conditioning and Automotive Mechanics programs. They also have programs for cosmetology, design, automotive electronics, basic computer skills including Microsoft Office, and English.
It will take significant coordination because the campus is not nearby, so please be in prayer as we figure out the logistics.
Cristofer also graduated and is hoping to begin an apprenticeship in soldering.
In September, Erick, who is in his last year of university, enters a two-year program at the Institute of International Bible Study as he continues honing his skills as a hairstylist.
Strange combination? Maybe. But he will have a captive audience to hear the Word of God for at least 30 minutes while they are in his chair 😊.
University classes are on Saturday and his Bible classes are Monday through Friday. He’s going to be a busy young man!
Preparing for Life Beyond the Orphanage
With 13 children in high school, university, or technical school, we are focusing on helping them exit the orphanage and enter life well.
Learning how to save money is a big one because, in poverty societies, saving money is not even a consideration and therefore is not taught.
The older children have responsibilities such as working in the carpentry workshop, helping with maintenance around the orphanage, and caring for younger children in the dorms.
We are paying a small but consistent amount to these children if they agree to save at least 90% of the money.
So far, four older children have started savings accounts.
We also host a two-week class for teens to discuss things they need to consider before leaving the orphanage:
- Looking and interviewing for jobs
- Finding a place to rent
- Creating and sticking to a budget
- Living with less and saving for more
One young man, Alexis, has made us incredibly proud with how he handled his recent departure.
He planned. He asked us to help him save. He listened to counsel and delayed his original departure date to save more money. He got a job, sat with Mama Lupita, and thanked her for all she had done for him.
Now, two months into his job, he comes by every two weeks and gives money to put into his savings account. He will be speaking at the class we host to provide real-life experience.
We currently have:
- 8 kindergarten students
- 18 primary school students
- 9 junior high students
- 5 high school students
- 2 university students
- 2 technical school students
- 5 students in ITEA, a program allowing students to earn certification if they were unable to attend regular school
Dreaming About Their Future
Nidia, who helps with primary school reading and math tutoring, is also challenging the children to investigate their own areas of interest for future careers.We have children interested in entering the military, becoming long-haul drivers, teachers, doctors, and cosmetologists. It will be amazing to see what they become!We will be losing Nidia to full-time work in September and look forward to whoever God brings to us to continue the good work.
Never a Dull Moment!
For those who enjoyed last year’s auction, we are working on another one for November!
Most of the items will be things the children are making:
- Jewelry
- Paintings
- Woodwork
- Punch needling by the younger children
We have had classes in resin art—thank you to Cortney Baker of Bloom Galleries—which influences much of what you will see in the auction. Stay tuned for the announcement of dates and times! We visited the zoo, the aquarium, and the pool a million times 😊. The older children usually have “kid duty” when we go to the pool, so we are taking special trips with just the older girls and just the older boys so they have the chance to relax. We have had amazing teams come visit the children, creating relationships, sharing cultures, teaching swim lessons, and best of all sharing laughter, love, and the Good News of Jesus Christ. It really can’t get any better than that.
Prayer Requests
It is a wonderful thing to see how God’s hand is on Casa Hogar Elim. We pray continually for these children, and we are grateful to know that you are with us in prayer for them.
Funding Need
A donor who had been supporting Casa Hogar Elim directly for many years experienced a life change and had to abruptly end their support.
Their monthly donation had been used to pay:
- Salaries: $2,600/month
- Electricity: $500–$875/month
- Fresh fruits and vegetables: $500/month
The orphanage operates 100% on donations, so this created a significant challenge.
After sharing the need, a family came forward and provided six months of funding through Gift of Dignity. That funding ends in November.
Please include this need in your prayers and share it with your family and friends.
We know the solution will be presented, and we will soon glorify God for His continued faithfulness. Every dollar donated helps.
New Special Needs Children
Casa Hogar Elim has been blessed and challenged with the addition of five new special needs children:
- Kimberly
- Angel
- Felipe
- Aime
- Vicki
A wonderful group of therapists from Rezzimax visited us and shared tools and techniques to calm the nervous system, which can help with pain, ADHD, and other unique challenges.
We have already seen benefits and pray these tools will help Felipe, Aime, and Vicki integrate into the highly structured school environment they are entering.
Please pray for patience and healing.
Facility Repairs
The visitor dormitory is in need of:
- Roof repair
- Upstairs bathroom and shower repairs
- Replacement of old window air conditioners with efficient mini-split systems
The work is not difficult for someone experienced in roofing or plumbing. We would love to have a team come down to help fund the changes and complete the work.
I was going to try to pare back this update, but I don’t know what I would leave out!
Your support and prayers bring about so many wonderful stories. We want you to see the impact you are having on the lives of children who had a hard start in life and are now rocking it.
¡MUCHAS GRACIAS!
We could not do this without you. We are the hands and feet on the ground, and your prayers, donations, and presence are the heart and blood that keeps us going.
We pray blessings over you and your families and hope to see you in October if you are in the Dallas area when we host the auction.
“So in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”
Romans 12:5