The Girls' Home
January has been a very exciting month as we opened the girls home! Our first girls are two sisters named Estela and Celia. As I wrote about in last month's newsletter, we've gotten to know these girls and their family over the past years. We're so excited to now have them living with us! It's been a busy month getting them enrolled in school, buying school supplies and clothes, and adjusted to living here. School classes started on January 13th, and it's been a big adjustment for the girls. On a typical day they get home from school around 1:30 and then work on homework until 11 at night!
The rental house became available on January 15th, and they're now moved in. The house wasn't in very good shape, and so I've been very busy getting it fixed up for them. A friend of ours named Erika has volunteered to live with the girls. She also used to work at Casa Shalom with us, and she now works at the same school where the girls are attending. She is such a blessing to us and is doing a great job with the girls. Please pray for her and her ministry with the girls.
We've been reading the Bible together, and my hope right now as they get adjusted to this new life is that they learn to look to God for His will for their lives. It's so important at this stage of their lives that they begin to mature and actively pray and seek God. Please pray for the Celia and Estela during all of these changes that they would grow in the Lord. If through our ministry they only receive an education but don't grow in God's love, then it was kinda worthless! God must be the center of their lives, or we've basically just taught them materialism. Please pray for the girls.
Our First Group
We've very excited to host our very first team this week! Right now a group of 11 from Church at the Barn in Astatula, FL are flying down and will work with us this week. It's a very exciting step and also a little scary to house and feed that many. The group is led by a lady, Christina, who has worked at Casa Shalom in the past and became great friends with Yuliza.
We're very blessed to have them visit because they have a heart to help us with the different ministries that we're involved with. Tomorrow we'll be visiting Celia and Estela's village and joining with their pastor for an evangelism outreach. They'll also be working at the girls' school, visiting the kids at Casa Shalom, and having a Shalom alum cookout for all the kids who have left. Oh, and they're also going to paint our house! It's going to be a wonderfully busy week. Please pray for the group and for us in all these activities and travel.
Next Month
We're also planing on visiting Austin in March! I still need to confirm our plans, but we hope to go for about 10 days and catch up with all of our friends and with North Austin Christian Church. It will be great to see everyone again!
Thank you so much for your support and prayers for Yuli, myself and the ministry. Thank you for enabling us to serve in Guatemala!
Brent & Yuliza
