Team Casas Guatemala

We want you to meet Vilma and Oscar Reyes and their children Frandi (5) and Arely (8). They are 33 years old and Oscar is a truck driver.  Right now they are renting a place to live, but praying that they will soon have a home to call their own.  We want to help make this prayer a reality. The week of June 23rd we are still looking for volunteers to join us for Team Casas in San Raimundo, Guatemala.  If you've been considering organizing a trip to Guatemala, this would be a great opportunity to experience it first hand. Grab a friend and join us this summer for a week in Guatemala!

Cost: $675 (excluding airfare)

When: June 23rd-29th

Click Here for More Details

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Girl On A Mission

Read the story of how one 8 year old girl from North Carolina is using her entrepreneurial spirit and ingenuity to help raise money for her youth group to build a home with Casas por Cristo in Guatemala. Cecilia's story inspired us, we have no doubt it will inspire you too!!
(This story was originally written by her parents here.)

I’ll just go ahead and say it…this post is unabashed praise for my sweet little girl. Uh huh, my peacock feathers are WIDE open. At 8 (and a 1/2, she will remind you) our youngest dauther, Cecilia, has shown us just how incredibly huge her heart already is by taking on a task born in her own head, to help others.

Rewind two weeks ago to a Sunday evening youth service. We are so blessed at Mt. Tabor United Methodist Church in Winston-Salem, to have an amazing youth director in Steve Keaton. Our youth group is one of the largest in town and super active, mainly because of Steve and the wonderful youth volunteers. Each Sunday evening our youth group gathers and once a month, instead of the usual gathering, they have their own worship service. On this particular Sunday, I happened to be at church helping to serve dinner to the youth. So when the service started, my two older kids, who are youth members headed into the service. Not wanting to be left out, Celia joined right in. I poked my head in a couple of times amidst the kitchen cleanup and was delighted to see her standing on the front row dancing and singing praise music right beside her big brother. What a treat to see how taken she was with the whole concept.

I knew in advance that Steve encouraged the youth to come to the service because “they would have the opportunity to leave with cash” but I had no idea of what he had planned. Well of course, we had a great turnout…I mean what a fabulous way to attract kids! What the youth didn’t know is that they would be challenged. During the service, Steve spoke to the youth about the Parable of the Talents. And as they left, each was allowed to place their hand in a big box full of cash and pull out a bill. Then they were asked to take that bill and double it and bring it back to the church in a few weeks. All of the money collected would go towards sponsoring some of our youth to go to Guatemala this summer on a mission trip. In the box were 5′s, 10′s and 20′s.

Again, not seeing herself as any different from the big kids, little missy stuck her hand right in the box and pulled out a ten dollar bill. And immediately her mind was whirling and before she even got to the car she had an idea brewing. You see, recently Celia has been taking sewing classes. It has been the most wonderful experience. She is naturally gifted in this area…full of patience, detail oriented and creative. She also has a great eye for color and patterns and just does incredibly meticulous work…especially for an 8-year-old. One of their recent sewing projects was an adorable, reversible headband and she was certain she could make some and sell them to double her money.

So off she went to sewing class the following Thursday with a bag of fabric we had on hand…and she walked out with finished headbands! Over the course of the next two days she made more with other fabric we purchased. By Sunday morning, she had 19 headbands in her bag that she planned to sell for $3 a piece. On the way into the service, I mentioned to Steve about her project and he took a moment during the service to tell about Celia’s entrepreneurial spirit in the name of a cause. Following the service Celia was flooded with onlookers and customers shoving cash into her precious little hands. I wish I had my camera at the time to capture the look and amazement in her eyes. She was overwhelmed…and out almost of inventory! Yep, the end of the day she had turned her $10 into $69!

So needless to say, the Odoms have turned their basement into somewhat of a mini sweatshop. What began as a one-girl operation, has turned into a family project. We have had the most wonderful time working together to support her as she makes more headbands to take to various places this week hoping to increase the amount of money she gives back to the church.

Of course, I had to take a few images of my girl hard at work and showcase some of her fabulous pieces. Yes, folks, you may be looking at the next Project Runway winner!

Love the concentration on her face!

Above, sporting one of her favorite patterns.

Some of this week’s designs are shown above…get ‘em while they’re hot!

A finished piece.

No doubt, we have all learned something from Celia’s willingness to take an idea and literally run with it…never thinking that failing was an option. She jumped right in without hesitation because she knew she had been called to help others. I’m quite sure much of her inspiration has come from watching her older sister, Lydia, as she prepares for her mission trip this summer and I am very grateful for the example she has set for both her brother and sister. It should also not go unnoticed that both of my other children have at least doubled their money to give back as well. But the extent to which Celia took this has been inspiring, to say the least. I’m constantly amazed at how much we can learn and be inspired by our children. Makes me smile!

Also, a huge shout out to Steve Keaton for coming up with such a creative way to challenge our youth! Can’t wait to see what comes of it!

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Keeping Up With the de la Peñas

Read the latest from Ryan and Leanne de la Peña and follow their work with Casas por Cristo.

We are here!!! It wasn’t easy and the first week wasn’t pretty, but we survived and are excited to call El Paso home once again.  After a six day road trip full of adventures including a snowstorm, late nights driving, more bathroom stops than I can count, and some fun time spent with family and friends along the way, we drove into El Paso during the peak of a nasty sandstorm.  We are so thankful for the group of friends that showed up with lunch, groceries, toilet paper and strong arms to unload the moving truck.  However that first evening several of us started feeling ill.  By Tuesday, Ryan, Leanne and 2 year old Landon all tested positive for a nasty case of the Flu. The rest of the kids have had a variety of symptoms, but thankfully didn’t need anything other than some extra rest.  Once again we watched in amazement as friends brought more meals and even a practically new bed as we weren’t able to bring our old one with us. They made sure that our children were alive and taken care of, as Ryan and I were really wiped out by the virus.  

So here we are two weeks later, thankful to be healthy and even more thankful for all the little and big ways that God provided and protected us during our transition.  Last week Ryan jumped right into building as he and fellow staff member Jason Roth headed to Juárez with Bethel Church all the way from British Columbia, Canada. Despite the wind and rain, they succeeded in building 2 singles with only 10 people.  In March, Ryan is scheduled to build with 2 or possibly 3 more teams in Juárez.  So please pray for us as we continue to settle in and also prepare for the birth of our 7th baby in April. 

To step back for a minute, in January, Ryan was able to fly from PA to El Paso for a short weekend build with The House of God, whom we had both previously worked with many years ago.  It was a joy to be able to give the Vasquez family a home and to connect with some old friends. 

If you have previously made a pledge to support us, now is the time to start sending in your monthly support if you haven’t already. If you haven’t considered coming alongside us financially, we would ask for your prayerful consideration.  We do need to raise additional support and would love to have you as part of our team.  The easiest way to give is through Casas por Cristo staff page. You can set up to make automatic monthly payments or just a one time gift. If you prefer not to use the internet, you can also mail in donations to the office address, P.O. Box 971070 El Paso, TX 79997.  

Thank you to each of you who have given and/or committed yourselves to giving.  We are excited to get back into the swing of things here and to see how God will use us!

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Summertime and the Living's Easy

But that's not what you're looking for; not every week at least!! Grab your friends, your family or your neighbors and spend a week with us this summer building a home for a family in need. We promise, there is no better way that you could spend your week! 

We have opportunities for you to serve in México and Guatemala. So what are you waiting for? Check out your calendar and join us. Our México and Guatemala trips are right around the corner!

June 10th - 14th | Juárez, México

June 23rd - 29th | San Raimundo, Guatemala

June 30th - July 6th | San Raimundo, Guatemala

August 30th - September 2nd | Acuña, México

For more info check out our Team Casas page or e-mail us at questions@casasporcristo.org

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A lifetime of faithfulness

In his 97th year, Harold James is an inspiration to us and a reminder that we are all called to serve God with our whole lives. May his words and faithfulness inspire you as they have us.

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Keeping Up With the Roth's

Read the latest from Jason and Janette Roth and follow their work with Casas por Cristo.

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"That Trip Changed My Life"

(taken from CMF International http://bit.ly/YuOB9T)

Students and staff from the Globalscope El Pozo campus ministry in Puebla, Mexico, will make the team’s sixth spring break trip March 25-27 to build houses for poor families with Casas Por Cristo, a Christian organization based in El Paso, Texas.

“Five families now have homes because of the five trips El Pozo has made,” said Kami Burns, the El Pozo team leader, “and this year’s we’re changing that number from five to seven.”

The group plans to build both a three-room and a two-room house in Ciudad Acuna, Mexico. They have raised more than $6,000 toward the nearly $12,000 cost, and recruited 17 of the 30 students they will need for the project.

“Sometimes this project sounds too crazy, like these are goals we can’t accomplish,” said Kami, “but the name ‘Casas Por Cristo’ reminds me every time I say it that these houses are built by Jesus Christ, and 13 more students and $5,548 more is completely doable for the Son of God.”

The previous trips have been life-changing events not only for the families who receive the new homes, but also for the team participants, including Kami herself.

“In 2008, in my last year of school at Georgia Tech, I decided to go on Christian Campus Fellowship’s spring break trip to build houses with Casas Por Cristo in Ciudad, Juarez, Mexico, for the first time,” said Kami. She had spent time as an exchange student in El Pozo the year before and was excited about reconnecting with her friends there.

“That trip was crucial for me … I realized just how much I loved being in Mexico,” added Kami. “I wasn’t sure when I’d be back in Mexico or when I would see my Mexican friends again, but the lump in my throat when I left told me that maybe God was telling me something. That Juarez trip changed my life.”

Other students have also been powerfully affected by the trip, said Kami. Rada was a young girl with only a slight connection to El Pozo who went on the 2010 trip on a whim.

“The community she discovered on that trip connected her to El Pozo,” said Kami, “and over the course of the next year, she started an internship with us, gave her life to Christ and was baptized, and today she still works on our staff. That trip changed her life!”

Yet another student who was impacted by the trip was a graduating senior, Armando, who had been part of El Pozo for years, but went on his first trip with Casa Por Cristo in 2010.

“Amramdo fell in love with Casas Por Cristo on that trip and interned with them last summer,” said Kami. “There he was baptized and made a commitment to ministry. He interned with El Pozo this fall and is now preparing to join the Casas staff in Juarez and Acuna full time this summer. That trip changed his life!”

If you are interested in joining El Pozo on this trip contact Kami Burns. If you’d like to make it possible for more students to go, you may donate here. Prayers are also requested for the venture, said Kami.

“Since the beginning of the semester we’ve been praying at 2 p.m. every day, and asking supporters, friends and students to pray as well,” she said. “Please join us in praying for God to provide the people and the money to build two houses, and for the families who will receive them.”

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