Dear Friends...

This is a recent e-mail update from our executive director David Robertson to our board of trustees and our staff.  We want to share it with you all as we celebrate the work that God is doing in and through Casas por Cristo.

1)  A really cool thing happened this week.  One of our former interns, Todd Hale, brought a group of eleven guys down with him from Canada.  They were very ambitious and planned to build two singles this week.  Wednesday morning the radio started going crazy as they decided on the spot to build a third house.  Brandon and Mikell were with them.  All of the arrangements were quickly thrown together and at 3:00 in the afternoon they were pouring the slab of their third house.  The family had about an hour notice before the group showed.  They finished the third house and dedicated Thursday about 5:00 in the afternoon.  This family was shaken to their core in a good way. From their perspective, they just witnessed and received a miracle.  Thank you so much to Todd, his group of crazy Canadians, and two Casas missionaries willing to pour themselves out as a fragrant sacrifice.

2)  A few years back the city of Juarez approached us about building some flood relief houses for families that had lost everything.  We built almost 40 houses right next to each other in this colonia.  Part of the agreement was that the city also provide three lots for us to build a church there to minister to these families.  The process of working with the Mexican government was difficult to say the least.  Trying to get them to honor their agreement for the lots for the church was a two year ordeal.  Well, just a little over two years ago we were able to build one of our Church buildings.  The pastor's committee chose to let pastor Joe Borntreger have the honor of pastoring that congregation. Things have gone so well that Joe is resigning from the church he currently leads in order to concentrate fully on this new outreach.  The congregation there now runs over 150.  That neighborhood of Casas homes now has a local church reaching out and ministering to their needs.  God is so very good.

3)  The third thing to let you know about is that our Juarez staff, Miguel Flores, is going to become a father-in-law.  Miguel and Veronica's oldest daughter, Jasmine, will be getting married on May 20th.  She is 20 years old.  Miguel and Veronica are excited and wanted to pass along this good news to everyone. 

Sometimes we can get overwhelmed by the negative reports that we hear.  I pray that these updates have reminded you, as they have me, that God has a perfect plan and that he is still in the business of working miracles.  What a privilege to get to serve our King here at this place.

-David Robertson