Thursday, December 31, 2015

Casas por Cristo's Top 10 of 2015

We Praise God For All He's Done
  1. In February, Casas began operations in the Dominican Republic, and  we were able to bless 21 families with new homes by the end of the year.
  2. In April, we revealed our new brand identity and logo.
  3. Casas employed 19 summer interns throughout all of our locations.
  4. We began offering a meal plan in our Acuña and Juárez locations.
  5. We partnered with an organization in Guatemala that installs EcoStoves and EcoFilters to improve the air quality, water quality, and overall health of families.
  6. We had our biggest week ever in Guatemala, completing 13 homes June 21-27.
  7. We hired Jake White as a Juárez Field Coordinator and now employ 22 full-time missionaries.
  8. We began plans to build a new office space for our El Paso headquarters. 
  9. We began a partnership with the city of Acuña to provide land and new homes for the families affected by the tornado in May.
  10. We redesigned the house plans for our Acuña location and built the first prototype in October. The new design is more functional for families and includes a living space and two bedrooms. We also made the home more durable by implementing a longer lasting metal roof. All Acuña builds in 2016 will use the new design.

It's Not Too Late
There is still time left to make your year end donation and receive a charitable tax-deduction on your 2015 taxes.
Thank You 
We can't say it enough. Thank you to the best group of volunteers and supporters out there. It is because of your faithful prayer, love, and support that we were so successful this year. We look forward to partnering with you all again in 2016.

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Help Us Grow



We are pleased to announce that we have seen our biggest year of Team Casas yet. Team Casas is the perfect opportunity for individuals who want to go on a Casas por Cristo mission trip but can't get a whole group of twelve or more together. This year, Casas paired up 165 individuals from all over the US and Canada to build a home for and share God's love with ten families living in poverty. We praise God for this growth and for the work He did in the lives of these ten families. We look forward to offering even more Team Casas trips for individuals in the future. Your year end donations will help support all of our mission trips, including Team Casas.


DONATE


Make Your Donation Go Further
It has never been easier to double your year end gift! When you donate online, simply check the employer match box and choose your employer from the drop down menu of over 1,000 available companies. When you complete your donation, your employer will match your gift. Whether you are giving to support a staff missionary or to support Casas por Cristo as a whole, make your donation go further today!
Thank You 

We can't say it enough. Thank you to the best group of volunteers and supporters out there. It is because of your faithful prayer, love, and support that we were so successful this year. We look forward to partnering with you all again in 2016.



Sunday, December 27, 2015

We're almost to the end of 2015!

God has done great things in and through Casas por Cristo this year. We completed 251 homes ministry-wide in 2015, exceeding our initial goal of 248 homes. God is good! That means 251 families now have a safe and secure place to call home and a constant reminder of God's love and provision. We built 21 homes in the Dominican Republic, 62 homes in Guatemala, 66 homes in Acuña, and 102 homes in Juárez this year. Help us continue in our mission to serve families living in poverty by making a year end donation.

Make Your Donation Go Further
It has never been easier to double your year end gift! When you donate online, simply check the employer match box and choose your employer from the drop down menu of over 1,000 available companies. When you complete your donation, your employer will match your gift. Whether you are giving to support a staff missionary or to support Casas por Cristo as a whole, make your donation go further today!
Thank You 
We can't say it enough. Thank you to the best group of volunteers and supporters out there. It is because of your faithful prayer, love, and support that we were so successful this year. We look forward to partnering with you all again 2016.


 

Monday, December 14, 2015

Family Spotlight | Acuña, México


Meet Raymundo Santos, his wife, Yonelli Zamarron Fuentes, and their young son, Raymundo B Santos. The 2015 summer interns built a much needed home for this family in July. The home that they were previously living in consisted of old and broken down pallets with a rocky floor. 

Former intern Victoria Owens explained, "One thing that really got to me on the first day was the fact that their original 'house' had no interior walls, just sheets hanging from the ceiling to indicate the separation of 'rooms,' and it had dirt floors. I have built for lots of families, some poorer than others. But without a doubt, the Santos family had the worst living conditions I have ever seen in both of my internships. And they had a three year old son running around barefoot through all of it. This was all the motivation we needed for the week and definitely helped us to stay focused and want to do a good job."

  

This was not an easy build for the interns, nor was it easy for the family. In the beginning there wasn't even enough flat land to build a house. Raymundo, who is a twenty-six-year-old fried chicken cook, worked diligently for weeks to fill in the land. When the interns arrived to begin construction they still had a lot of leveling to do. "This was the most challenging, sweaty, tiring, intern build of the summer, but we were so happy that we got to be a part of it. We had to dig down eighteen inches on one of the corners since it was on a hill, and we couldn't raise it. It was kind of dangerous and we were all a little nervous," Owens said.

 

Our interns spend a lot of time leading volunteer teams through the construction process. However, for Raymundo's family, they got to do an intern only build, without a team. It was a special treat for the interns to take a little break from team leading, which allowed them to focus on building the house and spending quality time with the family. 

"The group of interns got extremely close over this week. We had to deal with a lot of hard work that we weren't really expecting (because intern builds are usually pretty easy), but that made the end result that much more rewarding. The family was so good to us, and we all wanted to keep 'Little Raymundo' forever. He was absolutely the most adorable three year old ever, and he helped us all three days of the build. He would take our hammers out of our hands and start hammering away. He fully understood that it was going to be his new house, and he wanted to help build it," Owens shared. 

         

Even though it was a rough beginning, it turned out to be an amazing week for the family and the interns. Owens said, "Some of my favorite memories from the 2015 summer internship happened during this week. It impacted me more than I thought it would." Raymundo and his wife attend Yonelli's father's church. Their faith and hope in God were evident in the passion they exuded during the dedication ceremony where they received the keys to their new home. They understood that this was a gift from God that would serve as a continual reminder of his love. They were so thankful that their son now has a safe place to grow and learn about how great God is. Please pray for this young family as they continue to trust in God's provision for their lives.



 

Monday, December 7, 2015

Missionary Spotlight | Gail Andrews

Meet Gail Andrews, our Human Resources Manager. She has been serving with Casas since 2013. In addition to leading teams in México and Guatemala, she keeps our staff insured and organized. She also works with our intern program and coordinates our social media.
INTERVIEW WITH GAIL

1. Tell a little bit about yourself and where you're from.
  • I'm from the Cleveland, Ohio area. I graduated from the University of Akron in 2013 with a degree in Human Resources and Marketing. I have one older brother and a sister-in-law that live in Houston, TX (unfortunately, we are still an eleven hour drive apart). I've played volleyball almost all of my life, so I enjoy staying active. I could probably eat popcorn every night and be a happy camper.
2. What made you choose to serve at Casas por Cristo?
  • I was first introduced to Casas on the 2011 spring break trip that my college ministry was going on. I decided to intern after graduating in 2013. During that summer God worked in my heart and showed me that Casas was what He was calling me to. I love that I get to combine my education with my passion to serve tangibly, all while sharing the Gospel message to teams and families. 
3. What has been your biggest challenge so far?
  • For me, the most difficult part is being so far away from my family and friends. My mom is my best friend; I probably talk to her everyday (or close to that), and it's hard to be at a place in my life that I only get to see my parents two or three times a year. But they just joined me on a Team Casas build this past October. It was surreal to have them serving here with me.
4. How have you seen God through your ministry at Casas por Cristo?
  • There have been so many ways that it is hard to pick just one. I think the fact that God has brought people into my life (on both sides of the border) that make me feel like a part of their families is one of the most precious gifts He could have given me. To be loved by the people I build for, build with, and work with has been such an incredible blessing. I have learned so much about life and about His love for me and His people through each person that I've encountered here, and for that I'm forever grateful. 
Please Pray For...
  • My ability to learn and retain Spanish.
  • Consistent financial support.
  • The ability to show God's love to the people I build for and with each week.


Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Giving Tuesday




Invites You To Participate In



Be a Part of #GivingTuesday!

Today is the day! It's the day that you can make a big impact on Casas por Cristo and on families in need of quality housing in México, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic.

With your help, we can raise $16,500 to help three teams that want to come and build a home but need assistance with their fundraising.

How can you be part of it? Here are a few simple ideas:
Today's the day, and we need your help to grow our impact on three teams that want to build a home for a family living in poverty.
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