Monday, May 16, 2016

Family Spotlight | San Raymundo, Guatemala

Macaria is a single mother with four children. Their lives before and after receiving a home are radically different. They used to live with her parents, all seven of them together in one room. It was a tiny structure with tin walls, a tin roof, and a dirt floor. Since they only owned one bed, the majority of them slept on the dirt floor. When it rained, the roof would leak and water would run under the tin walls, turning the dirt floor into mud. Macaria wanted a better life for her children, but with little income, it was difficult to provide. Like many people in Guatemala, Macaria made fireworks for a living. She worked roughly 40 hours/week to earn Q70, which is the equivalent of roughly $9, or $.23/hr.

Physically, it's easy to see why it was tough to make ends meet. And spiritually, it was not any better. Macaria was not a Christian. She never prayed. She never went to church. And her four children were following in her same footsteps. One of our pastors, Tomas Uyu, heard of her story and visited Macaria. He told her that she could apply to receive a home from Casas por Cristo. His hope was that Macaria and her kids would witness the love of Christ during the week while physically being blessed with the gift of a home. Macaria's father gifted her a piece of land to build on, and she said she felt a change in her heart after turning in the application. Although it was difficult to believe at first that a group of strangers were actually going to come build her family a home, she began praying and attending church with the pastor. Throughout the process, she continued to attend church and prayed everyday that a group would indeed come build her family a home. That was the first time she turned to Jesus and put her hope in Christ. 

University Baptist Church of Fort Worth, Texas then came and built Macaria and her family a home in Spring 2014. To this day, Macaria still struggles to put into words the impact the home has made on her and her children's lives. It was a new beginning. Physically, she now has a safe, secure place of her own to raise her four children. With a concrete floor and a roof that does not leak when it rains, they are able to sleep comfortably at night while their things stay dry. Spiritually, Macaria has accepted Christ and has been attending church ever since. She is now also a leader in her church and helps organize songs for worship. When you visit with Macaria, she will tell you that before she lived with her parents and had nothing, but now she has everything she has ever wanted. She has a home of her own, a roof over their heads, beds to sleep on, food to eat, a happy family, a sense of community, and most of all, hope. Because of their renewed hope, Macaria began selling fruit at the school her children attended. Through saving her profits of Q15-20/day, or $2-3/day, over the course of the past couple years, she was able to begin renting a place in San Raymundo and opened up her own store. She successfully sells tortillas, fruits, and vegetables and hopes to soon begin making and serving meals for people to dine-in and enjoy. Sometimes, all some people need is a jump-start. Through a group of believers stepping beyond the walls of their church and providing the free gift of a home, Macaria and her family witnessed love, received hope, and put their faith in Christ. Macaria now shines as a beacon of light and a testament of God's provision in the community while owning and operating her own business to provide a better life for her four children.
When asked about what she would like to share with potential or future groups, Macaria said the people of Guatemala need help. She feels deeply for families who are struggling, particularly single mothers with children, because she has walked in their shoes. She continuously reminds them to keep hoping and put their faith in Christ because God will provide for their needs like He did for hers. Macaria said, "Continue on, keep going, and God will provide you strength to keep serving. Thank you very much for helping the poor people, and if it were not for the group, my family and I would not be where we are now. I would instead be worrying about how to provide a safe, secure home for my children. I pray that you will continue to help the Guatemalan people and other families like mine."
915.778.0046  |  

Monday, May 9, 2016

Team Casas

WE ALL HAVE SOMETHING TO GIVE
Partner with other individuals to meet the physical need of better housing as a way of also meeting the spiritual need for Jesus Christ.

We need volunteers for the following Team Casas dates.

The deadline to schedule a trip is 30 days prior to each México trip and 60 days prior for trips to other locations. If the trip is scheduled, new registrations will be accepted until the trip takes place.

2016 Team Casas Schedule

MÉXICO
June 13 - 16 | Juárez
(scheduled; still accepting volunteers)
October 7 - 10 | Juárez
(scheduled; still accepting volunteers)
December 27 - 30 | Acuña
(at least 14 volunteers still needed by November 27)
December 27 - 30 | Juárez
(at least 10 volunteers still needed by November 27)

GUATEMALA
July 3 - 8 | San Raymundo
(scheduled; still accepting volunteers; only 1 more volunteer needed to add a 2nd house)
December 27, 2016 - January 1, 2017 | San Raymundo
(at least 12 volunteers still needed by October 27)

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
June 12 - 18 | Santiago
(scheduled; still accepting volunteers)
December 27, 2016 - January 2, 2017 | Santiago
(at least 16 volunteers still needed by October 27)



915.778.0046  |  



Monday, May 2, 2016

Missionary Spotlight | The DeWitt Family

Meet Scott and Jonna DeWitt, their daughter Madison, and their son Mason. Scott came on staff in 2006 as the Director of Spiritual Outreach after serving as a youth minister in Illinois for twelve years. In 2014, he moved his family to Del Rio, Texas to serve as the Acuña Field Director.
INTERVIEW WITH SCOTT
1. Tell a little bit about yourself and where you're from.
  • I grew up in Southern Indiana, and my wife is from Western Pennsylvania. We met at Johnson University in Knoxville, TN and were married in 1992. We served in youth ministry together before we were married and knew that God had called us to a life of ministry. We were privileged to work with one part-time ministry in Kentucky and two full-time ministries in Illinois prior to our work with Casas por Cristo. Those experiences and people will forever be a part of our lives.
2. What made you choose to serve at Casas por Cristo?
  • We brought our youth group on several Casas trips. On one of these trips in 2005 our bus broke down. As a result, Jonna, Dave, one of our youth sponsors, and I stayed behind to get the bus fixed and to drive it home. At the time I had just joined the board and was getting more involved with Casas. I enjoyed the work and loved the people and mission of the ministry. We were able to spend a couple days with the Casas staff and later that summer were asked to consider coming to Casas as the Director of Spiritual Outreach. After speaking with mentors and praying lots, we knew this was an open door God had placed in our path, one we couldn't refuse no matter how hard it was to leave our church family in Illinois. We committed in September 2005 and through many gifts and prayers were able to move our family to El Paso the summer of 2006.
3. How have you seen God through your ministry at Casas por Cristo?
  • God continually amazes us everyday. The blessings and strength he has given us to be able to continue with Casas are amazing. It is not to say the devil hasn't worked hard to stop it, but our God has carried us through it all and continues to open doors for us to walk through. The opportunities that our family has to build with people and for families is a true blessing to us. Seeing the love of God poured into a home and a family fills our hearts to overflowing. Who else can say that they get to see God come alive in the people they serve?
4. What has been your biggest challenge so far?
  • Well, a challenge is something that is hard to overcome. We have to say challenges are there all the time. Being so far away from relatives, being away from the kids and Jonna, raising support, being weary and tired from weeks of consecutive builds, the weight of an entire department and now location on my shoulders are all challenges, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. These struggles have strengthened my love for God, family, and the ministry of serving others.
5. What are some things people can pray for on your behalf?
  • We covet prayers for strength, courage, and boldness to serve in the times we are weary or overcome with tiredness. We would love prayers for our family structure as our children are getting older and things are changing with teenagers that are involved in so much. Most of all, pray for people to come and serve with us to reach those that have physical needs and burdens.