Family Spotlight Santiago, Dominican Republic Maria & Ramon with our summer interns, Cassie & Nathan Casas por Cristo offers an amazing opportunity for people who want to serve and experience life as a missionary through our summer internship program. We are accepting internship applications through April 1, 2017, so please spread the word. Check out this story from Cassie Cummings, one of our 2016 summer interns in the Dominican Republic. INTERNSHIP INFO Last year, the First Presbyterian Church of Haddonfield from New Jersey brought 50 people with them and split into 3 groups to build homes for 3 families in need. Our group in particular built a home for Ramon and his wife Maria and their children. Ramon and Maria are both in their 60's, so their children are all grown. However, of their 11 children, 4 of their boys live with them in the home we built. Before we left to start this week, Justin Kirklin, Dominican Republic Field Director, told us that this was the poorest family he had ever seen in his ten years building with Casas por Cristo; what an incredible thing that God was watching over them and moving in this group to build this family a home!            Maria and Ramon are part of an amazing community who surrounded us each day and showered us with love for coming to build for this family. I have to admit, I'm not sure we would have finished hand mixing/pouring our concrete slab without them! There are simply no words to describe how incredible it was to have so many people coming to help us on day one with the concrete. Beyond the first day, Ramon and Maria's sons, Antonio, Antonio, and Roberto (yes, they have two sons named Antonio!) were there every day helping wherever we needed an extra hand. On the last day of the build, after we did the dedication, Nathan and I had the opportunity to stay about 45 minutes longer with the family while the rest of the group attended another dedication right down the road with other members from their group. We had to stay back to watch our tools. I have never felt more welcomed into a family before in my life! Some Dominican women showed up to braid my hair; the family went and bought grape pop for Nathan (because they knew how much he loved it!), and they served us a feast of fried plantains and fried salami at their brand new table in their brand new home! It was truly an amazing experience to sit and enjoy the company of this family for a little while longer. When we finally had to leave, they kept asking us to come back and visit, which we actually got to do on one of our days off a couple weeks later. --Story by Cassie Cummings, 2016 Summer Intern

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC TRIP INFO DONATE

915.778.0046  |  questions@casasporcristo.org  |  casasporcristo.org

Summer Internship | An Opportunity to Serve & Give

WE NEED YOU We are still searching for servant-hearted individuals who are willing to commit three months of their summer to building homes for families in need in México, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic. We need eleven more interns to cover our summer projects. If you or someone you know would like to take the next step towards a summer of a lifetime, click on the links below. APPLY INTERNSHIP INFO

We also need funds to help support our interns. Each intern must raise support to cover their expenses and the materials for the homes they will build. We are now utilizing a social media tool called Network for Good to accept donations and help spread the word. Give $25, $50, or $100 to the intern program now by clicking the donate button below. DONATE 915.778.0046 |   questions@casasporcristo.org   |   casasporcristo.org

Interns Change Lives

As a Casas por Cristo intern, you have the chance to make a big impact in the lives of families.

Did you know?..  Every week our interns get to build a home for a family in need. Our interns get to experience new cultures first hand. Casas relies on the help of interns to handle the large number of summer builds. Our internship develops leadership skills. Most of our current missionaries started out as an interns. The memories made during an internship last a lifetime. We are still looking for servant-hearted individuals who are willing to commit three months of their summer to building homes for families. Our internship offers a great opportunity to expand your faith to new heights and to have a deeper understanding of other cultures. Plus, it is an extremely fun and rewarding way to spend three months! So, if you or someone you know would love to take the next step towards a summer of a lifetime, click on the link below to apply.  Applications are due by April 1, 2016.

INTERNSHIP INFO APPLY 915.778.0046 |   questions@casasporcristo.org   |   casasporcristo.org

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.

ACUÑA MISSION TRIPS INTERNSHIPS 800.819.8014 | questions@casasporcristo.org | casasporcristo.org

Are You Our Next Intern?

With summer right around the corner, and our search for interns in full swing, we asked former interns how their summer with Casas por Cristo affected their lives.  Here's what they had to say...

David Lebby:

If I were to sum up my summer into one sentence it would read, “It ruined me.” My summer had three phases: humility, discovery, joy.

Humility: I was immediately humbled by the overwhelming nature of the work and my complete and total inadequacy.

Discovery: I began to discover that my inadequacies were so pale in comparison to God's overwhelming power and will to use me.

Joy: I found the most intense joy of my life abiding in God from day to day, serving the people of Juárez, being used despite my crippling personal shortcomings.

When I say my summer in Juárez ruined me, I mean it ruined me for the ordinary nature of a life built around my own capabilities and birthed in me a persistent desire for the extreme. Things only possible through Him.

I think everyone enters a Casas internship with flaws detrimental to the role that a leader plays. It was one of my life’s greatest pleasures to watch God overcome these flaws.

Jess Hehrer:

I went into the Casas por Cristo internship with the desire to be challenged and enlightened. I had no idea that in a few short months I would leave as an entirely new person. The three months I spent working alongside the other interns and CpC staff were the hardest months of my life. I was constantly challenged spiritually, physically, and mentally.

Over the course of ninety days something crazy happened. I began to rely on the Lord more than I ever had in my entire life. I was able to witness His power, might, and grace, and I personally experienced His strength, peace, and provision. God slowly but surely changed my heart to reflect His.

Serving as an intern with Casas por Cristo has easily been the most rewarding experience in my life thus far. It opened my eyes to a community that has been forsaken by its people, but not forgotten by God. As an intern I learned to act in faith and speak with boldness. The rewards of this internship program are far more than I ever expected, and I owe Casas por Cristo everything for allowing me to participate in such an incredible opportunity.

Rachel Weller: (apprentice with Casas)

My time with Casas has taught me to pray big prayers and never put God in a box.

Jessica Selburg: (summer and winter intern with Casas)

Interning with Casas brought me out of my comfortable Christian bubble and into courageous wonderful pursuit.

Brittany Girle (full-time missionary with Casas since 2004)

I had no clue that a Spring Break trip in college would change the course of my entire life.

Justin Kirklin (full-time missionary with Casas since 2009)
My internship set the foundation for the rest of my life. I now see Jesus as my life and my treasure.

Jason Roth (full-time missionary with Casas since 2007)

Not to be melodramatic, but it did change the course of my life. I had never considered working in missions, or moving accross the country to El Paso. God has better plans than my own. 

We are still accepting applications for internships this summer.  If you are interested in giving 3 months of your life to see how God will use you CLICK HERE or contact Justin Kirklin at jkirklin@casasporcristo.org

Day 17 | Interns

As we continue on our 21 Days of Prayer, we come to the day we are asking you to lift up our interns in your prayers. Our internship program has played a vital role in the ministry of Casas por Cristo over the years. It is literally a part of who we are that we could not do without.

Throughout the years Casas por Cristo has seen hundreds of interns pass through our ministry. Each year they are able to make a tremendous impact on the teams they work for, the families they build for, and the pastors they partner with; planting seeds and in many cases reaping a harvest that may not have been realized. God has been good and used this season in their lives to change not only the lives of those they come in contact with, but their lives as well.

We are asking you today to join us in praying for those interns that have served with us in the past. Pray that God is continuing to use them wherever He has planted them. Also join us in praying for those interns that God is preparing for service here at Casas in the next year and in the years to come. Pray that He would place a burden on those unknown interns’ hearts to come and serve. Pray that they would hear the call much like Isaiah did when he heard the voice of the Lord asking who he should send and who would go for Him, and Isaiah replied, “Here am I. Send me!” Then the Lord sent Isaiah out to the people to proclaim God’s message.

Our hope and desire as we pray for our interns today is that God will bring the right young men and women to Casas por Cristo and that He will use them to proclaim His message of hope, mercy, grace and love to those who are lost and hurting in Mexico and Guatemala.
Please continue to join us in our 21 day prayer challenge as we lift up our past and future interns.
-Scott

Lighting a Fire

"Life is a continuum of little sparks.  Every once in a while one lands perfectly and sets the whole world on fire."

Great movements often begin with a single idea.  One single moment in time, one second, when a person takes an idea and refuses to let it die.  Life is breathed in as the dream is allowed to take shape.  Just as a spark needs air to become a flame, a dream needs momentum to become a reality.  We have a flame.  We're trying to start a fire.  

Normally at this time of year we would be preparing for our summer intern program.  In fact, one week ago we were doing just that.  Last week we accepted a group of college students who chose to give three months of their lives to lead homes and serve the people of México.  However, the number of teams we hoped would register to build this summer didn't come in. Without teams to build homes, we don't need interns to lead them. Therefore this summer, we are being forced to cut programs that are an important part of Casas por Cristo.

The majority of our staff is here because of summer internships that changed our lives forever. Now these college students will not have this same opportunity.  This is not just about building homes; it is about so much more.  When we gave our interns the bad news, they humbly and graciously understood.  Then they e-mailed us and said that they refused to accept this as an answer. This is where the spark became a flame.

In just a few days the end of one dream has turned into the beginning of another.  Although we cannot offer scholarships, housing, or vehicles like our normal program, these interns are refusing to let this stand in their way.  The burden on their hearts for the people of México did not disappear with the lack of homes that we have to build.  Feeling called by God to serve and show the love of Christ to families in México, they will not accept spending their summer doing anything else.  Unwavering in the face of worldly setbacks, they have started raising money to build as many homes as they can themselves.  Renewed by their vision and passion, our staff has offered to let them live in our homes, to feed them meals on the weekends, and to do whatever it takes to make this dream a reality.

Why would these college kids be able to change everything?  Why would they not?  It only takes one spark of light to dispel darkness.  They are willing to give everything to show the love of Christ to families in México.  We are asking you to come alongside them and help make their dream possible.

They have already raised enough money for three homes to be built.  Their hope is to bless 11 families this summer, by building one home a week from May 9th through the end of July.  If you would like to help their efforts we are asking you to give HERE. Choose TRIP PAYMENT in the program area.  Make sure to write INTERN BUILD in the comment section.  The only homes they will be able to build will come from donations they receive.  

*Thanks to a generous supporter of our ministry, any money given within the next two weeks will be matched dollar for dollar to go towards these homes being built.*

This is where flames become raging fires that can’t be put out.  This is the gospel being lived out.  Aimee, Rachel, Kevin and David are unapologetically giving everything they have to proclaim the name of Christ to a city that so many others have forgotten.  Will you join them?