Monday, October 26, 2015

Team Casas

WE ALL HAVE SOMETHING TO GIVE
Partner with other individuals to meet the physical need of better housing in hopes 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.
2015 Team Casas Schedule
December 28, 2015 - January 1, 2016 | Acuña, México 
(Scheduled for 3 homes - It's not too late to join the crew.)
December 28, 2015 - January 1, 2016 | Juárez, México 
(11 volunteers needed)
December 27, 2015 - January 2, 2016 | San Raimundo, Guatemala 
(11 volunteers needed - Deadline to schedule the trip is October 27.)
December 27, 2015 - January 2, 2016 | Santiago, Dominican Republic 
(Scheduled - It's not too late to join the crew.)

2016 Team Casas Schedule
February 5 - 8 | Juárez, México
March 13 - 19 | San Raimundo, Guatemala
March 13 - 19 | Santiago, Dominican Republic
June 13 - 17 | Juárez, México
June 12 - 18 | Santiago, Dominican Republic
July 3 - 9 | San Raimundo, Guatemala
October 7 - 10 | Juárez, México


800.819.8014  |  
 

Monday, October 19, 2015

Dominican Republic Update

Dominican Republic Update

GOD IS MOVING IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Casas por Cristo built its first home in the Dominican Republic in February of this year. Now, after building twenty homes, our pastors have seen tremendous growth in their churches in the amount of...
  • 40 first time believers
  • 78 new church members
  • 1,000+ opportunities to share the Gospel with individuals

While numbers are not of primary importance, they do represent individual lives that have been impacted by the love and grace of Jesus Christ through your partnership with us and our partnership with the local church. That is what we are all about.
 


Monday, October 12, 2015

Family Spotlight | Dominican Republic

Family Spotlight
Dominican Republic
It was hard to for me to contain my excitement when I met the Hiraldo family this past April. I had driven out to their neighborhood to meet up with Pastor Freddy so he could take me to their property. He kept telling me that this was a family with a lot of need. When we arrived I was grinning ear to ear. Some people would frown in the same situation or be overcome with sadness, but I felt joy. I took one look at this family that was skin and bones and the shelter they had built out of garbage, and I knew God was about to do something wonderful in their lives.

Ana Rosa and her husband Fermin have struggled. There are not a lot of jobs to go around in the Dominican Republic, and if you are elderly or handicapped, you are likely to be one of the 60% of the population that are unemployed. Fermin is 75, and the years he spent farming were not kind to his body. He doesn't get around well anymore, and Ana Rosa has had to take care of him more and more as his body has continued to break down. She has also had to take care of Rosano, her son, and William, her grandson. Rosano was working as an auto mechanic, but in the last five years he has developed an exaggerated tremor in his dominant arm. This has rendered him unable to continue his work as a mechanic.

The situation is difficult. Her grandson William is too young to make any major financial contribution to this family. This has put Ana Rosa in the position primary breadwinner in her home. When I asked her what she did for work, she began to tell me about her day-to-day scavenger hunts for thrown away plastic bottles or packaging. For every ten pounds of plastic that she can sell to a local recycling plant, she receives the equivalent of two US dollars. So, if you are doing the math, that would be ten pounds daily she would have to find in order for each family member to live on a mere $.50 a day.

Ana Rosa was delighted when I asked her to tell me her preferences for the layout of her home. To her, the fact that she was going to live on a cement floor for the first time in her life was enough. For me, giving her the opportunity to stand on Christ as her foundation for the first time in her life was enough. Fermin is the only one in his family that calls Christ his Lord. To see his joy when we handed the keys over to him and his family was satisfying to the core. For Fermin, God had provided and shown his family love on a personal and extraordinary level. It is our prayer that Ana Rosa, Rosano, and William will respond to the Gospel, the ministry of Pastor Freddy, and the seeds that have been planted in their hearts and minds. Please join us in this prayer.
 
Thank you Spring Road Christian Church for responding to the call and ministering to the Hiraldo family.




 

Thursday, October 8, 2015

Give a Home this Christmas

GIVE A HOME THIS CHRISTMAS
REGISTER TODAY

We still have space available for groups that want to give the gift of a home this Christmas. What a wonderful way to celebrate the greatest gift of all. The perfect time for your trip is the week between Christmas and the New Year. We have families on the waiting lists in México, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic.




Monday, October 5, 2015

Intern Reflections

Intern Reflections
Our interns spent three months building homes, serving families, and partnering with volunteer teams to further God's kingdom in México, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic. Check out what four of our 2015 summer interns have to say about their experiences serving with Casas por Cristo.


2015 Summer Intern in Juárez, México 
Demetria Boatwright
The internship gave me an opportunity to see how God is moving through Casas por Cristo to empower pastors as they work together to serve their communities. Working with Casas also taught me to see myself differently. Instead of seeing my weaknesses and inability, I see God's strength and power to glorify himself through those very weaknesses.

Titus Snavely
2015 Summer Intern in Juárez, México
I saw God moving through the relationships that were formed over the summer. Connecting with the other interns really helped to sharpen my relationship with Christ. Just like iron sharpens iron so man sharpens man. Becoming closer to the staff members and listening to their wisdom helped me to connect with God, as well. But the relationships that I built with the families that received the homes we constructed is where I saw God move the most! They gave so much thanks to God, and I could see how much of a blessing I had been to them through God.

Hans Tvedt
2015 Summer Intern in San Raimundo, Guatemala



The Casas internship program has probably been the most rewarding and humbling experience in my life. With all that the internship gives, it takes a lot of financial, physical, mental, and spiritual sacrifice. Through all this I saw God constantly providing. He provided us, the interns, with strength. He provided Casas with the groups and manpower for the work. He provided the groups with, "open hearts and willing spirits," as my fellow intern Savannah Silver would say. Finally, He provided the families with homes to show how much He loves and cares for all of His people. We had to fully rely on God to get us through the summer and to accomplish all that we have done. His faithfulness is everlasting!

John Ambrosich
2015 Summer Intern in Acuña, México
This summer had so many moving moments. One time in particular was when I stayed a little later on the work site to complete a few small tasks, such as installing the outside light and hooking up a double light switch. We were building a home for a single mother with three children. I invited her in to take a look at her new home in progress, and the presence of the Lord filled the room; we were both moved to tears at what God was doing. It was an amazing experience that I will never forget.


Please Pray
  • Pray for our interns as they transition back to their normal lives.
  • Pray that they would continue to follow God's leading in their lives.
  • Pray that God would continue to work in their hearts and impact others through them.
  • Pray for their futures as they are in the time of life when their decisions will have tremendous impact on the direction their paths take.

Interested in serving as an intern with Casas por Cristo next summer? Click the buttons below to learn more and apply.

800.819.8014  |  questions@casasporcristo.org   casasporcristo.org