Welcome Katy!

We were thrilled to have Katy join our family back in January. (Sorry… I’ve been very late sending this newsletter!) She turned 16 in May and is currently in 10th grade studying computer programming. 

Katy is a new experience for our family because she’s closer in age to Margaret than to some of our older girls, and Margaret loves having a friend!

Karla graduated from high school last fall along with four of our girls. She was accepted at a university in the city where she is majoring in computer science. In order to make it to her classes on time and avoid the crazy traffic, she has to leave the house by 4 am each morning! (I remember being frustrated with 8 am classes in college, which seems pretty silly in comparison.) Anelcy is 21 and a junior in high school, studying preschool education. And Sharon is 19 and a junior too, and she’s studying business administration.

Over the years, we’ve had many teens living with us. Some stay for years, while others are with us for just a few months. A few cases have been particularly challenging for us, especially when we see the kids make poor decisions with their lives. It can be emotionally draining for us to invest so much love, time, and energy into them. So, I want to share some encouraging stories about what some of our kids have been up to:

• We’ve known Carlos (pictured below) for about 20 years now, and he lived with us for a few years. He’s been working as a security guard at a church near our home, and he’s in charge of running the Bible studies that we have on Monday nights. It’s wonderful to work with him and to see the Lord growing his heart for the poor, the homeless, the alcoholics, and the lost.
• Karla now joins Yuliza and me in translating for the groups that visit Guatemala with Filter of Hope. It’s great to see her advance academically, but it’s really exciting to see her grow spiritually and to have deep conversations with her about how to best explain God’s love and grace to people who have never heard about it before. We’re excited to see what God is doing in and through her!
• While in high school, Lesly greatly desired to regain custody of her younger brother and sister who were living at different orphanages. So after graduating last year she left our home to live with an aunt that used to have custody of them. Lesly has been working hard at a job, and the judge returned her siblings to her and her aunt. She’s so happy to have her family together again!
• Sandra lived with us for three years, and has been working as a house mom at a different orphanage. It’s great to see her huge heart for all the children under her care, and it’s great to hear about her experiences, struggles and successes with the kids.
• Flora got married about 6 years ago, and it’s great to have her daughter Ester growing up as a friend for Isabella. An unexpected joy has been growing in a great friendship with her in-laws. But my favorite part is hearing Ester call me grandpa!

Alfonso

Back in February we got a call from Alfonso saying, “I think I’m dying!” He had lived with us for a number of years until he got tired of our rules. He returned to our home during the pandemic with his brother Martin because both knew that he needed to go to rehab in order to stop drinking. But this time Alfonso looked much worse as he had yellow skin, swollen legs, and an enlarged stomach. I took him to the hospital where he was diagnosed with cirrhosis of his liver. I made him promise to go back to rehab once he was released from the hospital. He agreed and stayed at the hospital for a few weeks as they stabilized his health, gave him multiple blood transfusions and stopped his internal bleeding. After that we moved him into a rehabilitation center where he stayed for about 3 months. Unfortunately he ran away and is living in the streets with his brothers again, and we don’t know if we’ll see him alive again.

And so we ask for your prayers for all the kids who have lived in our home over the years: Benjamin, Elias, Celia, Alejandro, Flora, Alfonso, Carlos, Karla, Ana, Julio, Sandra, Mary, Liseth, Nathaly, Anelcy, Lesly, Sharon and Katy. Also for the kids who never lived with us but are always visiting like Edwin, Jenifer, Martin, Cesar, Maria and Alexa. Please pray that they all would find rest in the love of their Heavenly Father, and that they would follow His guidance for their lives.

Thank You!

Thank you so much for your continued support for our family for so many years! Margaret is 11 and loves drawing and painting. Isabella is now 5 and loves gymnastics. Both love their pet rabbits and are very excited about their new puppy Oreo.

Thank you so much and God bless,
Brent, Yuliza, Margaret & Isabella