July visitors and news

"The goal.. is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith." I Timothy 1:5

These words were written by the apostle Paul to Timothy. They are the basis for the instruction that is currently emphasized at Casa MAMi. The ministry, GLORY, praise and thanksgiving to God, is in a very good place right now.

1) Based on writings in Spanish by Joyce Meyer and James Dobson, instruction is given to the residential girls, battered women, and the parents of the day care program. The girls are writing their own lists of what God wants them to do, personal goals, and lists of prayers and God's miracles in their lives. Parents are developing their own understanding of what God wants them to do, and BE, and how to better take care of their children. Biblical instruction and prayer support are alive and well at Casa MAMi.

2) Sister Elma recently returned from a trip to Ciudad Victoria, the state capital, with great news that the Mexican government will give $20,000 USD (conversion) toward capital improvements to the home.

3) The property next door that has come for sale to the ministry is evaluated by one appraiser at minimum 150-180K.(USD) The second appraisal is due by July 10. A gate from the patio of Casa MAMi to the property will need to be created and approximately 10K (USD) in improvements should be completed to make this useful.

4) Two interns, Courtney Bass and Annie Love of Auburn University, will be staying at the home July 3-Aug 3. They have spent June in Guatemala at a similar ministry. We are grateful and prayerfully supportive of their commitment to help this summer at Casa MAMi.

5) July 11-12, our friends from Christ United Methodist Church in Sugarland, TX will visit Casa MAMi. For 20 years members of this dedicated church have been traveling to Reynosa to serve. The board of Casa MAMi MX is privileged to have two members from this church serving with us, Olinda Osejovics and Renee Teel.

So far, the only other interest for visits from mission groups is Oct. 9-11, 2009 St. Luke's United Methodist Church of Houston and Spring Break (March 11-18?) 2010 Advent Church Arlington, TN. PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU ARE THINKING OF COMING. GOD BLESS YOU!

6) Sister Elma is reworking her Mexican board, as some members have become inactive due to time constraints and other commitments. She will see some of them today, June 27. The staff and overall health of the ministry is very good. Greater support for the ministry has developed in Mexico. For 2008, one-third of all donations were from the US and two-thirds were from Mexico. This is great news! Our US non-profit organization is committed to paying staff salaries, as God provides.

6) Special needs and prayer concerns: donations for salaries; safety for all visitors and people touched by the ministry (violence is down, but still a concern, especially for those who are unfamiliar with the situation), donors for the new property... finally MUCH PRAISE TO OUR AWESOME GOD AND REDEEMER JESUS CHRIST

P.S. Here is an email, June 27, from US board member Celia Thrash, who lives in McAllen.

Hi guys, just thought I'd give you an update. Maria and I met Elma and Polo today. Because of an e-mail Maria sent out, McAllen Sports donated thousands of t-shirts, sports pants, etc, to the orphanage to resale. They needed to clean out their warehouse and the timing with Maria's note fit perfectly. We filled (to the brim) CASA HOGAR's large van and Elma's van with boxes of t-shirts. Elma's arranged for a tent to sell the shirts in the parking lot of a large department store in Reynosa.

Elma mentioned to Maria that she did several interviews on TV and radio and newspaper - one was a National Mexico station! Maria's going to put it on the blog. I've discussed with Elma the importance of introducing the desire to purchase property for a playground for the children in her interviews etc...... We all need to do that in hopes of reaching capable and generous hearts.

I've sent schedules to Annie and Courtney. We are arranging to have them picked up at the airport. I just need to get their time of arrival.
Kathy, I still need to get on the phone with you. I've been swamped!

Olinda, wish I could see you on July 11th. I'll be in Dallas. Good Luck. And, don't worry about Mexico, we're feeling quite safe there right now.

Talk to you soon.
Celia

A long awaited answer to prayer!

Sister Elma phoned last night to say that the owners of the property next door to Casa MAMi, on Rio Frio, want to sell!

If you read previous blogs from years past you will remember that there was a donor who was willing to help purchase additional land for a playground and growth for the ministry. Sister Elma said that God would provide in His timing. The land that is for sale is our first choice; it includes the treed drive way and two houses.

We are excited and look forward to seeing how God will accomplish this. For now, the bank is appraising the property. I don't know if the donor is still interested. Please pray!

Thank you~!

A letter from Maria Paz

Mary Patterson is a friend of Casa MAMi who's mother lives in Reynosa and is a close friend of Sister Elma. "Mari Paz", as Sister Elma calls her,lives in McAllen, works with the board of Casa MAMi MX, and sent the following message to members of the Mexican Board and friends along the border.

Dear Friends:

As you are aware, some of us help out with an all-girl orphanage in Reynosa, Mexico. Because of the recent violence threats and the swine flu, we had not been able to visit in a few months. Fortunately, Celia Thrash and I were there this weekend.

I want to share these pictures with you because in the past, most of you have found it in your hearts to donate either time or money to this great cause. So, here's an update:

There are 42 girls between the ages of 1 to 17 staying there permanently. All girls of school age attend school, sport activities and church. Two of them will attend high school this fall. They graduated from Junior High with an A average!

There are 3 teenage mothers (16, 16 and 17 years old) with their children staying there temporarily until better accommodations are found for them.

There are 32 children (boys and girls) attending the free daycare and kinder garden from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM. And 26 more children (boys and girls) attend free daycare only (same hours). The parents of these children have the opportunity to attend the Mexican equivalent to GED classes, as well as parenting classes on weekends and evenings right there at the orphanage.

To look at the pictures, please follow this link:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=88383&id=625843945&l=97b2df2c83


Right now, due to the tragedy that occurred in Sonora, Mexico where 31 children died at a daycare fire, the Mexican government has mandated to have all orphanages and daycare centers inspected. When CASA MAMi was inspected, they found our extinguishers to be too small and not enough of them, plus we were missing evacuation signs, and our staff was not trained to properly evacuate the children or use the extinguishers. Long story short, we had to update our extinguishers and signs or we would be closed down. Each of the 18 extinguishers needed costs $50 dlls (installation included). We will also need to install panic bars in some of the doors. We are trying to help Ms. Fonseca, the orphanage director, to pay for all of this.

I know that the economy is not good today, but if you could find it in your heart to help with a few dollars, we could resolve this issue without going into the funds that we keep for food and supplies. All donations are tax deductible in the USA, if they are made out to Casa MAMi MX.

If you are able to help us, please make the checks out to: CASA HOGAR MAMi. You can send the donations to my address:

Maria Patterson
2005 Fair Oaks Drive
Mission, TX 78574

Thank you so much in advance, and enjoy the pictures!

God bless you

Face masks and Will they close the border?

I just spoke with Sister Elma. She had crossed the border into Texas in order to check her email and take care of some things. She said that the schools are closed in Reynosa and they are keeping everyone inside Casa MAMi, because of the swine flu. In crossing the border everyone is required to wear face masks and gloves. The girls and day care children are fine, as is the staff. They receive very few guests. The post office and most public businesses are closed, as well.

Currently Reynosa is at Level 5 Alert. This weekend authorities will decide if they will move it to Level 6 and close the border.

Everywhere people use face masks and are vigilant to wash hands, clean and disinfect. Most people are staying home if they can. Inside Casa MAMi the girls are reviewing their school work and keeping everything clean. Only those children whose mothers are still going to work come to the day care. Today they had a piñata. The home is doing well and living on very little. Elma reports that the staff is in good shape too.

Thankfully, we have been able to send the monthly gift of $4,000 to cover salaries since February. Very soon we will be able to accept online donations through PAY PAL on our webpage,

www.reynosaorphanage.org

Elma asks that friends continue to pray for the ministry and their community. The violence has been much calmer for the past two months. Now, they face a serious health challenge. She also reports that the situation is changing with the property next door, that we have often hoped might become available for purchase, as an additional playground and space for the ministry. Her prayer is that we (Elma, the board, and ministry) might be able to bless the owners according to God's plan for their lives.

Thank you!

Fifth Annual Board meeting for Casa MAMi MX

On March 11, 2009 directors of the US 501 (c ) 3 non profit organization that was founded in 2005 with the sole purpose of supporting the Ministry of Love and Mercy which established Casa Hogar MAMi, met in McAllen, Texas. As guests of the Community for Health (www.cups.org) we were allowed to meet in their conference room, which was very convenient. We are grateful for their hospitality. If you would like a copy of the minutes of the meeting you may request that by emailing: casamamimx@gmail.com

Pictured from left to right are: Judge Martha Jamison of Houston, Mary Patterson of McAllen, who serves as a laison between the US directors and the Mexican directiva, Bill White, of Opelika, AL, who serves as president, Kathy Scruggs, of Memphis, TN; Sister Elma, the founder and director of the home, Olinda Jehovics of Sugarland, Tx, Celia Thrash, of McAllen, Renee Teel, of Sugarland, TX, Glen Folds, of Opelika, AL and Rev. Larry Bein, also of Opelika, AL. In this picture, Sister Elma is holding a plaque, describing a recent honor she received from the social services (DIF) of the state of Tamaulipas. She was named Volunteer of 2008, for the stat, and Casa MAMi was recognized as first in the city of Reynosa (out of 13 similar homes) and named Exemplary home for the state.

The meeting was especially productive as God brought a wonderful selection of talents and commitment to the ministry together. The McAllen ladies, Mari Paz, Celia and their friends Elaine and Rosalie have had fund raisers for the home for three years in a row. They send $500 per month to help with food and supplies. They are also working with some of the maquilas (US factories employing Mexicans and operating on the Mexico side of the border) to fund jobs and education for those girls who graduate high school and are too old to live at Casa MAMi. Casa MAMi MX pledged to send $4,000 per month to cover salaries. Methods for expanding the donor base were discussed. We hope to begin online donations through the website and to develop the sponsor a child program.

Three girls have applied to spend the month of July living and helping in the home. The newly formed committee for Ministry Coordination of Volunteers, comprised of Olinda, Renee, Celia and Mary, will work closely with Sister Elma to orient these volunteers. Concerns for the violence and unrest make travel to Reynosa questionable. Those living near the border reported that the dangers are serious and often not publicized. This means that we are praying for safety and aware that fewer people will most probably cross the border in 2009.

God has brought new challenges and blessings to the home in 2008. Much of the staff is new, and includes a mature couple, Brother Abraham and Sister Martha, plus younger ladies who have degrees in early child care and psychology. They are all Christian. A clinic that operates three days per week was started last summer. Interns from a local medical school work in it. In the fall, a licensed parent education class was begun for parents of children in the daycare. These adults are able to earn high school and literacy certification through this program.

Sister Elma lost her husband in November. She misses him very much. Her role as director and primary fund raiser keeps her very busy. She continues to work and serve and is actively looking for an assistant director who can be ready to move into her role as manager, when God presents the time for that. Casa MAMi MX will work to provide the funds for this position.

Thank you for your interest, support and prayers for the ministry. We appreciate comments. God bless you!

Board members visit Reyosa, March 10

March 10, 2009
Today members of the US board of directors gathered in McAllen, TX. Sister Elma and staff member Brother Abrahám drove folks across the boarder to visit the home. Renee and Olinda from CUMC of Sugarland, TX, Bill White, Larry Bein and Glen Folds from Opelika, AL and Chris Scruggs of Advent in Memphis went over with Sister Elma.
Chris delivered some new filters for the water purification system, installed by Advent Presbyterian of Memphis in October 2005.
It is still working well, Praise the Lord! Mikey tests it regularly.
The day care program receives over 60 children five days a week. Here is a picture of the children during nap time! With the 42 residential girls. this means that over 100 are fed, three meals per day, at Casa Hogar MAMi! We asked how much help she receives from the government for the day care program. THe answer is that not enough food for one day is provided, ONCE per month. If Sister Elma were to accept the $40 per month per child subsidy, she would have to allow the rules of the state (no religion) and paint the entire building in plain colors with institutional names on it. Therefore, the extra federal support is declined. On Tuesday night, members of the Mexican Board and American Board met for dinner in McAllen. It was a great time of fellowship and sharing the joys of the ministry together.

Violence in Reynosa- Please pray!

This article was published in the Houston Chronicle today! The girls at Casa MAMi will not be able to attend school until the violence subsides. Elma says that they do have enough food and supplies for the time being.

Gunfights leave 10 dead in Reynosa
Reports say 20 injured and that five who died were soldiers
By DUDLEY ALTHAUS Houston Chronicle Mexico City Bureau
Feb. 17, 2009, 5:10PM

MEXICO CITY — Running gun battles between army troops and suspected gangsters killed as many as 10 people today in the border city of Reynosa.

Another 20 people were reported injured in the firefights, which involved automatic weapons and grenades, according to local press reports. El Universal newspaper in Mexico City reported that at least five soldiers were killed

There were no immediate official figures on the number of dead and wounded.

An industrial hub that's home to many U.S.-owned factories, Reynosa is considered the territory of the Gulf Cartel drug-smuggling organization and its assassins, the Zetas. The city borders far South Texas, across the Rio Grande from McAllen.

The battles came just a week after a clash between troops and gangsters killed 21 people in Chihuahua state, bordering West Texas. The dead in the Feb. 10 battles included one soldier, 14 presumed gunmen and six hostages that the gangsters had kidnapped in the town of Villa Ahumada, about 40 miles south of the border. Three more alleged gangsters were killed by the army in Villa Ahumada late last week.

Tuesday's battles came as anti-army demonstrators marched in the city of Monterrey and closed international bridges in Nuevo Laredo, Reynosa, Matamoros and Ciudad Juarez. All the cities, except Juarez, are considered the territory of the Zetas and the Gulf Cartel.

Mexican officials have dismissed the protests, which include women and children, as paid for by the gangsters.

"There are reasons to believe this deals with the Gul Cartel and the Zetas," Natividad Gonzalez, governor of Nuevo Leon state, which includes Monterrey, told reporters Tuesday. "We are facing a clear challenge by organized crime groups against society and the government."

Last Novemember, army troops captured an alleged senior Zeta boss last fall in Reynosa on the same day police seized what officials described as the largest arms cache ever captured from the gangsters. Gunmen later attacked the army troops who had taken the Zeta leader, Jaime Gonzalez, alias "the Hummer" to the Reynosa airport for transport to Mexico City.

President Felipe Calderon ordered neary 30,000 troops into battle against the country's powerful drug smuggling gangs upon taking office in December 2006. Nearly 10,000 people have been killed in gangland violence since then, most of them either presumed gangsters or members of Mexico's security forces.

Calderon has vowed to continue the fight, claiming that the increased violence is an indication that the government is winning.

In addition to gangland violence, northern Mexico has suffered a wave of job losses in the maquiladoras, the largely foreign-owned factories that produce auto parts, electronics and home appliances for the U.S. market. The peso has been plunging — reaching nearly 15 to the dollar Tuesday — lowering the buying power for the average border family.

Many Mexican border residents have also been unnerved by the presence of machine-gun toting soldiers patrolling their streets as part of the Calderon administration's attempt to control drug cartel power.