Mission Updates,a Winner is announced and SCHOOL NEWS!

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If you copy and paste this link in your browser you may see pictures from a long weekend trip by St. Luke's Methodist Church in Houston. Martha and Bruce Jamison, Casa MAMi MX board members, brought 15 friends down from their church for a first time visit. Sister Elma described them as being 'very Christian'!! This group cooked and repaired the dining room furniture. There are always a few projects to accomplish, along with loving ministry, fun, and fellowship through our Lord and Savior. Everyone was blessed!

Andy Jordan, Casa MAMi MX board member from Advent Presbyterian Church in Memphis returned for his annual 'check on the water purification system' visit. He and Mikey replaced some hardware and faucets. The system has been saving Casa MAMi approximately $120 per month for two years by providing pure water to the kitchen and therefore eliminating the need to purchase bottled water from Blanquita. Advent is sending mission intern Ashley Williams to Casa MAMi November 15-20. Ashley spent a year at an orphanage in Guatemala and speaks Spanish very well. She will get to know the girls and do an assessment of current needs. Advent Youth will be in Reynosa in June '08 doing something similar to what Holy Apostles did: staying in the colonia with Faith Ministries and working at Casa MAMi. If you have any questions or requests of Ashley, please email her : ashleymarie716@yahoo.com She will be able to survey the needs and find out any specific information while she is there! (Don't wait, though! She leaves this week!)

On December 1 members of Christ Methodist in Sugarland, TX will return for a visit. God bless these wonderful people who visit regularly!

A future project that board member Sue Massey is planning will teach the girls at Casa MAMi to sew! Sue will gather used sewing machines to take down. If you would like to donate a sewing machine or even accompany her, please send an email to Sue: dmassey@valornet.com May God bless these efforts to give the girls a skill and opportunities for service entrepreneurship. Sue is thinking of going in February 2008.


This is Berenice. Once again this year, the bank HSBC sponsored an art contest for children. The girls at Casa MAMi submitted their drawings. The theme was piñatas. (I don't have digital copies but I will try to get some to post.) Berenice won! Here is her story. She lived in the colonia where Faith Ministries is located. Her father was/is a drug addict and violated her. When she arrived to Casa MAMi last year she kept to herself, usually crouched in a corner, not speaking. She attends special education classes and is 14 years old. With the prayers, healing work of God and the Holy Spirit, and the kindness she receives at Casa MAMi she is changing into a tender hearted lovely young lady. She told Sister Elma " You are not especially pretty on the outside but on the inside you are beautiful and I love you very much". God has been doing a work inside of Berenice that is deep and real and strong. These are the kinds of miracles that happen at Casa MAMi! Teachers say she is almost ready to move out of the special ed. classes. Elma encouraged the girls to finish their pieces and to 'put them in God's hands'. Berenice said that she had given her's to God. When the winner was announced Elma explained that many were good artists with talent but that God had allowed one who gave her work to Him to be chosen as the winner! (below is the Spanish version)

Bendiciones hermana!> este anos nuevamente tenemos ganadora de un dibujo de pinta tu navidad.> por el estado de tamaulipas es nuestra nina de casa hogar MAMi> Nidia Verenice Parras,> ella es la que hizo el mejor dibujo de pinata de navidad.> ella cuando llega a la casa hogr, no hablaba con nadie y estaba> muy ahislada, su papa la violo y las golpeaba mucho, ahora ellas> es muy diferente,platicaa, alaba a Dios y estudia, tiene 16 anos pero> antes no iba a la escuela es por esto que todavia esta en grados bajos> de educacion.> el premio del dibujo de Verenice es ir a la ciudad de Mexico con una> persona mayor que la acompane del 2 a 4 de diciembre, con todos los> gastos pagados y visitaran lugares de interes historico y educacional de> la ciudad de Mexico.> a esta hora estoy viendo mi correo y conociendo la noticia, manana es el> dia que le diremos a Verenice la buena noticia, se que va a ser de bendicion> en su vida y va a estar contenta, es una nina que ha sufrido mucho.> ella es la nina que en algunas ocasiones me dice, "hermana Elma, tu no eres> tan bonita por fuera, pero...eres hermosa por dentro, y yo te quiero mucho".> tambien ella ha estado en educacion especial.> pues como ve Dios nos esta bendiciendo!> tambien quiero decirle que hoy recibi la caja con ropa que me envio y ya> la lleve a la casa hogar, ya manana la ropa tendra nuevas duenas, por favor> agradezca a quien las envia y a a Melany, por enviar su ropa.=parece que> a Miky le van a quedar las camisas!> Bendiciones hoy y siempre!> hermana Elms> Gracias> Sra. Elma Fonseca> Casa Hogar MAMi>

Lastly, here is some news: Lice! You will not be surprised to know, or remember if you have visited Casa MAMi, that Sister Elma and staff frequently fight infestations of lice. If your own children have ever had them you know how hard it is to get rid of them!

A teacher humiliated some of the girls from Casa MAMi by putting them in front of the class, pointing out the lice, and saying that they should leave Casa MAMi and go home to their families. Elma wanted everyone to pray about this whens she sent me the email earlier in the week. She had several conferences with the principal and others. The crisis has been resolved in the following manner: The old location of the orphanage is on Carranza (3 blocks away from the new location on Rio Frio). Since summer, Mikey and his wife plus three single moms with children have been living there. The moms with children are moving into the apartment across the street from Casa MAMi and the home on Carranza is school! I asked Elma how many go and who teaches. 16 girls are in Kinder (PK-K) and 22 are in Primaria (Elementary). The teachers are the child psychologists who have been working with the girls. The girls walk to school. (saves on gasoline). They eat snacks and lunch there. They do their homework there. This leaves 2 girls in high school and 2 in Special Ed, who are driven to school in the van. There are nearly 16 children in the home during the day (day care and those who are too young to go to school.) The three moms living in the apt. are paying for that themselves. ($150 per month) They are also employed at Casa MAMi. The strong and long term staff includes Margarita (week day supervisor) and Carla (weekend supervisor). I don't know if this is a permanent change (school on Carranza) or not.
I am sure we will learn more when Ashley returns!~
Please continue to pray for all of the staff and families who are touched by this ministry. We still have Christmas cards from last year. I'll post the Spanish email, for those who want to practice! Come for visit as God permits!!

In Christ,
KTS

Hermana Kathy Dios le bendiga en compania de su familia.> por favor le pedimos oraciones, las ultimas semanas hemos tenido> problemas en la escuela porque estan humillando y menospreciando> nuestras ninas, hable de esto con la directora y me dijo que todo era> un mal entendido que no habia problema, esto porque una maestra> les dijo a las ninas de sexto ano que si tienen padres se escapen de la> casa hogar, para que sus padres las cuiden y que no tenian porque estar> encerradas en la casa hogar, asi que de esto me dijo que no volveria a> suceder y que todo era un mal entendido de las n inas.> pero a la siguiente semana, las maestras que tienen ninas de casa hogar> en su salon, llamaba a las ninas al frente y delante de todos loa alumnos> les dedcia, van a salir las ninas de casa hogar para que les revisen la> cabeza, porque si traen piojos no van a entrar al salon,y como no les encontraron> estaban entrando a clases despues de hacer esto frente a todos los ninos y ninas> de los salones. porque segun ellas nuestras ninas les pegan los piojos a los ninos> de la escuela.> un dia la maestra de kinder encontro huevesillos(liendres) de piojos a una nina> que son de las que salen de fin de semana y ahi...la directora aprovecho la> oportunidad para enviarnos un oficio para decirnos que las ninas de casa hogar,> estan sucias,sin peinar y con pijos.> de inmediato me fuim con la directora de la escuela y le dije que las ninas,> no estan sucia, no estan despeinadas y no traen piojos, que me mostrara en ese> momento antes de recoger las ninas quienes etaban sucias, sin peinar o con piojos, y asi no pudo demostrar nada y se molesto, dijo bueno esto es lo que los maestros> me reportan, porque ademas no traen tareas ni utiles escolares y otra vez volvimos> a llamar las ninas y todas traian utiles escolares y las tareas en sus cuadernos.> la semana pasada ya presentaron examenes y estoy en proceso de hablar con el> inspector de zona de las escuelas, para cambiar las ninas de escuela o que me> permitan que les demos clases en la casa hogar y vayan a una escuela solo para> presentar examenes escolares.> la directora de la escuela me mando decir con una de las nineras que le conteste> el oficio que me mando, cuando fui ha hablar con ella, y yo les dije que claro que> no contesto ningun oficio porque yo no voy a contender con tanta mentira que dice> ese oficio y que de la casa hogar no le vamos a seguir con esto que parece un> juego.de la directora.> asi que manana es dia de continuar con esto, tocar puertas y ver como vamos a> continuar. con esto de la escuela.> Hermana Kathy, no se si ya envio cheque para los salarios, me puede decir, porque> no los he recibido.> El purificador de agua esta funcionando bien, ya se le hizo examen de laboratorio> al agua y todo esta bien.> hermana Kathy, gracias por su gran trabajo, para ayudar a casa hogar, Dios> bendiga y multiplique su esfuerzo.> Bendiciones hoy y siempre, que la Paz de Dios y su dulce compania sea siempre> con ustedes.> hermana Elma> Gracias> Sra. Elma Fonseca> Casa Hogar MAMi>