Since our last update progress has been made. We finished the bodega (storeroom/playground bathrooms/shop area), installing the last commodes in the upstairs school restroom in preparation for the new school year, (on a side note; we now have a total of fourteen (14) commodes and two urinals in the home). We have built and installed the front double door screens, built and installed an awning for what is now the front of the house, installed two French doors on Luis & Lucy’s living area, built a 12’x12’ fire pit, and rebuilt and taken in a commercial 60 inch EXmark mower.

   I have made known in my last update that we needed, or you can say I believed we needed a NEW 60” zero turn mower to maintain the 3.5 acres around the children’s home. With all the trouble you may have in taking in materials and equipment I did not want to take in anything less than what I believed was a mower in excellent condition, a new one fits that description. But a new one runs from 8K to 13K.
  Here is how God works and I do believe it was God. A person that has expressed interest in the home and is a friend of mine had an older (1995) Exmark 60” zero turn mower. A year earlier he had put a new engine on it and replaced all the deck spindles bearing and blades including the mowing deck pulleys. When he put it back together it would not keep the main drive belt on so in frustration he just parked it in his barn and purchased a new one. He had at that point spent a couple thousand dollars on it.
 At this point it did not run, but he asked me if I wanted it. The electrical system, fuel system, hydraulic system were all not working or were in need of some kind of repair. The front tires were flat and in fact the only things I saw that might make it worth looking into was the work he had done prior to putting it in the barn and the rear tires, they had been replaced fairly recently and were in good shape. So I felt that I should at least try to see what it would take to put it in excellent shape. I made it my summer project and “poof” no telling how many hours and $2000 dollars later we have a very excellent 60” zero turn mower. A big thanks to Exmark for their technical support in helping me to identify the model so I could get the right parts. The serial number or model number were long gone but thanks Trinity Valley Tractor for selling me the parts at a discounted price. I was amazed that all the parts except for a muffler shroud were available for this old of a machine. Not what I wanted for a summer project but I was pleased with the outcome. Now pray with me the equipment that has been taken in will be taken care of. For two & half years I have been preaching “Someone sacrificed time and money for the children’s home to have this equipment, it belongs to God and is only in your care and custody, treat it as such.  We needed a tractor with a bush hog mower on this zero turn mower to keep the place in looking presentable. God gave us what we needed.

There is one need I want to mention. About ten year ago Luis & Lucy were given a used F-150 super cab pickup. It’s now 23 years old and simply “wore out” even by Mexican standards. We need to replace it with something 5-8 years old but in excellent condition. A crew cab would be beneficial, nothing fancy, just a good dependable truck. A regular single cab truck would work but the crew cab could serve dual purpose.
 
If you will indulge me I want to repeat the last paragraph of my last update and personally thank each person that has given a penny to this children’s home project. Only eternity will reveal the lives it will effect for Christ. This is our purpose, our drive and our passion!  Not by just preaching, but by “doing”.   In the following scriptures God shares some truth’s that we should never forget.  Proverbs 22:9 “A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor. And in Proverbs 19:17 “He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward him for what he has done.” (NIV) This is not why we give, we give because we realize all that Christ has done for us! It’s just something God said he wants to do for us as his obedient children.
 
Thank you for taking the time to read this, praying for the children’s home and LaVerne and I.
We thank God for you and your compassion for the children. 

   As I was reading about the ten spies Moses sent to the land of Canaan, only 20% thought they could conquer the land, 80% didn’t even want to try. I think of all the lost opportunities because we “don’t even try”! God has enabled us with skills and abilities, not just to make wealth that we may share the covenant of God, but that we might fulfill the “good works” he has planned for us.  Sometimes those “works” seem overwhelming, just like the “Giants of Canaan did to the Israelite’s. I challenge you to be the 20%’er.
 
With the exception of cleaning, replacing a couple doors and repainting what has become Luis & Lucy living quarters the children’s home property is done! Praise God. It has been a challenge, not overwhelming but a challenge; Thank God, He has been our “enabler” from day one! 

What a joy it is to see the kids in a clean, safe environment. They are enjoying the new beds, dressers, tables and chairs. The ladies love the new kitchen which has plenty of room to cook in and keep clean.
Our bodega is now a reality, from foundation drawing on the ground to getting the roof on. We only lack sealing the plaster, pouring the slab, and sealing and painting. Praise the Lord!

Thank You Joey Franklin, James Murphy, and Jim Slack from Liberty Hill, TX church “Grace Alive” for making the trip to Plan de Ayala and working so hard to “get the roof on the bodega! I believe they all went home tired but fulfilled! We are now able to keep our generator on site and have a secure place for the maintenance equipment we need to purchase to keep the children’s home up.  

 Though we have come a long way and most of the major things are done at the children’s home we are not there yet.
 
   There are several things yet to be done, they are as follows;
(1)Playground, we need to outline it and provide some playground equipment. We have a swing set as of now.
I would like at the minimum a teeter totter, a slide, and if possible a play scape.
(2)Renovate Luis & Lucy (our onsite home parents and children’s home directors) living area, it basically needs some minor repairs and painting. 
(3)Need to purchase a vehicle for transporting the kids; Just today I was able to make a deal on one; we purchased a 2000 Dodge Ram Model 3500 a 15 passenger van that was owned by another missionary. It is already registered in Mexico. The price was $3000.00 US; it needs a new set of tires and re-painting on the top around the rain gutters. This will be about another $1000.00 but otherwise it is in great shape. This is a real blessing because to just import a vehicle like this into Mexico would cost between $1500 - $2000. 
(4)Façade the side entrance to the home which is now the main entrance. This would include a small outside covering/porch area.
(5)Have made a sign out of metal/SS to hang over the entrance to the property.
(6)We need to build a secure fence around the perimeter of the property. In Mexico you simply cannot leave it unattended if you don’t have someone on site for security.
(7)We desperately need some lawn equipment, there is 3.5 acres to maintain plus the church area that is on the property. We have a small grove of producing orange and grapefruit trees that we intend to keep. The ground around them also has to be mowed.  What I believe would be the most practical is a zero turn mower with a 60” inch deck, a couple weed eaters and a hedge trimmer. We need new or slightly use one, however nothing that is remotely worn out. New we are looking at about $ 11,000 - $13,000.00 U.S.
(8)Tools, any tools that you could imagine that we would need to maintain the home will be needed. We have purchased a few during construction but not many.
 
   I know what some are thinking; that’s a lot of money and your right! But then this is not my children’s home, its God’s! And God is an enabler, what He has called us to do He has the provision for. Anyway I trust Him! One thing I’m sure of there will always be needs at the children’s home, but there are no Giants (physical, spiritual, or financial) that cannot be defeated concerning the children’s home, in your life or mine! I’m a 20%’er along with Joshua and Caleb.   
 
Again I personally want to thank each person that has given a penny to this children’s home project. Only eternity will reveal the lives it will effect for Christ. This is our purpose, our drive and our passion!  Not by just preaching but by “doing”.   In the following scriptures God shares some truth’s that we should never forget.
 Prov. 22:9 “A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.
And in Prov. 19:17 “He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward him for what he has done.” NIV
This is not why we give, we give because we realize all that Christ has done for us! It’s just something God said he wants to do for us as his obedient children.
 
Thank you for taking the time to read this, praying for the children’s home and LaVerne and I. We thank God for you and your compassion for the children. 

First and foremost I want to thank God and you for your generosity and faithfulness. La Casa de mi Padre Children’s Home would not exist without your prayers and generous giving.  I am aware that I said the very same thing in my last newsletter; however I say it again with tears in my eyes and a sincere heart of gratitude. Thank you God for the people you have surrounded us with! I pray blessings on all of you. 

We now have an area for homeschooling. Please believe with us for a well-educated CHRISTIAN teacher from the area that will see this as an opportunity to invest in the lives of our children, long term.
We still need desks, tables, chairs, computers and Christian curriculum in Spanish.

As of now we just have a swing-set. The playground is not a must however the village does not have a playground area only a soccer field. With the amount of kids we expect to have, we need our own playground where the kids can be supervised. If you feel like this is an area you would like to help in, Let me know and I will give you the price of individual pieces of equipment. This however will be a couple months out. We still have the storage building to complete.   

Again a great big God Bless You to everyone who pray’s for and is supporting the ministry of La Casa de mi Padre Children’s Home. Continue to pray for Holy Spirit wisdon, guidance, patience and protection as we continue to follow His leading in equiping the Children’s Home. 
 
As you sow into the kingdom of God may you sow seed in such a manner as to have a continual harvest coming your way. 
 

As you can see in the pictures, we continue to make progress. The construction is going slowly but going. The finished product looks very good. I made the remark last newsletter that I thought we would be done by now, but it has not happened. We still lack putting in the electrical, painting, and laying the tile. I hope to be able to show the “finished” work on the school area next newsletter.

As I mentioned previously as soon as we finish the school area construction, we to begin construction on a storage building, something like 20’ X 30’ to store tools and equipment. In addition we need to build a playground for the kids asap. If you have any end of the year giving you would like to donate toward this then please do so. 
 
Again a great big God Bless You to everyone who have and are supporting the ministry at La Casa de mi Padre Children’s Home both with your  prayers and finances. While we have not completely finished our renovation phase we have entered the Operational Phase. Pray for wisdon and patience as we begin this stage. We need good Godly workers to help in the home.
​
My God richly bless you and may you sow seed in such a manner as to have a continual harvest coming your way. 

 
Our inspection by DIF (Mexico’s social services) was a “TWO THUMBS UP”! We have been told verbally that we are offically approved and that only the paper work needs to be signed by the head of DIF. The government office’s are and have been on official “vacation”,  however they should be back the week of the 11th. When we receive the signed approval from DIF there are two more inspections, one from the protection civil, and one from the sanitation department.  At that point our lawyer will register our certificate with the state and we should be setup. This should not take but a couple weeks. At that point we are setup and can receive new children. There are still a lot of administrative “things” to be worked out but that will be an ongoing process.
 
The upstairs construction will continue until complete, this will house the school rooms, boy and girls restrooms and a small (200 sq ft.) apartment for a teacher and with any luck we should be finished in six to eight weeks.
 
A playground and storage facility are high piority as kid’s will be coming!
 
A great big God Bless You to everyone that has supported us in making the Casa de mi Padre Children’s Home a realitiy both with your  prayers and finances. While we have not completely finished our renovation phase we are entering the Operational Phase. Pray for wisdon and patience as we begin this stage. We need good Godly workers to help in the home.
 
Thank you for sharing what you have that we may share with the less fortunate.
 
My God richly bless you and May you sow seed in such a manner as to have a continual harvest coming your way. 

​On my last trip to Mexico, Jerry and I took a load of furnishings for the kitchen, office, and recreation room.  The favor of God was with us as we crossed the border, twenty-five mile check point, and on the road; we did not have to pay any tax on what was brought in or have any problems with the “bad guys”. Praise the Lord!
 
Our 10X6 trailer was completely full; with lots of pots, pans, skillets, mixers, toasters, blenders, crock pots, new glasses, plates, utensils, flatware, etc.  I believe if you need it we had it.  Added to this were special “Quilts” made for each of the children associated with the children’s home by a group of ladies in Lampasas, TX. On top of that we had two desks, two file cabinets, a chair and scales for the office, a leather sofa, and a love seat for the recreation room.  We would, however, still like to put up a flat screen TV in the recreation room.

​I can say with the exception of the small stuff (pictures, plaques, and some of the license that are required to be displayed) we are finished with the inside of the children’s home,  We do still have some more to do outside; to paint the outside and to make a designated play area for the children. The painting will begin this week and hopefully will be done within the week. The play area will be started after the last of the upstairs school construction is complete. 
 
During the last trip, I took Luis & Lucy Vazquez, directors of the home, and Christy Garcia, one of our five board of directors for the home, to visit two other operating orphanages. The first one with 18 children was located in Cd. Victoria, Tamps and the second one located in Monte, SLP with 43 children. Both of these are well respected operations and serving their areas with excellence. We learned a great deal from both operations.
 
All in all, our progress it going pretty well by Mexican standards and was a successful trip.  Christy Garcia has taken on the responsibility to push our paper work with DIF, the state and federal government. This will allow Luis to stay focused on finishing the construction for the upstairs school rooms.
 
There are areas of construction upstairs that I had hoped to get done by taking in some adult construction groups early this summer; however the violence has increased in intensity to the point I do not know if it is wise to do so.  Please continue to pray for the children’s home and the country of Mexico. I know that this world will never know true peace until the “Prince of Peace” Jesus Christ returns but some sense of normality would be acceptable.
                                                                                                                                                             
Going back to Mexico, may God richly bless you and help you to sow your seeds in such a manner as to have a continual harvest coming your way. 

As is so often the case, we’re not where we want to be, but we’re sure not where we were!
 
At present Luis is working on getting approval from DEF (Mexican social services). Although we’re not quite ready for more kids, we want to move forward on getting the approval so that step will be behind us. We are also in the process of acquiring all the furnishings and getting them to the children’s home. Some will be purchase there, while others will be purchased in the states.
 
Overall when I look at the project, from where we’ve come to where we are, it is simply incredible! I give God all the credit and stand amazed. This is going to be an awesome place for the children to live and enjoy.

Our priority is to completely finish downstairs and start taking in additional children.  However since we do not want to lose some good workers, we have started renovations upstairs as well, and are currently working on the restrooms for the school. We can always go back and forth with our workers to complete everything downstairs; mainly getting the furnishing and supplies in along with finishing some outside repairs. Even though the upstairs is a big project, it is small in comparison to the downstairs.
 
Thank you so much for your prayers, financial support, and for believing in this project. I know this was a project God not only put on my heart, but yours too!  Yes, we may be able to do something’s individually but even greater things are done when we come together and work as a team.
 
There is still a lot to be accomplished! We need to make some outside repairs and paint the entire home. Much of it can be done with teams of volunteers, which we had hoped to start taking down this year.  However, violence rapidly increasing these past few months.  As a result, I guess, it remains to be seen if this will happen. A third drug cartel has come into the area causing things to heat back up. Please continue to pray for the home and its surrounding area. Thus far the home has not been bothered.  

We have completed the electrical & tile in the dorms and bathroom. The glass contractor will get started on the windows and doors next week, the plumbers will come out and do the trim on the showers and sinks. The painting will follow. We’re not there yet but were sure not where we were. I believe this will be a place you as our supporter will be proud of and be pleasing to God. Not a palace but clean, neat and functional!

​ I personally want to thank each person that has given a penny to this children’s home project. Only eternity will reveal the lives it will effect for Christ. This is our purpose, our drive, and our passion! Not by just preaching but by “doing”.   In the following scriptures God shares some truth’s that we should never forget.  Prov 22:9 “A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor. & in Prov 19:17 “He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward him for what he has done.” NIV This is not why we give, we give because we realize all that Christ has done for us! It’s just something God said he wants to do for us as his obedient children.