All posts by Brent

March Ministry Update

Hello from Guatemala! We hope everyone is doing well, and we’re praying for all of you during this trying time that we’re in. There are currently 20 people in Guatemala who are infected with the virus, and in order to contain it the president has closed schools, most businesses, all public transportation, all flights, and there is a mandatory curfew every afternoon at 4. The market and grocery stores are still open a few hours everyday, so we have enough food. Our girls have been off from school this past week and here at the house. The teachers were nice enough to give them lots of homework to keep them busy! And they’re enjoying spending the time learning to cook new foods with Yuliza. The curfew is a new thing that just started this weekend, and it’s very bizarre to be stuck at home so early and have the normally very busy streets so empty and quiet.


Most people that come to our feeding programs live day-by-day, and these new restrictions have affected them hard. We’ve had to cancel our feeding program and Bible study, but our group, DBO Ministries, has been buying food and supplies for the families. But there are many poor, homeless, and shoe shiners who we haven’t located. Please keep them in your prayers.


Los Gozosos is an incredible orphanage in our town that ministers to children with special needs, and they invited me to join their board of directors about a year ago. They’re going through a trying time as they care for their children. Groups regularly visit and they’re the biggest source of income, but with the flight cancellations, the home is in great need in order to pay their workers.


Our Girls

Back: Mary & Sandra; Front: Ana, Margaret & Karla

This year we welcomed a new girl, Mary, into our family. She is 18 and in 9th grade. We got to know her when she had to live in Casa Shalom about 5 years ago. She returned with her mother, but they were having trouble making ends meet. And we’re so thrilled and blessed to be a help to her and her family.
Sandra is a senior this year, and she’s studying to be a preschool teacher. She has an internship at a local school near us every afternoon and stays super busy as she prepares for graduation at the end of the year. Ana entered high school this year at a new school where she is learning to be a secretary. She is very excited about this new stage of life and is always working on her shorthand and improving her English. And Karla is in 9th grade. She loves cooking and is Yuliza’s constant shadow. And of course, Margaret is in the middle of everything and loves having a bunch of older sisters!
We’re blessed to be able to invest in the lives and futures of these girls. It never ceases to amaze me how unique and special our girls are and how wonderful it is to feel like a big family.


Alfonso & Julio

If you recall, we had two guys, Alfonso and Julio, who used to live with us several years ago. Because of a situation that arose, we had to ask them to leave our home, and it was a really difficult time. We were particularly sad about Alfonso because he had been with us for three years, and we love him a lot.
We hadn’t had any contact with Alfonso for a few years besides a message every once in a while. So we were so excited when he decided to come spend Christmas with us! (You can see him kind of hiding in the back of this picture)
We’re happy to have his friendship again and we would really appreciate your prayers for him as he is still very unstable in life and is always changing where he lives.
We also have been talking to Julio, and he also needs your prayers as he’s in-and-out of rehabilitation centers due to alcohol. He’s back in a center now, and we’d love to see him get better.


Margaret & Isabella

Isabella has her first birthday in just a few weeks! She is an incredibly happy and energetic baby who loves to be the center of attention at all times and play peek-a-boo nonstop. We love her laughs and the joy she brings to our family.
And Margaret is a wonderful big sister who takes such joy in having a sister. Margaret is in first grade and loves learning how to read and write. It’s been interesting as her school is in Spanish, but her primary language in the house is English. And her favorite class is one that teaches Kaqchikel, which is the local Mayan language of our part of the country. (There are 23 native languages other than Spanish in Guatemala) Her teacher is a native speaker of Kaqchikel, and Margaret loves learning new words. She wants to be trilingual and loves asking her teacher how to say new things.


Thank You

Thank you for your continued prayers and support for us! We’re grateful for God’s goodness and for all of your help. We’re so blessed to be able to serve the poor, lost, and less fortunate here in Guatemala. It’s a rare privilege to be able to do what we do. Thank you so much for making it possible!
During hard times like these, when so many conveniences that are often taken for granted suddenly disappear, we are presented a unique opportunity to have conversations and share with people that otherwise just wouldn’t happen. I pray that we all take advantage of this time to point everyone around us to the hope and peace that can be found in our loving Heavenly Father.
Here are a few prayer requests:

  • Pray for our girls: Sandra, Mary, Ana and Karla. Pray that they would grow and mature emotionally, mentally, and spiritually, and that they would continue to seek the Lord and His will for their lives. Pray for Celia as she continues to look for a job. Pray that she would trust in the Lord for her future.
  • Pray for all the people who are affected by the coronavirus: The sick, the unemployed, the hungry, and the fearful. Pray that we can be a light in this world!
  • Please continue to pray for us with immigration. We are supposed to travel to the US in May, but we can’t with the current travel restrictions. It’s an interesting time to live in another country.

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

December Ministry Update

Merry Christmas!

Hello and Merry Christmas from Guatemala! This Christmas season Yuliza and I are so excited to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary! The time has both flown by and also feels like it was long ago that I watched her walk down the aisle. We’re so blessed to be together, and it’s always amazing to think back through the years about how faithful and good God has been with us.


Celia Graduated from High School

Our girl Celia graduated from high school in October. We’re so proud of her for her accomplishment. She’s been with us longer than any other kids, and we know how many obstacles she’s had to overcome in order to make it to this point in her life. We first met her as a child at Casa Shalom where she lived for two years. After her family received custody of her again, we maintained communication with her and her family. After elementary school, there were no opportunities for further education in her home village, and we received her parents’ permission to have her come live with us for these past six years. She’s the first one in her family to finish high school, and she graduated with a degree as a preschool teacher. Please pray for Celia as she searches for her first job, and pray that she seeks the Lord’s will for her life.


Christmas Parties!

We have a tradition of throwing Christmas parties every year with the various groups that we work with, and this year was no different with three parties in all. The first was with our Monday night Bible study group where we enjoyed a bonfire, marshmallows, pizza, songs & a movie together. The next one was with all the shoe shiners, poor and needy which we held in our town’s central park. We served 150 traditional Guatemalan tamales, shared the great news of what Jesus has done for us, let the kids jump in some bounce houses, and gave away some clothes. Finally, we went to Casa Shalom where we had a big pizza party and games.

The most amazing thing to me was that we always ask for help in order to do these parties because the cost can be high to feed this many people. Well, 100% of the money came from Guatemalans, and of that, 70% came from kids who have lived with us! We were so blessed by the outpouring of help and love. We were able to give 120 pizzas, 150 tamales, ice cream, drinks, chips & marshmallows. And the best part is that it gave us the opportunity to share God’s love and good news to so many people!

There are lots more pictures & videos on the Facebook page of our group of friends who serve together with us: www.facebook.com/dboministeriosgt

Margaret & Isabella

Isabella is a very active and curious 8 month old baby. She always wants to try new foods and is constantly watching and wants to do whatever her older sister is doing. Margaret is an amazing big sister, and is such a sweet girl. She just turned 7 in November.

One of my concerns as we planned starting a family was knowing that there could be some disapproval from our children about the lifestyle and ministry that Yuliza and I have chosen. Our lives can be busy, and they have to share their parents with other kids. And there could be a lot of confusion as they travel back and forth between Guatemala and the United States and experience such different cultures.

Margaret is now getting to the age where she’s really analyzing everything and has lots of questions. Last month we were visiting my parents and one afternoon she said, “Daddy, why did you decide to go to Guatemala?” And we talked about the heart that God has given me to help children in need and how that led me here. It’s fascinating to see her analyzing everything. I see her enjoying all the playgrounds, restaurants and toys in the United States, and she loves them all. And I also see her happy and content that we’re able to help other kids here in Guatemala to have a family. It’s very exciting to see her grow up, and see her loving heart. I would appreciate your prayers for her and Isabella, that they would have our heart to help others and share God’s love with other kids!


Thank You!

Thank you for your continued prayers and support for us!
We’re so grateful for God’s goodness and for all of your help. We’re so blessed to be able to serve the poor, lost, and less fortunate here in Guatemala. As we reflect over all the years that we’ve been here, we’re so grateful for the continued support. It’s a rare privilege to be able to do what we do. Thank you so much!

Here are a few prayer requests for us:

  • Pray for Yuliza’s immigration status in the United States. We’ve run into some difficulties, and we’re still waiting for an answer from the immigration office.
  • Pray for Margaret & Isabella as they grow up in two very different cultures
  • Pray for our girls: Sandra, Ana and Karla, as the new school year starts in January. Pray for Celia as she looks for a job after graduation.
  • Pray for the kids that will come to live with us this next year. We are talking to some about coming to live with us, and we want to find the right kids who will take advantage of the opportunity that we’re offering.
  • Pray for our Monday night meetings, that we would be able to reach new shoe shiners, alcoholics & poor who need to know the Lord. Pray that our meetings would be a great time of reconciliation, growth, and following after our Heavenly Father!

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

September Ministry Update

Isabella & Margaret

Our new baby, Isabella, is 5 months old and continues to grow fast!  She’s a bundle of joy and energy, and we’re so blessed to have the new addition to our family. 

Margaret loves being an older sister, and loves to play with and help her little sister.  She enjoys learning to read, and is also very excited about her new glasses and about losing her teeth!

Celia’s Internship

Our school year ends in just a few weeks, and Celia, Sandra, Ana, Karla and Margaret are very excited about the upcoming vacation!

Celia is a senior in high school, and a graduation requirement is an internship.  She’s studying to be a preschool teacher, and for her internship she helps teach in a school near our house.  So every afternoon after she finishes her own classes, she goes over to put what she’s learned into practice. She’s very excited about graduating at the end of October!  Please pray for her as she begins her job search.

Ana is finishing 9th grade and has a big decision about what major to start studying next year.  Sandra is finishing her junior year in high school and will start her teaching internship next year, and Karla is finishing up 8th grade.

Pablo

Our Monday night Bible studies are still going well, and one man reached an exciting milestone.  We met Pablo a few years ago during our Sunday morning breakfasts that we give out to people in our town’s central park.  Many shoeshiner boys and poor come over for the meal, and we also get to know many who struggle with alcoholism. 

That’s how we met Pablo, and last year he started coming to our Monday night Bible studies, too.  He’s now following the Lord and this summer reached one year of sobriety!  We’re very happy for him as he’s now also going to a local church, holding a steady job, and back with his wife.  It’s amazing to see a transformed life. God is so good!

Please pray as we continue to reach the people of our community in Chimaltenango, Guatemala!

Volcano Hiking

We hiked a new volcano in July.  It’s much higher at about 13,000 feet and is the one we can see looking south from our house.  We camped at the top and watched the attached active volcano spew lava all night.  It was an incredible view!  It was also a new experience for them as the temperature was close to freezing and it was very windy, making it the coldest night that our girls have ever felt!

Thank You!

Thank you for your continued prayers and support for us!  We’re so grateful for God’s goodness and for all of your help.  We’re so blessed to be able to serve the poor, lost, and less fortunate here in Guatemala.  And even as our family grows and the expenses that follow, it’s such a help to have all our needs met. It’s a rare privilege to be able to do what we do.  Thank you!

Here are a few prayer requests for upcoming needs and events:

  • Pray for Celia as she looks for a job after graduation.  And pray for Ana who is finishing 9th grade and needs to pick a major to study next year as she enters high school.
  • Pray for our Monday night meetings, that we would be able to reach new shoe shiners, alcoholics & poor that need to know the Lord.  Pray that it would be a great time of reconciliation, growth, and following after our Heavenly Father!
  • Pray for our various end-of-the-year activities.  We spend about $500 for Christmas parties with the shoe shiners, children at Casa Shalom, and our own kids that live with us.
  • Pray for the kids that will come to live with us in the future.  We will be talking to some during the upcoming break from school about coming to live with us next year.
  • Pray that all of our financial needs would be met.
  • Please pray for Yuliza and her family as her father is terminally ill.

Thank you so much and God bless,

Brent, Yuliza, Margaret & Isabella

April Update

Meet Isabella Joy!

We’re so excited to announce that our daughter, Isabella Joy, was born on Wednesday, April 10th! She weighed 6 pounds, 10 ounces and was 19.5 inches. She’s been healthy and is sleeping well, and Yuliza is recovering well. Margaret is very excited to have a new baby sister and wants to help her learn new things every day. So our family continues to grow, and we’re so blessed to have all six of our girls!

Baptisms

Last month we had the privilege of baptizing two of the shoeshiners who have been regularly attending our Monday night Bible studies. Victor is the older man, and he was so excited that he invited his wife, children and grandchildren that live far away in the mountains to come and celebrate with him. And Pedro is the young man, and he is very excited to be seeking the Lord’s will for his life. It was a great honor for Ronald and I to be asked to baptize them!

Thank You!

Thank you for your continued prayers and support for us! We’re so grateful for God’s goodness and for all of your help. Here are a few prayer requests:

  • Pray for Margaret, Celia, Sandra, Ana and Karla as they adjust to having a new baby in the house, and for Yuliza and I as this is a very busy time for us with a lot less sleep.
  • Pray for Margaret and our girls that they continue to do well in school and also that they would grow in their relationships with the Lord.
  • Pray for our Monday night meetings, that we would be able to reach new shoe shiners, alcoholics & poor that need to know the Lord.
  • Pray that all of our financial needs would be met.

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

January Ministry Update

Happy New Year!

I hope that everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! This newsletter is going out a little later than I planned, but here are some pictures from the activities and happenings here in Guatemala.

December 10th: Monday Night Christmas Party

We had a fun party with our Monday Night Bible Study group with piñatas, roasting hotdogs and marshmallows over a fire, and a movie.

December 14th: Christmas Party in the Park

We served 150 typical Guatemalan holiday meals of tamales, bread and a fruit cider called “ponche”.  A friend lent us some bounce houses for the children, and I shared about the true joy of the season. 
It was a great time to celebrate God’s love and provision throughout the year and to fellowship with the people in the park that we serve on a weekly basis.

December 14th: Serving the Homeless in Antigua

We took another 100 tamales the same night to Antigua, where there’s a large homeless population. We enjoyed spending time with the people, playing with the kids, praying for their needs and passing out the meals.

December 25th: Christmas

Christmas in Guatemala starts early at 6 AM on the 24th as we begin making a huge pot of tamales. The process continues through the day until they’re ready in the evening. We spend the day with Yuliza’s family and invite all our current and previous children to join us. The main celebration begins at midnight Christmas morning with lots of fireworks, we eat the tamales, and then we make a bonfire in the street and enjoy goofing off, eating and spending time together. Margaret had a blast this year, staying up until 2 AM. Around 4 AM we crashed and slept late, and then went out to watch a movie together in the afternoon.
We had hoped that Julio, Alfonso and Alejandro, who had lived with us before, would come and join us, but they didn’t make it. I was very excited to be able to see them, but we’ll keep trying to invite them over.

December 26th: Our 9th Wedding Anniversary

Yuliza & I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary the day after Christmas, and we spent the afternoon in Antigua enjoying all the Christmas lights with Margaret. I’m so blessed to have such an incredible family, and we’re so excited to meet our new girl in April!

December 28th: Christmas with Casa Shalom

We served 150 tamales with the children and workers of Casa Shalom. This is the Christian orphanage where Yuliza and I were working when we met each other 12 years ago, and we typically visit and spend time with the kids on a monthly basis. We brought bounce houses and played soccer and basketball with the kids and had a great time together!
One part that really blessed my heart was that over half of the cost of all these Christmas activities was provided by the young adults who have lived with us over the years. Flora, a girl who lived with us and got married back in April, brought her new in-laws to see the orphanage where she grew up, and we had a good time getting to know them better.

January 1st: New Year’s Celebration

The New Years celebration here is quite similar to Christmas: lots of food, fireworks, and fun until the wee hours of the morning! We cooked a turkey and a ham and had a great time hanging out together. Edwin, Jenifer, Cesar and Carlos came to join us.

January: Luke’s visit, girls are back in school & lots of construction

My good friend Luke came from Austin to visit for two weeks in January and we had a great time hanging out, fishing, cooking lots of foods, and hiking a volcano. 
The girls are all now back in school. Celia is a Senior, Sandra is a Junior, Ana is a Sophomore, and Karla is in eighth grade. Margaret started kindergarten and is thrilled to be back with her friends. Sandra also just turned 21 and we enjoyed celebrating with her. 
And the road construction in our neighborhood started about 3 weeks ago to install sewer lines. They had to dig a trench over 15 feet deep in some parts, and they made it very difficult to walk down the street, as you can see in the pictures above. In the process, the water pipes were broken, so we didn’t have water for about two weeks. Luke had a busier time than planned helping dig us out! The progress is slow, but most of the holes are mostly filled in now, and the water was reconnected this week. Hopefully we’ll be able to get our car to the house soon!

Here’s a video to give an idea about what the road work is like

Thanks so much for your continued support and prayers over the years! As we start another year, we’re so grateful and humbled to be able to serve here in Guatemala. We’re excited to meet our new baby girl in three months, and Margaret is so excited to soon be a big sister. She loves rubbing her mommy’s tummy and talking about possible names. 

We’re also proud of our girls and love to watch them grow up. Our prayer is that we consistently model their Heavenly Father and His incredible love for them. We pray that they grow to love and trust Him, and that they seek His will for their lives. His love has transformed my life, and has filled me with peace and hope. We’re going to be spending the next few weeks studying what the Bible shows us and teaches us about His love, and we’d appreciate your continued prayers for them.

Thanks and God bless, 
Brent, Yuliza & Margaret


Fall Ministry Update

In the United States, the leaves are changing, the temperature is dropping, and you’re getting ready for Thanksgiving. Here in Guatemala, this season marks the end of the rainy season, and also the end of the school year! We’re very proud of the hard work that our girls have put into their education this year. Thank you for all your support to make it possible!

As we look toward the next school year, which starts in January, we’d like to do something different. We’d like to find people who will sponsor each of our girls and help us with the costs associated with raising, feeding and educating each of them. Currently, most of their expenses come out of our personal budget.

SchoolingFoodMonth Total
Karla$30$60$90
Ana$70$60$130
Sandra$85$60$145
Celia$75$60$135

Each girl has different monthly expenses associated with her schooling, which is specified in the table to the right. This page includes more detailed information about how the money will be utilized. It also costs $2 a day to feed them, which is $60 a month. If you, or someone else you know, is interested in sponsoring one of our girls with all or part of their expenses, please let me know. It would be greatly appreciated and a huge help to us.

Celia has just turned 20 and is going into her senior year of high school. She grew up in the orphanage Casa Shalom, and has been living with us for 5 years. We’re so happy and proud of her!

Karla is the scientist of the group and is always curious about something. She is also Yuliza’s shadow. She’s been with us for 3 years and will be going into 8th grade at the charter school she was accepted into.

Sandra came to live with us this year, and she’s been such a blessing to our house. She quickly became everyone’s best friend, and she has excelled at school. Next year she’ll be entering 11th grade.

Ana is Celia’s sister, and we’ve known her a since she was an infant at the orphanage. She came to live with us two years ago and is the goofiest of our family. She’ll be going into 9th grade next year.

Breakfast & Dinner with the Shoe Shiners

We continue to serve 100 breakfasts in our park every Sunday morning as a way to get to know the shoe shiners, homeless and other people who live and work there. And on Monday nights we have a Bible study and dinner together.

Our niece Heidy and our girl Celia are now taking the young kids to their own class, and it’s been a HUGE help to me! A new group of men who struggle with alcohol have started to attend regularly, and we spend time talking to and praying with them.

For the fifth year, we are planning to celebrate Christmas with everyone in the park and serve their traditional tamales to 150 people. If you would like to help us out financially with this Christmas party or with the expense for the weekly meals, please let me know!

Under Construction

Our neighborhood continues to grow and many new houses are being built in the area. So we’re getting sewer lines installed in the streets! The entire project will hopefully only take 2 months, and it’s all being dug by hand. So we currently can’t drive to our house and have to walk and carry food about a quarter mile to our house. But this will be a great improvement for us! (our house is on the right in the picture)

Thank You!

Margaret had a great year of preschool, and is excited to start kindergarten in January. She’s just turned 6, and she’s very excited that she’s soon going to be a big sister! That’s right, Yuliza is expecting another baby in April. We are very excited!

We’re blessed to be able to serve in Guatemala, and we’re so grateful for your continued generosity through the years. If you would like to sponsor one of our girls or our meals with the shoeshiners, or if you know someone who would, please let me know. Thank you so much!

Please pray that God would continue to fill us with His love and wisdom as we minister in Guatemala. Please pray that both our past and present children would continue to seek the Lord’s will for their lives. And please pray for all those that will come to live with us in the future, that our home would be a place of refuge, peace, hope, discipleship and love.

Thank you so much for your continued support and prayers!

Brent, Yuliza & Margaret

2019 Child Sponsorship

As we look toward the next school year, which starts in January, we’d like to do something different. We’d like to find people who will sponsor each of our girls and help us with the costs associated with raising, feeding and educating each of them. Currently, most of their expenses come out of our personal budget.

Each girl has different monthly expenses associated with her schooling, which is specified in the table below. If you, or someone else you know, is interested in sponsoring one of our girls with all or part of their expenses, please let me know.  It would be greatly appreciated and a huge help to us.

To calculate the school costs, I added the cost of books, school supplies and materials, uniforms, a school registration, and a monthly tuition (charged 10 times). Those add up to a year total, which I then spread out over the 10 school months in the column titled “Year/Month”. Finally, we spend $60 a month on food for each of them. And the “Month Total” is the school costs plus the food costs.

We also spend $100 a month for the weekly breakfasts and dinners that we provide to the shoe shiners and other people in our park. Please let me know if you, or someone else you know, is interested in sponsoring someone. Thanks!

Summer Ministry Update

Potters-Home-Summer-2018.pdf

Back: Ana & Karla. Middle: Celia & Sandra. Front: Margaret

Ana is 16 and is in 8th grade. Karla turned 14 and is in 7th grade. Celia is 19 and is in 11th grade, and our new girl, Sandra, is in 10th grade. She came from the small town of Patzún where she was trying to pay her way through school on her own, but couldn’t afford high school.

It’s been a busy Spring!

We’ve had the privilege of hosting 3 groups in our home this Spring. The ministries to the shoe shiners, street kids and homeless of our town continue to grow and reach new people. 

The volcano that erupted is about 13 miles from our town, but does not present a threat to us. All we got was some volcanic ash over our car and house, but it was washed away by the rain a few days later.

All the girls are doing well at school. In fact, the love and unity with the girls has continued to grow and increase. Teens typically show some bad attitudes, and especially so when they come from broken homes. But our girls love being together and love living in our home. It’s so wonderful to have such a great relationship with each one and feeling like a family!

Welcome Sandra!

Sandra is the newest member of our family, and we just love her happy and goofy personality. We’re so happy that she’s here with us!

Margaret started school

Margaret started pre-school this year, and she goes to school with our other girls. She loves making new friends and going to school like her “big sisters”!

Yuliza is teaching English

Yuliza enjoys teaching English at our girls’ high school this year. Celia and Sandra feel more connected to her as a mother and now as a teacher.

Flora got married!

Flora grew up with us and moved out on her own about two years ago. This April we had the privilege of being her parents in her wedding with her new husband Leonel!

Rick & Susan Banda

Our Pastor Rick and his wife Susan visited us for two weeks. They shared so much love, wisdom, and experience with us, our girls, and our family. It was great to have them here! They and their church have been such a huge help to us, and our friendship with Rick & Susan has grown deeper and deeper.

Pastor Rick baptized Yuliza’s niece Heidy.

 

Team from El Shaddai

We had a six-person team from El Shaddai church in Bethlehem, PA visit us in June. They joined us in the various ministries and orphanages that we’re involved with, and we also visited a refugee shelter for the survivors from the volcano that erupted. 

We visited families that had lost family members, but the most impressive part was when we prayed for them, the people gave thanks to God for His goodness and provision! It really humbled me, and I pray that I could have their same heart and attitude.

Pedro

One shoeshiner who has been very involved in our ministries came with us to visit Casa Shalom during our monthly trip. He gave up a lucrative money-making time shining shoes in order to support his family and meet his own needs, and he came with us in order to spread God’s love to other children.

This is my dream: That orphans, street kids, and shoe shiners are so filled with God’s love for them, that His love pours out of them and into the less fortunate around them, so that all would know what a good, loving and perfect Heavenly Father we have!

Thank You!

We’re blessed to be able to serve in Guatemala, and we’re so grateful for your continued generosity through the years. Thank you so much!

Please pray that God would continue to fill us with His love and wisdom as we minister in Guatemala.  Please pray that both our past and present children would continue to seek the Lord’s will for their lives.  And please pray for all those that will come to live with us in the future, that our home would be a place of refuge, peace, hope and love.

Thank you so much for your continued support and prayers!

Brent, Yuliza & Margaret

2017 Ministry Recap

PottersHome-December2017.pdf

Our Children

This year we had five kids living with us who were in school. Karla, our youngest, finished 6th grade. She has been accepted to a magnet school that she will begin in January. Celia finished 10th grade this year and is studying for a preschool vocational degree at her high school. Her sister Ana came to live with us this year, and she was in 7th grade. Alfonso studied at a computer programming focused high school for 10th grade, and we received a new child, Julio, in March who also was in 10th grade. We’ve known Julio since he came to Casa Shalom when he was 5 years old, and this year he turned 18 in April.

It’s been a blessed year with the kids. All of our physical needs have been met, and we always had enough food for everyone. In fact, it’s been amazing to watch our kids grow so much! We had more financial needs this year with all five in school, and they were able to grow more prepared mentally for the future. A Christian psychologist friend of ours offered her services at reduced rates, and we’ve seen progress as our kids work through the emotional baggage of their life circumstances. And last, but not least, we have been blessed to have the spiritual help of a pastor friend of ours who has been coming over weekly to lead Bible studies with the kids and to encourage them in their spiritual walks with the Lord. It’s been a great help to have his wisdom and expertise in teaching Biblical truths. Our hope is that all of our teens understand the great importance of having a personal relationship with the Lord.

Unfortunately, close to the end of the school year, we had serious problems with our two guys, Alfonso and Julio. They took some attitudes and actions against the girls and against our family, and they are no longer living with us. Alfonso had been with us for 3 years, and we’ve known Julio for a long time, so it’s been incredibly sad to have them gone, but we are trusting and praying that God will continue the work that He started in their hearts. We ask that you join us in prayer for these two guys, too.

As we’ve mentioned previously, Flora had found a stable job last year and was able to move into an apartment. And this year Carlos found a job as a guard at our teens’ school and now lives there. We see them both regularly, and it’s great to see them stable, happy, and seeking the Lord’s will for their lives.

The Shoe Shiners

We continue to serve the poor and needy of our community in Chimaltenango by serving breakfast in our central park every Sunday morning. We give 100 meals every week and use the opportunity to share God’s love with the shoe shiners, street vendors, alcoholics and people living on the street.

This year we’ve received a permanent place to have our Monday night Bible study & dinner together, and we typically have 30 people come. It’s been fantastic to be able to meet together weekly at a permanent place, and now we can split off the young children into their own class which has allowed better interaction & discussion with the older group during the Bible study time. And we’ve greatly enjoyed getting to know the kids and families much better.

On the 21st of December we will have a Christmas party at the park with everyone, and we’re expecting 150 people. And then on December 27th we’re visiting the orphanage Casa Shalom for a Christmas party with the children.

Thank You!

We’re blessed to be able to serve in Guatemala, and we’re so grateful for your continued generosity through the years. Thank you so much!

Our daughter Margaret turned 5 last and is such a cheerful and fun daughter. She loves mermaids, Paw Patrol, stuffed animals, and her new bunny, Zoe.

Please pray that God would continue to fill us with His love and
wisdom as we minister in Guatemala. Please pray that both our past
and present children would continue to seek the Lord’s will for their
lives. And please pray for all those that will come to live with us in the future, that our home would be a place of refuge, peace, faith, hope and love.

Prayer requests:

  • Pray for Alfonso and Julio.
  • Pray for our end of year activities with the orphanage and shoe shiners.
  • Pray as we seek new children for our home before the new school year that starts in January.

Thank you so much for your continued support and prayers!
Brent, Yuliza & Margaret

Month of Prayer – Update

Thank you so much for praying for us this past month! We received so many wonderful emails, and it’s been very encouraging and uplifting for us.

It’s been a really busy month, and I want to let you know about everything that’s been going on here while you’ve been praying.

Our Kids

All of our kids are doing well. This week is exam week for the end of the first quarter of school, and so everyone’s studying hard.

We hiked a volcano last week

We did have an issue about 3 weeks ago where I had a problem with Alfonso because of his behavior, and to be honest, I didn’t handle it well at all. I was tired and frustrated, and I didn’t control my anger. He ran away and went to stay with his mother for a few days. Fortunately, we were able to talk about everything, and I was able to apologize for not acting correctly. He’s been back since then, and I think that God used the situation to allow us to have some good conversations about everything. Please pray for Alfonso as his heart is so broken because of his parents’ actions. I would also appreciate your continued prayers that I would have more wisdom and patience with all of our children.

We’re also talking to a new boy who might join our family named Julio. He is 17 and, like many of our kids, grew up at Casa Shalom. But he left the orphanage 2 years ago and hasn’t been living very responsibly. We’ve been talking to him for many months, and he’s realized that his actions are causing him a lot of problems and he wants to start over. We had a long talk again with him yesterday afternoon, and he’s thinking and praying about everything. Please pray that God would direct Julio and us with this big decision, and we hope that he will come to live with us.

We had a young woman named Keila visit us for about two weeks. She attends our home church in Austin, Texas where she works with their women’s rehabilitation home. She wanted to come to visit us and see what we do with our kids, and it was great to have her here to love our kids.

Keila came with us to celebrate Tony’s 12th birthday at Casa Shalom

Our Monday night meetings with the shoeshiners are going well, and fortunately we have received more help with some new volunteers and a bunch of the helpers who had left are coming back. I would appreciate your continued prayers as it’s still a lot of work of food preparation and energy to work with them. Monday night was extra special because a young boy named Fernando asked to pray to receive Jesus as his savior! He’s 9 years old and just started to come this month to our Monday night meetings. Thank you for praying!!! I’m sorry that I don’t have any pictures of him, but I’ll try to get a picture soon.

And here’s another answer to prayer… We bought a van! We found a 2007 Mitsubishi 12 seat van for sale at a price that we could afford and bought it about a week ago. It’s fabulous!!! Thank you to everyone who provided the money to be able to buy it! It’s a huge blessing to us.

Los Gozosos (“The Joyful Ones”)

Many of you have probably already heard about the tragedy that occurred in a government run orphanage on March 8th when 40 girls died in a fire after being locked in a room together. It’s truly a terrible and heartbreaking story. Here’s a story about what happened on Reuters.

The orphanage, which is located about 40 miles east of us, is being shut down by the Guatemalan government, meaning that new places have to be found for roughly 700 children who are now without a place to live. Please pray for all the orphanages who will be receiving these children.

In our town there is an orphanage for children with special needs called Los Gozosos. They are taking in 10 special needs children from this orphanage which doubles their number to 20. We’ve gotten to know the orphanage well over the years because our friend Diamond, who has stayed with us several times over the last 3 years, volunteers there. And we’ve gotten to know the director Maureen well, and she’s truly an inspiring lady with a huge heart to care for these special children.

Los Gozosos always struggles balancing their budget with all the costs associated with running a home that cares for kids who have lots of extra and unexpected costs. They’re converting some classrooms into bedrooms for the incoming children, but they need a lot of financial help to buy additional beds, medicine and food. Their webpage is at www.losgozosos.org.

Yuli, Margaret and Alfonso playing with Helen & Daniel at Los Gozosos

So here’s my request: Would you consider supporting this vital ministry? I know that money can be tight, so if you were planning to send support to us, could you send it to them??? They really need the help. Here’s their online donation page.

Thank you again for your prayers these past 30 days. It has meant a lot to us, and we need them! Thank you for your generosity allowing us to buy a van and for supporting the work that we do with the kids.

Brent