{"id":1365,"date":"2017-01-05T16:46:02","date_gmt":"2017-01-05T22:46:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pottershome.org\/?p=1365"},"modified":"2017-03-15T12:37:26","modified_gmt":"2017-03-15T18:37:26","slug":"2016-year-ministry-recap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.pottershome.org\/?p=1365","title":{"rendered":"2016 Year Ministry Recap"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a><\/p>\n

Our Children<\/h2>\n

Karla<\/strong>, our youngest girl, turned 12 years old last year, and she\u2019ll be going into 6th grade when the new school year begins in two weeks. She\u2019s been a true joy to have with us, and we\u2019re happy to have her in our family.<\/p>\n

\"\"Celia<\/strong> just turned 18 and she finished 9th grade. This is a big accomplishment here because many children are not able to go to school this long. So they have a big graduation ceremony, and she\u2019s the first one in her family to finish 9th grade. This month she starts vocational training to be a preschool teacher. Alfonso<\/strong> is now 17, and he also finished 9th grade last year. He is also about to start 10th grade and will receive training in computer programming. In some ways he can be our most challenging child, but we\u2019ve enjoyed seeing our relationship with him grow tremendously during these last few months. It\u2019s wonderful to watch him start to fully understand how much we love him.<\/p>\n

\"\"Flora<\/strong> is now 23, and she is working in a store near our house. This has been her first year to be working, and she enjoys making a salary! She transitioned into her own apartment about two months ago and now lives about a quarter mile from us. It\u2019s wonderful to be able to continue help and counsel her, and to see her continue to seek the Lord\u2019s will for her life. And Carlos<\/strong> is now 26, and he continues to work at a pure water distribution company. He\u2019s such a sweet and easy-going guy, and he continues to seek the Lord\u2019s will for his life.<\/p>\n

\"\"The new school year starts in two weeks, so right now is the best time for our home to grow. We\u2019re currently talking to two families about caring for their kids and giving them an education, and in both cases we\u2019re receiving resistance to the idea by the parents. We\u2019ve met the kids through the orphanage, Casa Shalom, and they\u2019d really like the opportunity to go to school. But they\u2019ve been sent back to their parents by a child-services judge, and the decision is up to the parents. Please pray for God to work on their parents\u2019 hearts so that they can come to live with us<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Shoeshiner Ministry<\/h2>\n

\"\"2016 was a very exciting year for the ministry to the shoeshiners and homeless. We continued to meet them every Sunday morning to share food and God\u2019s love with them. And we started a bi-weekly meeting on Monday nights to have a more formal Bible study and dinner together. It\u2019s been so great to get to know them better, and to have a more focused time of ministry with them. Every Sunday we feed 100 people, and 20 come on Monday nights. We now have a better place to hold our meetings, and this year we\u2019re changing to weekly meetings. It\u2019s a much bigger time and financial effort, but it should provide more consistent attendance.<\/p>\n

\"\"The teens and young adults that we have helping us are very dedicated, and they raise the majority of the finances through people of our community. I hope to continue to minister with them and to them. It\u2019s so easy to get so focused on the physical needs of the people around us that it\u2019s easy to forget about their much greater need of a Savior.<\/p>\n

Trip to Texas<\/h2>\n

\"\"In early December we were able to take a trip to visit our home church in Austin, Texas. We had a great time staying and fellowshipping with our pastor and his family, and it was so wonderful to reconnect with lots of old friends. The trip was extra special because our dear friend, Edwin, was able to go with us. He grew up at Casa Shalom, and I was his houseparent when he was a teenager. It\u2019s been great to work with him these past 12 years and watch him grow into the man he is today. (Goofy story: I was so shy to talk to Yuliza when I was trying to get to know her, and Edwin helped me!) During our trip Edwin was able to visit his mother who lives just south of the border in Mexico whom he hadn\u2019t seen in many years.<\/p>\n

Thank You!<\/h2>\n

\"\"We\u2019re blessed to be able to serve in Guatemala, and we\u2019re so grateful for your continued generosity through the years. Thank you so much!<\/p>\n

Our daughter Margaret turned 4 in November and is such a joy to have. She\u2019s as happy and playful as a child can be, and she\u2019s become a aficionado of slides. We can\u2019t pass one without her wanting to try it out!<\/p>\n

Please pray that God would continue to fill us with His love and wisdom as we minister in Guatemala.\u00a0 Please pray that both our past and present children would continue to seek the Lord\u2019s will for their lives.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

Two big prayer requests for January:<\/p>\n