We'd first like to thank the following churches for hosting and welcoming Tony and Laura over the past two months: Franklin First Alliance Church, Derwood Alliance Church, Lewistown Alliance Church, Grace Church, Wellspring Alliance Church, Agape Presbyterian Church, Cody Alliance Church, Community Heights Alliance Church, Chinook Alliance Church, Havre Alliance Church, Maranatha Bible Chapel, Polson Alliance Church and Chester Alliance Church. Thank you for taking such good care of our staff members! They've gotten back home safely, thanks be to God!
For our staff, 2019 has been our year of abiding, based on John 15:5. The Lord spoke to and moved in the lives of each of our staff members. If you'd like to read more about what we've all learned, check out Envision El Salvador on Facebook to see our Abide testimony series!
Looking back on the last year, we are so in awe of what God has done. This year as a site, we welcomed 8 groups, 4 new interns and said goodbye to many others who have served with us. We worked with new churches, ministries and schools, and pioneered new programs that would reach new populations. We baptized 7 La Fuente teens and one staff member, and saw countless decisions made for Christ. The Lord opened up new doors for us and greatly blessed this ministry, our staff and our teens. Thank you for going on this journey with us!
We are pleased to share that our calendar is quickly filling up for group season next year! We asked God to send laborers and He has heard our prayers. Help us to pray for their preparation and for the work that they will be doing.
Ministries
La Fuente
We are soo excited to finally announce our newest scholarship beneficiaries! Last year we thought we could only award one scholarship, but God provided for three. This year we thought three was sufficient, but God had plans for a fourth! Nicole, Ivonne, Sandra and Jefferson will be starting their first year of high school at Escuela Cristiana Maranatha, a private Christian school in January! This will be a huge change in workload for these four, so please help us in praying for their preparation and success. We'll also be sending Julissa, Harold and Carlos back for their second and final year of high school.
From back left: Carlos, Harold, Jefferson. Front left: Nicole, Ivonne, Julissa, Sandra
At the end of every year, we like to share the love and hope of Christ in a tangible way with our teens' families. This year we gifted each teen with a basket of basic supplies (flour, oil, rice, beans, etc.) and a whole chicken (already butchered of course!) We hope and pray that this small gesture can be a huge blessing to their families, and that it would bring glory to God.
Mavericks
As we'd hoped, the Mavericks were named two-time, undefeated champions in the women's flag football league for 2019. We are so proud of the team, and we can see God's hand at work in their success, their hearts of service, and their sponsorships. Congratulations Mavericks!
One of the biggest highlights of the year for Mavericks has been the start of their children's project with the Alliance church in Apopa. Because of their efforts, we hope that this project will transform into a second La Fuente program next year. We ask you to help us to pray for the advancement of this project and partnership. We want to reach even more kids, and we want to be used by God!
This weekend, the Mavericks gave out over 100 toys to children in Apopa and a nearby community. They worked hard for weeks collecting toy donations and were finally able to "gift smiles" to these children in need. We pray that this would plant seeds in their hearts, and that they would begin to think about Jesus as their friend and savior.
Online High School
We were able to enroll four students in our new online high school program. Jairo, Mayra, Kevin and Maykel will be starting this intensive program in January. Help us to pray for them, that they would remain committed to this program which will require them to be active on the site for at least two hours, 7 days per week. Pray also that God would provide a tutor that we can hire to lead and mentor these young adults.
Interns
By the grace of God, our four future interns have begun their fundraising and preparation process! We hope to receive Shannon, Jonathan and Chance in March, and Samuel in May. Let's pray that the Lord would prepare their hearts to serve, that He'd go before them to prepare the hearts of the people with whom they'll work and that He would provide for all their needs as they fundraise and find partners. We can't wait to have them here!
Prayer Requests
Help us to pray for the future of La Fuente. As always, we hope to put on the best program for our teens. Pray that we as a staff would learn from the past year, and that we would be flexible and willing to change for the sake of our kids. Pray that the Lord would give wisdom to our leadership team to make important decisions for next year.
Pray for our efforts to find 75 people to sponsor a La Fuente student. God has already called so many people to join our team financially, but we still need more people! We know God is bigger than we could even imagine, and help us to pray that He would provide exactly what we need, and even more. We trust in Him!!
Pray for rest for our staff, who will have some vacation time to spend with their families. Pray that they would be rejuvenated during their time off and that they would continue to abide in the Lord and His word. Pray that God would guide each of them and protect them and their families.
Pray for our current residents, Andrea and Anjolenna, who will be leaving in March. Pray that the Lord would give them direction and discernment about their futures, and that they would feel present during their last few months here.
We wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy new year! Thank you for all your prayers and for your kindness and generosity.