New year’s greetings to all! Hope you all enjoyed Christmas and welcomed in the new year with a clearer vision for what God has for you in the year 2013. Down here we celebrated Christmas with Jony’s family at the casa hogar along with all the children. We had a chicken dinner, broke piñatas and even enjoyed jumping rope with the kids. The following week we brought in the new year with the congregation and casa hogar family with a night of talents. Each department had their own talent to display from singing to choreographed dancing then we set off paper lanterns in the sky that many of the youth made. If any of you have seen the movie “Tangled”, it is just like the lanterns they lit every year on the princess’ birthday.

Looking back on this past year we realize just how far we have come. Many changes took place this past year and with a new location and new vision for this new year we are really excited to see where God takes us and to see just what He has in store in 2013.

Two weeks ago we received 3 kids from the casa hogar in Huajuapan, David (15), Javier, (13), and Samuel an older boy with Down Syndrome, who are now living with us full time in Tlaxiaco. Its been great to have more quality time spent with them to get to know them even better. When they first told Javier that he was moving to Tlaxiaco he was hesitant about wanting to come, but after spending the first week with us and the other two there we asked him if he wanted to go back to Huajuapan and he quickly said no, that he likes it here. Samuel doesn’t say much beyond si and no. So when we asked him if he wanted to stay with us he said si.  And David has been wanting to move here for the past 6 months, so for him it is a dream come true.

Since they have been here with us they have settled into their cabin, and have helped clean up and organize a place for our woodshop. Also we have begun building our chicken coop which looks like it will be finished this week and so the next week we are planning on having chickens in it. Also this past week a tractor came in to till the ground to get it ready for planting season. This week we are also hoping to start the construction of the dining room of the orphanage. With every little step that we take the vision of where God can take this place gets a little clearer. It is very exciting to see unroll all the possibilities and things that were once just ideas. We still travel to Huajuapan every Sunday for church but it looks like we will be starting our own little church within ourselves in the next few weeks.

All these changes are exciting and a little scary at the same time. I know God has great things in store for us and this ministry. I want to be ready to stand up to the plate for what’s next. Sometimes things get a little overwhelming but I know where I need to go for renewed strength and we have an awesome and powerful Lord that we serve who will never fail us. We would like to ask that you take it upon yourselves to lift this ministry up in your prayers on a daily basis. You too play a part in this ministry that God has before us. I’m not sure what all this year has in store but with a family of Christ supporting us and of course Christ as our backbone we continue to push forward. Thank you all for the crucial part you play in this ministry. May God bless you and keep you in this new year!

In Christ’s love,

Amber and Jony