2 New Projects Underway!

Backpacks of Love

Becca Bentley (this past summer's intern) is heading this project up for us.  We have asked Becca to collect 40-50 new to slightly used backpacks with some basic school supplies.  The new school year for the Guatemalan children starts the second week in January.  Becca will be bringing these backpacks to Guatemala with her and the Fairview team the end of December.  They will be giving these out to a group of very needy children in the mountain colonial village of San Cristobal El Bajo.  Depending on how this project works out, we may be putting this on the calendar as an annual project.

               

Youth Camp

Our church here in Guatemala, Iglesia Vid Verdadera, is hosting a youth camp December 2-4 for the teenagers of the church and outreach to teenagers in the church community.  The cost of the camp is $30.  These teenagers are not able to come up with that much money.  The expressions on their faces when we shared it with them said it all.  It would be like asking our teens in the States to pay $300 for a 3 day camp.  Kim and I talked with the church and agreed that our ministry would pay half for every teen that would go.  We would like to pay all for every teen, but that would do more damage than good.  We need to have the teens that want to go work for it as well.  We are putting together a few fundraisers to help them as well.  I asked the Facebook community to help with paying the $15 (half of the total for one teen to go), and got a wonderful response.  We need to pay half for about 50 teenagers.  In two days on Facebook we were able to get commitments of the $15 each for 44 teenagers to go to camp!  Thank you friends for helping a teen go to camp this December!  Their lives will be changed forever for going to this Christian Youth Camp!

2012 Summer Interns

We are now looking to get applications out to candidates for our Summer Intern Program!  For the summer of 2012 we are needing 2 interns!  If you know of anyone that would be a good fit, or that may be interested please send them to look at our website www.lopezmissions.com.  The application is online under summer internship.  The deadline for all applications is December 1, 2011.

Update on Feeding Center

I want to give everyone an update on the construction project that is in place now in San Cristobal El Bajo.

For those of you that don't know, Kim and I have been feeding children on Saturdays in a little mountain colonial in the village of San Cristobal El Bajo.  We have been doing this since January of 2011 with the local church we are a part of in San Pedro Las Huertas.  The church was doing this prior to our arrival, but were unable to continue because of financial reasons.  Kim and I decided at that point to invest some of our time and money in this area.  After a short time, we saw the need for a daily feeding center because of hearing the many stories of children going several days without any food.  To make a long story short, we started construction of a two phase project at the end of May of 2011.



Here is what the project is costing and the estimated completion dates:
1st Floor/Feeding Center: $2,734 - September 10th, 2011
2nd Floor/House: $1,331 - October 31st, 2011
TOTAL: $4,065

So far, I have paid out $2,442 towards the construction of the feeding center out of our personal budget.  A group called "Plant Today" out of Florida has donated $1,000 to help in this project.  This will leave a difference of $623 to complete both phases of this project.  I have agreed to ask for, and come up with the difference of the $623.

My plan is to have the feeding center up and running lunch everyday by the first of December.  Pastor Israel and I will be talking soon with a couple ladies in the families in San Cristobal El Bajo about hiring them full-time as the cooks and daily facilitators.  I will work with them on coming up with the best plan on buying the food and supplies needed.  We are looking at a monthly cost of around $1,000.  This will take care of paying 2 employees and purchasing food.


What we need from you:
1) Prayer
2) Help with the $623 to finish this project.  Kim and I have already invested much more than planned out of our personal budget. 
3) Monthly partners (outside of our regular monthly giving partners) to invest in giving to support the feeding center.  Plant Today as stated that they would like to partner with us to feed these children daily.  We need many more churches and/or individuals to commit to partnering with us each month to be sure these children do not go hungry.

If you would like to help in any way, contact us at dkblopez@gmail.com and we will direct you in how to do so.
Thanks and God Bless!!!