February 2023 Newsletter

February 2023 Newsletter

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Proverbs 14:31 Those who oppress the poor insult their maker,
but helping the poor honors him.

Greetings Friends,

I have been struggling lately with focus on what we do for the people in San Luis. As we were building a home in January, we got word that another group had signed up for an April trip. So I asked Rosa if she could find a family to build for in April. One afternoon, she stopped by and told me there was a family just three blocks away from where we were. So we made the trip down to see if this was a family we could help. The day before, we had high winds that caused some of the group to quit building because of the conditions. Needless to say, it was a very sad situation the family was living in. As I looked at the walls of the house, I thought about the previous day, and all the sand that blew in through the holes of the house. It had to be terrible trying to keep warm, as well as sleeping with your bed full of fine sand. I have been looking at the pictures of their current living situation, and am amazed at the terrible conditions they have to endure. It makes a person wonder what it is like to live 28 miles from our home in Yuma? How can we be so blessed, and our friends are living with sand blowing through the cracks as they sleep. The floors are sand, and the walls are made of pallets and cardboard. I would mention the bathroom, but looking at the house in these photos, you can get an idea of the situation there.

My focus lately has been on the administrative tasks that need to be done on a weekly basis. That pulls a person away from the reality of what we were called to do in the beginning. Feed the hungry, supply shelter to the homeless when possible, and share the love of God with every person we come in contact with. I ask you to keep us in your prayers as we attempt to keep our focus on the real needs, and to count our blessings.

The new year has been a whirlwind of activity. We had house builds only a couple weeks apart to accommodate everyone. At the same time, we have dismantled the small house behind the ministry house to build a garage. We are so blessed to have friends who have volunteered to come down on their own and do a ton of work for us. The house was dismantled in a couple days. We poured cement in the back to accommodate a larger structure for the trailer and for storage. While we brought in a team to build a house, there was a whole team at the ministry house framing up the new structure. Next week, the garage door will be installed, as well as security. We now will have a new place for our equipment. A huge thank you to the crew that came to take this burden off our shoulders. We are truly blessed to have friends who want to come alongside us and make life a little easier. THANK YOU.

The students are continuing their studies, and we are impressed by their desire to get ahead in life. Many of the students showed up at the past house builds to visit with their sponsors, talking  for hours about what their dreams are, and what their lives are like currently. What makes a person proud is the students studying the English language, and being willing to sit and try their best to communicate with their sponsor. The students continue to impress us every day.
In March, we will begin our work at the nursing home. We have some walls to build, ceiling fans to install, and a couple of swamp coolers to replace. The outdoor dining area will be enclosed with large windows to open for fresh air when needed, and to close it off in the summer to get some cool air from the air conditioning. The current situation is that they roast in the summer, and in the winter they have no place to get warm. We have some portable A/C units we are going to purchase, and let them borrow until they are not needed…possibly forever. The family who lives there shared with us that they have lost five of their friends this winter, believing it is partly due to the cold air that is blowing into the facility all the time. Prayers for direction are appreciated.

Prayer requests:
Direction and focus for Kelly and I.
God makes clear the future to us.
The rest of the teams that are traveling this year for building projects.

Thank you for your continued prayers and faithful support.
Love,
Curt and Kelly VanEkeren