Photo blog: activities with the girls

Here is a look at some of the activities we have been able to do so far in 2013. 

ENJOY!!

Taco date with Sandra after her grandma died

Trip to the beach!

Cheering on the boys' at their soccer game!

Celebrating Jennifer's 18th birthday!

First time at Pizza Hut with Amalia and Sandra

Movie night

Beauty day with baby Marisol

First official girls' night in the new house!

Enjoying peach tea popsicles with Dania

Playing with our new baby bunnies!!

Hammock time with Nicole and baby Briana

Making Oreo pie. YUM!!

Teaching Karen (deaf/mute) to express herself through art!

I am so thankful that the Lord has put each of these girls in my life!! My prayer is that God would continue to give us the authority to speak into each of their lives and point them to Him. I pray that He would pursue us and shower us in His love. Please join us in praying for each of these sweet girls, and pray that the Lord would continue to give us direction as we lead this girls' ministry!!

ALMOST done!!

[a girls' home update]

It is really starting to feel like a house now!! Last week, the guys finished doing the smooth, red concrete floor in the girls' home. The house is covered with cement inside and out--ready to paint!! The electricity has been installed and is just waiting to be hooked up, and the tubes are ready for plumbing!! It has been AMAZING to see all of this come together in the past 3 months!! The next steps will be the doors, security bars on the windows, toilets, sinks, showers, and a water system! 

In order to finish the house, we will need about $6000 in the next 2 weeks!! Please join us in prayer for God's provision and consider making a one-time donation to help finish the girls' home! I know the Lord has big things planned for these girls--please help make this dream become a reality!!

It's that time of year again!!

 The kids have been enjoying their 3-month break from school--riding bikes, playing computer games, watching tv, spending time on Facebook, and playing outside. 

[enjoying their break]

School will be starting up again in February and our goal is to have ALL of our kids sponsored this year! For many of our kids, last year was a year of recuperation and "getting back into the swing of things" for school. This year, they are getting excited as they have seen the improvements they made throughout the year by learning to be dedicated by going to school daily and keeping up with their homework. We cannot wait to see what this year holds for them, but we need YOUR HELP!! If you would like to sponsor education for one or more of our kids, please let us know! You will be making a difference in the lives of these kids by opening up opportunities for their future! THANK YOU!!

Anderson (7) and **Amalia (12) will be starting their first year at Liberty--a Christian bilingual school. Anderson will be in first grade and Amalia will be in sixth.

**Carlos (14) and **Fernando (12) will be continuing with their private teacher this year to prepare them to be in a regular classroom next year.

Marcos (14) will be entering sixth grade after taking the first half of this year off and later entering classes with Carlos and Fernando's private teacher.

Luis (15), **Ariel (17), and Cristopher (18) will be continuing high school at Nuevo Amanecer--a private Christian Institution.

Fanny (17) and Dania (14) will be transferring to join the three boys at Nuevo Amanecer.

Henry and Walter are planning on returning to high school this year after taking a year off.

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**THESE KIDS ALREADY HAVE SPONSORSHIP FOR EDUCATION. If you would like to help with other areas (food, clothes, recreation, english classes, etc.) please let us know!!

We will also need to buy school uniforms, shoes, and supplies for each of the kids. It will cost anywhere from $25-$100 per kid to get them started this year. Please consider making a one-time donation towards uniforms, shoes, and general school supplies!!

Bring on 2013!!

WOW!! I cannot believe I have been living in Honduras for over a year now! So many great things happened at Zion's Gate Ministries in 2012, and we are expecting 2013 to be even better!! 

• Over the course of this year, our family has grown from three teenage boys to 9 boys and a baby girl. This year, we will be adding more girls to our family when our girls' home is completed in the next two months. 
• We have hosted over 300 missionaries this year, and expect that many or more in 2013, including a few individuals who have committed to return to Honduras to work with our ministry longer-term.
• With the help of World Race and Passport teams, we did many service projects in Los Pinos, such as paint houses, clean up trash, and build an out house. 
• We have prayed and seen physical healings, restoration in families, and miracles that only God could do.
• We started meeting as a family every night to pray and share the Word of God, and it has transformed our family.
• We have rejoiced and suffered TOGETHER.
• The Lord planted the dream in my heart to build a girls' home on the property and it is becoming a reality!
• We hosted the first annual community Christmas party on our property thanks to Roger Van Horn and his parents.

[our family minus Tony plus Roger & his parents]

We live our lives by FAITH, and the Lord continues to PROVIDE everything we need.

girls' home update!

We officially broke ground on the girls' home one month ago!! It was the BEST birthday present ever! Reynaldo and his crew are working hard six days a week to hopefully have the house finished in January 2013. Our goal is to be able to bring the girls to live in their new home by the start of next school year (February 2013), so that it will be an easier transition for them. They are SO excited!!

[Reynaldo, me, and Carlos]

When I left Honduras a week and a half ago, they were finishing up the foundation of the house...

...and while I'm gone they are adding the walls!!

We still need about $6000 to finish the house. Would YOU prayerfully consider being a part of what we're doing at Zion's Gate Ministries? To make a tax-deductible donation:

1. Online Donation:

www.WorldOutreach.org 

Click DONATE & select Cassandra Schott #135

(choose one-time or monthly gift)

2. Mail Checks to:

World Outreach Ministries

P.O. Box B

Marietta, GA 30061

(designate for Cassandra Schott #135)

growing in faith

As many of you know, I have been working with Nidia starting up our girls' ministry here at Zion's Gate Ministries. So far, we have begun focusing most of our efforts on the older three girls (Dania, Fanny, and Jennifer). We meet with the girls every Tuesday to pray and discuss a devotional, and on Thursday afternoons we meet with the girls in IHNFA (a government orphanage) and our girls teach the girls there. In the beginning, the girls were very shy and hesitant to participate in our Tuesday meetings, and even more-so at IHNFA on Thursdays. They always were embarrassed to pray out loud and fought about who would lead the study.

[Dania, Fanny, Jennifer, & me]

Until one Tuesday afternoon when we met in Fanny's house...

I was leading the study that day and we were talking about prayer. Prayer is not some big scary formal thing, it is just having a conversation with God. You do not have to use fancy words or a certain format, just talk to God like he is your best friend. We also talked about how prayer is not only for asking God for things when we need help, it's a way to praise Him for everything He has done in our lives and all He has given us. At the end of our conversation, we had a time to share prayer requests. Most of their requests were for school, health, family, and provision. When we got around to Fanny, she said she wants to learn how to pray. It was such a sweet and innocent request at the time and I do not think she knew what the Lord had in store for her!

A few weeks later, Dania stayed the night at the property during the week and I was able to spend some time with her one morning reading a devotional and talking about it together. The devotional was about how sometimes God allows bad things to happen but He always has a purpose. Dania began to open up about her father's suicide for the first time. The next day, we had our meeting with the girls in Los Pinos and Fanny volunteered to pray! As we read the devotional, Fanny related it to the situation with her grandma and family. Her grandma, Mina, got sick and was in the hospital. Mina's daughters (Fanny's mom and aunts) are constantly fighting and plotting against each other. But with their mom being in the hospital, God was using the situation to bring them closer together in unity as a family.

Fanny ended up sharing this message during one of our nightly meetings as a family, at IHNFA, and even at the hospital with her grandma, mom, and a few of her aunts. I am so proud of her and excited to see what God has in store for her in the future as she continues growing in faith!

MY DREAM!!

A few months ago, the Lord layed on my heart the desire to build a girls' home here on the property at Zion's Gate Ministries. It is a dream that has been stirring in my heart for awhile now and I feel like God is calling me to begin taking action!! This month, Nidia and I started meeting with the girls in Los Pinos twice a week for a Bible study, spending time in their homes, and praying with their moms and other women in the community. God is breaking my heart more and more for these girls and the home situations they are living in.

[with Fanny, Dania, Amalia, Sandra, & Nicole]

I have been working alongside Tony's ministry with the boys now for 8 months and have learned so much. The idea is to take the same ideas and principles and apply it to the girls' home. I want to be able to provide basic needs--food, education, and a safe home environment--but more importantly a community of faith, discipleship, and spiritual development. This will also add a new aspect to our ministry as a whole at Zion's Gate Ministries when we host World Race, Passport, and other missionary groups! The women will be able to pour into our girls as the men work with our guys.

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I truly believe the Lord has spoken to my heart to start something new January 2013! So the challenge is...$10,000 IN FOUR MONTHS!!! This should give us a good start to laying the foundation and building a house of bricks or concrete blocks. Please prayerfully consider being a part of this ministry by making a financial donation! WE CANNOT DO THIS WITHOUT YOU!!

entertaining angels

One Saturday morning a few weeks ago, an older man wandered onto the property. I was in the kitchen making breakfast when Luis came running in and asked me for an extra plate of food and some juice to give to a guy he met outside. As I brought the food out, I saw Luis running down from the house with a box of brand new white Nike shoes. He took them out of the box and placed them on the feet of his new friend. 

"Don't forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!"

--Hebrews 13:2 [NLT]

I love seeing the FAITH of these street kids begin to take ACTION!! There are so many ups and downs in our everyday life at Zion's Gate, but seeing these little breakthroughs is truly a blessing!! We can have peace knowing that the seeds we are planting are beginning to take root in these kids hearts and lives. As leadership here, we have been talking lately about how WE can't do anything to change these boys...only God can! And he IS!! To Him be the glory!!

Henry is back!

Two weeks ago, Henry returned to Zion's Gate to begin working full-time on the property. For the past ten months, he has been living in Los Pinos and every time I saw him and asked how he was, he would look down at the ground and tell me he was fine. I knew he had been without a job for quite awhile and he was moving around a lot living with different friends or family here and there, but nothing had been stable in his life. 

[Burger King]

When I was here in October 2010 on the World Race, Henry was always around. He was staying with Tony on the weekends, and we saw him almost daily in Los Pinos. He was learning english and had a somewhat stable job working as a street sweeper in Los Pinos. He was always fun to be around and liked to joke with everyone. He enjoyed practicing his english with us and playing soccer and even duck-duck-goose. He was finally enjoying a childhood he never got to experience growing up.

[Molly, Henry, & me]

Last week, Molly and I had the opportunity to take Henry out to eat at Burger King. He talked to us in english and tried to teach us new words in spanish (especially words that we had to roll our "r's"). We weren't very good students! On our drive back up to Los Pinos, he wanted us to teach him "Old McDonald Had a Farm" and "BINGO". We sang kids songs and laughed the whole drive up the mountain. By the time we got into Los Pinos it was late and very dark. As we drove in, he recognized some men that could potentially be dangerous so he decided to stay in the car with us until we got back onto the paved road to leave because he wanted to protect us.

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Please join us in prayer for Henry as he tells us he really does want to change. He has a special place in my heart because one of my teammates on the World Race led him to Christ. Although he fell away for a time, he is getting back on track and joining us every morning for our Bible and prayer time before work. Pray that God continues to tug at his heart and draw Henry closer to His.

my heart.

The other day at the beach I was laying out having some quiet time while soaking in the sun. At one point, I got up and walked down to the water for a few minutes to cool off. On my way back up, I noticed something small and dark against the contrast of the light-colored sand. As I reached down to pick it up, I realized it was a smooth, flat stone in the shape of a heart! I looked around and there was nothing else in sight--no other rocks, shells, or even seaweed had been washed up on shore. Just this perfect little stone. I have no doubt God placed it in that specific spot at that moment just for me to find it!

The more I thought about it, I heard God speaking to me about my life. I have been out being tossed around by daily struggles, drowning in the ocean of busyness and now God has thrown me ashore and given me this time to relax and just BE with Him. I feel like He's asking me to let my heart rest in His hands. The little heart stone was just laying there under  the warm sun. An amazing reminder for me to rest in His SON. I don't ever want to forget about this perfect, timely example. I need to take the time daily to REST in Him during all the crazy and busy days in Honduras.

Alex has been a huge inspiration this past week as she gets up at 6:00am every day when her husband leaves for work to have quiet time before she starts the day. It made me think, "I could do that!" I wake up early every morning anyway to get Luis up for school and when he leaves, everyone else in the house is still asleep until at least 7:00am. I NEED to start doing this!! Please pray that God will give me strength to get up and focus on having intentional time with Him every morning before I start my day.
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Also, during my time in the states, baby Genesis has been sent away to stay with some extended family members that I have never met. Please pray for good health and protection for her as well as favor when I return to Honduras to be able to get her back. I am currently in the process of obtaining residency in Honduras, and then I will be ready to start the paperwork for adoption as soon as I get final confirmation from the Lord.

parable of the sower.

We have been working outside a lot on the property lately digging out the big rocks to allow for the grass to grow. One day last week as I was working, the Lord reminded me of the Parable of the Sower. I shared it last night during our family meeting because it is something we can all relate to. I challenged us all to think about which type of ground we are, and how we should strive to be the good soil to produce fruit in our lives.

[Luke 8:5-8, 11-15]

"A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown...

...This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked out by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop."

As I was reflecting on my life, I realized that I have been through different phases in my own life of each of these types of ground. At times, I have heard the word of God and Satan has come along and taken it away from my heart. I have received the word of God with joy but fallen away when things get tough. I have heard and then as I continue along in life, get choked out by the things of this world. I have also heard, retained and persevered to produce fruit.

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I wish I could say that I am currently living my life in the good soil all the time, but that would not be true. Please pray for me to not get so caught up in everything that is going on and be able to spend more intimate time with the Lord daily. He is really all that matters. What he has called me to do here in Honduras is just a small part of His great plan. I do not want to let myself or my own fleshly desires get in the way of what He wants to do here. I want to seek after more of Him and follow Him in obedience.

a heart of gratitude.

Last Friday, I celebrated my first Mother's Day with Luis at his school. It was a wonderful time as the students honored their mothers through songs, words, and scripture. At the end, they called up all the mothers to the front and we each had to pick a piece of paper out of a hat. Whoever got the paper that said, "Felicidades Madre!" won a huge basket of food. I was the lucky winner! When we got in the car, Luis asked if we could go visit his grandmother and give her the food. When we got there, she was so surprised and excited because she did not have any food in the house. (If you haven't already, please read a woman of great faith.).

Saturday, Luis wanted to go visit his aunt and cousins in Ciudad Espana. One of my friends that came to visit me last month left $20 for him to spend on whatever he wanted. He could have easily used it all for himself to buy a new pair of shoes or a remote control car or something else that he really wanted, but he chose to give it all away to his aunt to help her out and show his appreciation for all she has done for him. She also played a HUGE role in raising Luis when he was younger.

A few months ago, we walked out of the mall and he gave his Coke to a kid begging on the street. He told me that used to be him and people would come along and help him and now he wants to help others. I am SO proud of Luis and love his heart of gratitude. He tells me daily how much he appreciates all I do for him and the opportunities that he has been given through our ministry. I am so thankful for Tony taking notice of Luis five years ago and never giving up on him! He is becoming an incredible young man, learning, growing, and changing daily. Thank you, Lord, for allowing me to be a part of his life!!

a simple reminder.

Genesis has been really sick off and on for the past few weeks. Monday, I decided to take her to the hospital to get checked out. The doctor said her lungs sounded really bad so she prescribed three different medicines for her and ordered for her to have three breathing treatments with a nebulizer every day for three days. The first day, the nurse got the machine ready and handed me the mask to hold on Genesis' face. She was miserable and began crying and flailing her arms, trying to push the mask away. I felt so bad that I had to put her through that. I wished I could take her place. Then God reminded me and I was almost in tears thinking about about how God sent His son to take our place. Such a simple reminder.

a woman of great faith.

I came back to Honduras for Luis, but the more time I spend with his sweet grandma and sister, the more I realize I am here to be a part of and learn from this family. I take Luis to visit his abuela (grandma) at least once a week, and I love to sit and listen to stories of her childhood, family, struggles, and raising nearly all of her grandchildren. I love hearing her heart for the Lord and seeing how she puts her faith into action. She truly has the heart of a servant and always gives sacrificially because she has great faith that God will provide.

[abuela & Luis]

Last week after our visit, Luis was very upset. He told me his dad only comes to the house about twice a week and sometimes leaves money for food, but sometimes only provides them with food when he's there to eat it. Luis has been the "man of the house" for most of his life and has always felt like it is his responsibility to provide for his grandma and sister. In the moment, he was so upset that he said he wanted to quit school so he would be able to work to provide for his family. He knows his education is important, but he cares so much about his family and feels like he's letting them down. 

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God has placed a great love in my heart for this family! They have blessed me so much through their kindness, compassion, and steadfast faith. I have learned so much from them already, and this is only the beginning. Sometimes, they do not have any food in the house and do not know where their next meal will come from, but abuela still serves me whatever bit of food, coffee, and sweet bread that they have. She always serves me the first plate with the most food, even if it means that she doesn't eat. Please join me in prayer for this family, that God would continue to pour out His blessings upon them and provide for their every need.

we NEED a van!!

We have been very busy the past 2 months hosting World Race squads of 40+ people! Making sure we always have food, drinking water, water to bathe & wash clothes and dishes, Cokes and candy bars in the pulperia, gas for the stove, along with the additional individual needs of the squad has kept us all incredibly busy!! I enjoy driving here so I have been doing most of the everyday errands and running around with different people. This takes a lot of gas and Tony's car is on it's last leg...

We have been paying to use a 15-passenger van every time we want to take groups into Los Pinos or other places for ministry. We are praying (and asking our family, friends and supporters to pray) for funds to buy our own van. We currently have 8-10 teenage boys living with us on a consistent basis. Right now, it is impossible for the whole "family" to go anywhere together. We would love to start taking family trips every Saturday to be able to get away from the property and enjoy each other's company. Please join us in praying for a reliable, affordable 15-passenger van to purchase for our family/ministry!!

my new baby!

Ok, so I know a lot of you are dying to know the story behind this sweet baby girl! Her name is Genesis, which means "new beginning." Before I moved back to Honduras, many people asked me if I want to get married and have my own kids someday. I told them I would rather just keep taking in kids as teenagers--I'm not really into babies. But God continues to teach me that His plan is always greater than MY plan.

[Genesis]

I never really thought much about it the first day I met her. I just held her until she fell asleep in my arms and I began praying over her. At that point, I just thought she was a cute baby. I didn't know her story...I didn't know that her mom was only 16 years old...I didn't know that she had been abandoned and left with her mom's aunt to take care of her...I didn't know that nobody even knows who her dad is...I didn't know that she has never known the love of a mother. And I definitely wasn't ready to be that for her.

[with my sweet baby girl]

A few weeks later, I was running errands with some of the girls in Los Pinos and decided to take Genesis with me for the day to give the aunt a break. As we rode the bus all over town getting school pictures taken, eating lunch, and buying groceries, I began praying for her. She was sitting on my lap on the bus just tapping the window and minding her own business and the moment I began praying for her, she leaned in to hug me. That happened three different times throughout the day. I don't think it was a coincidence.

[Luis giving her a bottle before bed]

Two weeks ago, she came out to the property on a Saturday night with my teenage girls. We were all in the kitchen cooking and Genesis was walking around playing with the cat not bothering anyone, just minding her own business. I began praying for her again and asking God for more confirmation. I told God that if I am supposed to take her in, she would come over and hug my legs. She hadn't done that to anyone before--she wasn't even paying any attention to any of us. Four times in the next ten minutes she came over and buried her face between my knees and hugged my legs. At that point I knew, and I knew it was from the Lord.

[Genesis & Luis]
Honestly, I was terrified. I had no idea what to do or who to talk to about it. I wasn't ready for a baby. And besides, I already have a 14-year-old. He was one of the main reasons I moved back here. So that night, I decided to talk to Luis about it. I told him what had happened in the kitchen and all he could say was "WOW." He was completely supportive because he knew it was from God. He is so compassionate and GREAT with kids. He LOVES others so much. 

So here we are...our new little family!! :-)

Please pray for God's favor during this process. I need to make sure I do everything in the proper order so that I don't risk having her taken away from me. Pray for strength and wisdom in raising these kids as I am now a single mother of two! Please pray that the Lord will send me a husband (soon!) that is ready to help provide and care for our little family!!

I'm learning...

Learning how to live with brothers.

[Carlos, Herman, & Fernando]

I grew up with two sisters and, well, girls just deal with things differently than boys do. Not to mention the cultural differences here. I have lived so much of my life to please others and keep the peace. However, I'm learning that it's often better to confront tough situations even if it is difficult at the time. In the end, the relationships are strengthened and a deeper level of love and trust are built.

[Rony & Ariel]

 Learning how to lead others into a deeper relationship with Christ. 

[Thursday morning Bible study]

The last month on the World Race in India, God asked me to start a Bible study with the girls in the community as a part of the church plant we were doing. I was scared and had no idea what I was doing, but I knew it was God's plan, and that He would be with me! I have attended many Bible studies in the past, but have never been a leader before. God sure knew what He was doing--calling me to grow in the area of leadership as part of His plan for me in Honduras was to come back and start Bible studies with the girls here.

[Saturday night Bible study]

 Learning how to be a mom through the good...and the hard times.

[with my boy]

Being a mom is awesome and rewarding, but it is also difficult and trying at times. God has given me a love for Luis like I have never loved anyone else. The more of his story I hear and see and experience, the deeper and more love I feel for him. He is only 14 years old and he has already experienced so much pain and hurt from the ones who should love him most. The hardest part for me is finding a balance because I want to give him the whole world, but I also want to teach him responsibility and respect.

[bike problems]

Learning how to cook many new things...and sometimes failing.

[failed attempt at cutting tomatoes]

Tony and Nidia have been so patient with me in the kitchen. I used to be the pickiest eater and only knew how to cook the few things that I liked to eat. (Think 5-year old diet--mac n cheese, PB&J, spaghetti, etc.) Last year on the World Race, I'm convinced that God began radically changing my taste buds. Now, I eat just about anything that is put in front of me! Tony and Nidia are teaching me how to cook--which is quite the task--but I'm learning!!

[the right way to slice tomatoes]

 Learning to love others even when it is difficult.

[Luis with his mom and cousin]

This past week, I have started spending more time with Nicole at her house. For those of you who don't know, Nicole's mom is also Luis & Fanny's mom. She lives right down the hill from them but never makes the effort to see them because she does not claim them as her children. Luis went there with me the other day there and he said something to his mom jokingly and she smacked him across the face. I know she was somewhat joking but it hurt me so much to see that, because I have seen it in the past when she wasn't joking. It is DIFFICULT for me to love this woman. But God is teaching me how to extend love and grace to people who don't deserve it, because I definitely don't deserve it.

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Please pray that God will continue to open up my heart to the things He is trying to teach me. That I will be obedient to listen to His voice. That I will continue to learn more about His heart  for me and for the people we are ministering to.