Prayer Letters
Here are our prayer letters that we write every three months. If you are not on our email list and would like to receive these letters, please sign up today. Enjoy reading!
December 1, 2005
Let me just say that we’re excited!! In about 8 days, Thomas and I will be flying to Menlo Park, CA. For Thomas it will be his first time in a plane and his first time in the States. For me it will be my first time in two years being back to my home church and to the home where I grew up. There is just something about home – it is a part of who you are and who you are continually becoming. But home is not specifically about a place, but rather all the memories that are made in a certain place. For me home in December means sitting by the wood stove, laughing with my brother, playing games with my family, watching football, enjoying good food, staying up late with my sister, standing out in the cold waiting to get seats for the Christmas Eve service and so much more. I will always treasure the wonderful memories that I have of home in California. But now that I have spent 3½ years living in Nicaragua, home is beginning to change.
Home for Thomas and me is becoming a mixture of two cultures and two economic backgrounds ~ the beauty and the struggle of it. Home is living in our own house when most young couples from Thomas’ neighborhood live with their parents because they cannot afford to live on their own. Home is me becoming frustrated with some of the difficulties of life here, and Thomas just saying “oh, take it easy, it’s not that big of a deal.” Home is spending Sunday afternoons at Thomas’ mom’s house for a wonderful Nicaraguan lunch and then off to play ultimate Frisbee with a group of missionaries and friends. Home is Thomas cooking gallopinto (a rice and beans dish) one night and me making homemade pizza the next. Home is learning to share from the different perspectives that we have grown up in. And for this first year of marriage, I can promise you that it’s been challenging, frustrating, and fun, but well worth it!!
And now as we close one year, we begin looking ahead to the next. This next year promises to bring plenty of work and lots growth both for the sports center and for the scholarship program. At El Salero, the sports center, we are finishing up the media center and the equipment room, and the next project will be furnishing them. In the media center, we would like to have 6-10 computers and a library with a tutoring area. We have a collection of Spanish kids’ books but will always be looking for new ones. For 2006 we already have six teams lined up to help out with new projects and ministries. Our projects for next year include getting power for the sports center, building two classrooms, a second basketball court, a small general store, and possibly a pool.
As for the scholarship program, I have received enough funds to continue sponsoring many of the same kids that received scholarships this last year. However, I also am working on raising money to continue sponsoring 19 university students. So far seven of the students are fully sponsored which leaves me with about $3300 to raise to fund the remaining students. I am also hoping to be able to give out 400 backpacks in February, the beginning of the school year. Most of these will be going to children who live out in rural areas. We are excited to see what God has in store for this next year.
May you enjoy a wonderful Christmas seasonSeeking Him for life,
Amanda y Thomas Gutierrez
"dale una luz a los que aman tanto vivir en Nicaragua."
~ Guardabarranco (Nicaraguan duo)