Hello everyone!

Greetings in the Name of our LORD, Jesus Christ!  We hope this letter finds you well, it feels like so much has happened since we wrote our last newsletter, so it is exciting to be able to sit down and relate to you all that the LORD is doing in our family and also our ministry!

 

First of all, we want to share how God opened the door for myself (Mandy) to get a job, doing something that I love and have longed to do for many years, and that is being a 911 dispatcher for Public Safety Communications with Lethbridge Police.  I ended up applying for a position in May of this year and after going through a very lengthy process of exams, interviews, a polygraph and psych tests etc. I was hired, along with 8 other people for a casual position with the PSCC.  I began my training in October and will have 5 months of training in total, before beginning my casual position.  The job is challenging and being away from my family has been one of the hardest things that I have had to deal with, but knowing that Jorge is with the boys makes it so much easier, it is an adjustment for all of us.  I ask you to please keep us in your prayers as this is a big change but an exciting one for us all.

 

Another praise item that we are SO excited to share with you is that the LORD has provided our family with a NEW HOME!  As we mentioned in our last newsletter, we were praying that God would open the doors for us to purchase a house, and a little over a month ago we stumbled upon a little house for sale in the town of Nobleford, which is located about 10-15 minute drive from the church that we serve at in Picture Butte.   The house has everything that we need as a family, it is only four years old and was priced at such an amazing price, making it very possible for us to put an offer on it.  Well, this week we take possession of the house and we are still amazed at God’s goodness and faithfulness with our family!  Thank you for remembering us in your prayers!  Our God is a God who provides for His children, and our family is living proof of that!

 

About two months have gone by now since we began our Spanish/English services in the church.  Which has been a great challenge for us in our ministry.  So far it has been a great blessing to be able to share the gospel with our Hispanic brothers and sisters.  Our English classes that we have during the week have helped us to be able to know the people better and also to be able to help them in the adaptation process that they face in this place.  That’s why this service allows us to provide the spiritual support that they need to face this new stage of life that they face here in Canada.

As you all know, quite a few years ago we started up the challenge of the Christmas hampers for the town of Yumbel, Chile.   This year the challenge will be to help five native communities in the south of Chile.  These communities are located in the Andes Mountains, the natives of this region are not very friendly to Christianity.  On occasions, in the past, this has brought to pass the burning of local churches and has made the lives of the native Christians very difficult.  To be able to do missions work in these communities, you must first ask for permission to the chief of the tribe.   We believe that these Christmas hampers do not just have the objective of providing a meal for each family, whom, in this case are families who are living in poverty, as they only live on what the earth gives them, but we believe that we can encourage and support the Christians that are living in these places and declare t hat God is faithful to even those who don’t know him.   Our goal is to be able to provide at least 40 Christmas hampers, which will be divided amongst these five communities.  Ever Christmas hamper has a value of $25 CAN dollars, and will include food, household cleaning supplies, and a Bible.  We always try to invest the funds given in the most efficient way.  The challenge is to have all of these funds raised by Sunday, December 6^th.  So that we can send the support raised in time for them to purchase and give out the hampers in the communities.

 

If you would like to support this cause, you can send cash or cheque to the following address with a note stating that the funds are for “Christmas Hampers”

The address is:

Cornerstone Community Church,

P.O. box 707

Picture Butte, AB

T0K 1V0

 

We ask you to continue to pray for our ministry and for our family.  Even though we have been challenged, we have seen God’s provision in different ways.  We ask you to pray for

• God’s guidance for our family and church congregation.
• For His provision in this new stage of our lives.
• For the Hispanic community in and around Picture Butte and area.
• For the bilingual service that we have started up, that God would be glorified in all we do.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter.  We just want to finish up by saying that all of the Glory and all of the Honor is to our LORD and Savior.

 

In Christ,

The Santana family