In the blink of an eye we are in the 11 th month of the year…how is that possible?! We have been very busy these past few weeks as we are getting things ready for Zona Cero, plus the rest of the ministries, and of course our family. Daniel, David, and Addy are out of school for the year and having them home really changes our dynamic. Andrea and I work very hard so that our kids know the ministry is very important to us, while reminding them they are our priority, and that for both Andrea and myself, God is number one. It can sure get tricky somedays but it’s such a privilege that God and Impacto allow our kids to be part of His ministry.
This year Impacto has fed and ministered to over 300 children in our Happy Tummies Ministry and we’ve seen 52 salvations this year! We currently have 26 Abuelitos although this year has been hard as some that have passed away and a couple are bedridden and can no longer join us daily. We’ve seen an average of 20 women yearly in Stitches of Blessings and this year we had our 7 th graduating class! Healing Hands has seen and given medicine to over 2,000 people and 102 of them came to Christ! We are excited to see the Bible Institute that began back in January and knowing that 60 students will receive a diploma in another year brings us great joy. In the last 11 months we have seen 4 new churches come to be and our hearts overflow knowing congregations are growing and sharing the gospel with so many!
The second week of November we will be traveling together to Zacapa for VBS. We are so excited to bring our kids along this year. We ask that you join us in prayer for God to use all of us to show His love to the kids and that Daniel, David, and Addy will see God in new ways while there.
As November marches forward we are reminded of the trial our family faced this past year. One of the hardest situations we have faced started one year ago on November 12, 2018. This is something I never imagined our family would have to cross through. One of the hardest things was sharing parts of it with our kids. We took their ages into consideration and only shared what we really felt they needed to hear. We weren’t sure what miracle(s) we would see and there was no time line, but we had faith, and we knew that no matter how hard, or how long it took we wanted them to see Him work. We rejoiced in seeing this whole matter come to an end. While we can’t share much through email, if you happen to come minister in Guatemala, please ask because we love to share how we saw God move in the last year. Some things we didn’t see right away but are seeing now that we’ve crossed the bridge. We remind each other to be mindful that because of Him we are together and because of Him I am free.
We are so grateful to each of you. You prayed for us and with us. You wrote and checked up on us. Most of all, I cannot tell you how humbled I am that you trusted and always believed in my innocence. Andrea and I have spent many nights and days on our knees thanking God for each of you and thanking Him for the love and trust you have shown our family. We praise God for your lives and for giving us such amazing friends.
Speaking of friends, a couple of months ago some friends started a GoFundMe page to help pay the debt and pending legal fees we still have from our ordeal. Knowing we still owe money has put a financial strain on us, however, our trust is in the Lord, and we have seen Him provide in so many ways. After we come home from Zacapa we will be closing down the GoFundMe page as we feel 2 months is enough time to have it up. However, we didn’t make this page too public as it’s always hard to ask. However as we will only have it up for about another week and a half we wanted to share with you. If God has laid it in your heart to help us with paying off the last of my legal fees, please do so through our page. Below you will find a link, which is also on the Friends of Impacto page on Facebook.
We pray and hope that you know how special you are to us, and what a big part you are of Impacto. Your prayers and financial gifts mean so much to our family. We love you and thank you for ministering alongside us.
Much love,
Tony, Andrea, Daniel, David, & Addy Mendez
