We want to thank the Lord for His love and mercy to us. We always want to have a grateful heart, and we are thanking the Lord once again for our ministry here in Tennessee. It is great to see how the Lord is expanding us; our church has grown so much in the last six months. We have been using the Foundations of My Faith discipleship lessons, and they have been such a blessing to us and to our people. We are also praying for a building of our own.
Please continue to pray for my siblings, as the Lord is using them in a special way. We are very happy that my brother Samuel has decided to return to Bible college. He decided to attend Providence Baptist College in Illinois. My sister Talitha has been such a great blessing to our church. She is our secretary, runs the children’s Sunday school classes, helps organize our activities, and much more. The Lord has been using her in a special way. My sister Becky is also involved in our ministry and in the Christian school.
We have been through some ups and downs, but the Lord has always taken care of us. We are trying to please Him in every way we can, and we are also trying to follow in our parents’ footsteps. We were able to visit their gravesite at the end of August, and it was a special moment for us. Please continue to pray for my family and my siblings, as we are also still going through the process of grief. We do ask for your prayers.
The months of August, September, and October have been quite busy. We have been working on a major project of sending some boxes to the home. The Lord has provided for this need, and we cannot thank Him enough. Our ministry here in Tennessee was able to be part of it as well. We thank all of the many friends, with giving hearts, who gave money to the children’s home for clothing and shoes. My family and I were also able to send several boxes of items to the Annabel Home in Mexico. Even my twin boys, Matthew and Levi, were happy to donate some of their personal items too. It really brings us so much joy. It was a special joy to a Venezuelan couple, who are new converts in Christ. They helped us pack and take the 70-pound boxes to where they were shipped.
The Lord has given me a dear friend, Hannah Hernandez, who has a beautiful ministry called Lydia’s Closet. It is a ministry that helps other ministries, missionaries, or anyone who needs clothing or shoes. She and her husband donated a large amount of clothing for the home. We are very grateful they were able to participate and be a part of this. It has been such a joy to us to see people getting on fire for the Lord’s ministry and having a small part in giving to the orphans in Mexico. The Lord says in James 2:15-16, “If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?” The Lord is good, and His mercy endureth forever. My parents in Heaven would be so proud of how well the home is doing.
Words from Annabel Home
Some of our big kids were able to attend Summer Camp this year, which was organized by the church we attend in Mexico; our pastor is Pastor Ramon Jimenez. All of the boys and Mr. Manuel, the house parent, are able to attend men’s prayer
meetings, which has been such a blessing to us. The Annabel Home was able to take some guests to church, and they are now growing in the Lord. They have been seeing the blessings of the Lord in their lives.
We were very pleased to receive Miss Lourdes from Hammond, Indiana. When she arrived, we did not know who she was, and she did not know who we were either, until she saw the photos of the Murillo family that were on the wall at the children’s home. She was in total shock. It was a great privilege to have her here in the home for a visit.
The Lord has sent Mr. Jeronimo and his church group. They are such a blessing to the children’s home. They put in all of the bathroom sinks, shower heads, toilets, and many other items for the new home, the Memorial Garlick Home. It is such a blessing for people to see this need and be a part of it. The Memorial Garlick Home is still coming along. Please pray, as we are trying to pass all of the inspection process and take care of some other details of this home.
We also want to share this special news. Our children had to attend a private school this year. The children’s home was left without teachers this school year due to the economy. We are asking if you would like to be of help with school supplies and tuition; it would be a great help. The children are very excited to attend a school this year. This private school has given us an opportunity to share the Gospel with the teachers. They are also very aware that we are Christians, and they do not interfere with this. They have given us a textbook for us to teach our kids about genders in our own way. This school respects us very much, and we are very grateful for this. Please pray that the director and teachers will come to know Christ as their Saviour. If you are willing to be a donor to help cover these expenses, please let us know. We would be very grateful.
During the summer, we taught the kids how to plant corn; and, hopefully, we will have a good crop this year. We would like to say thank you to First Baptist Church of Hammond and Pastor Wilkerson for supporting us and allowing us to keep this ministry going. We send you all cordial greetings.
Blessings,
Juan & Betty Gomez (House Parents)
The Sorto-Murillo Family
