Volume 8 Issue 4 December 2012www.slchmexico.com

He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carrythem in his bosom, Isaiah 40:11

Greetings to all. I am Ariana Ogburn. I am thankful theLord has led me to serve at Shining Light for a time. Froma very young age I have always had a dream to work withneedy children.I am taking care of 3 sisters, Evelyn 9, Jaqueline 6, andAlana 3. They seem very happy here. I also take care ofReyna 5. I was good friends with her mom (Ana), so whenshe left they put me in charge of her.Some days are very trying but it has its rewards and it’sa growing experience for me. I have come to realize howwonderful it is to have two parents that love me very muchand to have a home the way the Lord designed for it to be.We should be very grateful and never take it for granted!

Ariana Ogburn

Hi to all you readers,My name is Regina Eichorn, and my home isin Paraguay, South America. I arrived atShining Light on September the 4th andhave plans to serve here for 5 months.The 1st week that I was here I took care of2 baby boys, each a little over a month old.I had a room of 6 girls for a day or so, then2 of the girls left the home and one of thebabies went to Amy Martin’s room. So nowI have Micaela 12 yrs, Lesly 9, Sara 6, Ericka2, Sandra 9, and Carlos, who is a little over2 months old.Please remember me in your prayers, thatI would be a useful vessel for the Masterwhile here, and that this experience wouldshape me and mold me in the image of Christwho died for me.

Because of Him, Gina Eichorn

Dear Friends,When our family arrived at Shining Light Children's Home at Christmas timenearly 2 years ago, we were strangers to everyone there and wondered if this wasreally the place for us. It was cold, rainy, and windy. Our house, which had beenunoccupied by humans for some time, had a lot of resident rats, no electric, and nohot water.Fast forward one year and nine months to September 7, 2012. Our truck and trailerwere loaded and we ate one last breakfast at Casa Hogar. The food stuck in ourthroats as we tried to appear brave before all our friends… these children, moms,house parents, and Greivin and Delores.No longer strangers, we were very much a part of each others lives. It is difficultto say just how we felt. We felt it was time to return to Mississippi and were excitedto be going "home". Yet, where was home? We had settled in, got rid of the rats,had a cozy home, and were really blessed to share in the work of Shining Light.And the children… How we love the children. Some of them wanted us to adopt

them; some called us grandpa and grandma, aunt, and mom. We treasure those memories and trust God to further bless our feebleattempts to share His love.All of us have grown a little from having had this experience. God used it to show us areas of our lives that needed stretching andcorrecting. As we endeavored to bless the children of Casa Hogar, we were blessed too. We are so thankful for our heritage thatgives us many things we do not deserve. Why do we, who were born in America, have so much? Our children learned many valuablelessons in sharing, caring, mothering, and in general, having compassion for those less fortunate. The girls had experience in cookingfor crowds. We have so many more acquaintances and friends now and enjoy hearing from them. We praise and bless God for Hismercy on our lives, in allowing us this opportunity, and for His continual protection and guidance. Continued on page 3

Beth Good from Ohio began her term ofservice Nov. 12th.

Daria Witmer fromIndiana came Nov. 8th,

to begin a year of service.

On Nov. 27th, a 13 yearold girl named KarenFarfan Verdugo and her3 month old son, WilliamOsvaldo came to live atSLCH. She had beenliving with a young manfor almost a year.

1 2 y r . o l d A n a h i G u i z a rRodriguez and her baby girl hadbeen staying at SLCH for the lastseveral months.After meeting the requirements,her grandmother got permissionto take her and the baby home tolive with her.She left Nov. 23rd, and lastSunday was here for church. Maythe seeds sown in her heart takeroot and bear fruit.

Early one Sunday morning, Greivin received a phone call from the local police department. Theyhad been called out during the night by a lady who had returned from a party around midnight anddiscovered her neighbor’s two-year-old son wandering around the yard crying. She went over to himand tried to figure out what was going on. After checking the house and finding it abandoned, shecalled the police. They took the child into custody, but with the social services being closed for Sunday,they had no place to go with him so they called us. Now we have a very sweet little boy with hugeeyes named Rodrigo, zooming around here. He races from one "no-no" to the next. If you ask himabout what happened when he is punished, he will reply (very innocently),"Well I was running awayfrom the big lady and she caught me and"....well, you all know the rest of the story.

Precious little babies that were recently added to the SLCH family.The baby girl’s mother is on drugs. How sad!

Will you give me your loving touch?

But Jesus called them unto him, and said,Suffer little children to come unto me, andforbid them not: for of such is the kingdomof God. Luke 18:16

We recently spent two weeks at Shining Light, filling in forWalter’s and Greivin’s while they took a much needed furloughto visit family and friends in Costa Rica. They left here travelingwith the Toyota van. They also made a stop in Honduras wherethe van was originally purchased to get some needed legaldocuments pertaining to the van.We were again challenged as we ministered to the children andstaff there. Seeing these children that have come from brokenhomes, abusive situations, or neglect, and then, witnessing thechange in them as they are cared for by a group of godly workersthat have a desire to make a difference in their lives is a tremendousblessing and makes the work worthwhile. Instilling truths fromGod’s Word into their lives on a daily basis by memorizing Bibleverses and learning new songs are all part of the ongoing program.Change in staff is a continual process. We are waiting on God’sdirection for house parents to replace Walter and Sandra. Please

pray with us that thisurgent need wouldsoon be filled. Also,join us in praying forthe previous staff asthey adjust to life athome again, for newstaff coming, and forthe children as theyadjust to new caregivers.Witnessing to the locals is also an important part of the ministry.During our recent time in Mexico, we spent some time in the homeof the neighboring Mexican family who became converted, werebaptized recently, and are now members of the church. It’s soencouraging to see how God can take a man that was a part of agang, and change him into a peace-loving man! It is a blessing tosee their hunger for God’s Word and continued steady spiritualgrowth. Please continue to pray for Arturo and his family that theywould remain faithful to God.

Some special memories of Shining Light stand out to us: Myronthoroughly enjoyed the garden work. At first everything aroundseemed so rough and rugged, but with time he learned toappreciate the beauty of it, especially the surrounding mountainswhich he could view as he worked in the garden.Other events that were special were the times

we packed our truck full of children to go to thezoo or a picnic. The conversion and marriage ofArturo and Rosario (and to hear of their baptismnow), Loyda's baptism, and watching the progressof Britney's little Eizar.For myself, I remember with fondness the manytimes the girls and I spent together, knotting

comforters in the dining room, and then having snacks afterward.We wish to thank all of our coworkers for the ways youcontributed to our lives and made this an enjoyable experience.Thank you also to the board for your support, and to all those

who lifted us up in prayer during this time.From God's Word we leave these verses as anencouragement to everyone. "I will lift up mineeyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.My help cometh from the Lord, which madeheaven and earth." Psalms 121:1,2God bless you all at Shining Light.

Mary for the Bontrager's

Continued from page 2

Brent Lehman from Coloradonow serving in maintenance

and as general assistant.

Eizar after his surgery.

Ben and Lydia Rohrermoved here from

Colorado to join thesmall church group here.They renovated a houseon the neighboring ranchand are now living there.

November 1st, former staff member Milena Paniagua andher friend, Raquel Apuy, from Costa Rica came for a fewweeks to visit and also helped out wherever needed.

November 6th, we said good-bye to Amy Martin from Pa, afterapproximately 11 months of service here. May God bless herlabors and be with her as she goes on from here. Thanks a lot, Amy!

The 9th. found Jason and Lois Weaver and family arriving for a 2week stay to fill in as house parents. Their help and presence wasmuch appreciated!

October 20th, the SLCH Board came for the weekend. Lorne and SharonHershberger and two of their children stayed for 2 weeks to to fill in asHouse Parents as Walter’s and Greivin’s left for a visit to Costa Rica.(Lorneis a Board member).

The 17th, of August found us saying goodbye to Darlene Wagler fromIowa, after having served as mom for 2 years. She returned onDecember 17th, to fill in for Heidi for two weeks. Thanks Darlene foryour faithful service. God bless you as you continue on in serving Him.

The 12th, Mary Esh left for her home in Montana, after havingserved for a year, most of that time being spent as cook. The lastfew weeks, she had filled in as mom in one of the rooms. Thanksa lot Mary. God bless you as you continue on in His service.

Editorial

The 20th, we welcomed four girls from Indianawho came to help out, mainly in the kitchen, oneof them being a former worker, Gina Hershberger.

Income & Expense - Aug. - Dec. 2012

www.slchmexico.com

Shining Light Children’s HomePO Box 164Grandview Texas 76050

Leland Ulrich - ChairmanGreivin Villalobos - Assistant ChairmanCorey Yoder - TreasurerLorne Hershberger - SecrataryHerb Miller - Public Relations CoordinatorPhone # 817-231-0475

Web Site NewsCheck us out on the web. We postfrequent updates that may not be

included in the Newsletter.

Prayer Requests:Pray for the well and water needs.Pray - for Walter & Sandra Valles in their responsibilities as House Parents.Pray - that God would supply a couple to take Walter and Sandra’s place asHouse Parents.Pray for the staff workers as they fulfill their various roles.Continue to pray for God’s protecting hand over the staff and children.

For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in myname, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he

shall not lose his reward. Mark 9:41

Previous Fund BalancesGeneral Fund $32,722.86Child Sponsorship $12,352.00Home Building Project $2,491.10School Building Project $630.13Beginning Balance $48,196.09

Income / ContributionsGeneral Fund $40,911.64Child sponsorships $10,375.00Interest $2.48Total General Income $51,289.12

Other IncomeLoan Repayment Income $20,000.00Land, Building Project $7,150.00Total Other Income $27,150.00

Total Income $78,439.12

General ExpensesCredit Card Proc. Fees $472.10Bank Fees Other $281.00Total Bank Fees $753.10

Transfer to SLCH in Mx. $66,000.00Total Operating Expense $66,753.10

Net General Income -$15,463.98

Other ExpenseW & S Elect Project Ln. Pmt. $24,000.00Home Building Project $5,000.00Total Other Expense $29,000.00

Net Other Income -$1,850.00

Total Net Income -$17,313.98

Fund BalancesGeneral Fund $26,083.88Child Sponsorship $3,527.00Home Building Project $641.10School Building Project $630.13Ending Balance $30,882.11

LoansLoan 1# Previous Balance $86,501.00Loan Payment $0.00Loan 1# Balance $86,501.00Wind & Solar Elect. Proj. Ln.* $47,600.00Loan Payment $24,000.00W & S Elect Project Ln. Bal. $23,600.00Total Loan Balance $110,101.00

WaterDid you ever stop and think how much you depend on water? It’s like most things. Wedo not realize how much we depend on it until we don't have it. At SLCH we have battledwith getting sufficient water since the start.We drilled the first 125 foot well in 2005. It did well for the first year and then startedslowing down. By the start of our third year, we no longer had enough water and neededto haul water from our neighbors about 3 miles away, who had a deep well. This cost toomuch as we needed to pay by the gallon.Over the next few years we have dug 3 hand dug shallow wells only to have their flowdiminish to an inadequate level. It seems we may have depleted the water reservoir on thatlevel and our only hope at this point is to drill a deepwell. Most drillers say there is a good aquifer at 600to 900 feet that would give us a stable supply of water.With 40 children plus staff and a 2 acre garden,access to water has become a survival issue. Pleasejoin us in prayer about this need. It is going to costaround 80,000 dollars to drill the new well. The wellsin the area that have been drilled to this depth haveall yielded good volume of clean water.

$51,289.12TotalOrdinaryIncome

$66,753.10 TotalOrdinaryExpense

Expense & IncomeGraph

*Interest free loan.

SLCH is registered with the IRSas a 501c3 organization.

Please make contributionspayable to:

Shining Light Children’s HomePO Box 164

Grandview, Texas 76050

You may order your free copy of theShining Light Children’s HomePhoto Story DVD now by sendingan email to:shininglightchildrenshome@gmail.com