Updates on Merida from Robert Aguayo & Family

To all our friends, family, and supporters,

2007 was a year of overwhelming blessings as we were able to impact the lives of children, families, and the elderly here in Merida through the Centro Educativo Calvary and the ministries and missions of Calvary Chapel Merida. We also saw how the Lord provided for the spiritual and physical needs of the school and ministries here in Merida through your prayer and support. We wanted to start off the year reviewing what the Lord did in 2007 and sharing with you all our mission goals for 2008.

The main project in 2007 was the establishment of the school both legally as we were incorporated into the Mexican school system and physically as we built the school building we needed to continue this project. We also continued to work with the missions of Hocaba and the Casa de Abuelos.

In this last year we received $79,465 in donations for the school and ministry from supporters in both small and large gifts. This amount was specifically for the school and missions and not for our personal support. Of that amount $65,555 went towards the school construction, setup, and permits, $4,500 went towards scholarships for students at the school, and $9,410 went towards support for the needs of the different missions.

As we look to 2008 we have taken the time to set specific goals as we seek how the Lord is leading us this year. We want to share these goals so that you can pray for them and if the Lord leads you support them this year. Of all our newsletters this might be the one with more text than pictures as we set the stage for the direction the Lord is taking us this year, but as the year moves you will be able to see these goals bear fruit.

[Aguayo Family Update]
As a family we had a blessed time over Christmas Break and at the end took some time off as we had to drive down to Belize to renew the permit on our car and did a little exploring on our way back to Merida. As we look at 2008 we are planning on doing a little more exploring of the areas around the Yucatan Peninsula as a family seeking to balance the importance of family in the midst of ministry. Spiritually, our goal is for us to grow closer to God and each other as a family as we focus on our relationships and being examples in serving each other.

As I look at the year ahead I wanted to let you know the situation of our family support. In the time since we have been here our support has decreased more than a third of our ministry budget amount with which we originally came down to Mexico. It has been a walk by faith to see how as some of our early supporters dropped out, he provided for our immediate needs through several one-time gifts to us from different sources. We have had to cut back in some areas in our original budget that include savings for future needs such as ministry travel, furlough, college, and emergencies. I usually don't focus on this area of our personal support but as we are starting off the year and reporting on 2007 I wanted to update you on the matter.

My heart is to let you know so that if the Lord puts it on your heart to be one of our monthly supporters or through one time gifts you can invest in the ministry the Lord has called us to in Mexico. Also for those who have not supported missionaries before it is good to know that it is definitely a group effort and most of our faithful supporters give between $10 to $50 a month, and together with those who are able to give more, the Lord meets our needs. It is also a blessing to you and to us as together we minister here in Mexico.

[Centro Educativo Calvary Update]
In Mexico, February is reenrollment time and we are busy gearing up for the next school year. Our goal for this year is to have a complete preschool and elementary as we add 5th and 6th grade. We currently have 58 students enrolled and are praying for 100+ students next year.

In order to do this we need to finish the school construction and classroom setup. We currently need $10,000 dollars to finish paying for the construction and finish the last details of the upstairs bathrooms, stairwell railings, and the school entrance. We will also need another $15,000 to set up the classrooms with desks and boards, set up the computer lab, and get furniture and some Spanish books for the library. We have been slowly working on what we can but need to get more done quickly as we start getting prospective parents and families visit the school.
Pray that the Lord would continue to provide as He has in the last year and that most importantly the school would be a place where now more students would grow spiritually as they become disciples through a Biblical school environment that prepares students to glorify God, spiritually, academically, and socially.

Pray for us as we are looking for teachers that will be founded in God's Word. We need a local teacher for the Spanish portion of the day and one or more English teachers for the English part of the day. So if any teachers out there want to come on a mission to Merida for a year or more, pray, and let me know.

We are also praying for funds to buy the property next door that would join together the school and the church. It is currently a mechanic shop/junkyard and they are looking to sell the property. We would need $120,000 to buy it and are looking at options and praying a lot more. Two big concerns are that if someone else buys it we lose the future connection of the school and church property. The other is that as we are growing we need more space for students to play and parking and this is the only way we can expand to meet those needs. Please pray!

Finally, we are in need of more scholarship for some of our students and prospective students. Our school is definitely not for profit and we keep the tuition low so that we can help families that have a desire to be a part of a Christian school. Unfortunately there are a lot of students that cannot afford to come even at a low tuition. We try to offer as many scholarships as we can but have had to cut back as expenses for the school have grown. Tuition for preschool is $800 a year and elementary is $950. If you want to help in this area and sponsor a student please contact me and let me know.

[Merida Missions Update]
In Merida we are currently working in three different areas or missions. These are areas which I have oversight and we have teams from our church, Calvary Chapel Merida, that go on a weekly basis to minister.

The first is the "Casa de Abuelos" a Christian convalescent home that works with the elderly that no one else wants. Some have been abandoned by families, others were living on the streets, and others were brought from local hospitals. We also have a Calvary Chapel mission that meets there for services on Sundays and weeknights. Our goal this year is to continue to support them spiritually, emotionally, and physically. Most of the time the needs vary from food and clothing to helping build an extra room to help with the overcrowding. We also have teams that visit on a weekly basis to minister to them, serve them, talk to them, and give them medical checkups (Damaris). Future goals are to build a better home for them as they are currently renting and the local government is in the process of giving them a piece of land.

The second mission is Hocaba, a Mayan village about an hour away from Merida. We have a church established there of over 50 people (with children) with a local pastor to oversee it and also have a team that goes to assist and minister each week. Our goal this year for Hocaba is a big one since we see this as a key are where we can establish a missions base to reach out to other areas in the Yucatan Peninsula. Our goal is to first build a water treatment plant that would benefit the community and connect us to them, and then build a sanctuary with classrooms that would provide a place for not only spiritual training but also academic and trades. Our goal is to be a resource for the community to help meet both their spiritual and physical needs. Future goals are to build cabins that could house teams visiting from Merida or missions in the US so they can reach out farther into the Yucatan Peninsula.This mission would then be a jumping off point for our third mission area, Tabi, and other new sites.

Tabi is our farthest mission and is about 2 hours away from Merida. It is a very poor area and we had established a bakery along with the church. We had a local pastor assisting us, but he left and is no longer at Tabi. We have had to shut down the bakery, but still have services and visit. Our goal is to build up Hocaba and have the pastor and others in that congregation then help provide the needed connection with Tabi. To that purpose we are teaching the pastor to drive and are looking to get him a car so that he can go to Tabi along with a baker and continue the work during the week.

You can read a little more about these mission in the online version on the Calvary Chapel magazine from the link below.
Calvary Chapel Magazine website


As I finish writing this newsletter, I realize that there is a lot more that can be said and many more details that can be added. My hope is that I have been able to give you a picture of some of the directions in which the Lord is leading and you will then be able to see which one, if any the Lord is calling you to join us. My prayer is that He would speak to you as He has spoken to us and that you will see Merida and the Yucatan Peninsula as an area in which you can invest time for prayer and support. May the Lord bless you and your family this year. I look forward to see what plan the Lord has for us in the future. Let me know if you need further information or details. I am at your service.
In His service and yours,
Robert, Damaris, Anne, Caleb, and Daniel Aguayo