Bethesda Teaching Ministry P.O. Box 20028 El Cajon ...
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“What is your line of work?” is a common question that we get asked. Our answer, “We raise kids.” That is what we do. We accept children to our home, give them the essentials of food and shelter, educate them in our school and gift them with the truth of Jesus’ love. That would be a summary of the ministry of Rancho Santa Marta. The success stories are rewarding. Julia is exceeding in her university classes and continues to have the desire to serve the Lord with her cinematography degree. Juanita and Veronica continue to persevere as house parents and are showering their love on the girls/teens under their care. Richi has had his ups and downs, but he is back in church and searching God’s will for his life. These are a few examples of those who have kept a line of communication open to us after they left the ranch and yet there are so many others that we have lost track of, but we know God is working in their lives. Raising these children can also be very heart breaking. One of our little girls asked us if she was ever going to see her mom and dad. We responded in a loving but truthful way; since you have been here your parents have not shown any interest in visiting you. We reassured her that we were her family, but the tears came down her cheeks. The desire for these little ones to be with their own parents and relatives is so strong that it pulls at their hearts. One morning one of our teenagers without any warning took his bicycle and left the ranch. When the authorities caught up with him, they asked, “Did the people at Santa Marta mistreat you?” He said no. “So then why did you leave?” “I wanted to see my family.” We have seen many children and teenagers leave to be with their families but most of those cases do not work out. They are out on the streets, flirting with drugs and alcohol, living with people who do not have their best interest in mind and just not able to cope. We do our best to counsel and explain how the world outside the fences of Rancho Santa Marta will treat them. This was one of the major reasons we started a high school so we could hold on to them just a few more years as they mature and make better decisions for their lives. It is a difficult task raising children and young people who have been rejected and abandoned by their own families. Through prayer, discipline, being consistent and fair, and constantly reminding them that they are precious in God’s sight, it is our hope these children will come out victorious and find success in their lives. Thank you so much for your support for these children. We reassure you that we as a staff at Santa Marta are doing our best to reach out to these children. Continue to partner with us in prayer as God uses us to mold these little one’s lives. Blessings, Rod and Tina Bethesda Teaching Ministry P.O. Box 20028 El Cajon, California 92021-0900 619.258.1358 October 2021 Volume 49 #10 Valentina’s Matching Grant We have finally finished all the cochlear implant (CI) appointments for Valentina. She saw audiologists, speech pathologists, a CI surgeon, radiologists, etc. all through Rady’s Children Hospital in San Diego. She has been approved for Medi-Cal insurance which has helped us tremendously with the costs. All the specialists mentioned above at Rady’s had their group meeting to discuss Valentina’s case and they have given us the green light for the CI implant! That was awesome news. Rady’s staff will send their recommendation to Medi-Cal where they will determine if the insurance covers the CI surgery. Valentina turns six on December 25 this year and her window of opportunity for speech continues to close. Because of her age, there is a high probability that they will not want to insure her surgery, but if they do, it is most likely that Medi-Cal will only pay for one cochlear implant. Their reasoning is that since she is “older” her ability to pronounce words and speak even with the implants will be minimal; her primary communicating means would be through signing. We believe we have a mighty God who can work miracles and we believe that Valentina has the strength and determination to speak even though the odds are against her. We have had some very generous donations from our supporters for Valentina which has given us some freedom and options for her surgery. We would like for Valentina to have bilateral CI’s and the opportunity to hear in both ears to give her the best opportunity to speak. Pray for these decisions for Valentina. We understand that this is just the first step for Valentina, and it will take many months of speech therapy for her to articulate sounds, but we are willing to learn how to best help her. We are excited for her to be able to hear clearly and speak! What a blessing! Thank you for those who have given. We are still in the process of raising $10,000 for our matching grant. All these funds will be used either for her hospital costs, her therapy treatment, or her adoption process. Rod & Tina’s Corner Bible School & Retreat A needed break from the routine of the ranch is always refreshing. Rancho Agua Viva is a Bible School and retreat center for churches from Mexico, USA and Canada. The Jason Schultz family are the managers of this ministry, and they were excited to host our children/teens for two weeks; guys the first week and the gals on the second. Our kids had a blast as the pictures show below: swimming, toboggan slide, sports, hiking, paint ball, and even a zip line. Thank you Rancho Agua Viva for providing a getaway for our kids.
Transcript of Bethesda Teaching Ministry P.O. Box 20028 El Cajon ...
“What is your line of work?” is a common question that we get asked. Our answer, “We raise kids.” That is what we do. We accept children to our home, give them the essentials of food and shelter, educate them in our school and gift them with the truth of Jesus’ love. That would be a summary of the ministry of Rancho Santa Marta. The success stories are rewarding. Julia is exceeding in her university classes and continues to have the desire to serve the Lord with her cinematography degree. Juanita and Veronica continue to persevere as house parents and are showering their love on the girls/teens under their care. Richi has had his ups and downs, but he is back in church and searching God’s will for his life. These are a few examples of those who have kept a line of communication open to us after they left the ranch and yet there are so many others that we have lost track of, but we know God is working in their lives. Raising these children can also be very heart breaking. One of our little girls asked us if she was ever going to see her mom and dad. We responded in a loving but truthful way; since you have been here your parents have not shown any interest in visiting you. We reassured her that we were her family, but the tears came down her cheeks. The desire for these little ones to be with their own parents and relatives is so strong that it pulls at their hearts. One morning one of our teenagers without any warning took his bicycle and left the ranch. When the authorities caught up with him, they asked, “Did the people at Santa Marta mistreat you?” He said no. “So then why did you leave?” “I wanted to see my family.” We have seen many children and teenagers leave to be with their families but most of those cases do not work out. They are out on the streets, flirting with drugs and alcohol, living with people who do not have their best interest in mind and just not able to cope. We do our best to counsel and explain how the world outside the fences of Rancho Santa Marta will treat them. This was one of the major reasons we started a high school so we could hold on to them just a few more years as they mature and make better decisions for their lives. It is a difficult task raising children and young people who have been rejected and abandoned by their own families. Through prayer, discipline, being consistent and fair, and constantly reminding them that they are precious in God’s sight, it is our hope these children will come out victorious and find success in their lives. Thank you so much for your support for these children. We reassure you that we as a staff at Santa Marta are doing our best to reach out to these children. Continue to partner with us in prayer as God uses us to mold these little one’s lives.
Blessings,
Rod and Tina
s,
Bethesda Teaching Ministry P.O. Box 20028 El Cajon, California 92021-0900 619.258.1358 October 2021 Volume 49 #10
Valentina’s Matching Grant
We have finally finished all the cochlear implant (CI) appointments for Valentina. She saw audiologists, speech pathologists, a CI surgeon, radiologists, etc. all through Rady’s Children Hospital in San Diego. She has been approved for Medi-Cal insurance which has helped us tremendously with the
costs. All the specialists mentioned above at Rady’s had their group meeting to discuss Valentina’s case and they have given us the green light for the CI implant! That was awesome news. Rady’s staff will send their recommendation to Medi-Cal where they will determine if the insurance covers the CI surgery. Valentina turns six on December 25 this year and her window of opportunity for speech continues to close. Because of her age, there is a high probability that they will not want to insure her surgery, but if they do, it is most likely that Medi-Cal will only pay for one cochlear implant. Their reasoning is that since she is “older” her ability to pronounce words and speak even with the implants will be minimal; her primary communicating means would be through signing. We believe we have a mighty God who can work miracles and we believe that Valentina has the strength and determination to speak even though the odds are against her. We have had some very generous donations from our supporters for Valentina which has given us some freedom and options for her surgery. We would like for Valentina to have bilateral CI’s and the opportunity to hear in both ears to give her the best opportunity to speak. Pray for these decisions for Valentina. We understand that this is just the first step for Valentina, and it will take many months of speech therapy for her to articulate sounds, but we are willing to learn how to best help her. We are excited for her to be able to hear clearly and speak! What a blessing! Thank you for those who have given. We are still in the process of raising $10,000 for our matching grant. All these funds will be used either for her hospital costs, her therapy treatment, or her adoption process.
Rod & Tina’s
Corner
Bible School & Retreat
A needed break from the routine of the ranch is always refreshing. Rancho Agua Viva is a Bible School and retreat center for churches from Mexico, USA and Canada. The Jason Schultz family are the managers of this ministry, and they were excited to host our children/teens for two weeks; guys the first week and the gals on the second. Our kids had a blast as the pictures show below: swimming, toboggan slide, sports, hiking, paint ball, and even a zip line. Thank you Rancho Agua Viva for providing a getaway for our kids.
In memory & honor of:
• In memory of John Langley from Scott Zugnoni of Los Angeles, CA
• In memory of Alfred & Ruth Calhoun from Mark and Shelly Douglas of Molalla, OR
• In honor of Baja Beach Bash riders / Campbell 2021 from Robert Murray of RSM, CA
Needs:
• Smart boards for classrooms
Return Service Requested
Be hesda
eaching Ministry PO BOX 20028 EL CAJON CA 92021-0900
North Coast Church of Carlsbad’s backpack drive!
We never want to take for granted the many donations and gifts that come our way. Every package of food that is sent, clothes and blankets that we receive and all the other gifts that come into our office are accepted knowing that they were given to our home through gracious means. We thank you for your continued support for our children. Last month we again were blessed by North Coast Church Carlsbad and their backpack drive. They filled up a van with backpacks, notebooks, writing utensils, calculators, usb drives, magnets, post-its and all sorts of items for our students and school. Thank you again for your generosity! These donations are a huge help for this ministry, and we just want to be sure and let everyone know that you make a difference for these children and students! Blessings!
The Lawer Family
We have a special relationship with Oregonians. Several church groups come consistently from the state of Oregon, we have board members from there, Rod and Tina have a native Oregonian son-in-law and now we have the Lawer family from Oregon City with us for this current school year. Matt is a special education teacher and Victoria (Tori) is a nurse. They have five children who will be both homeschooled and attending our school. We welcome the Lawer family, and we look forward to a great school year with them.
