Chicken dinner

Last night, the kids of Casa Shalom and the Life Academy team enjoyed a great dinner of fried chicken. But first, the Life Academy team and the Casa Shalom kids who work the chicken farm butchered the chickens needed from the Casa Shalom chicken farm. The Life Academy kids quickly got over any squeamishness, and did a great job butchering. The chicken was enjoyed by all!

New additions

Meet Juan, Miley and Luis, Casa Shalom's newest kids! The 3 siblings arrived a few days ago, and are 9, 10, and 11 respectively. After their father passed away several years ago, their mother turned to alcohol and prostitution and cannot care for them. The kids are well-behaved and smart, and have fit right into life at Casa Shalom.

Mrs. Halloran and Mrs. Ericksen spend some quality time with twins Candelaria and Magdalena!

Soccer tournament

Yesterday and today, Casa Shalom held the First International Soccer Tournament, with teams from the orphanage, Life Academy, and 10 local churches participating. The teams competed for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place trophies, and had lots of fun in the process! While they didn't win any trophies, the teams from Life Academy had lots of fun interacting with the Casa Shalom kids and local church members. Check out the photos and video below.



Photo above: The Life Academy kids team.

Left: The representatives of "Team AARP."
(The crutches are just a joke - Mr. Greely isn't on the injured list!)












































































Videos: At today's church service, the praise and worship team from Life Academy led 3 songs and did a wonderful job!

Soccer is out, hockey is in!

The students from Life Academy in Minnesota have introduced hockey to the kids of Casa Shalom! The soccer court has been turned into a hockey rink, and the Guatemalan kids are loving this new game.

Life Academy trip

The kids and chaperones from Life Academy have been working and playing hard since their arrival on Wednesday. Yesterday, they spent the day introducing the Casa Shalom kids to the game of hockey, playing with the babies, working hard planting fruit trees for the new orchard, and digging trenches to lay new water lines. Enjoy the photos from yesterday!

Yesterday, Casa Shalom was blessed to receive a team of 38 7th and 8th grade students and chaperones from Life Academy in Minnesota! The team will be here for one week, and will participate in several work projects, including planting a brand-new fruit tree orchard! Last night, the Casa Shalom kids welcomed the team at a special bonfire. Watch for photos and updates on the Life Academy trip!

What a difference lots of love, care and good food make! After being at Casa Shalom for only a few weeks, the 8 brothers and sisters we received are happy and healthier. They 4 school-age children have started attending school for the first time in their lives, all have received their vaccines, and their health is im...proving bit by bit. The children are happy, and have been receiving lots of love, along with the Word of God every day!
Check out the difference in the children in these 2 photos - the first photo is of the children the night they arrived at Casa Shalom. The second is of them 2 weeks after arriving at the orphanage - they look like different children, praise God!