Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from all of Casa Shalom's children! We pray that 2012 is a year filled with God's blessings and provision for you!

Casa Shalom's newsletter

Check out this link for the latest Casa Shalom newsletter. It's full of the latest Casa Shalom news and photos! Don't forget to share it with a friend.

A Christmas message from Casa Shalom's kids

Merry Christmas from our Casa Shalom family to your family!

Check out this video of Casa Shalom's kids enjoying their 2011 Christmas party!

This year, we are saying a bittersweet goodbye to Elias, one of Casa Shalom's oldest kids. Elias has been at Casa Shalom for over 10 years and is now moving on. Currently in his career program and studying to be a computer technician, Elias is moving this month to join the ministry of Brent and Yuliza Potter, missionaries from Texas who are opening their home to young men transitioning out of orphanages. We thank God for the chance to pour into Elias's life for so many years. He is a responsible, intelligent, and wonderful Christian young man. Go with God, Elias!

Christmas video

Check out this great video of Casa Shalom's Christmas party with the Monroe Church of God in Monroe, Georgia!

Sign up for our newsletter!

We will soon be sending out the 2011 Casa Shalom Christmas e-newsletter! If you'd like to receive Casa Shalom's newsletters in your inbox, please send us a message at: TheHansonsinGuatemala@gmail.com

Team members have been working hard alongside Casa Shalom's oldest kids to move dirt for the foundation for a new secure parking area for the orphanage's vehicles

New shoes for Christmas!

Today, the visiting team from the Monroe Church of God in Monroe, GA, took all of Casa Shalom's children to a local Payless shoe store to purchase 2 pairs of shoes each! Each child and teen received one pair of tennis shoes and one pair of formal black dress shoes, which are a required part of the children's school uniform. Check out all the photos of the fun excursion below!

Right: Catalina gets sized for new shoes.

Juan Jose gets a little help finding a pair that fit.

Josue David found his tennis shoes!

Twins Magdalena and Candelaria get some help from their house mother.

After convincing her that women's high heels would not be a good purchase, Viviana found some sparkly tennis shoes she loves!

Carlos tries on a pair.

Fernando, 11-years-old.

We caught Candelaria trying to give herself kisses in the shoe mirror!

Giovanni

Clinton

Alex gets a boost while looking for shoes.

Elias and Cesar, two of Casa Shalom's college kids.

It took a whole team to find shoes for Mynor!

Julio

Martin

A whole stack of shoes ready to load onto Casa Shalom's big yellow bus.

The receipt from the shoe purchase was

over four feet long!

Welcome Monroe Church of God!

Today Casa Shalom welcomes a short-term missions team from the Monroe Church of God in Monroe, Georgia! The team will be working on a few light construction projects around the orphanage and, in the greatest blessing of all, will be bringing the children's Christmas gifts and celebrating Christmas with them at a very special party on Thursday night. Please keep these short-term missionaries in your prayers this week as they serve at Christ's hands and feet in Guatemala.

Enjoying a new life!

This weekend, Casa Shalom's children enjoyed free pizza courtesy of Domino's, which donates free pizza to orphanages across the country in the month of December. Below, Casa Shalom's newest child, Juan Carlos, enjoys his first slice of pizza, has unwrapped his first chocolate candy bar and has it waiting as soon as he's done with his pizza! Two weeks ago, he was living on the street and shining shoes to make a living, and now he's thoroughly enjoying his new life at Casa Shalom!

Goodbye to Alejandro

Yesterday, we said a very happy goodbye to a long-term Casa Shalom child! Alejandro, 16, has been at the orphanage since he was around 7-years-old when he was found abandoned in the streets of a nearby town with no idea who his family was or where he lived. Alejandro has grown into a respectful, responsible, caring young man who wants to be a botanist when he grows up! Over the past few years, he has developed a close relationship with a great Christian family and the family recently applied to become his foster parents. Yesterday, they were awarded custody and Alejandro left Casa Shalom after nearly a decade to be with his new foster mom and dad and brother and sister. Praise God for this happy ending for Alejandro!