Casa Bernabé - Cross International

600 SW 3rd Street, Suite 2201
Pompano Beach, Florida 33060
1-800-391-8545
PROJECT 0898
Casa Bernabé
(House of Comfort)
Give hope and education to orphans
through the expansion of a Christian school
— Fraijanes, Guatemala —
Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know
that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.
2 Corinthians 1:7
WWW.CROSSINTERNATIONAL.ORG/COMFORT
© 2013 Cross International. Cost-effectively written, designed and printed in-house, and mailing facilitated by volunteers.
CASA BERNABÉ | INTRODUCTION
PROJECT 0898
Witnessing a Miracle
During a visit last year to Casa Bernabé, our longtime
Guatemalan ministry partner, we discovered the tremendous
impact the ministry’s small school was having on the
lives of destitute children from the community.
At first glance it doesn’t look like much — a one-story
cement building with twelve classrooms sitting on a
concrete slab. But take a closer look inside Casa Bernabé
Christian School and you will see a miracle happening.
Desolate children are being rescued from heart-wrenching
situations created by poverty, armed with education and
transformed by Christ’s message of hope. A community
with great physical and spiritual need is being reborn,
one child at a time.
Donie Hernandez, the dynamic American missionary
who started Casa Bernabé with her late husband, a
Guatemalan pastor, shared her heart with us about the
school. “I believe God has called us to be a beacon of
light to the community, and he is going to use this
school to do it.”
We learned that many more destitute children from the Every Sunday, the children at Casa Bernabé and
some families from the surrounding community
community are desperate for an education, but there simply come together to worship Christ at the ministry’s
isn’t room for them at Casa Bernabé’s school. The little
small church. “It’s so neat to see the children
building is already bursting at the seems with 135 students. singing and worshiping and growing in Christ,”
says Donie Hernandez, founder of Casa Bernabé.
We felt God’s tug on our hearts as we saw the “good
fruit” the school had already produced. We knew that we had to step out in faith and help Donie expand
the school so more poverty-stricken children could receive this life-changing help. Their plan is to
double the school’s classroom space so 300 more impoverished children can attend.
As you read this proposal, you will realize, as we did, that this is much more than a construction or
education project. God is transforming the lives of children who have faced unimaginable pain, giving
them a hope and a future.
When you read about children who have been set free from the chains of poverty and given new
hope at Casa Bernabé, know that your gift can bring more indigent children like these that same gift.
This project has the potential to touch hundreds of lives — even an entire community!
Our prayer is that you are as moved as we were by the mighty works being done at Casa Bernabé
Christian School in the name of Christ.
Then he said to his disciples,“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are
few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out
laborers into his harvest.”
Matthew 9:37-38
i
CASA BERNABÉ | EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
PROJECT 0898
Project Description
Casa Bernabé rescues orphans and other vulnerable children from heartbreaking situations, giving
them a safe home where they can receive healing and grow in Christ. The ministry’s small school
provides a solid Christian education to children who would never be able to attend school due to
their poverty. By expanding the school, we can bring education and the transformative message of
Christ to orphans and impoverished children struggling to survive in a lost community.
Location
Fraijanes, a small town 20 minutes outside of Guatemala City, Guatemala.
Campaign Goal
$110,000 is needed to double the school’s classroom space, building 10 more classrooms, a music
room and a science lab. This expansion will allow Casa Bernabé Christian School to open its doors
to 300 more impoverished children in the community and allow the ministry to share Christ with
the hurting and lost.
Project Summary
THE NEED
• About 75 percent of the people in Guatemala live in poverty, surviving on just $2 a day.
• The innocent victims of this overwhelming poverty are children. An estimated 370,000 children
in Guatemala are orphaned, and countless more are abandoned, abused and neglected.
• Many children are compelled to work as street vendors, shoe shiners or field hands to help their
families survive.
• Due to their families’ poverty, nearly half of all children in Guatemala never have a chance to
complete even primary school.
Our Partner
Donie Hernandez, a charismatic American missionary, started Casa Bernabé 18 years ago with her
late husband, Pedro, a Guatemalan pastor. Though she didn’t speak a word of Spanish when she
first arrived in Guatemala, Donie knew it was exactly where God was calling her to minister. Donie
and her team of Guatemalan and international missionaries work tirelessly to provide for the
needs of orphans and other vulnerable children living in a community ravaged by poverty.
How You Can Help
Cross International has agreed to assist Casa Bernabé — a longtime partner — with the expansion
of its Christian school. Together we will continue to heal hurting orphans and share the love of
Christ with a community desperate for hope.
MATERIAL IMPACT
• With your help, Cross will build 10 new classrooms, a music room and a science lab.
• These new facilities will allow the school to increase its enrollment by 300 students.
• More impoverished children from the community will have the opportunity to receive a quality
Christian education while being mentored by caring Christian teachers.
• These children will then go on to positively impact their community, breaking the tight grip of
poverty in the area.
SPIRITUAL IMPACT
• All help is given in the name of Christ, and Jesus is the foundation of everything Casa Bernabé does.
• By bringing in more children from the community, Casa Bernabé will have the opportunity to
share Christ with hundreds of untouched souls.
iii
Our help is in the name of the LORD,
the maker of heaven and earth.
Psalms 124:8
iv
CASA BERNABÉ | TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECTION I
PROJECT 0898
THE NEED
Broken and Alone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Stuck in a Deadly Cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
SECTION II THE MINISTRY & THE SOLUTION
Healing Broken Lives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Divine Appointment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Putting God First . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Casa Bernabé Christian School: A Beacon of Hope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Reaching a Community for Christ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
A Life Transformed by Christ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
SECTION III JOIN OUR SCHOOL EXPANSION CAMPAIGN
Give Comfort and Hope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Casa Bernabé School Construction Budget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
School Expansion Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sponsorship Opportunities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
v
16
17
18
19
Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew,
like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants.
Deuteronomy 32:2
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CASA BERNABÉ
PROJECT 0898
SECTION I
THE NEED
• Broken and Alone
• Stuck in a Deadly Cycle
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
Psalm 147:3
1
CASA BERNABÉ | THE NEED
PROJECT 0898
Broken and Alone
Giovanny has no memory of his birth
parents. Until age 7, the only family he
ever knew beat him and pushed him into
the streets to beg for money.
Giovanny was one of several orphans
taken in by a degenerate couple who
used them to earn money — a practice
not uncommon in Guatemala. The
couple, who lived in a decent house with
their own children, kept the orphans in a
shanty. Each day they would send the
orphans out into the streets of Guatemala
City to beg for money. Giovanny and the
others were required to come back with a
certain amount of money each day, or they
would be verbally and physically abused.
Giovanny recalls that the couple used
to tie up his arm so it looked injured or
deformed so he could get better tips from
passersby. He and the other orphans
lived in fear and often endured abuse,
but they had nowhere else to go, no one
to feed them or put a roof over their
heads. This dysfunctional family was all
they had never known.
Eventually, the couple exploited enough
money from the children to move to the
United States. They mercilessly abandoned
the orphans to the streets, leaving Giovanny
and the others broken and alone.
Saved and Healed
Giovanny’s story did not end in heartbreak. As with Joseph in the book of Genesis, God took a situation
that was meant for evil and turned it to good. Read how God used Casa Bernabé, a children’s home
founded by a Christian missionary, to rescue Giovanny and transform his life on page 7.
You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish
what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
Genesis 50:20
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CASA BERNABÉ | THE NEED
PROJECT 0898
Stuck in a Deadly Cycle
It is hard to imagine that children endure
situations like these, but they are a sad reality of
extreme poverty. Children like Giovanny are the
innocent victims of a seemingly endless cycle of
poverty that plagues so many in Guatemala.
An estimated 75 percent of the population lives
below the poverty line, subsisting on just $2 per day.
Poverty is pronounced in rural areas and occurs
mainly among poorly educated and indigenous
people.
Poverty in Guatemala
• 75% of the population lives below the
poverty line, meaning they do not have the
resources to obtain basic necessities such as
food, housing and clean water.
• Guatemala ranked 131 out of 187 countries
on the United Nations Development Program’s
2011 Human Development Index, which
takes into account life expectancy, literacy,
education and standards of living for countries
worldwide.
• Guatemala’s adult literacy rate hovers around
74%, compared to 99% in the U.S.
• Though the country reports a 95% rate of
primary school enrollment, only 60% of
children complete primary school — a number
that drops to about 50% for middle school.
• More than 21% of Guatemalan children
between the ages of 5 and 15 work.
Education, a key to breaking free from
poverty, is severely lacking in Guatemala.
Forty percent of children enrolled in school
do not complete their primary education,
and half of all children who begin middle
school drop out before graduation. Because
of crushing poverty, many children must
leave school to help support their families.
Recent government figures show that 21
percent of Guatemalan children between the
ages of 5 and 15 work, a number that is likely
Source: World Bank, UNICEF
underestimated because it excludes children
who lack formal documentation.
These children work as street vendors or shoe shiners, and others work as field laborers alongside
their parents. When parents are forced to choose between feeding their children and sending them to
school, education understandably becomes secondary to survival. But without an education, children
will grow into adults lacking the tools to effectively fight poverty. They will be trapped in the cycle of
unrelenting poverty that consumes so many families in this Central American country.
3
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.
Isaiah 9:2
4
CASA BERNABÉ
PROJECT 0898
SECTION II
THE MINISTRY
& THE SOLUTION
• Healing Broken Lives
• Divine Appointment
• Putting God First
• Casa Bernabé Christian School: A Beacon of Hope
• Reaching a Community for Christ
• A Life Transformed by Christ
“We pray for the children for however long we have them.
They hear the name of God and it makes an impact in their lives.”
Donie Hernandez, missionary and co-founder of Casa Bernabé
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CASA BERNABÉ | THE MINISTRY & THE SOLUTION
PROJECT 0898
Healing Broken Lives
Angel was just a few days old when he was left on the
side of a road to die. Volunteers from Casa Bernabé, a
children’s home on the outskirts of Guatemala City,
came across a raggedy old box as they headed up the
road leading to the ministry’s compound. Inside they
found the malnourished little baby, covered in dirt.
This is just one of a dozen heartbreaking stories that
Donie Hernandez, an American-born missionary, shares
as she describes the children the ministry takes in.
“These precious children come to us from horrible
situations. They have experienced so much hurt,” Donie
says. “We stand by them. We let them know they are
not alone.”
What’s in a Name
Casa Bernabé, known in English as House of Comfort,
In Spanish, Casa Bernabé literally
was nothing more than a few dilapidated trailers on a
translates to Barnabas’ house.
13-acre plot of land when Donie and her Guatemalan
Characterized in Acts 4:37 as the
husband bought the property 18 years ago. “It was at the
“Son of Encouragement,” Barnabas
point of closing down,” she recalls. “We never imagined
was a distinctive early church leader
it then, but now I am overwhelmed by how God has used
known for his compassion and
Casa Bernabé to bless children.”
eagerness to help those in need.
More than 140 children now live at Casa Bernabé, which
not only provides a safe and loving home for orphans, but
also operates a Christian school, small church
and community clinic. The children are
brought up in one of eight homes on campus
with house parents who raise them like a
family. “We eat meals together, study together
and pray together,” says 15-year-old Victoria,
who lives in one of the homes for older girls.
“We are a big family.”
Children come to the ministry from all
over the country. Some are abandoned by
their families, others orphaned, others are
removed from their families by government
courts for neglect or abuse. Sometimes
destitute parents bring their children to the
orphanage because they know they cannot
care for them.
“No matter how they come to us, we
always tell them they didn’t come here by
accident,” Donie says. “Casa Bernabé is a
safe haven where these children can find
Children at C
Child
Casa B
Bernabé
bé are groupedd iinto diff
different h
houses on
healing in Christ.”
campus where they grow up with house parents as a family.
6
CASA BERNABÉ | THE MINISTRY & THE SOLUTION
PROJECT 0898
Donie has seen the healing
firsthand. Giovanny, the 7-year old
introduced at the beginning of this
report, is a beautiful example never
far from Donie’s thoughts. Her
natural smile turns solemn, as the
pain of his unimaginable situation
is recalled.
Poor families will rent their
children to other families who will
put them to work as beggars in the
streets, Donie says. “Sadly this is
common here in Guatemala.”
Despite the horrors of this
situation, Donie is comforted by
Christ’s omnipotent power over every
circumstance. “It is amazing to see
how God heals these children’s
hearts, one layer at a time.”
Donie remembers watching God
heal little Giovanny one piece at a
time. The staff at Casa Bernabé
rescued him off the streets, gave
him a home and love, prayed over
him and let God do the rest.
“He received the love and care he
had been without most of his life,”
Donie says. “But God did something
that no amount of human love and
care could have done.”
He healed Giovanny and gave
him a new, abundant life. At age 11,
Giovanny received a permanent
home when he was adopted by a
missionary couple from Japan.
“Our desire is that every child will come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior,” says Donnie, “and
that they would begin to experience the healing and restoration that only he can give.”
I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him also,
and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners.
Isaiah 57:18-19
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CASA BERNABÉ | THE MINISTRY & THE SOLUTION
PROJECT 0898
Divine Appointment
When Donie Hernandez arrived in Guatemala 30 years ago, she knew it was where God had called
her to be.
“I didn’t speak the language or even know how to ride the bus,” she remembers with a laugh.
“Early on, I had a week when I was feeling incredibly discouraged. I kept thinking, ‘Who do you
think you are coming down here? How can you possibly do this?’ That’s when God stepped in and
told me, ‘You never could do it. I will.’ Then I found complete peace.”
Donie rested in this peace because she believes God had been preparing her for missions her entire
life. As a young child she was impacted by her grandmother, who told her incredible stories of Christians
working with children and lepers overseas.
“That really got my
attention,” Donie recalls.
Then, on her first mission
trip to Guatemala, she
says God confirmed to
her that this was the place
she was supposed to help.
Within two months of her
initial visit, Donie had
sold everything she
owned and made the
cross-cultural move.
“At the time, the war
was still going on in this
country, so it was a
difficult decision,” she
says. “But I knew God
wanted me here.”
The peace she found that
first week has sustained
Donie throughout all of
her years of ministry.
Eventually God led her to
meet and marry Pedro, a Guatemalan pastor who shared her love of the poor. They raised 11 children
— five biological and six adopted — and for 25 years tirelessly served the Lord alongside one another
in Guatemala. Pedro passed away in 2011, but Donie remains inspired by his spirit of service.
“When we took over, the ministry was a bunch of dilapidated trailers with holes in the floor, and
we didn’t have a dime to fix them up,” she says. “Then, one by one, we were able to replace the trailers
with buildings. God just kept providing. It is amazing to see him working in the kids’ lives every day.”
Though the work is hard, Donie considers it a blessing to be serving the poor. She says that James
1:27 is a constant reminder of her calling and why she gets up each morning: “Religion that God our
Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress…”
8
CASA BERNABÉ | THE MINISTRY & THE SOLUTION
PROJECT 0898
Putting God First
Donie explains that God is at the center of everything that goes on a Casa Bernabé. That is why all
the staff are dedicated Christians. “Our job is to raise up disciples. God is in every aspect of this place,
much like it would be for a Christian family.”
All the children, house parents and other staff gather each Sunday morning to enjoy a time of worship
and encouragement in God’s word. Each house family also prays daily and studies God’s word together.
“Most of the children come to Casa Bernabé with at least a knowledge of God, but some are in the
dark,” Donie says. “It’s so neat to see the children singing and worshiping and growing in Christ.”
Giving Back
From a young age, the children at Casa Bernabé are taught the importance of stewardship
and service. It starts as chores when the children are younger, helping in the kitchen or
watching the smaller children. Donie and her team take the older children on community
outreach missions, such as building homes for families living in rural villages or ministering
to people living in the Guatemala City garbage dump. These outreach activities help the
children develop a sense of community and service.
“This way the children feel like they are not just being helped, but they are also giving
back,” Donie explains.
She has seen this attitude
of service come full circle
as former residents and
students of Casa Bernabé
come back to the ministry
to work or volunteer their
time. They become house
parents, accountants, even
teachers. One such case is
20-year-old Paco, who
came to Casa Bernabé with
his three sisters as a child.
Paco is now studying
engineering at a nearby
college and volunteers his
time to Casa Bernabé,
teaching math to the
junior high students at
Paco (center) grew up at Casa Bernabé. Now in college, the 20-year-old
the school.
volunteers teaching math to children at the ministry’s Christian school.
Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
Psalm 34:11
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CASA BERNABÉ | THE MINISTRY & THE SOLUTION
PROJECT 0898
Casa Bernabé Christian School: A Beacon of Light
Casa Bernabé operates a small Christian school that serves children from the orphanage and poor
children from the community. The school offers pre-kindergarten to seventh grade classes, as well as
special education classes to accommodate many of their children who have learning disabilities because
of neglect and malnourishment.
The school began out of necessity
when Donie and her late husband
realized the poor condition of the
public schools the children were
attending. They were overcrowded,
understaffed and rife with gang activity.
Donie and her husband knew the
children needed a safe place to learn,
a place where God could be included
in the curriculum.
“It is important that the students
learn math and science, but we also
want them to learn about Jesus,”
Donie says.
The school has nine fulltime teachers,
Celia Rodriquez, pictured here with part of her third-grade class, feels
all of whom are government certified.
blessed to be a teacher at Casa Bernabé Christian school.
All of them are also Christians and
take every opportunity to teach the children about Christ and his plan for their lives.
“We pray with the children and we teach them about God. It is special to be in a school where that takes
place,” says Celia Rodriquez, who teaches the third-grade class at Casa Bernabé’s school.
Celia has been working with the ministry for 12 years, during which time she was a house mother and then a
teacher. Two of her children attend the school. “I love teaching here,” she says. “This place is a blessing for all of us.”
The school uses a government-recognized curriculum that is flexible and allows the children to move
at their own pace. In addition to their basic classes, the children take computer, English and music
classes. Children from the orphanage attend the school free of charge, while children from the
community are charged a nominal fee that encourages parents to invest in their children’s educations.
All your children will be taught by the LORD,
and great will be your children’s peace.
Isaiah 54:13
Ministering with Music
Casa Bernabé has an extensive music program. It has a band that includes beginner,
intermediate and advanced band students, who perform for local events around Guatemala
City. They also recently hosted the first band camp in Guatemala, which drew students from
all over the country. “It was a great success musically and spiritually!” Donie says. “This is just
another way we are reaching out to the community.”
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CASA BERNABÉ | THE MINISTRY & THE SOLUTION
Donie believes that the school is a vital
part of Casa Bernabé’s ministry work
because it is meeting such an acute need in
Guatemala, the need for solid education.
Many of the children who attend the
school would not have the opportunity
to get an education otherwise.
The reasons are numerous. There is
a lack of funding for government-run
schools in Guatemala and private schools
are prohibitively expensive, accessible only
to the upper middle class and the wealthy
upper class. Many poor families do not
send their children to school, or keep
them out for long periods at harvest time,
because school is seen as a luxury they
cannot afford. This results in high dropout
rates and children who repeat grades
multiple times. It is not uncommon for a
12-year-old child to come to Casa Bernabé
and be put into a second-grade class,
because he or she has not had the
opportunity for learning.
“This school is a blessing to so many
children,” Donie says. “We are giving them
a precious commodity that will provide
them with a better future.”
PROJECT 0898
A Chance to Advance
Children are able to attend school at the orphanage
until the completion of seventh grade, and then
they are sent to private schools off campus. Donie
hopes that with the additional classroom space
they will eventually be able to offer eighththrough twelfth-grade classes on campus.
Through sponsorships Casa Bernabé helps some
children attend college and helps others gain
specific training in different areas such as baking,
woodwork and carpentry, metal shop and child
care. Some have graduated from high school and
are working in positions in the school as well as
helping with child-care while they attend college
classes on the weekends. Graduates from Casa
Bernabé have gone on to be accountants, health
care professionals, teachers, social workers,
engineers and builders — just to name a few.
Teacher Spotlight
David McCormick came to Casa Bernabé on a mission’s trip
when he was 18 and never left.
Now 27, David works as a social worker and math teacher at
Casa Bernabé. He also leads worship at the ministry’s church
every Sunday.
“What kept me here was the ministry’s vision,” says the
Canadian-born missionary. “I appreciate the spiritual aspect of
Casa Bernabé. Christ is woven into everything they do, and you
can see the impact in the kids.”
Casa Bernabé takes Proverbs 29:18 to heart: “Where there is
no vision, the people perish…”
David says that Casa Bernabé’s school takes a very holistic
approach to the children’s education. “The teachers are interested in all aspects of the
children’s lives. They care about the children’s futures. It’s not just a way to make money.”
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CASA BERNABÉ | THE MINISTRY & THE SOLUTION
PROJECT 0898
Reaching a Community for Christ
The school now has about 135 students, 92 from the orphanage (all those who are old enough to
attend school up to seventh grade) and 43 from the community. Donie says that they are constantly
getting requests from the community to take in more students, but they simply have no more space.
“We have no more room to grow in our current school building, but that’s never stopped God from
taking us to new heights” says Donie.
Donie and her staff believe God plans to use their school as a beacon of light to the community.
Expanding the school building would allow them to take in more students from the outside, offering a
solid Christian education and Christ’s message to a community with great physical and spiritual need.
“It’s a way to have an outreach into the community, to share Christ with those around us,” says Donie.
The school currently has
12 classrooms. The ministry’s
school expansion plan would
add 10 more classrooms,
along with a science lab and
a music room.
Cross International has
been a supporter of Donie
and the work of Casa Bernabé
for several years. When we
asked Donie what her ministry
needed, she explained that
God was calling them to
minister to the community
through the expansion of
their Christian school. Cross
is excited to support the
school expansion and in the
process carry out the Great
Commission set forth in
Matthew 28:19: “Therefore
go and make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit…”
We have seen firsthand
how God is using Donie
and Casa Bernabé to change
lives. Together we can continue
to do the work of Christ
and bless those around us
through the expansion of
the school at Casa Bernabé!
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CASA BERNABÉ | THE MINISTRY & THE SOLUTION
PROJECT 0898
A Life Transformed by Christ
Marisol Ramos, 18, knows what
it means to be lonely and without
hope.
“I had no dreams before I came
to Casa Bernabé. I felt like I had
no future.”
Marisol spent most of her life
moving around with her mother,
who was just a teenager when
Marisol was born. Marisol’s
mother separated from her father
when she was a baby. They lived in
abandoned shacks, with neighbors,
even on the street at times. Marisol’s
mother would leave her for weeks
at a time with her elderly grandmother
while she moved around for work
cleaning houses.
“My life was very difficult,” Marisol
recalls. “I never felt truly loved.”
School was never an option for
Marisol because of her family’s
poverty. “I would never have been
able to attend school if I hadn’t come
to Casa Bernabé,” says Marisol, who
is now in the sixth grade. “I would
have ended up doing whatever job I
Marisol helps with the babies living at Casa Bernabé, and she also helps cook
could to survive for the rest of my
for all the children.
life like my mother.”
At age 12 Marisol began attending the Christian school at Casa Bernabé. She loves school, especially
her teachers. “They are more than teachers. They are friends. They care if I’m successful. They want
to hear about my problems.”
Since coming to Casa Bernabé six years ago, Marisol has undergone a complete transformation.
“I learned here what it was like to have a family.”
She now has dreams, and she knows she will never be alone with God in her life. Marisol loves to
cook and hopes to be a chef one day.
“I feel like the other girls here are my sisters. I love it here. I have family here.”
Marisol knew very little about God before she came to Casa Bernabé. She yearned to feel the love
of God but had never experienced it.
“My life totally changed when I came here. All the bad in my life went away. I am happy now. I have
learned so much about God. I have Christ in my heart, and I no longer feel alone. I know he will
always love me.”
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He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD,
and he will reward him for what he has done.
Proverbs 19:17
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CASA BERNABÉ
PROJECT 0898
SECTION III
JOIN OUR SCHOOL
EXPANSION CAMPAIGN
• Give Comfort and Hope
• Casa Bernabé School Construction Budget
• School Expansion Plans
• Sponsorship Opportunities
“Casa Bernabé Christian School saved my life! I had no future before I
came here. My family is poor, and we were barely surviving. Now with an
education I can become someone and make life better for my family.
Without this school, I would never have that opportunity.”
Emanuel Davila, 13, a sixth grader at the Casa Bernabé Christian School
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CASA BERNABÉ | JOIN OUR SCHOOL EXPANSION CAMPAIGN
PROJECT 0898
Give Comfort and Hope
Education is probably the single most important thing that can be given to fight poverty and ensure
long-term development. With an education, the poor are empowered. They are eventually able to provide
for themselves, put a safe roof over their heads, offer education to their children and buy necessities
such as clothing and medical care. When children are given the tools to be successful, they can grow
into adults who will pull themselves, their families and their communities out of poverty. Offering a
Christian education, which combines earthly knowledge with the wisdom of Christ’s teachings, can
truly transform lives. Proverbs 24:14 tells us that with wisdom comes a future and hope — “Know that
wisdom is sweet to your soul; if you find it, there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off.”
You have the opportunity to offer this precious
gift to children who are experiencing unimaginable
pain and have little to hope for in life. Casa Bernabé
is changing lives and offering the healing power
of Christ to children like Giovanny and Marisol.
There are hundreds more impoverished children
desperately waiting to receive life-changing
education. Please help us expand Casa Bernabé’s
Christian school by building 10 new classrooms, a
music room and a science lab. With your support,
we can double the school’s classroom space and
allow 300 more children to attend.
Donie Hernandez and her team have dedicated
their lives to meeting the needs of these precious
Guatemalan children. Let us stand with them as brothers and sisters in Christ. Your gift can offer
comfort, healing, education and a future to children desperate for hope. It can “defend the cause of
the weak and fatherless” and “deliver them from the hand of the wicked” (Psalm 82:3-4). Through
your act of compassion, innocent children can be saved and experience a life-changing miracle.
Our Campaign Goal is $110,000
• It will cost $216,583 to more than double the school’s existing space, adding 10 new
classrooms, a music room, a science lab and new bathrooms.
• Casa Bernabé will raise $106,583 toward the expansion and needs the help of Cross
and friends like you to complete the project.
• With $110,000, Donie and her team at Casa Bernabé will be able to complete the
expansion of their school and open its doors to 300 children in desperate need of
education and hope.
• Each 483 square-foot classroom will cost $8,497 to build.
Please see the next pages for a detailed breakdown of the project budget
and the expansion plans.
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CASA BERNABÉ | JOIN OUR SCHOOL EXPANSION CAMPAIGN
PROJECT 0898
Casa Bernabé School Construction Budget
ITEM
COST
Building Materials and Fixtures
Concrete
Steel frame
Zinc (roofing, ceiling materials)
$10,286
$86,450
$627
Total
$97,363
Construction
Concrete slab (cement floor between floors)
Electrical wiring (14 units)
Potable water installation (16 units)
Drain installation (16 units)
Final touches
$11,395
$581
$531
$1,595
$22,814
Total
$36,916
Labor (including design plans, architects, engineers,
$72,304
legal and construction management, professional fees)
Total Construction Budget
$206,583
Cross International project management
$10,000
Total Project Budget
$216,583
Amount to be Raised by Casa Bernabé
$106,583
Total Cross International Campaign Budget $110,000
The site of the existing school. The plan is to expand by adding a larger second story on top of the current
building. This design was the most cost-effective way to expand and preserve the recreation space in front of the
current school building.
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CASA BERNABÉ | JOIN OUR SCHOOL EXPANSION CAMPAIGN
PROJECT 0898
School Expansion Plans
View of an Individual Classroom
Each classroom will be 23 feet wide by 21 feet deep —
approximately 483 square feet — enough to accommodate up to 30 students.
Side View of the Proposed School Expansion
The second story addition will sit on top of the existing school building with a strong concrete
foundation in between. The roof of the existing school building will be removed and used to create
the roof of the second story, a plan that will save money and material resources. The two stories
will be connected by a stairway on each end of the building. In addition to 10 larger classrooms,
a science lab and a music room, the second story will also have a section of new bathrooms
and a covered walkway.
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CASA BERNABÉ | JOIN OUR SCHOOL EXPANSION CAMPAIGN
PROJECT 0898
Sponsorship Opportunities
Help us bring comfort and hope to orphans and
other impoverished children living in Guatemala
through the expansion of Casa Bernabé Christian
School. Your gift will not only help children receive
a valuable Christian education, it will also transform
their lives through Christ’s healing and love!
Total amount needed: $110,000
Campaign Goal: $110,000
Sponsorship Levels
$21,012 Love Sponsor: Help build a new classroom, providing space for 30 additional
students; as well as a Music Room or Science Lab for more than 300 students.
$16,994 Joy Sponsor: Build two new classrooms, providing space for 60 additional students
to attend school.
$10,000 Compassion Sponsor: Help build two classrooms, providing space for 32 additional
students to attend school.
$5,000 Tenderness Sponsor: Help build a classroom, providing space for 16 additional
students to attend school.
$2,500 Fellowship Sponsor: Help build a classroom, providing space for 8 additional
students to attend school.
$1,250 Comfort Sponsor: Help build a classroom, providing space for 4 additional
students to attend school.
If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love,
if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy
complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.
Philippians 2:1-2
Our Promise to You!
Proceeds from this campaign will be used to cover any expenditures for this project incurred during the
current calendar year. If project costs extend into next year or beyond, sufficient funds from this campaign
will be carried over to cover those expenses. In the event that more funds are raised than needed to fully fund
this project the excess funds, if any, will be used where needed most.
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We consider every donation as a gift from God, and ourselves as honored stewards of those
gifts. The following organizations can attest to Cross International’s faithful stewardship
of God’s precious resources:
Delivering Food,
Shelter and Hope to
the Poorest of the Poor
600 SW 3rd Street, Suite 2201 • Pompano Beach, FL 33060
Michele Sagarino, Vice President for Development: 800-391-8545 ext. 140
www.CrossInternational.org/Comfort