We are going try something brand new and different this year (for us)….we have started a blog about our recreational activities with kids at Casa del Aguila. Click on the link below.

http://mikeandnancyinperu.wordpress.com/2012/01/13/friday-january-13-2012/

Mike intends to create new posts after the various trips with the kids, likely about two or three times a month. There are already two posts there for you to check out. One is called “Jan 13, 2012″ and the other is “Kiwicha – Jan 22, 2012″. Mike has also started taking videos of the kids involved in their various activities which will also be posted on the blog. The kids have fun watching themselves on YouTube!

If you want, you can click on “request to be notified of new posts” and receive an email whenever we have a new post on the blog.

So, the good news is no more email updates from us! It is now up to you! And yes, we are still doing email and we always like to hear from you.

Hopefully you will find this an easier way to keep up with the various fun things and trips with the kids here at Casa del Aguila and learn a bit more along the way about the culture here in Peru.

Any suggestions for the blog, content or otherwise, would be most welcome. Feel free to forward this to friends.

And thanks again to all of you who continue to purchase or sell the Peru calendars. We also want to thank the Anglican Church Women at St. Thomas Church in Millbrook, the Centreville Presbyterian Women and all the other very generous friends and relatives for their donations that help make a difference for these kids. Thank you!

All the very best to you, Mike and Nancy

“Pure and undefiled religion before God the father is this: to visit the orphans and the widows in their trouble, and to keep onself unspotted from the world.”

James 1:27

A lot of times, JD says, that means being inconvenienced — and that’s something we all should be from time to time. Being uncorrupted by the world means taking the time to stay focused on being Jesus to the world.

Share the love of Jesus in a remote corner of the world, he says, and you’ll be messed up — in a good way! A powerful update. Thanks, JD!

Thank you all our visitors, we really loved having you and look forward to seeing you again.

Mike Gauntt
Executive Director ICM
mikeg.icm@gmail.com

Just as important as the monthly donation, is developing a relationship with these children. Each time I go to Casa del Aguila I try and take letters or photos from our sponsors to their children. If you could only see the excitement and smiles that a simple letter can bring these children. Very often, the children will keep every letter from their sponsors in a treasured place and use them as a reminder that someone very special cares about them. It’s so touching to watch these children get so excited to think that someone cares and loves them just the way they are. Your love, prayers and support will make a wonderful difference in these children’s lives. Children that are abandoned or have no family, start believing that “they don’t matter”. Your prayers and letters help your child know that they matter to someone. The mail service to Peru is not reliable so we try and hand deliver all your letters to your child. To send a letter to your child, please mail them to Mike Gauntt, Executive Director, 30260 Saratoga Lane, Fair Oaks Ranch, Texas 78015. Or you can email them to Mike at mikeg.icm@gmail.com. We will send these letters with the teams to Casa del Aguila on a regular basis.

Since all of the children do not have sponsors, we are trying to be very sensitive in our gift giving to the children. We do not want to create any jealously or hurt feelings among the children. So twice a year we ask for a small donation from the sponsors to buy gifts for the children from their sponsors. This year in July, we received $320 from our sponsors which we used to buy board games for all the houses. That way, all the kids could participate in the gifts and no one would feel left out. The children had so much fun playing the games. Thanks to all our sponsors who sent in extra donations during July! Our plan is to do something similar in December for the kids’ Christmas.
The sponsors of these children are a vital part of the ministry. Through the sponsors’ love and support, these children find hope and encouragement. Best of all, they experience first hand the awesome love of Jesus Christ through their sponsors.

We are returning to Casa del Aguila (CdA) in January 2012 for our fourth winter. Wow, how time flies! Since we started doing volunteer work at CdA, we have kept our focus on the kids and recreational activities for them. The activities help build confidence, leadership skills and cultural awareness for these kids. It is amazing to see how much the children grow from year to year as they sprout up into their teen years. And then there are the 18 year olds that have moved on to university or work-life after completing their high school at Rio Colegio Blanco at CdA. We pray for happy and successful lives for them out there in the bigger world. We are always very touched upon our return to see all the smiling, friendly, familiar faces waiting to greet us.

We really love it at Casa del Aguila…the kids are great, the people are lots of fun to work with and the scenery is spectacular. Our main focus is during the months of January and February when the kids are out of school for their “summer” holidays. In 2011, we took the children on several outings to see some of the highlights in the Sacred Valley area around us. We visited the Quillabamba jungle area, the Salinas (Salt Pans) and the Inka ruins of Machu Picchu. We continue to keep busy hiking, biking and chauffeuring people and supplies, along with continuing to enjoy life at CdA. The days here continue to be full and very rewarding! As the saying goes, the more you give, the more you get back in return.

Thanks again to all who continue to purchase or sell the Peru calendars that we create each year telling the story of the children at CdA. All proceeds from the calendars sold in Canada go directly towards the summer recreation program for the kids. After being able to purchase 20 new bicycles last year, we are now hoping that a few of the mechanically inclined teenaged boys will be able to learn how to maintain the bikes for years to come. And if you look hard enough, you will find dinosaurs in Peru!

Yours in Christ,

Mike and Nancy Kindree

Some recent pictures are below!