A lot has been happening lately in the lives of the Mercado family.  Two of the three kids (Beverly and Kessler) are doing very well in school.  Byron, on the other hand, is struggling a bit with adjusting.  The school recommended that Olga find a psychologist to help him with what he is going through.  His behavior hasn’t been the best and he tends to be very shy and withdrawn even from people he knows.  Please pray that they are able to find a suitable psychologist to help Byron and patience and guidance for Olga as she does her best to care for him.

Olga continues to grow as a leader in the church’s Celebrate Recovery ministry.  She has also recently begun a relationship with one of the other leaders in the church working in the men’s side of Celebrate recovery.  He has liked her for sometime but with the guidance of the church leadership, he waited almost 9 months in prayer and seeking God’s will for the two of them.  We celebrate this new step in Olga’s life as it signifies her growth and recovery from her past!  Please pray for them as they continue to grow together and in the Lord seeking His will for their lives together.

The church had been employing Olga to help them cook twice a day to care for the 30+ people they feed each meal.  Unfortunately, the church’s outside support has been cut back due to financial hardship and they can no longer afford to employ her.  This gives Olga an opportunity to reach out and start her own business!  Before, she had her own business making tortillas, but she says that it is a grueling job that leaves her with no energy or time to spend with her kids.  Since she is originally from Honduras, she is thinking about starting her own business making authentic foods from Honduras, which will be a niche of which Linda Vista doesn’t have much exposure. Pray for wisdom, guidance, and courage for Olga to step out and do what is necessary to start this new venture and take another step into becoming self-sustainable.

Olga celebrated her birthday on May 10th!

One of the biggest obstacles Olga has had is getting her papers in order.  One of the reasons she has had trouble finding work is that her papers from Honduras are a mess as a result of being sold into slavery at a young age.  She has multiple identities, no real proof of birth, nor does she have proof that her three children are hers.  This will become an issue as the kids get older and start seeking jobs themselves as well.  The church along with our missionaries in Guatemala are working with her to help her sort this out.  Unfortunately, it means she will have to travel to Honduras for periods of time (a week or more) to try and sort this out.  This creates a financial burden not just because she won’t be able to work for that time, but travel expenses as well as any legal fees she will have to pay will be an issue.  Please pray for God’s guidance in how to proceed so Olga can obtain the paperwork she needs.