New (Aug-Oct 2024 Update)

These past three months have been wild and busy. So, so many things have happened. I finally had the time to sit down and write about it all.

This year, for our VBS, we did a Mexican heritage themed one! The kids got to participate in some Mexican classic activities, and they got to learn about their true identity, not just their Mexican identity, but their identity in Jesus. We were able to instill in them that they are who God has made them to be, and that they are special just the way they are. God has made them the way they are on purpose, and they have special purposes and callings that God has designed just for them! Please continue to keep our kids in prayer and for God to keep moving these truths in them. Keep our Saturday Kids Church in your prayers, and that God continues to give us fresh and new ideas that bring the kids closer to Him. Pray for our team to be able to be available and ready for whatever comes our way!

The homework club has been going well! We've been able to help so many kids grow in their grade levels. One of our kids didn't know what his letters were at the beginning of this year. Now, he's reading paragraphs all by himself! We've been seeing ups and downs in numbers and commitment from the parents, so please be in prayer with us in that. God's been helping kids grow when others said they wouldn't!

Be in prayer for our ministry, as many things in ministry have changed. Due to lack of attendance, we had to cut the soccer team down from three different age groups to just one. We also recently suspended the Kids Praise Team and the Kids Discipleship Program because no kids were attending or wanting to attend. We are planning on revisiting these programs come the new year, plus also planning on adding a new program: Teen Church! We've been in prayer for this for months now, and we've been seeing more and more that the teens here need something for them. We were giving them class at the Saturday Kids Church, but it just wasn't the same. Please pray that God provides the funds, material, and staff for all of these things. Please keep in prayer with us for our dream of the Kids Safe Home, along with the whole campus that we want to have. God has instilled in us His huge heart of plans, and we're ready for what He wants us to do!

We also are doing our Annual Christmas Gift List! If you want to sponsor a kid for Christmas, you can do so by clicking here! We will be adding more gifts as soon as we can! Being so busy, it's been hard to get the list together.

The biggest reason why I've been so busy was because I was getting married! Wedding planning is a lot more work than I thought, but we did it! I am now married to the love of my life, Abigail, and we have three amazing children, Alexis, Meredith, and Juanito! Thank you all who have been praying for us, helping us, or both! She's not only the most amazing woman I've ever met, but she has such a huge heart to bless and serve, despite all she's gone through. We're so excited to share our lives together and serve along side one another until Christ returns! Please be in prayer for Abigail and I as we start our marriage journey, and also for Alexis, Meredith, and Juanito, as they are adjusting to a whole new lifestyle. Also pray for us and Chava, who we will be receiving in our home at the end of this month!

As our family is a large one (and I've been living on my own for 13+ years), we are in need of things a large family needs, like beds for the kids and dressers. The kids didn't have beds where they lived before, so they are currently are all sleeping in one full-size bed together. We are also honestly in need of a bigger house. After not been able to find the correct house for rent, we are praying to be able to build our own house, which, thankfully, does not cost no where near as much like in the U.S. We are doing our best to get money together to buy them these things by working extra jobs, but if you would like to donate to help us with this, you can do so through Zelle (daniel.ratz92@gmail.com) or by clicking here. Anything helps!

So many crazy awesome things are happening with us. I know that with having a family, ministry is going to skyrocket to a whole new level. I'm so thankful to know that I have their support in everything. If you have any questions regarding what I mentioned in this update, or would like to help in any way, may that be coming down for a missions trip or donating goods or becoming a monthly partner, please feel free to reach out to me on Facebook! We thank you all, and we love you all so much!

"The man who finds a wife finds a treasure, and he receives favor from the Lord." - Proverbs 18:22

"Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him." - Psalm 127:3

"And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up." - Deuteronomy 6:6-7