July 4, 2005

Dearest friends,

It's hard to believe that it is almost July. It seems as though we were just planning Christmas the other day. We are all doing great, and we hope that each one of you is doing fine also.

The last few months, we have gotten to see many of our friends from the States here at the Alpha and Omega home. We have also had the privilege to make many new friends. The groups that have been here have been a blessing to us and to the home. Each group that has come has donated time and money to make the home look nicer and make it a more comfortable, better place to be. Rooms and hallways are being painted, roofs are being replaced, bathrooms are being remodeled; things are looking nicer. We want to thank many people who have given to these projects, and also thank those who have given for many things which we use daily, such as: silverware, aprons, window screens, and kitchen hair nets. The groups that have come here have done lots of evangelism in many schools and at many mission points. In addition to visiting the mission point churches, school programs give us the opportunity to reach many more people. This is great for the mission work there. We are planning on building a new building for the church in that city.

School is out for a fifteen day break. Many of the kids have done very well this semester. Since we have a lot of children here at the home, there are always some challenges from school. This is because most of them come with little desire to study. Some of the most problematic kids are actually some of our smartest kids. It keeps us busy trying to keep their minds busy and out of trouble. To close the semester, we had a full day of special activities and presentations.

This month will be a little different from normal because Amelia and Kathy will be going to the States for the birth of the first grandbaby. Kathy Lee and Dan will have their first baby at the end of July.

Once again we want to thank everyone for their prayer and support, and we ask that you continue to pray for God's wisdom in this ministry, and for the children as their lives are being changed.

In Christ,

Odali and Kathy Barros