Betsy Blanchard

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Prayer Letter/Ministry Update

Important News from Spain

Dear Friends,
I am a bit horrified to find that my last update was just before Christmas! So much has happened since then. I apologize for the long delay.

Here is a summary from December to now of activities at Cinderella.s House- an extremely busy season!
January: Attended an abolition conference in Kansas City sponsored by Exodus Cry, makers of the Christian documentary, Nefarious- Merchant of Souls. An opportunity to hear from ministries around the world working in restoration. A wonderful time of prayer and encouragement.
Late January: Defining the budget for Cinderella.s House. Another process requiring FAITH! Thanks to ALL who have given thus far to allow this vision to become a reality! Thank you for faithfully giving to the Great Commission Fund for my monthly support. And thank you for supporting Cinderella’s House, through the approved special with the same name. For tax deductible giving, clearly designate your gifts through this link https://secure.cmalliance.org/give/
February 5th: Linda Strecker (serving with marketplace ministries) arrives, joining the team to cover night shift when the house opens.
February 9th:Training course for our volunteers is held at a local church with 50 people in attendance! 45 signed up to volunteer at the house! WOW!!! God is SO faithful!
Feb & March: Continue pushing forward, despite Ceci.s being unwell in this season. Interview and choose our Spanish social worker, Belen. Linda settles into her new apartment and buys a car. Susan our permanent part time volunteer spends nearly a month with us, helping in SO MANY ways!
Visit from our Acting Field Director to assess where we are in the project and analyze together options re our future, especially since Ton and Agnes decide, after a six month break, that they will not continue working with us at Cinderella.s House. Sad to see them go. They leave a big gap! Pray for them in their next step of ministry.
Ceci takes a medical leave, to spend at least a month in Malaga for recuperation. Another big gap!
Interviews with our Christian volunteers are carried out, and plan a ‘dry run’ for further training.
Conversation and visit with 2 women who ran a similar ministry in the north, help as advisors for our start-up season. Thank the Lord for their encouragement!
Linda has a fast trip to the US to pick up her visa, approved in a miraculously short time!
April 1st: Belen officially begins working with us 20 hours a week
April 8-14th: We will hold our Dry Run at the house, involving the staff and all our volunteers, and our 2 advisors, and YOU, our prayer warriors!

This Dry Run is for the purpose of allowing our volunteers to get to know the staff, the house and the activities we will carry out. It will also provide a time for questions and answers, some planning and scheduling and MUCH time in Prayer!!!

What’s next??? GRAND OPENING, of course! Our starting date is set for April 25th!!!

This is a BIG step of faith, since we continue to be short-handed. Agnes was to be our house manager, which would have involved the administrative activities to keep the house running smoothly. We do not yet have anyone to fill this big need. And, we aren’t sure when Ceci will be well enough to join us again. She has carried many responsibilities. But her main area after start-up is Pastoral Care/Pastoral Counseling, another very important area of our project. So we continue to depend on your prayers!

As I have shared in most of my letters, we have known moments of great frustration and discouragement, as our Adversary has pushed against us in ever-increasing ways, with each step we’ve taken. I imagine that will not change. I recently read a devotional thought in Streams in the Desert by Mrs. L.B. Cowman (Zondervan), and it expresses some important thoughts on this front:

The Adversary attempts to push people toward despair and hopelessness… We need to better understand these attacks of the Enemy on our spirit and how to resist them. If he can dislodge us from our proper position, he then seeks to wear out the saints of the Most High (Dan. 7:25) through a prolonged siege, until we finally, out of sheer weakness, surrender all hope of victory. (pg. 142 or April 4th)

You have been so faithfully partnering with us, and we are so grateful! We have come through a prolonged siege, but we will NOT surrender! We will walk into the thick of the battle because our King and Commander is leading us on, goes before, encamps around us, provides the rear guard, and His Banner over us is Love!
And He is calling us, in the words of a good friend (thanks Tim!), to be Yoke Breakers:

Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?

Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. ~Isa. 58:3-8

Dear praying friends, the battle is just beginning! Please do not stop praying for all those involved in Cinderella.s House! We desperately need you, as we help women leaving sexual slaver/prostitution!

As we open our doors, your financial support will supply the physical needs of this ministry. But your PRAYERS will sustain and uphold us and give us the victory as Yoke Breakers!

Holding on for the victory!
Betsy Blanchard

Prayer Requests/Answers to Prayer

How to Pray for Cinderella.s House:

1. Pray for our new volunteers, who will be joining us for a Dry Run this week (April 8-14)

2. Pray for Cecilia Castro, on sick leave at this time.

3. Thank the Lord for Linda Strecker, our night time carer, a great answer to prayer!
4. Thank the Lord for Belen, our Spanish social worker, a lovely believer.
5. Pray for our opening on April 25th, and for the first woman who will come to the house. We don't know who she is, but God knows her and desires to set her free!

Thank you for joining me on this journey of faith as we Live the Call Together...

I count on your PRAYERS! They are my lifeline!

Spain

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