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In This Issue:

A Word From Papa Stan!!

Rocsana's Hope Welcomes Rebeca

As Guatemala Loosens, Growth is Coming

Possible New Girls on the Way

Looking Towards Christmas

Making a Difference with Amazon Smile

Thank you so much for taking time to read our update from Rocsana's Hope. I know full well that we all get tons of emails and that it is impossible to read everything that comes our way. So just the act of clicking on this email to read it means so very much to us. By all means take your time and read about all the things that God is doing down here and continue to lift us up in your prayers. If you would like to contact me personally and ask any questions please feel free to do so. My email is stan@rocsanashope.org.

Note- If you do not see the pictures included there is a link at the top of your email that says "External Images are not displayed: Display Now" Make sure to click on that "Display Now" link at the top of your email to see all the pictures.

A Word

from

Papa

Stan

It has been quite a journey, but I am so very excited to be able to say that I AM WRITING THIS LETTER TO YOU FROM GUATEMALA!!! God has been amazing when it comes to answered prayer as we were praying that, 1. The borders of Guatemala would open sooner rather than later, and 2. We would be able to meet all of the requirements in order to reenter Guatemala once that happened.

God is so good as He has answered both of those prayers and allowed me to return. Under doctors orders I am staying for only a month on this particular trip (Thank God for frequent flyer miles), which is also why Denise is not with me on these first few trips. So far I am doing very well and all seems to be doing really good. Once I am back in the US we will be gearing up for our Christmas drive for the girls and starting our buildup towards Giving Tuesday, which this year falls on December 1st, 2020. You will be hearing much more about needs for the girls such as basic clothing, shoes, etc. as we do that buildup. For example, our new girl Rebeca who is so very sweet and mild has come to us with virtually no clothes or shoes at all. Our girls are letting her borrow clothes and such so we would very much like to bless her this year with an actual wardrobe so that she has more than one thing of each to use.

We are finding out that this is the situations with many of the girls that come to us and so God has allowed us to be in a position to help them with not just their futures, but their basic needs as well. Now that things are starting to open here, pray for us as we feel the doors are going to start opening for more girls

Rocsana's Hope Welcomes Rebeca!!!

On Friday, September 25th I was in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania to share about the ministry of Rocsana’s Hope. God has opened many doors in the greater Pittsburgh area as well as other parts of Pennsylvania and so I spent a solid week of just sharing and it kept me busy all day every day. It was awesome.

On that same Friday, our house parents Selvin and Luckey were interviewing this precious young lady as part of the process we take with any young lady who seeks admission into our program. After the interview they sent me some of her basic information and informed me that they thought she would be a great fit into Rocsana’s Hope. I was so very excited but at the same time a little sad because I thought I was not going to be there to receive her when she came. But through lots of prayer and jumping through some hoops to satisfy Guatemala's reentry protocols, I was able to arrive just in time, literally an hour and fifteen minutes before she got here.

Rebeca is a soft hearted young lady with a beautiful smile and a heart of gold. She literally had nowhere to go and no one to help her and the only thing she lacked was the opportunity she will receive here with us to have hope for a bright and promising future. She represents exactly the kind of girls whom God has put on our hearts and why we are doing this much needed work. She cried that first day, as do all of the girls when they first arrive. She has spent the majority of her life in orphanages and came to us from one of the government orphanages Guatemala City. It can be quite emotional for them as they say goodbye to the only past they have known and head into a future that is brand new to them.

It did not take her long to start to feel at home as the very next day she began to really smile and show genuine love and affection that she has never known. We are already in the beginning stages of planning for her future and making decisions regarding her life. Please pray for Rebeca as we help her and that she takes full advantage of being here.

As Guatemala Loosens, Growth is Now Coming

As part of accepting a new girl into our program, I always ask them what they like to eat, or what is their favorite food. They all have different answers and this time with Rebeca was no exception. She did not hesitate to tell me that she liked Ribs, and so I told her “ribs it is”. This has become quite an enjoyable thing to do for our house, especially considering that the girls have been cooped up in the house since March without really having the chance to go anywhere and having to do all of their schooling online.

I asked around with some Guatemalan friends here who informed me that things have just now started to open up a little but of course with precautions. So, following all protocols, we found a restaurant in Antigua called “Monoloco’s” and decided to get them out of the house and take them to eat. It was a real treat for them as they do not get to do anything like this very often. Their normal meals are very small and basic and not extravagant at all.

I also found out that although Rebeca has been born and raised in Guatemala, she had never been to the city of Antigua and so this was her very first experience with that. She thoroughly enjoyed her meal and was just beaming afterwards. Special moments like this that are shared are times that I do not believe the girls will ever forget. Now that things are starting to open up, we are expecting to get more phone calls to receive more girls into the program. This will necessitate several things, especially when the new school year starts in January that we will have to provide for. We truly wish to help as many girls as possible and ask that you continue to pray for us that God will give us the provision we need to help these girls as more and more of them come to Rocsana’s Hope for help and the hope of a better future.

Possible New Girls On The Way

As things continue to go forward, Lucky has informed us that we have been contacted by an orphanage who has two girls that will turn 18 soon and have nowhere to go once they leave their respective orphanages. These girls do NOT know each other but their stories are so very similar that it is scary. Both of these girls are without mother or father to go to but have at least one aunt and uncle to go to. The problem is that BOTH sets of aunts and uncles run prositituion businesses inside Guatemala City and plan to forct these girls to go to work into forced prostitution for them. These girls are TERRIFIED at the thought of this. Another option is to take their chances on the streets and hope for the best, which usually does not come. The sad reality is that these girls are almost sure to live short and miserable lives and never see their 30th birthdays. It is the sad reality of Guatemala

THIS IS WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO. We have not yet found another ministry of our kind in Guatemala that is 100% dedicated to helping girls who are facing their 18th birthday and having to leave their orphanage with no place to go, no one to help them, and with an insufficient education to find a job. As word continues to spread in and around Guatemala about Rocsana’s Hope, more orphanages are reaching out to us and wanting to find out more about what we are about and how we help these girls.
These next girls will turn 18 in November and they are being scheduled for a visit to Rocsana’s Hope very soon and will be interviewed by Selvin and Lucky who will find out all about them, their backgrounds, education leves, dreams, goals, etc. to see if they can be admitted to our program. We pray for wisdom and guidance for every girl and ask God to show us if we can help them. Not all want to be helped or can be, but the ones we can save, we will do all in our power to do so. Pray for wisdom for these decisions

Looking Towards Christmas

         Last year was the very first year some of our girls have ever celebrated Christmas. They did not know what it was like to have Christmas with family, receive presents, and most of all talk and learn about the love of Jesus and who He is. This next year will be the same thing. We will have at least three new girls who have NO IDEA what it is to celebrate Christmas with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and have no clue about receiving gifts. We like to do a very special Christmas time with them and so we will do so again this year.

     This year we are planning on continuing that tradition. In the next few months we will be sharing about about a new and innovative way that you can give our girls and staff a wonderful Christmas that is focused on Christ and Him being the ultimate gift of God. We are in the process of setting all of that up right now so keep watching and please prayerfully participate in giving our staff and girls a Christmas they will never forget.
     Please be praying now about what part He might have you play. If you would like more info please send us an email at the bottom of this letter and we will send you info on how to be involved.

If you are an Amazon Customer, You Can ALREADY help at NO ADDITIONAL COST TO YOU!!!

Guess what? If you are already using Amazong Prime for your personal, family, or business use, then you are already in a situation to help Rocsana’s Hope without it costing you anything at all.

As a way to encourage their customers to continue shopping with Amazong Prime, they now offer to make donations to a Charity of their choice based on the volume of sales they make on a daily or regular basis. This is the most important thing to remember about what Amazon is doing here:

1. Amazon donates .5% or your total purchase to the charity of your choice. It does NOT come from you one bit, nor does it increase the prices of the products you purchase from Amazon by one single penny.

2. Virtually all items that you buy are eligible for purchase throught the Smile Department of Amazon with not a single increase in cost to you. THE CONTRIBUTION IS MADE BY AMAZON, NOT YOU.

3. The Amazon Smile Program is no different than regular Amazona and all comes from the same place with the same logistics, deliveries, prime benefits, the whole works. It is the exact same Amazon that you have always used.

4. There only needs to be one change to make on your Amazon desktop site or phone app and that is to go under the "Smile" portion of Amazon, go throught the process of setting it up, be sure to bookmark the Smile site instead of the regular Amazon Site, and then SHOP AS YOU NORMALLY would.

It is as simple as that. By making this simply change, you can go on about your normal Amazong shopping BUT withthe knowledge that Amazon is NOW making a contribution to the Charity of your choice, namely Rocsana's Hope, with every single purchase you make. No other changes are needed by you. You will recieve every bit of the qualtiy, serive, and prime delivery you have come to expect...but now on your behalf, Amazong will help Rocsana's Hope. Below is a series of instructions on how to set it all up and start being a blessing to Rocsana's Hope by doing your everyday shopping with Amazon. We hope you will join the growing number of people who are helping us in this way.

All of your questions should be answered below:

About AmazonSmile

What is AmazonSmile?

AmazonSmile is a simple way for you to support Rocsana's Hope every time you shop, at no cost to you. AmazonSmile is available at smile.amazon.com on your web browser and can be activated in the Amazon Shopping app for iOS and Android phones. When you shop at AmazonSmile, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added benefit that AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of your eligible purchases to Rocsana's Hope.

How do I shop at AmazonSmile?

To shop at AmazonSmile simply go to smile.amazon.com on your web browser or activate AmazonSmile on your Amazon Shopping app on your iOS or Android phone (found under settings on your app). On your browser, you may also want to add a bookmark to smile.amazon.com to make it even easier to return and start your shopping at AmazonSmile. When you’re using the app, always check for the “AmazonSmile” logo to ensure you’re activated for AmazonSmile.

How do I activate AmazonSmile on my Amazon Shopping app?

AmazonSmile customers on Android devices with version 5.0+ or iOS devices with version 12+, who have upgraded to the latest version of the Amazon Shopping app can find “AmazonSmile” listed in the Settings menu. From there, you can follow onboarding instructions to activate AmazonSmile on your device.

Do I need to renew AmazonSmile?

AmazonSmile renewals happen twice a year to help keep AmazonSmile on mobile app. AmazonSmile will notify you of these renewals via push notifications and through in-app notifications. If you miss a renewal you can reactivate at any time by repeating the steps to “turn on” AmazonSmile on your mobile device. There is no renewal period for browser shopping on AmazonSmile, which you can use anytime by typing ‘smile.amazon.com’ into your browser.

Which products on AmazonSmile are eligible for charitable donations?

Tens of millions of products on AmazonSmile are eligible for donations. You will see eligible products marked “Eligible for AmazonSmile donation” on their product detail pages. Recurring Subscribe-and-Save purchases and subscription renewals are not currently eligible.

Can I use my existing Amazon.com account on AmazonSmile?

Yes, you use the same account on Amazon.com and AmazonSmile. Your shopping cart, Wish List, wedding or baby registry, and other account settings are also the same.

How do I select Rocsana's Hope to support when shopping on AmazonSmile?

On your first visit to smile.amazon.com, you need to select "Rocsana's Hope" to receive donations from eligible purchases before you begin shopping. We will remember your selection, and then every eligible purchase you make through AmazonSmile will result in a donation. AmazonSmile will occasionally contact you about donation amounts disbursed to your chosen charity or about the program.

What charities can I choose from?

You can choose from over one million eligible 501(c)(3) public charitable organizations, including Rocsana's Hope from a list of available charities. When you search, put in "Rocsana's Hope" in Olathe, Kansas as your chosen charitable organization.

How much of my purchase does Amazon donate?
The AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price from your eligible AmazonSmile purchases. The purchase price is the amount paid for the item minus any rebates and excluding shipping & handling, gift-wrapping fees, taxes, or service charges. From time to time, we may offer special, limited time promotions that increase the donation amount on one or more products or services or provide for additional donations to Rocsana's Hope. Special terms and restrictions may apply. Please see the relevant promotion for complete details.

What is the AmazonSmile Foundation?

The AmazonSmile Foundation is a 501(c)(3) private foundation created by Amazon to administer the AmazonSmile program. All donation amounts generated by the AmazonSmile program are remitted by a subsidiary of Amazon.com, Inc. to the AmazonSmile Foundation. In turn, the AmazonSmile Foundation donates those amounts to the charitable organizations selected by our customers. Amazon pays all expenses of the AmazonSmile Foundation; they are not deducted from the donation amounts generated by purchases on AmazonSmile.

How can I learn more about AmazonSmile?

Please see complete AmazonSmile program details .

Rocsana's Hope is 100% dependent upon the generous giving of private people, groups, and organizations in order to operate and carry out its mission. Any help you can give will help us further the cause of helping to save these precious girls in Guatemala and beyond.

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