Last year, Arrow Outreach's Starfish Scholarship Program provided scholarships to 154 students for a total of $31,950.  This year, we have 183 students (19% increase) with a program funding requirement of $43,650 (37% increase).  We recently received a generous grant from North Park Presbyterian Church of Dallas, and so once again we are able to sponsor every child, something we've been able to do every year since the inception of this program!  We have 12 students in University, 42 in High School and 129 in Middle School. 

You might ask why our funding requirement has increased significantly more than our number of students.  This is because of the great success of this program.  The majority of our students in Middle School are progressing on to High School and some go from there to University!  This is something that these families never before dreamed of happening, but something that is now a reality for them.  The costs of High School and University are quite a bit higher than those of Middle School, and so our scholarships are greater.

With all the violence that is happening in Ciudad Juárez, it is hard to imagine the difficult conditions faced by these students each day.  They need our support more than ever. The forecast next school year (2011-2012) is 204 students requiring $53,400.  So keep your donations for the Scholarship Program coming, allowing us to continue to sponsor all the children during the next school year.

Since that time the Lord has opened a door in the town of Sauzal, located four miles west of the Tocando Puertas Center. Pastor Jesus checked with us and we reviewed his new operational proposal and gave a green light at our September Arrow Board meeting to begin operations in Sauzal. The mayor of Sauzal gave Pastor Jesus use of two facilities. One, a building where he has reopened a clinic to that community and also is serving the elderly of the area with general health care and training. A second larger facility has become the home to the accelerated education program for kids ages first grade through High School. Classes are offered in English, computer training, math, social studies and arts and crafts. Adult classes are also being conducted in most of these disciplines. 70 adults weekly are in programs and 45 children are in the youth education programs.

Additionally the Feeding Program is serving roughly 300 hot meals per week and they are doing clothing distribution.

The operation at Tocando Puertas is on hold. The local drug gang that has been terrorizing the Loma Blanca region has apparently been chased from the area after their leader and several members were killed by one of the Cartels in a shootout across the street from Tocando Puertas. At the moment no other gang presence has returned. Pastor Jesus wants to wait until January to see if things quiet down and then if possible begin church services and activities again.

In the midst of a failing city, God is continuing to use Jesus and Lety to bring hope. When all of this works its way through, there may be two separate ministries in that area and God will have multiplied the ministry.