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| Emily with orphans from Guatemala |
Local Senior at Indian Rocks Christian School is
trying to make a difference in the lives of orphans in Guatemala. Her name is Emily
Speicher. She is working hard to raise money to help build a house for 15
orphans in Guatemala. When Speicher turned 17 she posted on her
Facebook page that all she wanted from her friends and family was for them to donate
to her project Casa Santiago. Speicher fell in love with the kids in Guatemala
in the summer of 2008 when she visited an orphanage there called Casa Angelina.
Speicher was on a mission trip with the ministry team out of Colorado called
What Matters Ministries and Missions. In June of 2012, she went back to
Guatemala and actually stayed in one of the homes with 15 little girls. Speicher says “She felt her calling at that
time that she needed to help build another home for the children.” This home
would be called Casa Santiago coming from the verse James 1:27 (Santiago 1:27
in Spanish) It says religion that God sees as faultless and pure is to take
care of the orphaned and widowed, and to keep oneself from being conformed to
the world. Casa Santiago would be a house at the Casa Angelina orphanage.
Speicher has gone to visit the orphans four times
already. Most recently this summer on an internship when she stayed for a little over a month. Speicher says, “I can’t do it alone
and need others to help make this happen.” She has a website donated to raising
funds for this new home which would give 15 more orphans a home. So far she has
about $1,000 but needs to raise $78,000.
The Casa Angelina orphanage in Guatemala was founded
by Ivan and Kimberly Tait form Colorado Springs, Colorado. They run a ministry
in Colorado called What Matters Ministries and Missions with the mission of
rescuing the widowed and orphaned and feeding the poor. Casa Angelina is about
40 miles outside of Guatemala City on the mountainside. Speicher says the
orphanage is a very loving environment. “There are two house parents to each
house and a maximum of 15 children in each house. It’s like a big family,”
added Speicher.
At the orphanage they
have a school building, feeding center, soccer field, medical clinic,
basketball court, playground and several homes, but they still need more homes
built.Casa Santiago Website Click on website to get flyer to bring to Chick-fil-a
You can also visit the Casa Santiago Facebook Site
Check out articles about Emily's mission in the Tampa Tribune and the Tampa Bay Newspapers
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