A Fences for Orphans update:

• We’ve completed several small projects in the last month amounting to approximately $1,600.00 in donations to the Hince Village in Haiti. Hince is the village Life Point Church in Plano TX has adopted in Haiti through The Global Orphan Project. Thanks again to our volunteers and homeowners.
• We’ve sold two larger projects that we will be starting next week. Stay tuned for volunteer opportunities.
• Although things have been slow lately, we have been busy issuing quotes. We have numerous very promising quotes in the works. I feel like we have a water balloon that’s just about ready to burst. Get ready for the flood!

 A Costa Rica update:

• Our March trip is firming up. We have 12 awesome trip participants signed up and eager to go. They started their pre-trip assignments today.
• We also now have a flickr account with all our past Costa Rica trip pictures. Check it out to ‘see’ what’s been happening. http://www.flickr.com/photos/matrixcostarica.

 A Haiti update:

• Our February trip to Haiti is set. We have four awesome participants going to Haiti with us.
• This is going to be an awesome trip. We all can’t wait to see what God has in store for us. Stay tuned for our trip reports. We leave in just over 3 weeks.
• This is an exploratory trip of sorts so please pray that we see and hear what God’s involvement for us in Haiti going forward.

The Timothy Project :

As you may know, Matrix Ministries was started to be a ‘matrix’ of ministries – whatever God wants us involved in, we’re open. One ministry God put on my heart way back in the beginning of MM was to offer college aged children of foreign pastors the opportunity to come to the United States, attend a community college, earn an associate’s degree, and then return to their own country to serve God in whatever role He has called them to. Many students in foreign countries don’t have the opportunity to attend college in their home town/country. Offering this ministry is a way to reward foreign pastor’s and their families for the many sacrifices they’ve made, and faithfulness they shown, in shepherding God’s people in difficult situations.

We have our first candidate.   She is 22 years old, very sweet, and fully bi-lingual.   She would like to move to the US for 1 year to strengthen her English even more before seeking a job as a teacher. She would like to work as an intern in a professional environment while in the US. She is very mature, good with computers, and learns quickly.

We have two asks of you:

1)   The Timothy Project needs to be fleshed out. If you have: 

• experience with students,
• experience with foreign students,
• experience with foreign employees,
• a gift at figuring out processes,
• a gift in administration,
• or, you are just interested in getting involved in this ministry,

PLEASE contact me as soon as possible. We need to put this ministry together as soon as possible.

2)   If you are interest in adopting, financially and/or relationally, students in The Timothy Project,  

PLEASE contact me as soon as possible.   God is good, all the time! 

 That’s it for now. Please continue to pray for us and the ministry. God continues to move in amazing ways and we are excited to be a part. Thank you for partnering with us as well.

How God guided and blessed Fences for Orphans in 2011

 Some highlights of our year:

• We completed 37 Fences for Orphans (FFO) projects.
• We donated just over $34,000.00 to help build orphanages in Haiti, Uganda, and Mexico.
• We donated just over $13,000.00 to help fund a student center and other projects for a partner church in Atenas, Costa Rica.
• We established ministry partnerships in Costa Rica with two orphanages; Hogar de Vida and Casa de Casey, a local church; Iglesia Biblica, and a local ministry; The Brook Ministries.
• We conducted three 10 day mission trips to Costa Rica.
• We participated in the Grand Opening of Casa de la Cultura Student Center for Iglesia Biblica in Atenas, Costa Rica.
• We partnered with The Global Orphan Project for one mission trip to Haiti.
• We established our first US church partnership with LifePoint Church in Plano, TX.
• We have started conversations for a second US church partnership.
• We now have four additional volunteer staff members: a Costa Rica Coordinator, a Haiti Coordinator, a Volunteer Coordinator, and a Web Master.  
• We have our first ‘paid’ employee, along with a contracted Crew Chief.
• We began conducting monthly ‘staff meetings’ to better coordinate our activities. (I know that doesn’t sound exciting, but to a growing ministry – it is).
• We purchased a truck for FFO.
• We greatly increased the FFO volunteer network.
• We participated in Celebrate Freedom, the largest Christian concert in America, to sponsor their Children’s Tent and enlisted volunteers.
• We conducted our first radio advertisement on KLTY, the most listened to Christian radio station in America.
• And, lots of detail between the lines.

 Our staff is full of anticipation and excitement as we get ready for 2012. We already have two mission trips planned for the spring of 2012, and are talking with other groups about summer trips. In February we will travel back to Haiti to visit orphanages where FFO funds have been used to help take care of orphans. In March we will travel back to Atenas, Costa Rica to work with Hogar de Vida, Iglesia Biblica, and The Brook for projects at Hogar de Vida and Iglesia Biblica. We will also partner with Iglesia Biblica for a city-wide project in Atenas. (Both trips are going to be very exciting.) We will continue to seek ways to grow FFO for increased volunteer and ministry impact. We have plans to redesign our web pages (FFO and MM). And, we would love to bring our Crew Chief on as a paid employee, and move forward with additional paid employees as we grow the ministry.

 2011 has been our best year yet at Matrix Ministries, but we need your help as we continue to run through the doors of opportunity God opens for us.

Please know that your faithful partnership is making a difference. I can hardly wait to see how the Lord will continue to transform lives through Matrix Ministries and our partnerships (including you) in 2012!

If you would like to send your gift by check please send it to:

 You can also use our convenient PayPal online donation button at www.MatrixMinistries.org.  Fence for Orphans is a registered DBA of Matrix Ministries Corp.

 P.S. You are invited to come with us to Haiti and/or Costa Rica. Please let me know ASAP if you are interested. We are still looking/needing help to accomplish our objectives for the Costa Rica projects. We need you! 

Have a happy New Year, and may God bless you greatly in 2012.  

Ray & the MM Staff.

How can a fence in DFW affect students in Costa Rica?

It is so amazing to see how volunteers building fences in DFW backyards can be used to impact lives in around the world. 

In March, while on a mission trip to Atenas Costa Rica, Matrix Ministries Corp (MM – the parent not-for-profit company of Fences for Orphans (FFO)) was asked if they would be interested in helping build a new student center (Casa de la Cultura) building at a local church (Iglesia Biblica El Cordero de Dios) there.  After a short time of prayer, we accepted the offer.   Once back in the US, FFO started asking homeowners if they wanted to designate their funds to Casa de la Cultura.  Several accepted, and over the course of the next several FFO projects approximately half the funds needed for the new building were raised.  In July and August, MM took two teams of volunteers back to Atenas to help build Casa de la Cultura.   

On Saturday, Oct 1, Iglesia Biblica conducted the grand opening of Casa de la Cultura.  Yesterday, Oct 11 we received word that Iglesia Biblica had announced to the community that it would start conducting English as a second language classes in Casa de la Cultura.  20 students signed up immediately. 

Casa de la Cultura will also be offering a safe environment for student to do homework using Casa de la Cultura computers.  Steve Lucas, a US pastor in Costa Rica who attends Iglesia Biblica and was instrumental in the construction of Casa de la Cultura, recently came to the US to collect donated IT equipment for Casa de la Cultura.  Sunday, Oct 10, Steve returned to Casa de la Cultura with four new laptops, a printer, and a router.  He says they should have the Internet center up and running very soon.

Before the Student Center no productive activity existed in Atenas for students in the community.  Now, they already have 20 students signed up for English classes! Amazing! What a great outreach …and that it is already happening is such a blessing.

God is so faithful.  When He calls us and we respond, He does some amazing things.  A big thank you to our FFO homeowners, FFO volunteers, MM mission trip participants, and our partners in Costa Rica.

Ray Young

President, Matrix Ministries