Welcome to Nuevo Reto
About Us
Pastor Jacob (BIO)
Pastor Jacobo Castillo is an ordained minister with Youth Challenge International. Pastor Jacobo was born in Guatemala city on July 19, 1962. The second of seven kids. His parents were not professionals, so he had to learn from the very beginning to live in an atmosphere of extreme poverty. Because of lack of finances, Pastor Jacobo and his other three brothers and three sisters could not attend school on a regular basis. Instead, he had to help his parents to do some elementary jobs like selling vegetables in the streets to survive. A generous lady who was one of their customers motivated them to go back to school. She paid for school fees and school supplies to help Pastor Jacobo and his older brother to go back to school. She also used to help with some used clothes and from time to time even some food. Pastor Jacobo gave his life to the Lord when he was 19 years old. He persevered in a Christian church for four years, serving in different areas as: Sunday school teacher, youth leader and as a deacon. In the mean time, he went to Bible school where he received a call from God to serve him as a full time minister.
In 1986, he started serving the Lord with Youth Challenge International in Guatemala, as a Christian counselor, Bible teacher and then Director of the Men's program for drug addicts and alcoholics. He also conducted a radio program and evangelistic crusades to reach young people involved in drugs and alcohol and gangs as well.
Pastor Jacob was moved with compassion, as he saw the suffering of the kids living in the streets of Guatemala. In 1991, he and his small church (Glory Chapel) started Nuevo Reto, a ministry dedicated to reach some of the 5,000 kids living in the streets of Guatemala city. Pastor Jacobo Castillo is married to Nidia, a schoolteacher and they are the parents of Ada Eunice and Pablo Raśl. They are national workers with a vision to reach their own people in Guatemala with the love of Jesus.
Youth Challenge International
Youth Challenge International is a Christian organization dedicated to reaching people with Life controlling problems such as alcoholism, drug addiction, delinquency, and other troubled youth by means of programs of rehabilitation and other evangelistic ministries. Youth Challenge International is a ministry that gives covering to ministers, missionaries, churches and para-church ministries.
YCI main offices are located in Hartford, CT. Phone: (860) 547-1561, email: ycimary@mindspring.com
"We at Youth Challenge International are encouraged with the great things the Lord has done. Remember, we are living in a crucial and important time in history. Souls are being saved and changed by the power of God. Our affiliated ministries continue to grow in large proportions. The Lord has opened doors for us to have residential centers for drug addicts, homes for street children, feeding programs, restoration training centers, churches and schools of ministry which are accredited by respected educational institutions".
Bishop Raul Gonzalez President Youth Challenge International
Nuevo Reto Vision
Nuevo Reto (New Challenge) is a Christian ministry to reach the street children in Guatemala. Founded in 1991 with the vision of rescuing kids from the streets and helping them to grow in a Christian family atmosphere and in an environment where they can feel safe. Nuevo Reto is one more effort of Youth Challenge International, to minister to some of the most needy of Guatemala, especially the children that for various reasons have become abandoned in the streets.
Our Inspiration: To offer hope to the misfortunate children wandering in the streets. For some of them it is due to lack of parental attention, others have been orphaned, and others have run away from abusive home environments. All of these children are left unprotected to face a world full of violence and crime in the streets where many of them have lost their lives.
Our Mission:
- To rescue children who survive by begging in the streets, in an environment where they are exposed to drug addiction and other dangerous consequences.
- To help to reestablish their lives based on the Biblical Principals of love and concern for others.
- To provide adequate nourishment and formal education.
- To show the love of Jesus in their lives, preparing them to become men and women who will live their lives according to the will of God.
Reaching the Now Generation
Nuevo Reto is a ministry of hope for boys and girls who along their childhood had a sad experience and lack spiritual, moral and economic support from their families. The streets of Guatemala have served as a refuge to these youngsters who for different reasons cannot establish a relationship with their families and at the same time face a world of violence and crime because they have no one to turn to for refuge, love and understanding. What kind of future can the street kids look forward to if instead of attending school they have to struggle to survive daily life? What is their hope if they have to face danger and rejection in the streets instead of being loved and educated? Nuevo Reto is an answer to these questions that kids who dare to live in the streets may ask themselves day to day.
History and Milestones
In 1999, the Lord impressed on my heart the need to get properties for the ministry. At that time, we were still running the ministry in a rental house, a four-bedroom house that used to be our house, the church building, the children's home and the office of YCI in Central America. We did find the land for the Nuevo Reto building but we did not have the money to purchase.
I remember the day I went to talk with the owner of the land and agreed to buy the property from her. I did not have any money in my pocket or in our bank account. The owner wanted the money within a week and I promised to get the money for her. The day came when we had to finalize the deal and we still did not have the $5200.00. I prayed and said: "Lord, you do not make any mistakes. I did by promising to buy with no money, just give me grace before this lady that she may understand I was walking by faith. I decided to meet with her, take her for lunch and explain her I was giving steps of faith when I promised to purchase the land from her. The problem was, she was not a believer and I felt kind of embarrassed. Four hours before I met with her that day, I friend of mine, another minister who was also in the process of saving some money to buy a property for his own ministry heard of our situation and with no documents to sign, lent me the money with no interests and with six months of grace.
That was the first of many miracles. Six months later, the Lord provided to pay the property in full. In 2001, we were obligated to start building since the first building team would arrive during the summer to help with the construction. We launched on a project of $150,000.00, by faith. No savings, no pledges, only the promise of God who gave us the assurance of his provision. All we dared was to provide a house that will dignify the street kids. A place to be called "home".
An architect friend warned us: "Do not start building unless you have 60% of the budget". We did start in June 2001 with only 7% of the budget. Five years later, actually in November 2006, by the grace of God and after many, many "special provisions from the Lord" and his people; the Lord brought to completion the dream of having a beautiful building worth $200,000.00 with enough room to house at least 40 kids under the age of twelve, room for staff and all of the commodities needed.
In April 2006, the Lord blessed us with a second property for Nuevo Reto to build the second phase, a house for boys older than twelve. Our first projections tell us that with $60,000.00, we could build a nice beautiful building for those boys who have persevered with us and have accomplished goals as: beings successful with their elementary school, attended faithfully to the church and are now getting ready to face their youth.
Templo de la Gloria (Glory Chapel) Since we started in 1991, the Lord gave us the vision of becoming a very unusual church. We had very clear in our hearts that before having a nice church building we had to put every effort to provide a nice home for the street kids. Every time we had the opportunity to pray for the church I had in my heart the assurance that the day would come when the Lord would make a way for us to have a place for worship. We committed ourselves to not even think on getting a piece of land or purchasing a building for the church without first making every effort to bless our street kids, so we committed as a church to pray, give and work very hard toward the goal of providing a home for the kids.
In 2003, the Lord moved us to give another step of faith: to donate for the church a property, a piece of land that the Lord had provided for our family to build a home. Now, a beautiful building is being built on that land, a very strategic area, surrounded by some other neighborhoods. We are still a very small congregation but with faith to grow and willingness to work. In 2006, we launched the challenge to start building the church building, and by the grace of God and the faithfulness of his people, we are about 50% of completion for a place of worship for at least 250 people. We need only $20,000.00 to reach the goal.
There are no words to explain the favor of God over our lives and the excitement we have to see the hand of the Lord working on our behalf. Last year (2006) the Lord blessed Glory Chapel Kids (our children ministry in the church) with a beautiful piece of land were we will be building in the near future a Worship Center for the kids in the area. As a family we are so grateful to our Lord and Savior because he has been so faithful to us. All of these years have been a time to learn, an opportunity to know the Lord as our provider, our help and our protector. Last year, the Lord opened doors for us to move to a brand new house, 3 bedrooms, kitchen, living room, and a very nice yard. It has been the fulfillment of the promise of God through my Pastor, Bishop Raul Gonzalez, who at the very beginning said to me: "Pastor Jacob, you build the house of the Lord and he will build you a house for you and your family", Alleluia, Yes! It is done! God is good!
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