Sharing the holidays with our families at Casa del Lago
The spirit of love and community shines brightly each holiday season at Casa del Lago. The shared warmth of friendship and the deep bonds of faith fill our space with joy and hope. This season, more than ever, we cherish celebrating the birth of our Savior with our Casa families. The story of Victor and Mariana’s family beautifully reflects what makes Casa special during this time of year—a place where everyone feels connected, supported, and experiences the welcoming love of God.
But to us, our favorite thing about Christmas is celebrating the birth of our Savior with our Casa friends and families.
Victor and Mariana’s family are one of many celebrating the holidays with us this year, and we are blessed to share this special season with them. Mariana says that her time at Casa enriched her faith and deepened her family’s relationship with Christ, because “we’re following the right path to God, and it's good for us—good for our family.”
Their family started participating in Casa del Lago’s programming four years ago when they enrolled their middle daughter in our Early Childhood Education (ECE) program. The program utilizes a structured early childhood education curriculum to address pre-literacy deficits while instilling a love of learning in each child through hands-on activities like crafts, games, and group play.
By the time their daughter was ready for Pre-K 4, Mariana says she “already knew her vowels and numbers and colors, so the new school was very easy for her.”
Victor smiles when he adds that because of ECE, their daughter was well ahead of her classmates by the time she got to kindergarten
“She knew colors and numbers, and she spoke English and Spanish too—she was very clear!”
Shortly after Victor and Mariana enrolled their middle daughter in ECE, Victor began participating in ESL-2 classes, where he began learning verb tenses and other parts of speech that enhanced his English comprehension. The feedback from teachers was valuable, he says, because he wanted to perfect his English—these small suggestions from his instructors made a “big difference, and I’m speaking more English today.”
Both Victor and his oldest daughter volunteered their time this summer to help with Casa del Lago’s Summer at the Lake, our summer reading enrichment camp designed to help kids practice their literacy skills and participate in a variety of fun recreational activities.
Mariana, too, was a longtime volunteer at Casa del Lago, helping in the adult ESL classes after she enrolled her middle daughter in the ECE program. Two years ago, she became a classroom teacher’s assistant in ECE.
“My transition to being a teacher’s assistant was a lot of change, because it was something new for me. But I’m learning a lot from the kids and from the staff—it’s an amazing staff, and it’s a comfortable environment. It has been a wonderful experience.”
Victor and Mariana’s youngest daughter is four years old. Being one year removed from her time in ECE, she is already impressing her teachers at her new school thanks to her skills gained at Casa del Lago.
Every member of Victor and Mariana’s family benefitted in some way from the Casa del Lago’s programming, and they are a vital part of our Casa community. We are honored to be able to serve these families because of the support of volunteers, friends, and community partners.
For over 10 years, our mission has been to demonstrate God’s love by equipping the families of Bachman Lake to face the educational, spiritual, and material challenges in their lives—and we can’t wait to see what God has in store for our families in the Next 10.
“When you come to Casa del Lago,” says Victor, “you come to a place with people you know. Because when you come here, everyone knows you.”
“It feels like family,” Mariana adds.
“And that,” he says, smiling at Mariana, “is a really good thing.”
At Casa del Lago, we envision a vibrant Bachman Lake community filled with active disciples of Christ who are leading community-wide transformation. Because of the generosity of friends and donors like you, we are able to provide wraparound support to our Casa del Lago families.
Your continued support enriches the lives of our families, and this year, we invite you to consider making a year-end gift to help more families thrive. Your gift, in any amount, will create more opportunities for families like Victor and Mariana’s. Please make your gift by clicking here or the link below!
