Casa Bernabé welcomed a new pastor, Christian Santa Cruz, and his family in January of this year. Their arrival was the culmination of a story years in the making, and as a family they answered the call to serve the kids and staff at Casa Bernabé and live on campus as part of the community.
Along with their daughters, Ana Rebeca and Annelize, Christian and Ruth have embraced this calling wholeheartedly. From Sunday worship and youth group to prayer meetings and visits with house parents, they have spent their first year finding ways to encourage, equip, and walk alongside the Casa Bernabé community.
But their story with Casa Bernabé began long before this year.
Christian first came to Casa Bernabé when he was 21, serving as a house helper while studying marketing. During those three years, God began calling him to full-time ministry. He went on to serve as a youth pastor at a church in Guatemala City, where he met Ruth, and the two later spent ten years as missionaries in Zacapa in eastern Guatemala.
After returning to Guatemala City, Christian joined Casa Bernabé’s public relations department in 2023. He thought he might be stepping away from full-time ministry for a season. Instead, God began opening a different door.
When the opportunity arose for Christian and Ruth to become the campus pastors, they weren't immediately sure they were ready to move again. They had just returned from years of missionary service and were reluctant to uproot their family once more. Christian prayed that if this was what God wanted for them, He would make the way clear.
Over time, the doors opened, and they recognized the opportunity as an answer to prayer. In December, the family moved onto campus, and Christian and Ruth officially began serving as pastors the following January.
For Ruth, the connection to Casa Bernabé goes back even further in a different way. At 23, she was going through a deeply painful season after the death of her sister. She was struggling with God and with her own sense of purpose when Flory Herrera, a social worker and eventual Director of Casa Bernabé, invited her to spend time at the ministry.
The children and their stories made a lasting impression on her. Through Casa Bernabé, Ruth says, God gave her a new reason to live and helped her see that He still had a purpose for her life.
At the time, she had no idea that Christian was also serving at Casa Bernabé. They met later through their church, married, and continued serving together. Years later, God would bring them both back to the place that had already played such an important role in Ruth’s life.
One of the most personal parts of Christian and Ruth’s story is how God built their family. They had hoped to have biological children and adopt later, but after being told they could not have children biologically, they faced a future that looked different from what they had imagined.
Around that time, a baby girl needed a family. Through their connection to Casa Bernabé, Christian and Ruth learned about her situation. Ruth initially struggled with the decision, feeling that saying yes to adoption meant giving up on the dream of having a biological child.
Christian gently reminded her of Matthew 19:14, where Jesus welcomes the little children, and Matthew 6:33, which calls believers to seek God's kingdom first. He encouraged her to consider that perhaps God was answering her prayers in a way she hadn't expected.
They decided to adopt the baby girl, whom they named Ana Rebeca. And in a turn they never could have anticipated, Ruth discovered that she was pregnant at the same time. Their second daughter, Annelize, was born soon afterward.
The family sees both daughters as gifts from God and their story as a reminder that His plans don't always look the way we expect.
Years later, Ana Rebeca felt called to give back to the place that had helped shape her life. She returned to Casa Bernabé as a house helper, serving in the same house where she had once lived as a child. Her own story helped her connect with girls who initially struggled to understand how she could relate to their experiences. As she shared more of her story, those relationships began to change.
Today, Ana Rebeca is attending a ministry school and hopes of serving women who have experienced abuse, including women whose stories resemble that of her biological mother. It is a powerful example of something Christian hopes to see in every child at Casa Bernabé: that their past does not have to define their future, and that God can use their stories to help others.
During their first year as pastors, Christian and Ruth have brought energy and new opportunities for connection throughout campus. Sara Salguero describes the family as a tremendous blessing and points to the many ways they have invested in the community: organizing a special Resurrection Sunday presentation in the woods, connecting local churches with young adults in the Transition Program through a home church, and arranging special weekends at local churches for teenagers who could use extra encouragement and care.
They have also established an early morning time of worship and prayer for staff on Thursday mornings. Christian and Ruth have spent time visiting house parents in their homes, praying with them, offering counsel, and encouraging them as they navigate the daily challenges of caring for children and teenagers.
Their ministry isn't limited to organized events. Much of it happens through showing up, listening, praying, and building relationships. Their daughters have joined them in that work. Annelize has played a significant role in youth group, investing in the lives of teenage girls, and she regularly uses her vocal talents to help lead Sunday worship alongside her mom.
Christian's teaching has also become an important part of campus life. Sara described his passion for studying and teaching God's Word, noting his ability to communicate deep truths in ways that children and teenagers can understand and apply.
For Christian, this is central to his vision for Casa Bernabé. He wants people to see the ministry not simply as a children's home, but as a church in action, a community where faith is lived out every day through caring for one another, serving, and growing together.
Ask Christian and Ruth what they love most about their work, and both come back to the children. Ruth loves the way children reflect God's character in their sincerity, joy, and capacity to love. Having worked with children for many years, she believes in the possibility of transformation and the chance for each child to have a different future.
Christian especially loves seeing a child or teenager begin to understand that God has a purpose for their life. Some arrive carrying anger, sadness, and questions about why difficult things have happened to them. Sometimes a verse, a sermon, or a moment of prayer helps them begin to see that their story isn't over.
He knows, however, that he cannot force that change.
“One of the difficult things is knowing that our part is not to change the heart of anyone,” he explained. “Only God can do it.” His responsibility, he says, is to love the kids and faithfully plant seeds, trusting God to bring growth, even if he never gets to see the full result.
That perspective shapes the way Christian and Ruth approach the challenges of ministry. Living and serving in a diverse community brings differences in beliefs, personalities, and expectations. Caring for children who have been deeply hurt can be heartbreaking. And the spiritual needs across the campus are significant.
They ask for prayer for wisdom to know how to serve each child and each household well, for unity among staff, and for everyone on campus to develop a deeper heart for serving others.
Christian and Ruth have a big vision for Casa Bernabé's future. They hope to strengthen relationships with local churches, create more opportunities for people to worship and serve together, and eventually establish a mission school that will help prepare young people for ministry.
They see the children growing into future pastors, missionaries, worship leaders, and leaders who will make a difference in Guatemala and beyond. Their hope is that kids will leave Casa Bernabé with more than an education or practical skills. They want them to know Jesus, understand their worth, and recognize that God can use their lives for His purposes.
As Sara reflects on the Santa Cruz family's first year, she is grateful for the way they have given themselves to the ministry, not just in their official roles, but in the countless hours spent encouraging, teaching, praying, and serving alongside others.
For Christian and Ruth, this work is not a side job or simply the next stage of life. It is a calling they have chosen to pursue together as a family. And as they begin their second year at Casa Bernabé, they are continuing to trust that the same God who led them here will keep working in the lives of the children and the community they serve.
Please pray for Christian, Ruth, Ana Rebeca, and Annelize as they continue serving at Casa Bernabé. Pray for wisdom, strength, and encouragement as they care for the spiritual needs of the campus, and ask God to keep growing a heart of service and a love for His Word throughout the entire community at Casa Bernabé.
