Meet the Team: Lisbeth
This week's Featured Staff Member is Lisbeth Cáceres. Lisbeth and several members of her family have served in various roles at Casa Bernabé for many years. She is an integral part of our staff, our Consejo (the executive advisory panel we'll be explaining more in an upcoming newsletter), and our CB community.
We asked Lisbeth some questions to help you get to know her:
What is your role at Casa Bernabé and how long have you been here?
My role is director of financial accounting and I have worked at CB for 24 years. It was my first job after college.
Why did you want to work at Casa Bernabé?
I first met Pedro and Donie Hernández when they were pastors in Chimaltenengo. I was just 12 years old, and they were the pastors at my church. They spent a few years there and later they came to work at CB, so I’ve had a connection with CB for a long time. When I was 15, I came to CB for my vacation, helping with various things, so I’ve always known about CB. My mom also worked for many years with Donie and Pedro, caring for babies as an extension of the baby house in Antigua. I spent many vacations helping my mom with the babies there. I think God prepared me to work at this place and has prepared my heart for a long time to be in ministry.
What is your favorite part of your position?
This is a job where you see miracles all the time. During all these years, there have been good years and not so good years, and truly, in different moments we have seen how the Lord provides all we need for this place. For me, it’s a place where we can see the heart of the Lord moving for His children to bring people, money, provisions, and many things. He provides all that we need here. So this is the thing that I like most about working at CB.
Do you have a specific story or moment that sticks out to you?
Yes, for example, there have been times where money is scarce, and there was a season when, for eight months, we didn't have the funds to pay our staff. At this time our Director, Pedro Hernández, said at a staff meeting that he would understand if people start looking for a job outside to be able to support their families. They shouldn’t feel shame about leaving. And the miracle was that not a single person left in those eight months. The Lord provided for His people, because in those eight months we couldn’t pay anyone and they all trusted the Lord to provide–8 months later, He did. This is one of many stories of how the Lord has provided for Casa Bernabé.
What is the most challenging part about your job?
The reality is that this job seems boring to others, but really, it is interesting in the sense that there are many laws in Guatemala that are very demanding because there has been a lot of corruption, laundering money, and things of that nature. So we spend a lot of time putting processes in place to be able to allow us to continue to function as a non-profit entity and pay our staff. So the challenge is to do an excellent job of keeping the transparency with donors and making sure we’re following all of Guatemala’s laws and regulations.
Tell us about yourself (your interests, about your family, how you spend your free time, etc.)
I am a woman who really enjoys her family. I have two sisters and a brother. My brother is married and has two kids. And my other sister has two kids–a five year old and a one year old. And my other sister, Libny, works here with me. It’s very interesting to share a job with her. Apart from my job at CB, I teach classes at the university like business administration, so I don’t have a lot of free time. But I like to spend time with my family.
I enjoy being home. I like to eat good food like mojarras fritas (a type of fried fish). During my vacation, I try to cook my mom’s recipes. She has always been an amazing chef, but because of that, none of us (the siblings) cook very much. So I am trying to learn how to cook like my mom. I like to watch movies. I have been especially enjoying watching the series The Chosen. I love watching soccer, I enjoy traveling and getting to know different places in Guatemala, and I also enjoy serving at church.
Do you like working with your sister?
It’s a blessing because she is very smart and she ends up coming to the rescue many times.
What do you want people to know about what you do at CB?
I want them to know that we have an accounting department of four people right now. We work, always thinking about the things of God. We ask God a lot for strength and wisdom in our job. We try our best to be good stewards with the things in our bodegas (storage closets), the donations that we receive, the laws we have in Guatemala, and the resources we receive from donors. We also have to present all of this information to FOCE. This is what we do. I want people to know that, with the help of God, we are trying to do the best job we can with what the Lord has given us to support the kids and families here.
How can we pray for you?
I have many prayers and needs in my heart, but the reality is, one of the most important things to me is my family. We have been going through difficult times with my mother’s health. So I would appreciate prayers for the health of my family, so they can continue to serve, continue to work, and continue to do things well. This would be a huge blessing if you all could pray for this.