En Español

When little Carlos (Carlitos) was 23-months-old, he was placed with the Maldonado family through our Foster Care program at Family Life MIssions. His mother and stepfather abandoned Carlitos after abusing him physically and possibly sexually. He was malnourished and in poor health. Sadly, Carlitos' father and extended family believed he had died because of the maltreatment he had received. When Carlitos was living with his Foster Care family, Family Life Missions continued to monitor his well-being, ensuring he received medical care, therapies, pediatric evaluations, and neurological evaluations. We also provided medicines, food, transportation, clothes, diapers, milk, and other basic needs for Carlitos. But due to the diligence of our social worker and team, Carlitos' father was found and told that his son was alive! Working with Honduras Children's Services (DINAF), we were able to reintegrate Carlitos with his biological family. What a happy day! We continue to provide him with spiritual, emotional, social, physical, and educational help.

Now we need your help! The home where Carlitos lives with his family is in extremely poor condition. The dirt floor in the house is not healthy and needs to be cement. We know that cement floors lead to a 78 percent reduction in parasitic infections and a 49 percent reduction in diarrhea. There is a 36-96 percent improvement in cognitive development in children when they do not live on a dirt floor. The house needs a new roof, bathrooms, and a better kitchen to cook healthier and more nutritious meals.

Will you join us in providing a safe and healthy home for Carlitos and his family?  We can do this through our Building Dreams program. The above photo is of Carlitos and all of his family! They have told us how incredibly happy and blessed they are to have Carlitos and take good care of him. They are teaching him about God. They will make sure he receives an education. Right now, they need some help.

Let's build a house and show them God's love through our actions! No gift is too small!

by José Chinchilla, Honduras National Director

En Español

I have learned that working for children requires compassion and love and knowledge, professionalism, and continuous training. Whether in foster families, homes, or orphanages, the children in our care need prepared people who can provide care that will help them redirect their journey to mental health and healthy relationships. I firmly believe that it is an injustice if we fail to train and prepare ourselves to give the children of Honduras the foundations they need to live in this broken world and build resilience as they face the challenges ahead of them.

It is no coincidence that God's people had to be constantly taught in the Word and its teachings. God's Word and law had to be taught when people awoke and when they went to sleep; it was to be passed down from generation to generation. We can observe that God teaches us a very clear principle when reading these practices. God's people must constantly be learning in this world, not only from his Word but also from God's science that helps us understand the behavior of the mind and the brain. For this reason, one of the values of Family Life Mission is continuous training. We must train ourselves to transmit knowledge to other people, organizations, governments, and civil society.

We are very grateful to God to have the opportunity to host the first Latin American Conference on Vulnerable Children at the end of March.

By Lisa Steele, FLM Executive Director

En Español

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.—Matthew 7:24-25

Like the wise man who built his house on the rock, we are Building Foundations at Family Life Missions. Everything we do helps vulnerable children and families grow strong physically, academically, socially, psychologically, and most importantly, spiritually. As we look at where we have been, where we are, and where we are going, we see 2022 as a pivotal year in “Building Foundations,” so we have adopted this phrase as our theme this year.

Every family, every child, every program is built on the Rock. We all know that a foundation needs to be solid before building on it. The homes we build in Honduras for vulnerable families have a firm foundation so that they will withstand rain, wind, and floods. But the firm foundation we make is not just physical. We are building a firm foundation of truth and faith in Jesus Christ for these families. Our mission is “to partner with God to place the lonely in families.” That means we work daily to keep families together or reintegrated, educate them, provide spiritual guidance, and make sure that every child in our care feels our love and the love of God. And we do all to the glory of God.

by Lisa Steele, FLM Executive Director

en Español

Most children are placed in orphanages or residential homes because of poverty. Most are not “true orphans.” The majority of these children have a surviving parent or a close member of their family who could take care of them if they could afford to do so. At Family Life Missions, we know when we strengthen families, we are helping them stay together.

Many children can stay with their families with the right resources and tools. Keeping families together is better for the children, reduces the number of children in orphanages and residential homes, is more cost-effective (the cost of supporting a child in an orphanage is 5-10 times higher than supporting a child in a family), and most importantly, honors God.

God created the family. He knows that children need love, a sense of belonging, and a connection to the community and church. When we help children within families access education, food, shelter, and trauma therapy, we partner with God.