Transformation Tuesdays Blog
by Lisa Steele, FLM Executive Director
As we enter this time of Thanksgiving, we are so thankful to have the opportunity to serve the children at our Por Los Niños Christian Bilingual School. At the beginning of November, we ended the first year of our Montessori preschool. We were overwhelmed by the reception of this program! All 15 spaces were filled, and we had a waiting list. It has been exciting to watch the preschool children grow this year. Our outreach to the community is also increasing along with the growth of our school. In addition to the preschool and kindergarten, we added the 7th grade this year. In February, when the new school year begins in Honduras, we will add the 8th grade and continue adding upper grades each year.
We know that education is one of the keys to success and growth. In Honduras, public education is free, but parents must provide school uniforms, books, supplies, and transportation. Education is often impossible to pursue when a family lives off $1.90 a day. Many children drop out of elementary school by third grade so they can work and help their families economically. Already the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with two Category 4 hurricanes (Eta and Iota) in 2020, led to a sharp GDP decline of nine percent in Honduras, according to The World Bank. Income and employment declined, with about 400,000 people losing their jobs. A country already struggling finds itself struggling even more.
by Lisa Steele, FLM Executive Director
When we build a house for a family in our Family Preservation Program, we give them more than four walls and a roof. We are giving them safety. We are giving them security. We are giving them hope. We are building their dreams.
“I have always wanted my own family and my own house. Now I will have both.” Belkis shared her thoughts with a group in June who came to Catacamas to help build her new home. Belkis and her sister, Enia, lived on our FLM campus for 14 years. Before they came to live with us, they lived in extreme poverty and malnutrition conditions.
Eventually, the sisters were reunited with other members of their biological family. Belkis started a family with Lisandro and they started their life together. They were able to rent a house and bring Enia with them. Belkis and Lisandro worked to save money to purchase land even though they had a long commute to their jobs. The dream of having land and one day building a home for their family kept them going. Until that time, they rented a small house that was expensive and in disrepair. Throughout this time, Family Life Missions supported the Hernández-Flores family with food, clothing, family guidance, medical follow-ups, and spiritual strengthening as they began their new life.
by Jose Chinchilla Honduras National Director
We have finished a great adventure on our recent trip to the United States of America. This visit had a different flavor than the others we have participated in. It was a trip with a lot of learning, visiting donors, strengthening relationships, and some fun! We are grateful to God for allowing us to have these opportunities to grow in leadership, to meet people who support us in this beautiful ministry in which we can serve together, to see again the members of the board of directors–committed, loving, and sustaining us in their decisions to serve our children of Honduras,. And not least, meeting the family of our executive director, Lisa Steele. They are a kind, committed, God-given, and very united family. As you can see, it was a journey full of richness and intentionality. It was a journey of edification and joy!
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!
