by José Chinchilla
Honduras National Director

En Español

We start a year with challenges and opportunities. This year, 2021, will be full of challenges and consequences from the past year, but we must also be attentive to what God wants to tell us in the midst of these challenges. Challenges can create opportunities for us if we have a correct attitude as we turn them into opportunities. We must always be aware to not have the attitude of the ten explorers Moses commanded to explore the promised land. Their attitudes focused more on claiming the challenges they will have to face and how impossible they looked at it than on the opportunities God was presenting to them to conquer that land and the fruits they could have. Sadly, they died, victims of a plague. They were not blessed to see the opportunities God had for them. The same is for us today. Please do not perish, symbolically speaking, to have our sight only on the obstacles that this year 2021 can bring us.

by Lisa Steele
FLM Executive Director

En Español

Experts tell us that there are 10 things every child needs to survive and thrive: interaction, loving touches, stable relationships, a safe and healthy environment, self-esteem, quality childcare, communication, play, music, and reading.

As Christians, we know that we must have Christ at the center of all of the above. For many years we have provided these needs for the children under our care at our Por Los Niños residential homes in Catacamas. We have provided loving, Christian caregivers in a nurturing, safe, and caring environment for many vulnerable, abandoned, or orphaned children. Studies have shown that residential home care is far superior to the older standard of “orphanages”. But we also know that placing a child in a home with a loving family is superior to residential home living, if done properly. When possible, we are trying to reintegrate families after months, or even years, of training, home visits with family members, and looking at needed resources.  For those children who are able to be reunited with family, or who are old enough to leave our village, we provide monthly follow-up care with our social worker and psychologist to stay true to our mission to “partner with God and set the lonely in families”.  (Psalm 68:6)

By Lisa Steele
FLM Executive Director

En Español

The world over it has been a year of wearing masks, social distancing, no travel, unemployment for many and sadly for some, loss of health and/or life. Honduras was not an exception. Already the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Honduras has suffered greatly during the COVID-19 pandemic. And then came the hurricanes. Another unprecedented event—two back-to-back massive hurricanes hit Honduras and other Central American countries causing loss of homes, lives, and jobs.

But God.

Through it all, God has been ever-present and faithful. Even with a pandemic that closed many doors this year, so many were opened as well! We placed our fifth foster child with a loving, Christian family this week. DINAF (Honduras Children’s Services) certified Family Life Missions as a qualified organization for the provision of services for vulnerable children in an Institutional Residential setting giving us the maximum score required according to the national standard. To get this certification, we underwent a series of external evaluations and compliance checks with a scale of standards of 160 criteria grouped into six components: 1) Legal Status 2) Human Resources 3) Financial Structure 4) Institutional organization 5) Infrastructure and equipment and 6) Quality services of Child Care and Protection. We are thankful for our dedicated staff in Honduras and USA, our Board of Directors, our donors, Red Viva Honduras, network of volunteers, local churches, the community and support from other nonprofit organization friends and co-workers. Together we are joining forces to provide quality care to vulnerable children in Honduras.

By José Chinchilla
Honduras National Director

En Español

To see Catacamas with hope, health and stability in partnership with the church is a desire for Family Life Missions. As a team we are committed, dedicated, and passionate about this work and the fulfillment of this vision. We are convinced that God, in His perfect purpose and timing, longs to see the city of Catacamas in a healthy relationship with Him, others and nature. As citizens and Christians, we are called to be part of this transformation and restoration. We need to embrace and respond to this mission.

The most important core of society is the Christian family. We believe and are firmly convinced that investing in families will lead us to a hope of a new dawn in Catacamas. If we have healthy families, we will have healthy children who will have a strong foundation for healthy physical and spiritual development. But to make this vision possible we need to work as a team and partner with all the people and institutions that will walk side by side with us on this journey.

We are serving children and families through our three programs: Family Preservation, Foster Care and our Children´s Home. We provide restoration, training and transformation to vulnerable families and children of Catacamas through spaces, techniques, models, and a caring process with Christ at the center.

This is an arduous job for us at Family Life Missions. To think that only we can do it without anyone's help is practically drowning in the attempt. Not only do we need people, churches, and institutions, but most importantly, we must have God's partnership. Partnering with God gives us the strength, guidance, wisdom, and firmness to do what needs to be done. It keeps us focused on Him being our one true hope. It is God who reminds us that he has put us as catalysts for building a peaceful and harmonious society. Without God's partnership or presence, we could not break down the barriers and challenges that we face in this process of caring and loving vulnerable families and children. Partnering with God is the paramount value of the Family Life Missions team.

You are a valued member of this team. With you, we are able to face the sin that has harmed many families and children so much. Without your help we could not do this. We know that God has put in your heart and mind to support us in different ways and for that, we thank God for you being part of Family Life Missions. We are the church and we are the ones called to strive for a restored, formed and transformed city.

We invite you to be part of our team if you have not already done so. We promise it will be a road worthy of walking. We assure you that it will not be easy, but we promise that with God as the head of our team, the burden will be lighter.

For I desire faithful love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

-Hosea 6:6