Growing
By Lisa Steele, FLM Executive Director
Growing. I love this time of year where we have planted seeds and are seeing them sprout with beautiful flowers, fruits, and vegetables. Every year my family plants tomato plants that we diligently water during the hot and humid days we have in Middle Tennessee. The fruit of my labor is beginning to show this year with many flowers appearing and then tiny, green tomatoes. Over the next several weeks I will continue to grow, water, and weed my tomato garden until we can enjoy delicious, juicy fruit! This process takes time and no matter how well I plant the seeds or water the plants, I cannot make them grow any faster! As we grow in our daily lives, we see the same thing. Paul tells us in I Corinthians 3:6 “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.”
At Family Life Missions we are planting and watering seeds so that God can grow in the lives of vulnerable children and families in Catacamas. It is exciting to see how God is growing and moving in Honduras through our ministry. In the past, we have focused our growth on our Por Los Niños Residential Homes and our Holistic Care Center that serves children who have experienced the trauma of abandonment and/or abuse. Along with this mission, we have seen God provide other opportunities for us to grow through our PLN Bilingual School, Family Preservation, and Foster Care. By strengthening families, we are providing a foundation for growth. This growth empowers families to thrive in their country with safe and affordable housing, education, and tools for bettering their lives through our family workshops and resources.
Our PLN Bilingual Christian School is growing even though the entire country is having virtual classes due to COVID. Our teachers are teaching and our staff is providing home visits as needed. Our pre-school and Kindergarten bilingual Montessori school is 80% complete and is set to open in February 2022 when the new school year begins in Honduras. This program will not only benefit the children enrolled in it, but will be a great help to families who need to work to provide a home and food, but have no child care options.
And even though we have not been able to provide Family Preservation workshops due to COVID, we are continuing to follow-up with families individually. As part of this program, we are excited to continue our “Building Dreams” projects as we are planning to build a new home for a family next month with the help of a group from Riverchase church of Christ in Birmingham, Alabama. The group is coming to Honduras to do the build with the help of the family, the local church, the community, and Family Life Missions. We know this home will greatly bless this recently reintegrated family.
Our Foster Care Program is continuing to grow. We have five children in families and have more families who are trained and ready to provide a home for a child. We are also reaching out to churches to recruit more families for the children who are currently living with our foster families. They are all thriving and our staff psychologist and social worker regularly visit each family to provide encouragement and support.
As we continue to plant seeds and water them, with the help of our generous supporters, we are seeing God bring our vision to fruition by growing hope, health, and stability in Catacamas, with the church leading the way.