New Year Update 2012

Hope For Life wishes you a Happy New Year! Thank you to everyone who donated money so that our boys could have a Christmas celebration. A Rwandan organization also contributed, taking the boys to play soccer and share a meal with many other vulnerable children. The boys had the opportunity to hear a motivating testimony of a former street boy who has now grown up and leads a successful life.

In Rwanda, most people celebrate their birthday on New Years. This big birthday party was an incredibly exciting day for the boys and the staff at HFLM. Spurts of giggling and singing filled the home and every face was lit up with a smile. Each boy received a birthday cake with candles and everyone sang happy birthday as the candles were blown out. Claude, who had never celebrated a birthday before, eyed the other boys and quickly blew out his candles as well. Not knowing what a birthday candle was, he proceeded to eat it. He was quite surprised to discover it was wax and not edible! Afterwards, two guests, Erin and Karen, taught the boys various crafts and games. Even the oldest boys Paul and David had a blast. They all made lions out of paper plates, glue and pens.

Thanks to the Hovde Family’s donation, three bleating goats have made their home at HFLM! The boys, most notably Berco, have learned to shepherd and care for the goats. We will be raising and breeding goats to help with the self-sustainability of the home.

This last month we lost two of our HFLM staff, Gakuru and Jean Baptist. The overturn of staff is always a difficult adjustment for the boys. Please join us in praying for stability in the boys’ lives and for God to continue to mold their hearts. Similarly, we are grieving the loss of Yves, Habimana, Donath, and Muhawe. These boys left for the third time and therefore lose their option to return to HFLM. Even though they are no longer at HFLM, we love them and know they are not a lost cause to God. We pray that God will work in their hearts and turn their lives around.

Thank you all for reading our update and joining us in prayer. Your encouragement and generous support are essential to this ministry.

Hope For Life December 2011 Update

The past month has been very eventful at HFLM despite most of the boys staying with family or relatives for a portion of their two-month school holiday. Six boys stayed at HFLM for the whole holiday break, which means the home is a bit quieter than normal.

Over the break, many of the boys have been thriving while staying at their relative’s homes. One in particular, Uwimana, has impressed us with his continued diligence to attend church and choir practice on his own initiative. Each Sunday since staying with his relatives, he has walked two hours to attend church and choir practice with the rest of the HFLM boys. Although many of the boys found their home situations improved, some have found life at home even more difficult than when they first left to the streets. As a result, a few of the boys temporarily went back to the streets.

When Chantal and Hilliary were looking for one of the HFLM boys on the streets, they encountered two young boys named Puppy (7) and Eric (9). These boys were covered from head to toe with painful sores and itchy bites caused from scabies. Moved by compassion at the conditions of these boys, they decided to take them to HFLM. When the Puppy and Eric arrived at HFLM, their faces lit up at the new prospect of life. Puppy has lived in severe poverty his whole life and was finally forced to the streets a couple months ago. Eric has lived on the streets for over two years because his stepfather refuses to allow him to live at home with his mother. They have adjusted very well and are now thriving at HFLM!

The Coopers arrived in Kigali in mid-November and will be helping with Hilliary’s duties while she is in the States. Corban and Laura, with their two young daughters Kaiah (5) and Petra (2) have transitioned well. They are learning how HFLM runs and the many things needing to be done. They joined HFLM for a big Thanksgiving meal where they heard testimonies from the boys about how Jesus has filled their hearts with gratitude. After a message from the Bible about being thankful, everyone went around and shared what they are thankful for. The two new boys were thankful for being able to come to HFLM and one praised God that he is finding healing from his scabies. Jackson melted Laura’s heart when he said he was thankful that God has changed him to be a “good boy now”. It’s amazing to see that God can and does change the hearts of all of us.

Thank you all for your support and prayers! Please continue to pray for the boys while they are visiting their families, for Emmanuel who has returned to the streets, and for the Coopers as they are learning the ropes at HFLM.

November 2011 Update

We are excited to have completed our second full year of school at HFLM! We are very proud of the boys for all of their hard work and how well they have done. In particular, we have been very impressed with Paul, who was the 1st in his class of over 50 students for the third trimester in a row! His diligence and hard work goes beyond his studies and can be seen in his spiritual life and his willingness to help those around him.

Daniel, another boy who we are extremely proud of, has been a role model to all of the boys with his work ethic and servant’s heart. Every day he can be seen at Jacky’s side, who is called “Tantine” (Auntie), helping her cook and clean. He has been dubbed the name of honor, “Little Tantine,” which he proudly bears and grins broadly every time he hears it called. Later this week, we are going to surprise him with a gift in honor of his inspirational character. Recently, Tantine discretely asked him, “If you could have anything, what would you want?” He responded, “My very own Bible and a new pair of shoes.”
The boys now have two months of holiday, and almost all of them are going home to spend anywhere from 10 to 60 days with their families or relatives. We are looking forward to this time, as the boys will have the opportunity to further reconcile with their families. Also, their families will no doubt notice the transformation that has taken place in their lives. We ask you to join with us in prayer for the boys who may face minimal parental guidance and supervision while they are home. Please pray that they will stand strong as they face temptations and peer pressure.

The arrival of the Cooper family this month represents a prayer that has been answered. The Coopers will be volunteering at HFLM for the next 6 months, assisting with the Executive Director position. This will provide a positive family model for the boys and allows Hilliary to return to the States so she can complete her student teaching (her last semester) at Moody Bible Institute.

We thank everyone who donated money to purchase Bibles last month! We were able to buy 11 Bibles and a book store has also agreed to donate a few more. It is a gift that is truly treasured by the boys. Even the smallest boys who don’t know how to read, excitedly flip through the pages, imagining the stories behind the ink. We also often catch 15 year old Berco hiding in the corner reading the Bible, or sneaking off with one after devotions.

We would like to thank all of you again for the support and prayers that makes the transformation in these boys’ lives possible.

October 2011 Update

After spending almost a month in the USA, HFLM warmly received Hilliary back to Rwanda. We have found October to already be a busy month as we’ve witnessed God continuing to move and as we face several new challenges.

One area that HFLM is excited about is the spiritual growth in the boys since coming to HFLM, especially noticeable in 13-year-old Djuhudi. When he first came to HFLM, Djuhudi clung to his Islamic roots and refused to go to church or pray with the rest of the children. In the last several months, however, we have witnessed God greatly moving in Djuhudi’s heart. One afternoon, after hearing a message on salvation, the boys had the opportunity to share what they’d learned. Djuhudi proclaimed, “I now know that when I die and come before God, I will not be saved because of my good works, but because of my faith in Jesus Christ.” This is an incredibly encouraging reminder to us of the purpose of our work.

Conversely, many new challenges have surfaced at HFLM. We ask you to join us in prayer over the difficulties we are facing as it has come to our attention that two former staff members have taken up residence near HFLM’s home and have been meeting with our boys on their way to school. The boys have been greatly influenced by these meetings, and several are under a strong power of manipulation. We know that children are easily influenced, and our prayer is that they would not be influenced by evil, but instead by what is Godly and true. Please pray for them to have discernment, to not to be easily swayed towards evil, and that the lies and manipulations of these former staff members would cease.

We also ask you to join us in prayer for team unity. We have hired several new staff members and are all trying to learn how to work together. In light of the other challenges we are facing, we ask you to pray that our new team will be able to serve together in unity and receive strength to handle the challenges of ministry and working with children from adverse backgrounds.

Another tangible way you can assist us is by contributing towards purchasing additional Bibles. In spite of the difficulties HFLM is facing, we feel this would be an especially valuable time to invest in this project. If you would like to contribute please email Hilliary at andersonhfl@gmail.com. Thank you for continuing to stand in partnership with us. None of the progress we see would be possible without you.

HFLM September 2011 Update

During the boy’s recent three week long vacation, our four boys attending boarding school came home. One of these children is Veterne who resides at an orthopedic center where he has been undergoing physical therapy and continuing his studies. Upon arriving to HFLM, Veterne eagerly showed everyone his leg braces that slip over his feet and connect at his hips. He shakily stood, slipped his arms through his crutches, and began walking. It gave all of us so much joy to see Veterne walking for the first time! He has now returned to the orthopedic center to continue physical therapy to strengthen his leg muscles and enable him to walk further distances. After a great three weeks of vacation, the boys have returned to finish their third trimester of school.

Young Tuyizere, who has been with HFLM since April, has returned to live with his mother. After greatly missing her, HFLM staff accompanied him to try and locate his mother’s home. The area where Tuyizere’s mom lives is immensely poor and prone to violence, but they were finally able to locate her small shack. During their visit, Tuyizere decided that he’d like to remain with his mother instead of returning to HFLM. Even though his mother wishes for him to return to HFLM as she doesn’t possess the means to care for her son or send him to school, we must respect the child’s wishes. We are concerned about the situation and are hoping that Tuyizere will change his mind. Please join us in prayer for his protection and for his future.

In January, HFLM is launching a new reconciliation program! In partnership with local organizations, we will offer training in income generation to the children’s parents. For several boys in HFLM, the only reason they cannot stay with their parents is immense poverty. In these situations, we hope that through this program we can equip families to begin earning an income and reunite some of the boys with their families.

Hilliary has returned to Seattle for the first three and a half weeks of September. Before she left, the boys curiously bombarded her with questions about America. One of the youngest boys inquisitively asked if there were trees in America and then shyly asked if America has a sun. They were shocked when she teasingly responded that there was no sun in America!

We can’t thank you enough for your continued partnership with HFLM. Although we continue to face many challenges, it is always encouraging to know there are so many who are faithfully supporting us by giving of your hearts, your prayers and your resources. Thank you for believing in our boys!

August 2011 Update

Hope For Life was privileged to host the Hovde family as they recently visited Rwanda and spent a day at HFLM. All eight of them impressed us with their diligence and hard work. They planted 200 hedge plants, leveled the boy’s soccer field, and moved a ton of rocks (literally). Their hard work set an example for our boys, who could be seen laboring alongside of them the whole day. Tuyizere, who is 9 years old, proved to be the most dedicated worker. The Hovdes’ would fill a wheelbarrow to full capacity, which a grown teenager would have difficulty moving, but Tuyizere would instruct them to pile in more dirt. Remarkably, he was able to move these very heavy loads and empty them himself. Apparently, showing off gave him the adrenaline he needed to work hard all day.

The boys recently completed their exams and finished off their 2nd trimester of school. It was a time of celebration as four of our kids received the best scores in their classes and another scored 2nd place! All the boys did well, and we are very proud of all our students for how hard they have worked in school.

When HFLM’s newest member Claude, who is 5 years old, was recently asked his favorite hobby, he instantly replied that it is eating. He furthermore exclaimed that his future hope is to grow big and strong so that one day he can ride a bike and drive the other boys on it. On a side note, he mentioned with slightly less enthusiasm that he would also like to be a soldier.

Lastly, the boys’ clothing are getting quite worn and almost every day they can be heard asking when they can get new clothes. We want to bless them with new clothes, but we will need approximately $350.00 extra this month in order to be able to offer this gift. The third trimester of school is also starting at the end of August, and we will need an additional $300.00 for school fees. If you would like to contribute towards one of these causes please email Hilliary at andersonhfl@gmail.com. We are excited as we continue to witness God moving in all these young boys’ lives. Thank you everyone for all of your support and prayers!

Sincerely,

HFLM Staff

July 2011 Update

We are delighted to announce that the boys of HFLM are officially living in their new home! The day of our move several of the boys stood up praising God for all that He has given us. Djuhudi reflected that if HFLM staff had not found him, he would not be alive today. God has taken Djuhudi from living in a hospital bed to thriving in a beautiful new home.

(Moving Day)

A week after moving into our new house, HFLM threw a party celebrating God’s thorough provision. The boys invited their friends and neighbors. During the celebration, HFLM staff slipped out of the main room and surprised the boys as they rode into the house on brand new bikes generously donated by Northlake Christian Church. The children immediately jumped out of their seats screaming with absolute joy and delight!

(Gakuru Driving the Younger Boys)

A Moody Bible Institute student, Jonathan Villanueva, is completing an internship in Rwanda. He has been teaching our boys English in his spare time. Throughout the week, Hilliary regularly feels a slight tug on her shirt and an eager voice asking, “When is teacher Jonny coming next to teach us English!?”

In the last few months, many challenges and important changes occurred, including: moving into our new home, accepting two more boys into our program, and seeing shifts in HFLM’s leadership. Please continue to join us in prayer during this transition. If you are interested in becoming a monthly financial sponsor, or would like to give a one time donation for a specific cause (such as furniture needs), please contact Hilliary at andersonhfl@gmail.com. We are so grateful for all your support in transforming the lives of our beloved boys! From the bottom of our excited hearts, we all shout thank you!

Sincerely,

HFLM Staff