This last month, the boys and staff at Hope for Life have experienced tremendous growth and maturity in Christ. We have been blessed to have Corban and Laura Cooper serving as the Assistant Directors. They have been leading bible studies with the staff that has brought everyone together in unity. Having heart to heart conversations with individual boys to encourage them in their relationship with Christ, the Coopers have become influential role models in the boys' and staff’s lives. And of course, their two daughters love their new play mates!Paul has been at HFLM for 3 yearsOne of the boys who continues to be positively impacted by those at HFLM is Paul. We asked him if he would help write our newsletter this month and he decided to share his testimony. Paul was born into, as he would say, "a miserable life." His family slept on dirt floors under a patched tin roof, and would go several days at a time without food. As a young boy, Paul was hired out by his family to work on farms as an animal caretaker, and he gave his meager earnings to help his family survive. Working away from his family, he was introduced to destructive behavior. Eventually, this course of behavior led him to leave his family and move to the capital city, Kigali.
"Life was not easy in Kigali. I started spending the night on the streets and taking up bad habits such as cigarettes, alcohol and drugs. I even began stealing. During that time, I wondered what would become of my life, but I couldn't find the answer."
Veterne playing with Petra CooperIt was when Paul met Hilliary, Chantal and Megan that his life changed. "They were the people God used to speak into my miserable life." Paul was one of the original street boys taken in by Hope for Life. He explains that his life slowly began to change as he was introduced to prayer, studying, and good behavior. "My life changed completely when I made the decision to receive Jesus Christ." Paul was able to break his old habits and he began going back to school, where he is now preparing for the National exams. Paul credited prayer as the intervention God used to free him from his addiction to cocaine saying, “I felt God clean my mind.” He is enthusiastic about his studies and especially relishes the opportunity to learn English. Every cent he earns, he saves to one day buy a radio and listen to English stations. Although education is important to him, he told us that "the most important thing I know is to obey God because out of all things I know and will know, they all are in Him."
Paul asked for us to share this verse with you, because it changed his life. Psalms 1: 1-2 "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night”.
This verse sets the tone for this month's update. While we continue to be grateful for what God has been doing in Hope for Life, we still face many challenges and ask you to join us in prayer. Please pray for the Coopers in this ministry and for their daughter Petra whose health is struggling, for the boys’ continued transformation as they grow deeper in their relationships with Jesus, and for them to understand true forgiveness and repentance. Additionally, we have been able to reconcile three of our boys with their families: Obed, Jackson, and John Hagenimana. We will be financially sponsoring these boys so that they can live with their families. If you would like to sponsor one of these boys, please email Hilliary at andersonhfl@gmail.com. Furthermore, we ask for prayer that our farming endeavor will be profitable and sustainable. Thank you for continual love and support.
