Hope For Life September 2012 Update

These past few months have been a very fruitful time with so many blessings that fill us with gratitude.  We have witnessed continued spiritual development, prepared for reconciliation, welcomed visitors and interns, and even built a composting toilet.

The boys had a craft day and made masks out of materials Andy brought

Two visitors came from America to volunteer at HFLM this last month. Andy Frank came with a suitcase full of soccer balls, games, crafts, and snacks! The boys had been begging almost every day for soccer balls and were absolutely thrilled to receive 3 new balls. Elizabeth Primus spent 2 weeks at HFLM helping with various activities, the largest project being building a composting toilet. Yes, a toilet that composts human waste and safely turns it into compost that can be used as fertilizer.  Although we have not yet built the shelter around the toilet, several boys excitedly reported that they have already used the toilet.

Elizabeth teaching the boys to make the composting toilet

We will be reconciling eight boys with their families this December, and a handful of boys were worried about going home because they don’t have a toilet. We are grateful for this new skill of building eco-friendly toilets that was taught by Elizabeth, so that our boys and their families can benefit from having a toilet.

Elizabeth also brought funds with her that were raised in the USA to treat our boys to an outing. We took them to a local hotel to swim for the afternoon.  Even Veterne, who has limited use of his legs, was able to join and swim for the first time in his life. Although he was a bit terrified, he was thrilled to be taking part with the rest of the boys and by the end was swimming by himself with a life vest.

Veterne swimming for the first time in his life

We have been proud of our boys in their continued spiritual development. They have been leading Saturday morning devotions, encouraging each other in their faith, eagerly participating in prayer times at their church and are excited to share their faith with others. We shared in Daniel’s joy this last month, because after completing three months of Bible courses, he publicly proclaimed his faith by being baptized.  

Daniel being baptized

This last month we were sad to say goodbye to Gwen, our intern from Moody Bible Institute. The boys and staff will miss her dearly, but the mark she left on the ministry will not be forgotten. On the other hand, we are excited to welcome two more interns, Torey Rozario and Stuart Cornutt, who will be spending the next 4 months serving at HFLM. Torey will be heading up our self-sustainability projects, primarily focusing on training the boys in self-sustainability skills and passing those skills on to their families as a means of income generation. Stuart, who just completed his Masters in Counseling Psychology, will be aiding in counseling the boys and developing a more thorough counseling program at HFLM.

Please keep in your prayers the boys at HFLM as several of them are preparing for the transition of returning to their families. Also, please be praying for Stuart and Torey, and the rest of the staff, as they will be instrumental in the successful reconciliation of these eight boys in December. Thank you so much for your support and prayers.