Hope you had a wonderful summer with your loved ones. We truly have reason to celebrate the many freedoms that citizens of the United States of America enjoy. The dearest and most vulnerable among us --our children-- are blessed to live in a country with many safeguards and forms of protection. This is not the case in so many other countries around the world. We were recently informed about a tragic situation involving a young girl that we know from the village of Pinalito, Guatemala.
Sophia is an 18 year-old girl who was raised by a single mother in the poverty of their mountain village. Her father was married to another woman at the time of her conception, so she has carried the stigma of an illegitimate child throughout her entire life. This is not only an extreme disadvantage in the Mayan culture, but it is also considered a curse on the child's life. Girls from broken homes are often raped and abused by immoral men of the village when they become teenagers. Although the girls are never at fault, they are often disowned by their families if they become pregnant as a result of rape. This is exactly what happened to Sophia. When she found that she was pregnant, her mother forced her to leave their home and said she was severing all ties with her.
Sophia delivered her baby at the hospital in Zacapa. Most women from the mountain villages give birth at home, so this was very unusual. She refused to hold, name, or even look at her baby girl because of the hurt she has experienced all her life. The hospital will not release the baby because they are afraid that Sophia will murder her. No one in the family wants to adopt this baby because of the "family curse." A doctor is attempting to get Sophia to sign papers relinquishing her parental rights so that the baby can be placed in an orphanage. The state-run orphanage in Zacapa is overcrowded and conditions are very poor and unsanitary for the children who live there.
It breaks our hearts to see the generational destruction that Satan has orchestrated in this family. Three generations of rejection described in two brief paragraphs above. And the tragic thing is that Sophia's story is repeated over and over in these people who don't know that their heavenly Father loves them and has a special plan for their lives. Mothers and children in these types of desperate situations are the ones that the Lord wishes to rescue through Life of Promise Ministries. We are pressing on to raise the funds necessary to complete the first floor of the mission house. What a blessing it will be for these mothers and babies to have a pregnancy center/maternity home as a safe refuge in their times of greatest need. It will also be a place where they can experience God's love through the presentation of the Gospel. It is truly humbling for us to realize that we can actually play a part in saving and enriching their lives.
Please pray that the Lord will provide the resources that will allow us to complete the first floor and open our doors. We are so thankful for our prayer partners who are currently praying over a list of specific needs for the mission house. How encouraging it is for us to see clearly that God has all the necessary provisions made. Your prayers are helping to lift our confidence that we will see all that He has promised for this ministry!!
Thank you so much. We love each and every one of you and we greatly appreciate your love and encouragement!
Sophia is an 18 year-old girl who was raised by a single mother in the poverty of their mountain village. Her father was married to another woman at the time of her conception, so she has carried the stigma of an illegitimate child throughout her entire life. This is not only an extreme disadvantage in the Mayan culture, but it is also considered a curse on the child's life. Girls from broken homes are often raped and abused by immoral men of the village when they become teenagers. Although the girls are never at fault, they are often disowned by their families if they become pregnant as a result of rape. This is exactly what happened to Sophia. When she found that she was pregnant, her mother forced her to leave their home and said she was severing all ties with her.
Sophia delivered her baby at the hospital in Zacapa. Most women from the mountain villages give birth at home, so this was very unusual. She refused to hold, name, or even look at her baby girl because of the hurt she has experienced all her life. The hospital will not release the baby because they are afraid that Sophia will murder her. No one in the family wants to adopt this baby because of the "family curse." A doctor is attempting to get Sophia to sign papers relinquishing her parental rights so that the baby can be placed in an orphanage. The state-run orphanage in Zacapa is overcrowded and conditions are very poor and unsanitary for the children who live there.
It breaks our hearts to see the generational destruction that Satan has orchestrated in this family. Three generations of rejection described in two brief paragraphs above. And the tragic thing is that Sophia's story is repeated over and over in these people who don't know that their heavenly Father loves them and has a special plan for their lives. Mothers and children in these types of desperate situations are the ones that the Lord wishes to rescue through Life of Promise Ministries. We are pressing on to raise the funds necessary to complete the first floor of the mission house. What a blessing it will be for these mothers and babies to have a pregnancy center/maternity home as a safe refuge in their times of greatest need. It will also be a place where they can experience God's love through the presentation of the Gospel. It is truly humbling for us to realize that we can actually play a part in saving and enriching their lives.
Please pray that the Lord will provide the resources that will allow us to complete the first floor and open our doors. We are so thankful for our prayer partners who are currently praying over a list of specific needs for the mission house. How encouraging it is for us to see clearly that God has all the necessary provisions made. Your prayers are helping to lift our confidence that we will see all that He has promised for this ministry!!
Thank you so much. We love each and every one of you and we greatly appreciate your love and encouragement!
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