Third World Conditions; First World Dreams
If you could see “snapshots of life” from Ricardo, Jorge, and Dany before they came to the orphanage, you would understand the power of their answers when we “interviewed” them with a few questions in October. You see, before there was hope in their lives, they wouldn’t have answered—they couldn’t have answered—these questions even remotely the same way that they answered them this past month. Their answers revealed far more than what the words say; their answers told a story of transformation, of healing, and of hope born in the hearts of young boys who wouldn’t have had a real chance at life were it not for the ministry that YOU support by your giving. Come, read how your giving is making a difference.
Twelve-year-old Ricardo and thirteen-year-old Jorge, along with Dany who is 14, have grown up in third-world conditions in Peru, in areas where hardship and suffering are normal and where survival takes precedent over everything else. Yet, when asked what they want to be when they grow up, these boys spoke from their hearts, overflowing with first-world dreams and aspirations. Ricardo told of his dream of becoming a Certified Public Accountant. What is amazing is that prior to coming into the home four years ago, Ricardo was an eight-year-old street kid always into trouble and well on his way to a life of purposelessness, and even crime. Now, this young man has hopes of one day serving and helping others, which he likes to do because, as he put it, then others will also help him when he needs it. Ricardo understands the reciprocity between giving and receiving, and because he has freely received here in the orphanage, he now has a desire in his heart to give to others.
Jorge wants to serve as a doctor someday. He imagines himself in a place where he, too, can help those in need and spend his life giving to people. When asked the question, “What is the most important thing in your life?” Jorge’s answer certainly testified to the transformation that has taken place in his life. You see, before entering the orphanage nine months ago, he was an out-of-control kid, mixed up in street-living, who was addicted to video games and who had stopped going to school altogether. Since entering the orphanage, Jorge has not missed a day of school, and now Jorge joyfully mentions his studies as his most important focus. He told us that it is JESUS who helps him with his studies! Praise God! For a young man who had no direction, no vision for the future, and certainly no ability to become something, Jorge’s life and dreams now sure do reveal God’s changing power.
Dany’s dreams of becoming a great chef one day stem from the “family feel” he has experienced here in the orphanage. Before coming to the home, Dany probably wouldn’t have believed he could ever become anything in life. He lived each day in an atmosphere of rejection, neglected by parents who didn’t care for him. It is difficult to imagine a young boy under such conditions overcoming those obstacles and rising up to succeed in life. Now, with the love and support he receives at the orphanage, he understands that through Christ he can reach for a dream and accomplish it. He told us that Jesus Christ is the one that can help him to do the right things. When asked how he feels being at the orphanage, Dany responded, “I feel good being here because we have harmony…”
The lives and dreams of these young boys tell a bigger story than meets the eye. Their dreams speak of your sacrifice. Their lives tell of your investment. Will they each become when they are men what they today, as boys, aspire to accomplish? That answer remains to be seen. But at least now they can. They have the chance to dream, the chance to reach for something great, and through your continued support, the very real chance of attaining those dreams! Thank you.
You are making a difference in the lives of these children!
Currently there are 60 children at the orphanage, along with staff. Your monthly giving feeds them and provides them a home! We ask you for the upcoming months of November and December, can you please send above-and-beyond your regular support, for the children’s Christmas dinner? We want to bless them as they celebrate the gift of JESUS this season. Additionally, we ask for your prayers for Robert, who is undergoing an additional surgery on his spine. Pray that this surgery will result in a lifetime of pain-free living for Robert. We had hoped his initial surgery would have been his only one, but his spine began to curve again and so he is receiving a secondary surgery as we write this newsletter.
With sincere gratitude and love,
Tony and Rosa
Home of Refuge International
