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Christmas is almost here and Love & Hope Children’s Home is full of activity. The tree is up, the house is decorated, and we’re getting ready to celebrate the holidays. Even though we’re far away (and the weather is much warmer!) Christmas at the home is not all that different than Christmas in the States. The kids are excited to open presents, see their families and eat turkey. It’s been a lot of fun getting ready these past few weeks. Here are a few photos and videos of Christmas at Love & Hope. 

We made some cookies, but they didn’t last very long. Most of the batter got eaten before the cookies even hit the sheet. As soon as they came out of the oven, they were gone. 

We’ve watched a lot of Christmas movies. 

Our driver, Alberto, arranged for his church to come and give gifts to all the kids.

The house is full of Santa hats, reindeer antlers and all sorts of other Christmas themed headgear. Even Daysi the dog got an outfit.

The kids put together a live Nativity scene. 

Denise and some of our friends from the Union Church threw the kids a Christmas party with crafts, puzzles, cookies and presents. 

Even though we don’t have snow here in El Salvador they still made some snow globes. 

A few of the kids created homemade ornaments.

And finally, a few Christmas tunes to help get you in the holiday mood.

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Four of the children at the home completed the final Pre-School level this past school year and will start Primary School in January. On Wednesday the school held a ceremony to mark their graduation. They wore caps and gowns and did a performance of “Mighty To Save.” Education is such an important asset for these kids, and we want to thank all of the sponsors and supporters who help make these milestones possible. Each year we need to raise quite a bit of money to send the kids to private schools, and each year our supporters have come through. If you would like to contribute to the kids’ education this coming year, please email: contact@ame-intl.org for more information. 

 

 

Anyone who visited our old property in Nejapa is familiar with the wonderful murals on the walls. They were painted by Seth Weber many years ago during one of his visits to El Salvador. Seth, his wife Chelsea and their two children left today after spending two and a half months here at the home in Los Planes. We’re sure going to miss them. Last week, Seth enlisted the help of several of the kids to put together a new piece of art for the home. It was a colorful, crazy time. 

There were only a few rules. One was to be crazy.

Once the kids had finished the background, Seth brought the painting to life. 

Finished.

All our volunteers pitched in to put together a wonderful Thanksgiving for the kids, the workers, and many of our friends here in El Salvador. 

Kelly Moore, who has been serving at Love & Hope since early this July, shares today’s post:

For the past 4 months I have watched a little 6 year old girl crinkle up her nose, scream “no!” and make fists at me.  No matter what, she defends herself from my hugs, my smiles and my attempts to love on her.  (One thing she can’t defend herself from though is a tickle fight!)  It is clear to me that she pushes people away so that they can’t hurt her first.  I’m not at all surprised by her coping mechanism and how she has learned to mask her want for love and fear of rejection.  

Vanessa has really taken to playing BINGO every Friday night.  She checks in throughout the week making sure that there’ll be another game on the weekend.  When asked what she wanted to do for her birthday awhile back…”play BINGO” she said.  This past Friday, the kids gathered around with their yellow numbered cards and watched Mandy and Eliseo pick out numbered balls from a bin.  Vanessa sat quietly studying her card.  She doesn’t yell out “What number was that?” like the rest, she doesn’t get frustrated if the game is going too fast or slow, she just sits there challenging herself to do the best she can.   Half way through the game I heard a soft, “b-i-n-g-o” come from the little toothless niña.  She happily walked over to the prize table to claim a crowd favorite “Maruchin” ramen noodle soup container.  

Nearing the end of the game, a tired little 5 year old melted down over his brother’s attempt to wreck his bingo card and pieces.  Vanessa watched Herberth cry, cuddle with me, and listen to me convince him that everything was going to be ok.  When there was no one left on the terrace but me and Herberth, Vanessa walked over to me and whispered in my ear, “Can you give this to him?”.  She didn’t want anyone else to hear or to know what she was about to do.  I couldn’t believe my eyes.  The girl who pushes others away wanted to offer her Maruchin to the sad boy who didn’t win.  Vanessa hid behind a pillar while I passed on the Maruchin to Herberth.  He took this thumb out of his mouth and quickly changed his mind about being sad.  He and Vanessa walked down to the kitchen together to make some soup.  

My heart smiled because I knew I had just witnessed something special.  To see a child sacrifice what was a gift to her, what she had been waiting for all week, what she had worked so hard for and earned, made me think about the kind of love that they are learning here.  Sometimes it’s hard to tell because these kids come from difficult beginnings and are working through so many different things but then there are moments that confirm everything and make every last little effort worth it.  

I know that Vanessa will push me away again, hide her smile behind a crinkled nose and try to fight against my hugs but every brave attempt to show love to another is a sweet victory.  I praise God for what she is learning here and for all the people who have committed to showing the love of Christ at this home.  Seeds are being planted, watered and grown into beautiful little flowers right before our eyes.  

– Kelly Moore

 

My husband and I and our two children, Isaac (5) and Jubilee (2) are visiting Love and Hope Children’s Home for 2 1/2 months. We live in Colorado and have visited the home 3 other times. It has been one of our greatest pleasures in life to get to know the children here and watch them grow. On arriving we were happy to find the new location to be a refreshing and beautiful change.

While we are here we hope to put our hands to work in many ways. This week Seth has spent time cleaning up the back courtyard and we are preparing a place for the children to have a vegetable garden. We are also hoping to assist with introducing some art and craft skills (painting, sewing, crocheting) as well as independent sports and activities to the kids. They are all so creative and unique and we are eager to watch them take on new interests. Spending time with the kids in smaller groups and giving them time outside of the their routine is always a true joy. We are stepping forward to take on more responsibilities that will relieve some of the heavy load others are carrying down here.

We always come home learning far more from the children than we can ever offer them.They are our most treasured friends and we are blessed to come and visit them.

Chelsea and Seth Weber

This past Friday, Rachel was presented with the GABRIEL Award for Female Social Humanitarian of the Year during a ceremony at La Universidad Dr. Jose Matias Delgado. All the kids and staff were in attendance to see her honored and share in her recognition. This award is one of the many great ways the home has recently been recognized here in El Salvador.  

Additional coverage of the award in La Prensa Grafica (spanish).

 

This past week, Seth helped the older boys make their own bows and arrows. First they went out into the woods to find the perfect sticks for the bows, and then cut and shaped them with machetes and pocket knives until they were ready for stringing. Next, they went on the hunt for small straight sticks to use as arrows. After some quick safety instructions and shooting tips, we let the boys loose on the target.

 

  

We are looking to fill out our staff with two more full time positions. These are needs we’ve seen develop over the past few months. Bringing on two full-time staff members is a big financial commitment. We ask for your continued prayer and support on how we can best fill these roles.

Psychologist

Many of our kids come from difficult backgrounds and our desire is to help them work through whatever issues lie in their past as best we can. We’ve always had a psychologist on staff, but only on a part time basis. We feel very strongly that we need to make that position full time. In addition to the kids, we’re also hoping to have our psychologist work with our caregivers to guide them in how to best care for the children. We estimate the monthly cost of staffing this position to be $1500 including benefits.

Administrative Director

Keeping the business end of Love & Hope running is a full time job. From payroll to pension to driving passes, there is never a day without paperwork, forms and phone calls. Over the past several months we’ve worked hard to organize and document the paperwork and procedures that keep the wheels of Love & Hope turning and now we’re looking to bring in an Administrative Director, trained in exactly this kind of work, to make sure it continues to  run smoothly. We estimate the monthly cost of staffing this position to be $1200 including benefits.

Thank you for your continued love and support of this ministry.