My father was born in a small town in Guatemala that was close to the border of El Salvador. He did not have the easiest childhood, and he was forced to grow up at a young age in order to survive. Things like not having enough food to eat and not being able to bathe in clean water, which led to consequences later in his life, were the norm for him. This all led to my father making the decision to immigrate to the United States so that he could have a chance at a better life. With no money to his name and no knowledge of the English language, but a fierce determination to make something of himself, my father made the long journey on foot to the United States where he became a US citizen in 2005.
My father would always remind me to never take anything for granted because there were people in other parts of the world who did not have the same luxuries that I grew up with. He reminded me daily to work hard, be humble, and always remember that everything good comes from God. It’s one thing to hear about the challenges others experience and a completely different thing to see them firsthand. The first time my eyes were opened to the need around me, I was never the same again. The world I lived in suddenly became a lot bigger and I became so much smaller. \
I was eighteen years old the first time I visited Guatemala. My world view was completely changed with just one visit. The stories of the people and places my dad used to tell me about now had faces, names, and sounds. I saw children working because their families could not afford to send them to school. They needed all the help they could get just to put food on the table. I listened to the stories of abuse and neglect that a lot of my family members faced at the hands of others. I saw their faces and I felt their pain in a very real way. This experience changed me. In a place with so little hope, I prayed that God would provide a haven for those that needed one.
I was able to return to Guatemala in December of 2022 to spend the holidays with my family. While there, I also had the incredible opportunity to visit H.O.M.E. International on behalf of my employer, The UPC Stewardship Group. I had first heard about H.O.M.E. as a teenager and immediately wanted to visit there. It felt as if God had answered a secret prayer that I had not shared with anyone for fear of it not becoming a reality. Being able to see the children and the work that is being done, I was overcome with great emotion. These children have lost so much in their lives. Most of them come in frightened, hungry, and hopeless. They know nothing but heartache and pain. H.O.M.E. has become a haven for these children. The staff and volunteers strive to provide them with the love and care they so desperately need.
H.O.M.E. International has the space to house up to 100 children. As of December, they had one new house built and ready for ten more boys to move in to and were confident that they would have the house filled by the end of January. There is currently a waiting list as the government tries to send more children to the H.O.M.E. The need is great, and the staff are doing all that they can to meet those needs.
One of the goals of H.O.M.E. is to provide the children with more than just basic physical needs. They are working to equip the children with life skills that will help them throughout their lives. This is done by providing the children with counseling and education that promotes self-motivated growth and problem-solving skills. They are taught to think independently and are provided with a safe environment to explore the world and heal from their past. For a lot of these children, this is the first time they are free to behave their age. The food and clean water they are provided with supports their health and healing on a daily basis.
While touring the campus, I was able to see the water system that was built and partially funded by a donation to the SeedSprings endowment fund of the United Pentecostal Foundation. This donation was made by the Men’s Conference of the Missouri District in 2015. These children now have access to clean water to drink and bathe in in a country where that is not the norm. I am so grateful knowing these children will not have to face the same consequences that my father did. Seeing their smiling faces provided such comfort to me. When I look at the faces of those children, I think of my father who struggled and fought his way out of poverty and feel such joy in knowing they will not have to face those same struggles alone.