Nicaragua

Have you ever taken a lesson in pottery? When a woman at House of Hope Nicaragua is within 2 years of graduating from the residential program she is invited to join the Ephesians Club. This class meets weekly for a year and a half to two years and prepares them for their transition out of House of Hope. The class teaches extensively what the Bible has to say about how we get along with others and it concludes with a visit to the potter’s house. The visit is to show the women the rigorous process that clay must go through to be sifted, crushed, and stomped before being ready for the Potter. It’s a symbolic image of the process they go through in the program before they are ready for the Master to make them vessels for His glory. Just like the clay, the women are prepared to go into the “fire” that comes when they transition out into their own homes that the generous House of Hope Donor’s provide and build for them. Francis recently completed the Ephesians club and shares from her visit that “We need to be patient in the process. It takes a lot of work for all the flaws to be removed from the clay in order for the vessel to be strong.” 

Honduras

Last month Renovation Church from South Carolina sent their A Team of volunteers to use their skills and talents to be a blessing to the women and children of House of Hope in Honduras. Everyone invested their sweat equity into putting finishing touches on the ministry center building. During the week the team heard the amazing testimonies of women whose lives have been taken out of human trafficking and transformed to be daughters of Christ. Ondina was one of the first testimonies the team heard. It was exciting to hear how Christ has transformed her life, and several of the returning team members could even remember her very first day at House of Hope back in August.

Boliva

God is opening doors for more girls to be rescued in Cochabamba, Bolivia! This month House of Hope Bolivia has focused its energy reaching out to underaged girls being trafficked in the nearby village of Chulla. On Saturday, March 4th, staff went to the home of one of the girls in the program to share about God with girls and their families. We gave out food and built trust with the families so that the girls could be invited to spend the night at House of Hope for more ministry opportunities. Thirteen girls came that weekend and were able to play, participate in healing activities, and go to church Sunday morning. It was a lot of fun!

In honor of #MyFreedomDay, which is on March 16, House of Hope International staff and volunteers went into local schools to communicate the dangers of sex trafficking to 360 vulnerable female students. There was an overwhelming response from at least a dozen girls who are currently being trafficked. We believe God is preparing the way for even more girls to be rescued by House of Hope through the connections made at this event. At the end of each session the participants signed a pledge that said that they would not fall into the trap of trafficking and they would tell someone if they suspected a friend was being trafficked. These young girls are now standing strong together in the fight against human trafficking in a neighborhood where girls as young as 6 years old are being forced into prostitution! A group of three friends immediately took this pledge into action by bringing their classmate to meet Kathy, director of the House of Hope girls home. Another student, an indigenous girl who doesn’t speak Spanish is currently being trafficked and our staff has been able to work together to minister to her. You can hear more about the #MyFreedomDay movement by watching House of Hope’s CNN interview