It is no small thing to put one's faith in the Lord. It is a position that will test you, stretch you to your limit, bring you through struggles and the most impossible of situations. But more than anything, it gives you hope, joy, strength and zeal even in those things. Such has been our experience since we made the decision to obey the Lord by starting the youth center over 3 years ago. So much has happened and we have grown at such an unprecedented rate that it can only be attributed to the power of God.
We started the youth center with the desire to offer a safe haven, a healthy atmosphere and sound entertainment for at risk youth living in chaotic environments; but above all, it was a place where they came to know REAL TRUTH and REAL LOVE. That has been and continues to be the main focus of our ministry since we began in 2015, but since then, there have been some specific additions to our mission. In 2016, we felt led to help some students struggling with some of their subjects at school by providing tutors for them in those specific subjects. As the year came to an end, we realized that the help that was given to each one of those kids was highly beneficial for them and helped them take one more step towards a brighter future. We also realized that there's a particular demographic of our youth that had to halt their education for lack of the finances and many other reasons. Through prayer and a few discussions, we decided to start the educational program at El Centro.
We partnered with a school that offered online schooling and registered a pair of teenage siblings who had both stopped going to school after 6th grade. As we went through the year, helping them to understand how online schooling works, as well as optimizing their educational experience, we noticed the great need of quality education for the youth in our area, and that’s when the journey intensified.
So, we started with 2 in 2017, then went up to 5 in 2018 and finishing the year with 7. This year, we are starting with 16 students, including some elementary schoolers. Thankfully a few of our students are being supported already, and that´s really helped us with the beginning of the year. If you´re not sponsoring any of our students yet, we ask you to pray and ask the Lord if it´s something that He is calling you to do.
We truly believe that God continues to approve and bless every decision we make and the direction we are headed, and it is also thanks in part to all of our supporters for all their donations, financial support and ceaseless prayers. We hope that the good Lord continues to bless you and motivate you to be intentionally involved in overseas missions. Thank you all for your love and support.