We were blessed with the opportunity to visit the Casa Esperanza ministry. The women living there were wonderful, loving and open. We enjoyed getting to know them, hearing their stories and goals, and were overwhelmed by the joy and love they displayed due to their relationship with Christ in spite of their past and challenging situations.
Having grown up in an orphanage or in an abusive home these women were not taught many basic life skills (cooking, shopping for groceries, budgeting, …). The House of Hope teaches essential life skills and Biblical principles. They also provide counseling to help them heal their hearts and minds.
The challenges and resources required to break the cycle of abuse and being raised in an orphanage as well as helping these women succeed in the face of societal barriers is great. Imagine being highly qualified, but repeatedly not selected for a good job simply because of your address. This injustice is only one of the challenges these women face. It prevents people moving up regardless of how hard they may work or what qualifications they have.
We miss the people we met and hold them closely in our hearts and prayers. We hope that others will hear, go, give and pray so that these women and others will be lights in a dark world that demonstrate both how the love of God and the works of His people can bring hope and life to young women like Lily, Lisette, Claudia, Estafia and Nicole.
