Kids at Risk

Human Trafficking Awareness in El Salvador

Free the Girls, Human Trafficking, Immigration, Justice, Kids at Risk -

Yesterday as I was driving around the city the word “La Trata” jumped out at me. This is the Spanish word that refers to human trafficking…the buying and selling of people. Within an hour I saw two billboards and one bus explaining that “La Trata” is a crime and urging women and girls not to be deceived. This is huge. The truth is that despite the hotness of the topic of human trafficking in the States, many in El Salvador are unaware of the problem. Girls disappear, and women are sold into horrific situations of forced prostitution and domestic servitude. Hopefully that will begin to change. The new campaign, led by the First Lady of El Salvador, includes television commercials aimed at preventing child trafficking, and signs around El Salvador. […]

Christmas Wrap-Up

Advent, Holidays, Kids at Risk, Third Culture Kids -

Ok, I know it’s bad but couldn’t resist the pun…yes we are “wrapping-up” Christmas with this final update on our Christmas events. We have recently become more involved working in a community just outside of Santa Ana. We are working with one of our partners, Latin American Children’s Fund, to support a health clinic and the surrounding communities. For Christmas, we facilitated a “Christmas Fair” in the Canton Ayutuxtepeque community. The local leaders ran the whole thing, and we were just there to offer staff and support. It was the weekend before Christmas and toys and clothes were offered to the community at a discounted rate. This gave local parents the opportunity to shop for their own children (instead of the gringos just handing out stuff!) , and invest back […]

Christmas Shopping and Fireworks

Advent, Family, Free the Girls, Holidays, Human Trafficking, Kids at Risk, Third Culture Kids -

El Salvador is a nation with many fatherless children. Because of crime, violence, immigration, and poverty many kids are growing up without the love and support that a family provides. These children spend much of their childhood being moved from one protection center to another which offers housing, but little else in terms of support and nurturing. There are also other types of centers, shelters, and private homes around the country and some children find themselves here because they were abused, have special needs, or are victims of horrible crimes such as human trafficking. This Christmas we were able to bring some love to some kids in El Salvador who have no family to love them, to nurture them, or to guide them. We realize that our efforts do not […]

Christmas at the Lighthouse

Advent, Holidays, Kids at Risk, The Lighthouse Project, Urban Ministry -

This Christmas we had many opportunities to share the love and hope of the season with those in need in El Salvador. The response and generosity of so many donors was amazing and very much appreciated. I know it’s a little late, but I will be posting some pictures from our various Christmas events this week. We want to start off by thanking all of our donors and volunteers who came together to make Christmas Eve special for our friends on the street. We were able to provide a turkey dinner, and a gift for 40 homeless men, women, and teenagers. We had a special program where we did games, shared a Christmas message, showed a video featuring highlights, and gave prizes to the men and women who have taken […]

Human Trafficking in El Salvador

Free the Girls, Human Trafficking, Immigration, Justice, Kids at Risk, Urban Ministry -

Today has been declared National Human Trafficking Awareness Day in the U.S., and the whole month has been declared Human Trafficking Awareness Month. This is an issue that many people are aware of in the U.S., and great strides are being taken to identify and protect victims. Here in El Salvador, human trafficking or “la trata” as it is called, is an issue too. Here is a quick overview of the situation in El Salvador:  -women and children are far more likely to be trafficked than men -poverty is the number one risk factor for girls and women that become victims -the majority of victims are sexually exploited, but there are some who are forced into agricultural or domestic servitude -El Salvador is a source, destination, and transit country -within El Salvador, victims […]

Opportunity

Free the Girls, Justice, Kids at Risk -

Opportunity. When we hear the word we think of choices, risks, new beginnings. To a victim of trafficking, a modern-day slave, it’s a foreign word. When you are owned by another human being you don’t get to dream, to risk, to take hold of your future. Last week, we had the privilege of hosting Dave Terpstra, Co-Founder and Global Director of Free the Girls, in our home. I was reminded again of how thrilled I am that we get to work with this organization that believes in giving opportunities to victims of sex trafficking. We have women and girls that we interact with every week who have never had an opportunity. What a gift it is that we can offer them a choice, a chance to start their own business, and to […]

Learning to Read and Write

Kids at Risk, Ministry Center Project, Urban Ministry -

A few weeks ago we added a literacy class to the Lighthouse ministry. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday the doors are open for our friends to learn the basics of reading and writing. Reading and writing are basic skills that all of us so easily take for granted. Sadly, this is not an option for many kids and teenagers who are growing up on the streets of San Salvador. Gerber is the first to take advantage of this new opportunity. He was abandoned on the streets as a young boy, and now at the age of 20, he is excited to be able to take formal classes at the Lighthouse ministry center.  Please pray for him that he would stay motivated and not grow discouraged, and please pray for Ericka as […]

New Location, New Possibilities

Discovery, Fundraising, Kids at Risk, Ministry Center Project, Short-Term Missions, Transitions, Urban Ministry, YWAM -

This past week we had our first week of ministry in the new building. After months of renovations, it was exciting to see the first realization of the potential that this new space has! El Faro (The Lighthouse) homeless ministry used the building for the first time and the guys and girls were thrilled with the new shower facilities and indoor space out of the sun. Thank you so much to all of our donors who are making this a possibility, and a special shout-out to Discovery Christian Church who kicked this whole thing off as part of their BRIX capital campaign! The bathrooms have been renovated, additional storage and an extra room have been added, a new outdoor sink has been installed, and the outside of the building has […]

New Computer Lab Opened

Fundraising, Kids at Risk, YWAM -

We finally have an update on the Technology for Kids  project! Just before I left for the States, Jon had the opportunity to visit the Marillac Girls’ Center for the opening of the second computer lab to help kids in El Salvador. This is a center that is home to girls who have been orphaned, abandoned, or abused. We have chosen to partner with local leaders, and the process has been a long one, but now the computer lab is up and running and the girls are using the computers to gain valuable job skills and have new doors opened for them. Thank you to all of you who donated to this project! Check out the pictures below: Welcome to Marillac! Inside the center Creative spelling of Jon’s name… Set […]

“That’s How We Roll!”

Holidays, Kids at Risk, Ministry Center Project, Short-Term Missions, Urban Ministry, YWAM -

We were blessed to ring in the New Year with a Canadian team from Possibilities International. They spent the week working hard to serve El Salvador. They built a house for a single mom and her kids in Gerardo Barrios, and then shopped for needed food, clothes, and furniture for the family.  They also began renovations on the ministry center, threw a New Year’s Eve cookout and fireworks bash at CISNA, took the Lighthouse homeless guys to the beach, and fed the hungry on the streets of San Salvador. They packed a lot into one week! “That’s how we roll!” was their mantra as they not only served El Salvador, but also encouraged all of us working on staff at YWAM. We are truly grateful for their love and service with […]

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