Project Restoration with Isaiah 61 Ministries International
Building Strong Families – with Isaiah 61 Ministries International through Project Restoration
The month of February is all about sending messages of love and affection to partners, family and friends. In the western culture, Valentine’s Day is an annual festival to celebrate romantic love, friendship and admiration. We believe that one of the ways we can share our love and admiration with those in need, is by helping meet their basic needs. This allows us to gain the families confidence and opens up opportunity to share the gospel truths about the love of Christ and how they are not forgotten. Our desire is to offer each family the following through Project Restoration- psychological counseling, trauma informed educational training, caregiver support, nutritional screening, and food assistance. Most importantly we want to see each re-united child receive a proper education. This month our family is planning to do some follow up house visits to minister to the needs of reunited families. Our goal for this month is to empower these families by offering them education assistance, psychological counseling and help meet basic needs. We believe this overall holistic care will help build strong families and keep children from returning to institutional care.
Will you help us meet the needs of families like Diego?
Diego lived most of his life in orphan care. He is hearing impaired, yet that doesn’t slow him down. He is full of life and joy. Diego’s lovely aunt and uncle have opened their hearts and home to care for him. Despite the hardships they may face by adding another child to their family, they care for Diego with great love and compassion as they strive to meet their family’s every need.
Recently, when I met Diego’s aunt I noticed right away how she worked very hard to keep her home in order and her children fed and well kept. I couldn’t help but to think about those days when my children were very young. Remembering the days I would have to run to the store to pick up groceries. It would, at times, turn into a mission trying to find their little shoes, coats, hats and chase them down just to run a simple errand. Back then I thought those little sacred moments were challenging, but little did I know. Perspective is everything, when I witnessed this strong Guatemalan momma walk down this muddy road and then back up the mountain just to fill her containers with clean water. She, without fail, does this every day just to provide clean water for her family. When we arrived at her village, I noticed her walking down the mountain with her 3 young children and her little nephew, Diego. They were all walking closely together on the far right of the wet, muddy road, orderly and safely making their way to the nearby well. The fact is I walked up this same slippery path to get to her house and I could barely keep up in my well fitted Nike running shoes. Surprisingly, this momma was wearing flip flops! She somehow managed to keep them clean as she made her way back up the slippery muddy road to her house. Impressive and amazing were just some of the thoughts running through my mind. I couldn’t help but feel humbled and grateful to God for never having to hike down a mountain to get water for my family. This is why we desire to help this hard working momma and empower families just like Diego’s!
Ways you can Help!
· Backpacks- Our goal is to purchase 100 backpacks and fill them with school supplies to bless reunited families and children in orphan care awaiting to be reunited with families. Each backpack costs approx. $35 Total needed is $3,500
· Sponsor a House Visit – Trips to visit families are far into the mountains. They require lots of planning and a Project Restoration Team to make it happen. You can sponsor a house visit for $150, includes food bags for each family in need.
· Purchase a food bag for a reunited family - $25 a food bag.
· Rule Family Support – We are still in need of monthly supporters for our family to stay here in the mission field of Guatemala, will you come along side our family to help spread the good news of Jesus Christ?!
*You can donate to all these projects by clicking the "GIVE" button below. When you place the donation please write in the comment box what it is for and we will allocate it to the right project.*
“This is the kind of fast day I’m after to break the chains of injustice, get rid of exploitation in the workplace, free the oppressed, cancel debts, What I’m interested in seeing you do is: sharing your food with the hungry, inviting the homeless poor into your homes, putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad, being available to your own families. Do this and the lights will turn on, and your lives will turn around at once. Your righteousness will pave your way. The God of glory will secure your passage. Then when you pray, God will answer. You’ll call out for help and I’ll say, ‘Here I am.’ “if you get rid of unfair practices, quit blaming victims, quit gossiping about other people’s sins, If you are generous with the hungry and start giving yourselves to the down-and out, Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness, your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight. I will always show you where to go. I’ll give you a full life in the emptiest of places – firm muscles, strong bones. You’ll be like a well-watered garden, a gurgling spring that never runs dry. You’ll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew, rebuild the foundations from out of your past. You’ll be known as those who can fix anything, restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate, make the community livable again.” Isaiah 58:6-9 MSG
Love,
Rule Family