Her name is Maria Belen. Belen is 5 years old, owns a little dog named Chocolate and loves to dance and play hide-and-seek. She also does not speak any English.

Her beautiful smile was the first to greet me each day and she was the last one to give me a hug when I left. We often communicated nonverbally and by the end of the week I could understand her rather well. What I did not know was how much she understood from me.

Through my spotty Spanish and role playing, I shared with her several Bible stories and verses. It was rather entertaining to watch, I’m sure. Yet, apparently Belen was sharing with her mother each night what we had learned together that day.

At the end of the week Belen’s mother came up to me and handed me a yellow bag she made for me. Belen had shared with her mother that yellow was my favorite color, and she wanted to thank me for sharing the love and joy of Christ with their family.

This experienced reminded me that God’s power and grace is beyond languages and cultures. It is incredible to witness His gospel message spread worldwide through the faithfulness of his followers.

Spending time in another culture always produces barriers, but by actively showing love and leaning on God’s guidance, you can be a useful tool for the Gospel. Isaiah 55:10-11 is a beautiful picture of God’s word and how it flourishes and does not return empty:

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”

Jeanne Jacobs served as a volunteer with Project Go! last summer in Peru. The deadline to sign up to be a 2012 Project Go! volunteer is Feb. 5. Click here for more information. 

Project Go is a summer missions program for college students and recent graduates who want to serve orphans and vulnerable children.

Students can serve in Peru, Kenya, Russia, the Rio Grande Valley, Guatemala, Honduras, the Dominican Republic or Mexico. Session One takes place from May 31 to July 1. Session Two is from July 9 to August 9. Volunteers can also serve for a full summer.

Country preferences are taken into consideration, but assignments are made on a first-come, first-served basis, and the deadline to apply is February 5.

“After these trips, their whole world view changes,” said Analiz Schremmer, volunteer recruitment and fulfillment coordinator. “I know Project Go has helped a lot of individuals find their calling and decide what they want to do with their lives professionally. Some people have come out knowing they want to adopt one day. Others decide they want to go into full-time ministry or social work.”

One volunteer who served in Kenya appreciated having time to get to know the children, build relationships and be immersed in the culture.

“We got to milks cows with them, help prepare the meals and even watch them play in a futbol game,” she said. “I never could have imagined falling so in love with 70 orphans, but for some reason, those are the faces that I can’t seem to get out of my head since I’ve been home… I will forever have a piece of Kitale, Kenya in my heart.”

Schremmer said volunteers aren’t just changed through their experience – they change the lives of others.

“The biggest differences they make are in the lives of individuals,” she said. “As the volunteers go about their service, they will have the opportunity to develop relationships and share the love of Christ. It’s a permanent impact. Some of the kids they will work with just need to be loved and they will have the opportunity to do that.”

To learn more about Project Go and to apply, please visit http://itsyourmission.com/interns/index.shtml. Or, you can contact Analiz Schremmer at aschremmer@buckner.org.

Stay connected with Project Go on Facebook! Find us at www.facebook.com/ServeWithProjectGo.

Click the first photo below to start viewing the slideshow.

 

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By Chelsea Quackenbush
Buckner International

One of nine children, she was adopted at a young age by her grandmother since her mother could not take care of her. By time she reached secondary school, her grandmother could no longer pay her fees, so a boyfriend started paying them for her. But then he stopped and Matilda was forced to drop out. She engaged in petty trading, got pregnant and had to beg from friends.

In October 2010, Matilda heard about the Global Connections Partnership Networks (now Kinexxus) skills training program for school dropouts when Buckner Sierra Leone conducted needs assessments and registered youth in the Jui Community. She learned the skills necessary to make gara tie dye products and run her own small business. She graduated in just seven months, and although she doesn’t have the capital to start her own business, she’s trying very hard to break into the competitive market.

“Before, she was helpless. But now she’s feeling proud, happy. Things have changed. Her life is much different now than it was then,” said Buckner Sierra Leone program director Alfred Kargbo.

Through the training and support of the CTC staff, Matilda, who was previously a Muslim, learned about Jesus and accepted Him as her Lord and Savior.

“When she started, she was not a Christian,” Kargbo said. “She had no confidence in anything but we drew it out of her and taught her who she was in Christ. She’s developing a relationship with Jesus and her influence is profound on all the students. She went through a lot of challenges but now she speaks to our trainees.”

The training program is practically-oriented and highly intensive. Students train for five hours a day Monday through Saturday. Graduates of the program are facing high barriers to entry in the gara tie dyeing market because they have to come up with their own capital and materials, something that was provided to them while they were in the program. The market also is competitive, so entrepreneurs must be well-equipped to be successful, Kargbo said.

Buckner Sierra Leone works with individuals for case management and mentoring trainees in business. Their three main roles are to provide needs assessment, design a skills training program, and design a monitoring and mentoring program throughout with training.

by Lauren Hollon Sturdy
Buckner International

The island of Roatán, 40 miles northeast of the Honduran mainland, is a tropical paradise. White sand beaches and warm turquoise water greet throngs of tourists in high season who come to spend their vacation in the luxurious beachside resorts.

But stray from tourist areas, and it’s clear that poverty is a problem. Minimum wage is about 6,000 lempiras per month ($317), but some earn as little as 4,000 lempiras per month.

One small island resident, Alex Antonio Aguilar Levy, is a case study in the afflictions borne by children living in poverty.

He was one of the first 10 children to enter the Buckner Honduras Community Transformation Center in Roatán in July 2010. At 32 pounds, his weight would have been considered healthy for a 2- to 3-year-old. But Alex was 5.

Extremely malnourished, he spent most of his days living in the street, taking care of himself.

Parenting problems

One-third of Hondurans are underemployed, and both parents often work outside the home just to scrape by on minimum wage.

“Most families live in precarious conditions,” said Sandra Zuniga, social worker for the CTC. “It really takes between 8,000 and 9,000 lempiras a month to provide for a family. They often have to sacrifice food to make ends meet.”

If poor families in Roatán have scarce resources to feed their children, they have no resources to pay for daycare. With no one around during the day to watch them and no food in the cupboards to eat, many children venture out into the streets to fend for themselves.

Alex’s mother, Sherry Levy, would lose him in the streets for two or three days at a time. It was dangerous, Levy said. He liked chasing the cars and getting into trouble with other street children. She worried that someone would kidnap him.

Health issues

When the CTC opened and began providing childcare and case management services last summer, staff there took Alex to a free clinic for a diagnosis. Like many children who come to the CTC, he had parasites.

“When he came to us, he was skinny and malnourished,” said Kendy Alvarez, nurse at the CTC. “He had very bad health.

“Street children get parasites from eating fruit and food they pick up in the streets,” she said. “They don’t wash their hands. They also get parasites at home, because they often drink water without boiling it or chlorinating it. We teach each child not to do those things, and to wash their hands and brush their teeth and live a healthy life.”

The messages about health and wellness have gotten through. Alex talks about his daily routine at the CTC, how he does his homework, eats lunch, plays, takes a nap, has a snack, and then everyone goes upstairs and brushes their teeth.

“If you don’t brush your teeth, they’ll go bad,” he said. “And to stay healthy, I have to eat well and I have to shower.”

Besides education, the CTC provides a healthy lunch and snacks to each child every day. For many of the kids, it’s the only food they get. They take vitamins daily and receive deworming medication every six months. Alvarez also weighs and measures the children each month to make sure their growth is on target.

Gaining ground

Now, at 42 pounds, Alex’s weight is within the normal growth curve for a child of nearly 6 years. The daycare staff said he has changed a lot in other ways, too. He used to be rebellious and he didn’t like to take showers. He was also aggressive.

“He has changed for the better,” Alvarez said. “Now, when he arrives, he says, ‘I showered today!’ He also used to eat with his fingers. Now, he uses his fork.”

He’s happier and better behaved than he used to be, his mother said, and she is thankful knowing he is safe.

“I feel good because he’s secure,” Levy said. “I know where he is all day.”

“He’s different, really different here,” she continued. “He’s happy. He’s got children to play with and all that. He comes and shows me the things he makes and tells me, ‘The teacher taught me this.’ He learns to print and he learns to write, and the numbers and things.”

“Children that don’t have a place like the CTC to come to fall into the street, they get into bad company and they get ruined,” Levy said.

To learn more about supporting this ministry and other Buckner Honduras programs, contact Buckner Foundation at 214-758-8050.

By Chelsea Quackenbush
Buckner International

“Because the families live in such poverty, they often don’t see the need to organize their homes or keep them clean,” said Dexton Shores, regional director of Latin American programs. Buckner social workers are helping families learn basic life skills, like organization, hygiene and job skills, things they may not know due to their circumstances. The project coaches them to organize their kitchens and bedrooms by using what’s available, like building clothing dressers out of cardboard boxes they find near the trash dump.

Caseworkers teach about the dangers of leaving food out all day, and how to dig proper septic drainage away from the house. They assess the family’s needs and connect them with a local church in hopes of spiritual and community transformation.

“There has to be a desire for change and a willingness to accept advice. The best candidates are the ones that are most needy and most apt to change,” Shores said. “We encourage the families to volunteer after they go through the program so they can turn around and help others.”

The program is funded by a grant from Mexican government, which Buckner has received for the third year in a row. Caseworkers and volunteers are crucial to teach the skills necessary for a successful program.

The Buckner Dominican Republic CTC has teamed up with Esperanza Bank in Eduardo Brito to offer families microloans to propel them out of extreme poverty and toward self-sufficiency.

Qualifying families live in extreme poverty with little hope of becoming part of the job market. An Esperanza facilitator and a Buckner social worker evaluate families to determine their needs and the amount of the loan needed for each person.

“Lives have been transformed due to the spiritual and biblical training, and the fact that each family’s economical situation has improved to help them move toward self-sufficiency with economical development,” Esperanza International consultant Newton de la Cruz said.

First-time loans

The first-time loan is between 1,000 and 8,000 pesos, or $25 to $210. The loans are repaid at 3 percent interest – 1.25 percent is interest and 1.75 is life insurance and technical consultations for savings. The term of the loan is six months to one year depending on the amount of the loan, de la Cruz said.

Participants are required to attend biweekly meetings to discuss current situations and community events, such as healthcare and training opportunities. The group also has devotional time with Bible study and prayer for specific personal and community needs.

The group also reads their commitment out loud, which says they will uphold the values of the Esperanza bank; exhibit unity and relate to one another with mutual respect and trust; and work and persevere for the well-being of their families. In response, Esperanza commits to provide continuous and honest service in a timely manner for the approved work plan to generate the needed income.

Families see results

Many participants are able to send their children to school because they now have the resources for uniforms and school supplies, something they didn’t have before. They also can provide three meals a day and sleep in a bed instead of sleeping on the floor.

“Buckner is excited to have this important alliance with Esperanza because they can provide families with micro financing while Buckner case management through the CTC model can help families to develop a family plan of goals and objectives to help them move toward self-sufficiency, which includes educational opportunities, improved healthcare, spiritual development and job skills training,” de la Cruz said. “Each ministry complements the other very effectively for the benefit of families and children living in extreme poverty.”

The Esperanza Bank was founded in 1985 with the goal of providing poverty-stricken communities with support so men and women could develop small businesses and better sustain their families. A Buckner donor connected Buckner and Esperanza after seeing the similarities in their missions.

By Chelsea Quackenbush
Buckner International

Transformation is not going to take place in a community if it’s not going to take place in the individual.

That’s the goal of Buckner’s Community Transformation Centers around the world. Case managers work with local families and individuals to address physical, medical, emotional, vocational and above all, spiritual needs to transform their hearts and lives.

“There needs to be a transformation of the heart,” said Dexton Shores, a regional director of Buckner Latin American ministries. “If there’s a relationship with God and families are connected with local churches, the likelihood of transformation increases dramatically.”

Little by little, Buckner staff are making connections and building relationships with people and families in the communities they serve to teach lasting lessons about how to do life better. Like Jesus told his disciples, life is better when in community with one another.

They were devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Acts 2:42

Buckner CTCs provide a holistic approach to the communities they serve by delivering an integrated, needs-based continuum of care to vulnerable children and their families. They are located in fragile communities, surrounded by poverty and crime. The centers seek to enable and empower parents to provide a safe, stable and loving environment for their children.

The first CTC opened in 2009 in Jocotenango, a small community on the edge of Antigua, Guatemala. Now there are eight CTCs scattered in the Rio Grande Valley, Honduras, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic and Peru, and 10 more Buckner plans to open in 2012.

Each center delivers a slate of opportunities that include health services, social services, educational services, access to humanitarian aid and spiritual enrichment.

Read more about our CTCs around the world by following the links below:

Penitas, Texas - The only domestic Buckner CTC helped Albert Diaz turn his 12 years of painting experience into a small business. The Diaz-Gonzalez family is a best-case scenario representation of the families Buckner Border Ministries serves. Read their story. 

Neza, Mexico - The Maná CTC in Neza has opened a satellite CTC in the Las Villas community, a squatter community of extreme poverty near railroad tracks. The program currently relies on volunteers while Buckner staff make evaluations and determine whether or not they will open a full-service CTC.

Sierra Leone - Matilda Conteh was once resigned to a life of begging. Now, through a partnership between Buckner and the Global Connections Partnership Network, she has learned a trade and hopes to support herself and her children.

Roatan, Honduras - Last summer, Alex was a 5-year-old Honduran problem facing serious health problems. Now, he’s healthy and learning how to stay that way.

Zaachila, Mexico – A new initiative from Buckner Mexico seeks to turn families’ lives around 180 degrees.

Eduardo Brito, Dominican Republic - The Buckner CTC in Eduardo Brito has partnered with Esperanza Bank to kickstart a microloan program that will help families become self-reliant as they build small businesses.

To learn more about how you can support one of the Buckner Community Transformation Centers and accompanying ministries, please contact the Buckner Foundation at 214-758-8050.

By Chelsea Quackenbush
Buckner International

NEZA, Mexico – The Maná CTC in Neza has opened a satellite CTC in the Las Villas community, a squatter community of extreme poverty near railroad tracks. There currently is no budget for the program, so it relies on volunteers, local church support and small donations. There is a social worker who provides case management for families.

Buckner started its work in the spring primarily by feeding children breakfast. They also handed out Christmas presents to children, provided clothing and toys throughout the year and held a special Mother’s Day celebration.

“Some kids and volunteers sang a traditional congratulatory Mexican song, and the mothers came out of their homes crying because no one had ever done anything like that for them,” said Dexton Shores, a regional director of Buckner Latin American ministries.

Buckner staff are working to develop strong relationships with people in the community before deciding whether to open a full-service CTC. They plan to fully fund the Maná CTC in 2012, so it will be able to extend services for people in Las Villas, which is about 15 minutes away, Shores said.

When mission groups with healthcare professionals from Mexico and the United States visit, they can provide dental and medical services. Spiritual enrichment in the form of Vacation Bible Schools is provided with breakfast, and when clothing and toys are provided.

“The Maná CTC is a good picture of local sustainability,” Shores said. “It wouldn’t have happened without local volunteers, donations of toys and food, and doctors providing free services. It provides a good model to develop ministries.”

The Maná CTC’s goal is to increase educational opportunities and job skill training opportunities. Doing so propels families toward self-sufficiency, keeps kids in school and opens the door for better jobs for families.

By Diamond Richardson
Buckner International

GUATEMALA CITY – Looking at spit from one of her students on the floor of a newly renovated classroom, Krista Edmonds realized her volunteer job would entail more than just teaching English.

“I have always felt called to work in Latin America but I never thought I would end up as a teacher,” Edmonds said. “But a friend told me, ‘If you hear God calling you to go somewhere and do something, just go.’”

And she did go. Edmonds’s volunteer teaching journey began when she accepted a position as a fifth-grade teacher in American Samoa. She also volunteered in Mexico before accepting the long-term volunteer position with Buckner International to teach English as a Second Language in two Guatemala City communities – El Cerrito and Santa Rita.

“Krista is great as a missionary and a teacher because she has a tremendous love for kids and it is evident in the way that she relates to them,” said Dexton Shores, one of Buckner’s regional directors for Latin America, who worked with Krista in Mexico . “She is willing to do whatever it takes to transform kid’s lives.”

Edmonds arrived in Guatemala in September 2010 to find children with behavioral issues who were uninterested in learning.

“Many kids there grow up in single parent houses where the mom or dad works all the time,” Edmonds said. “They are just out wandering the streets without anyone to set boundaries for them.”

Edmonds found herself taking on the role of a parent. She helped organize an informal before-school care program where students could work on crafts. Edmonds also began setting boundaries for her students by taking away classroom privileges as punishment.

“I never use to understand what my parents meant when they said discipline hurts them more than it hurts you, but now I do,” Edmonds said, laughing.

The teaching portion of her job also presented new challenges. Edmonds had to develop an ESL curriculum from scratch with few supplemental materials.

“It was hard but you do the best you can with what you have. I tried to focus on getting the kids to talk as much as possible in class,” she said.

As time progressed, Edmonds felt she was making progress with the children, in the classroom and on a personal level.

“When people would come from the States, the kids were so excited that they could say ‘What’s your name.’ To hear that they were using English outside of class was encouraging.”

Edmonds grew close to a group of three siblings, two boys and a girl. Evelyn, the girl, was shy and suffered from an untreated skin disease that left scabs on her face. The two boys, Marlin and Luis, were rambunctious and misbehaved often; Marlin was the one that spit on the floor.

“After he did that, then did it again, I told him to go stand outside for five minutes,” Edmonds said. “They needed to learn that their actions have consequences but that I love them, and I believe in second, third and fourth chances. After awhile they began to straighten up.” 

Edmonds also saw drastic changes in Evelyn. Gone was the painfully shy girl that rarely spoke. Evelyn became spunky, confident and loved to talk with the other students.

Later, at a going-away party for Edmonds, the siblings bought her wrapped boxes. In them were a stuffed animal and a necklace.

“Stuff like that really validates your time,” she said. “Not the fact that they are giving you gifts but that they are sacrificing for you; most of these kids don’t have very many nice things, so for them to give me their own belongings as presents meant a lot.”

Edmonds began going on mission trips in middle school, so cultural adjustment was not difficult for her. The one change that was hard to adjust to was the glaring income disparities in Guatemala.

“Driving from where I was staying into the communities where I taught every day was mind blowing. The area I stayed in was as nice as any neighborhood in the States, then I would drive into an area with dirt floors and scrap metal walls. It’s an insincerity that sticks with you.”

Edmonds realizes that in the grand scheme of things, her 10 months in Guatemala were a small part of the work being done there.

“I would love to see people continue to step into roles over there and maybe in 10 years we can see real change,” she said. “What I did was just a small part in the larger story of what I know is going to happen through Buckner in that community.

“My biggest hope is that I left the kids with a sense of worth. I hope I showed them that they are valuable and precious children of God and that they are not limited by their circumstances,” Edmonds said. “I want them to remember that God always loves them.”

To learn more about long-term volunteer opportunities, please contact Jane Ann Crowson at jcrowson@buckner.org.