Dennis is now sponsored!

March 4, 2012

Update: Dennis is now sponsored! Thank you so much to his generous sponsors!

Dennis is pictured right.

Name: Dennis

Age: 17

Program: Dennis will be enrolled to take high school classes on the weekends. He will also be enrolled at La Pradera Technical School to study welding.

Dennis is a teenager with a rough past who has been in and out of several state-run children’s homes. He is intelligent and competent intellectually, though, and is also very good with his hands. Learning skills in welding combined with a high school education should serve him well in the future. Please be in prayer over Dennis and his consistency as he begins this new phase.

You can sponsor Dennis for a $100 one-time donation for upfront costs and $50 per month for recurring costs.

Help us break chains by sponsoring a teenager’s education or vocational training

Originally posted March 2, 2012

“If you build it, they will come.” Well, since Breaking Chains opened its doors, they have come. The ministry is currently blessed to provide shelter and guidance for approximately 40 people in need, many of whom are children and teenagers.

Now that these children and teenagers have found security in our building, we are moving forward on our efforts to provide them with a brighter future through education and training – opportunities they would otherwise not have.

Currently we have six children sponsored to attend private school in Honduras. Now, we have partnered with local organizations and are enrolling our teenagers in high school and vocational programs.

Those that are young enough have enrolled in local high schools to continue their education. Others are enrolled in “talleres”, or vocational training programs. These programs include beauty classes, sewing, auto repair, construction, welding and more. It is our hope that through these education and vocation initiatives, the teenagers in our building will gain valuable knowledge and skills to carry them forward in life and help them escape the cycle of poverty. Our hope is that they continue to prosper long after they leave the shelter of our building.

Here is how you can help: Each of our 18 teenagers will need a sponsor to cover the cost of the needs associated with their educations. An upfront cost of $100 is necessary to cover the cost of new clothes, backpacks and supplies. Then, each teenager will need monthly support for their daily lunch and transportation, as well as incidental supplies. The monthly cost to sponsor will be $50 to $75 per month depending on the program.

If you are interested in sponsoring (upfront costs, monthly costs, or both), we will match you with one of our 18 teenagers seeking sponsorship and tell you more about his or her story. Please comment on this blog post or email courtney@bchonduras.org if you wish to sponsor or would like more information.

Thank you for your continued support of Breaking Chains. We are committed to providing a better future to those we serve and are excited to share this new opportunity with you! May God bless you as faithfully as he continues to bless our ministry.

Sponsor needed: Carmela

Originally posted March 5, 2012

Name: Carmela

Age: 18

Program: Carmela will be enrolled in school on the weekends.

Carmela (pictured left) and her twin sister Rosa (right) have been with Breaking Chains since early 2012. Carmela recently gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. Due to the demands of motherhood, Carmela will only be attending school on the weekends and will not be participating in vocational programs at this time. We are are thankful that Carmela and her baby are safe and we are excited about the way that education will impact her future and that of her daughter.

You can sponsor Carmela for a one-time donation of $100 for her upfront costs and $50 per month for her recurring expenses.

Miguel is now sponsored!

Originally posted March 5, 2012

Name: Miguel

Age: 17

Program: Miguel will continue his high school education through weekend school. We are currently looking for a music program to enroll him in as well.

Miguel has been with Breaking Chains since fall 2011. His older brother Carlos and younger brother Antonio also live in the building. Because Miguel has been in and out of children’s homes for most of his life, it has been difficult for him to pursue a passion. However, he is very artistic (drawing, making bracelets, etc.) and is very interested in music. In addition to helping him pursue an education, we feel that finding a music program for him to be a part of will make him excited to learn and could open up doors for the future.

Miguel’s upfront costs have been taken care of. Thank you to his generous sponsors! He is still in need of a one-time payment of $100 to cover his upfront costs.

Winterfest 2012: God’s faithful answer to 40 for 40

Originally published February 24, 2012

Sometimes God answers prayer. And sometimes He pours out something that goes so far beyond expectations that you can’t help but be overwhelmed by His love and faithfulness. The latter describes our feelings toward Winterfest 2012.

We set a goal of raising $40,000 through the Sunday morning Winterfest contributions (combined Arlington and Gatlinburg) in order to secure a $40,000 matching grant offered by a pair of generous donors. We said $40k. God said double that.

A total of $81,500 was raised through the combined event contributions, which will be used to help purchase the building our ministry has been renting for more than a year. The contribution plus the $40,000 matching grant brings the total to $121,500.

The 3200 attendees from Arlington, Texas showed up in a big way and offered $11,500 for the ministry – and we were amazed. Then the 12,000 Gatlinburg attendees offered up more than $70,000 – and we were blown out of the water. An incredible $25,000 of that $70,000 was raised from the first session of Winterfest Gatlinburg and $45,000 was raised from the second session.

With the funds raised from Winterfest and funds previously raised before the contribution, we have enough to purchase the ministry building – an answer to a prayer two years in the making. Thank you to everyone who has made this possible. Our hearts are overflowing with love and gratitude. God is truly faithful. Always.

There really are no words to describe how humbled and thankful we are to God for the way he has worked through this whole experience. We are thankful that God worked through Winterfest to provide an outlet to raise these kinds of funds. We are thankful that God worked through the matching grant donors to provide an incredible financial blessing, as well as a fundraising benchmark for attendees. And, of course, we are thankful that God moved the hearts of the attendees to bless us in a way we could not have imagined. God has covered our ministry with the love of so many.

As always, you can follow the work of Breaking Chains, our building purchase and other ministry happenings through our Facebook page, website and blog. We look forward to you joining us in this next chapter of the amazing story God is writing for us.

Regular monthly giving made easy

Originally posted February 1, 2012

Hey friends of Breaking Chains Honduras! If you have been considering donating to Breaking Chains on a regular monthly basis, there is now an easy, electronic way to make that happen.

On the “give” section of our website, there are now two donation buttons available: one for singular, one-time gifts and another “subscribe” button for regular giving. The subscribe button features a drop-down menu with monthly gift options in varying amounts.

By subscribing, the donation amount chosen will automatically be added to your account each month until you choose to unsubscribe. This is a great resource if you have been wanting to donate monthly, but don’t want to hassle with remembering to send a check each month.

Please let us know if you have any questions. And, as always, thank you for your continued support and encouragement of Breaking Chains Honduras! The work could not be done without you.