Oscar: Showing our teens what a real father looks like

Originally posted December 5, 2015

I’ll be honest, sometimes I want to hug Oscar and sometimes I want to lock him in a closet so he won’t bother me. He’s a pretty handy guy to have, he can get things fixed around the building that need to be and can organize the teens and talk with them. I love that. But there have been moments on a build site when he tries to help me hammer a nail that I have to say “Oscar, I’ve got it; I know what I’m doing!” And those are the moments I want him in the closet.

I remember when Oscar first came to work for us. I was excited that there would be a fantastic older “dad” figure to help mentor and guide the teens. He is certainly that, and I can’t begin to explain what a blessing that is. None of our teens have great fathers and their healthy role models have been few and far between in their lives. Thankfully, we have someone like Oscar to be should a strong, positive voice in their lives. And I can truly say, because of Oscar I am blessed, personally, in my work at Breaking Chains along with so many others because of his commitment to emulate our Father, who is the best father anyone could ask for.

This will be Oscar and his family’s first trip to Amapala with us. We are excited to celebrate with them and reward them with a couple days of relaxation for all the ways they bless our ministry. Please consider sponsoring Oscar for Beach Christmas!

Alba: Bringing a mother’s love to our BC teens

Originally posted December 5, 2015

By Courtney Sullivan

At the beginning of this year, our ministry was blessed in an incredible way by the addition of our new house parents, Oscar and Alba. We knew that having them on board would be beneficial, but we did not realize what an impact they would make and how essential they would become to the very core of what we do. And now we can barely remember how we survived without them!

The maternal part of our house parent couple is found in Alba. Alba is everything you could want in a mother. She is incredibly kind-hearted, patient, a good listener, and reliable in all things. She also handles conflict when she needs to and is a loving disciplinarian. The teen girls in our ministry have found a confidant in her and a role model. Most of the teens in the building and our friends on the streets don’t even refer to her by her first name, but rather as “la madre.”

Often during downtime in the evenings, you can find the teens upstairs in Oscar and Alba’s room watching TV together and chatting about the day. While seemingly unordinary, this little picture of a normal family is so beneficial to our teens who have known so much dysfunction in their lives. Alba truly cares about the physical life and the soul of each and every one of our teenagers, and they all feel the impact of that love.

This will be Alba and her family’s first Beach Christmas with us. Will you consider rewarding this hard-working madre by giving her a wonderful time of relaxation with her family?

Lorna: A model of perseverance

Originally posted December 4, 2015

By Michael Carson

As long as I have known her, Satan has thrown a lot at Lorna and her family. Job loss, gallstones, brain tumors and more and more hospital stays. Lorna gets frustrated and discouraged as you would expect, but she fights. She continues to get up and survive to love her family.

Lorna’s family has more health trouble than most I have ever met. I feel like one of them is constantly in the hospital for something, i.e. gallbladder removal, ulcers, bladder infections, etc. Worst of all, a few years ago doctors discovered Lorna’s daughter Allison had a brain tumor. Naturally, Lorna was terrified. The tumor had caused Allison’s speech to slow considerably, she couldn’t walk, lost control of bodily fluids and could barely use one of her arms.

Lorna had to carry her six-year old like a baby up the steep hill and toward the bus stop, to then get off and take another bus, for each and every one of Allison’s chemo treatments. Thanks to God, Allison is now nearly tumor free, only has to go back for check-ups and has retained full motor skills and control of her bodily fluids and speech. But the chemo left her with the side-effects of a poor immune system, which means frequent infection. Allison’s sister Jennifer also suffers from severe stomach issues.

Lorna’s husband Juan helps, but he also has severe back problems. Often when he works, usually manual labor, he has to take off for days at a time due to severe back pain.

As I said, Lorna gets discouraged when Juan is out of work, and she can barely afford to feed her kids. But she pulls herself up, claiming God’s strength. She knows we’re with her and most importantly God is with her. Her daughters are two of our youngest private school kiddos, and Lorna is so proud of them. She sees the blessings even when she’s discouraged, she pulls herself up and keeps fighting.

Will you help us give this deserving mom a break and sponsor her trip to Amapala with us?

Dayana: Seeing God’s handiwork through her continual transformation

Originally posted December 3, 2015

*DAYANA IS SPONSORED FOR BEACH CHRISTMAS 2015!

By Courtney Sullivan

If you’ve visited Breaking Chains at any point over the past five years, you have likely met Dayana. She’s not an easy one to forget – likely because she won’t let you  This sweet girl has made such an amazing transition over the past couple of years that sometimes I can hardly believe she is the same girl, a sentiment that was echoed by several long-time friends of Breaking Chains who visited our ministry throughout this summer.

Dayana has always been full of energy. But a few years ago, most would use the world “wild” to describe her more than they would use “energetic.” Dayana has had a rough past and some poor examples which molded her to act out in order to get the attention she so desperately craved and deserved. Though always kind-hearted underneath, she had a tough outer shell and was prone to fits that made her tiresome and difficult to be around. Many times our ministry team felt exhausted, frustrated, and baffled, not knowing what it would take to break through to Dayana.

Over the past few years, though, God has made an incredible change in Dayana’s life. By working through the love, patience and discipline of her home life with Michael and John, her new education environment, counseling sessions and sustained love from other ministry members and those surrounding her, Dayana is developing into an incredible young girl. God is picking away one by one the hard layers that Dayana has held close for so long. She is realizing the benefits and peace that come with good behavior, and she easily exhibits love, affection and fun to those she meets. She is acutely concerned with the needs of others, and is always there to offer a hug and a hand to someone who is hurting. Dayana is still Dayana – she still has a lot of energy and a stubborn nature that gets her into trouble at times, but every day God reveals just a little more of the beautiful spirit he intends for Dayana to be.

Please join us that God continues to work in powerful ways in Dayana’s life as she finds worth in him. We can’t wait to see the plans that God has in store for her future. Please consider rewarding this sweet girl for the positive changes she has made by giving her a wonderful Christmas at the beach with her family!

Francois: An adorable new face to know and love

Originally posted December 3, 2015

*FRANCOIS IS SPONSORED FOR BEACH CHRISTMAS 2015!

For a long time, we joked and dubbed Tobasque as “the most photogenic child on the planet.” But now little Francois has come along, and is giving Tobasque a run for his money.

Francois and his family began worshipping with our ministry a couple of years ago, and they easily worked their way into our hearts. Francois is the youngest of three siblings – a baby brother to his two older sisters Marjorie and Maholy. They have a tight knit family and Francois is used to sticking pretty close to his sisters. So when you get him on his own, he can be pretty shy at first. Shy and standoffish, but always sweet. Several times this summer we watched him interact with our U.S. visitors, always timid at first, but eventually coming out of his shell and not wanting to leave by the end of whatever activity they were participating in together was over.

Francois and his sisters were sponsored this year to attend private school, and Francois just completed his year of kindergarten. We are so happy that he was able to thrive in this new environment and pass all of his classes. He will be ready to begin “preparatoria” next year, a level of school in between kindergarten and first grade in Honduras. We are so excited to see the way that God works through Francois in the coming years.

This will be Francois’s first Beach Christmas with us, and we can’t wait to watch his family spend wonderful time together – and snap some pics of his incredibly cute face! Please consider a donation to sponsor Francois for Beach Christmas this year!

Jonathan: Our lovable goofball

Originally posted December 3, 2015

*JONATHAN IS SPONSORED FOR BEACH CHRISTMAS 2015

By John Canterbury

Of all the children I’ve met in Honduras, Jonathan may be the goofiest of them all. Not a day goes by with him where he doesn’t manage to make someone laugh – mostly with him, but sometimes at his never ending supply of clumsiness. Incredibly smart, quick-witted, and always willing to lend a helping hand, it is always a pleasure to spend time with Jonathan. Above all of these attributes, the thing that makes Jonathan such a joy to be around is his love for others. Jonathan is always looking for ways to serve others and when a task needs to be done, you can be sure Jonathan will give it everything he’s got.

Jonathan and his brother Arol have both started at a new school recently where they will receive more individual attention and are very excited about the change. Please continue to pray that this transition to go smoothly and that the boys will be successful in a new environment.

Always trying to entertain those around him, I can’t wait to see what Jonathan has in store for us at the beach this Christmas! Thank you for sponsoring Jonathan and making this Beach Christmas one to remember!