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Here's what's happening with The Refuge Project:
Going to Mi Familia
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
This morning, Katie - our Director and Emelina - our Psychologist will be going to Mi Familia to follow up on an email from last week asking for another meeting with the Director of Mi Familia so we can get the final approval to open the house. Please be in prayer with us that when they arrive they're received with the date of the meeting ready. We're hoping to get the approval before the presidential elections in early November as we're not sure what the elections will hold as far as changes go within the government.
And the Wall Comes Down!
Thursday, July 21, 2011
We've completed the new wall (except for a little paint) and we needed to take down the old wall. We had a team down from Kingsland Church in Houston, TX working with One by One and there were a handful of teenage boys so we gave them a couple sledge hammers and let them at it... this is what happened after a few of them gave a little push, this is also a great confirmation that a new wall was needed!!
and here they are getting ready to take out the last column! 
Fortifying the Refuge
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
  In the last few months we've done a lot of work to finish up the Refuge House. We had noticed that our front wall was not in the prettiest state but decided that it wasn't in immediate need of replacing. Then we looked a little closer and realized that it's in worse conditions than we originally thought.
As you can see from the photos, it's falling down. If you push on the wall a little bit it moves. We thought about kids climbing on it and decided that it was in immediate need of replacing.
 
We researched several different options, including just putting a big metal gate at the end of the roof of the porch (the roof ends before the wall) - $2,000; building a new wall in the same spot and closing in the whole porch by extending the roof, without tearing down the mango tree that is causing the current wall to fall down - $1,000; Doing it ourselves - $850.
After weighing out the different options, we decided build a new wall ourselves but not extend the roof. We are building the wall at the end of the roof, which effectively shortens our porch a little, but we're able to keep the valuable mango tree which provides shade and fruit! This week we started building the new wall and then we will tear down the old one!
The Good and The Bad News
Thursday, June 9, 2011
We've now been running Segundo Paso, our after-school program, for five weeks. During these five weeks we have gotten to know the kids and come to care for them even more than before. Emelina, our psychologist, has been able to identify a couple kids that she'd like to work with more. Praise God that the right kids are coming!
That's the good news, the bad news is that this week we found out that two of the girls will no longer be able to come because their mother and step-father separated and the mother has moved out of the area. This has brought much sadness to the Segundo Paso and Refuge Project staff since one of the girls had been identified by Emelina as one that she'd like to help out more. Please join us in prayer that God continues to guard these two young girls in their path and that He guides them where He wants them to go. However saddened, we are not discouraged for we know that God is with us!
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28
Kid's Day
Thursday, June 2, 2011
In Nicaragua Mother's day is celebrated on May 30th, two days later, June 1st is Kid's day. This year June 1st fell on a Wednesday. Wednesdays are the days that we have our Segundo Paso program. In celebration of kids day we had a piñata and gave out a small gift to each kid that included soap, toothpaste, crayons, pencils, and, of course, candy.
The program is going very well and the workers are continually making suggestions of additional things we could do to help the kids, including trying to find a professional teacher to make sure we're helping the kids within their grade level and teaching about other countries so they'll have a greater understanding of other cultures. It's great to have volunteers who are truly invested in the growth of the kids in the program.
Segundo Paso
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
On May 11th we started our after school program "Segundo Paso" which means second step. The idea of the name is that One by One's kids services are a first step, and then this is a second step to help the kids. We had 12 kids the first week, all coming from tough situations in the Oriental Market. All of these kids also come to Camino de Vida on Saturday mornings.
The first week we explained to the kids what the program would be like and what we'd do. Then we played a couple of get to know you games, helped some with their homework, played more games, had a short bible lesson, a snack, another activity with our "friend" the psychologist, and then they were able to go home. We had a great time and we're able to start helping these kids on a deeper level!
As we continue to work with Mi Familia to open the Refuge House and move the right kids in we're excited to have this opportunity to help these kids in the best way for them! Please continue to be in prayer for Segundo Paso and The Refuge Project as we continue to work with these kids that so desperately need the Hope of Christ in their lives!
Does Rescue and Restore Mean a New Home?
Friday, April 29, 2011
The Refuge Project's goal is to rescue and restore, a lot of times we think of rescue only as removing a child from their situation and bringing them to a new home. Here at The Refuge Project we know that that's not always the case. We rejoice that not every child needs a new home, and we recognize that that doesn't mean that they don't need to be rescued and restored. Many of the abuse and mis-treatment situations that we have seen here in Nicaragua fortunately don't need The Refuge Project Home, but they still need a lot of love, hope and help. We see situations where a mother has several children and a boyfriend or husband that lives with them who is not the father of those children. In many of these situations the mother will work, and the man will not. While the mother is at work the kids go to school and come home to a step-father who does not love them nor care for them. This leaves them free to roam the streets, or subject to abuse by the step-father or a stranger in the street. Imagine how their lives could be different if these kids had a place to go while the mother was at work. A lot of this abuse could be avoided!
 Many children in are in charge of taking care of the younger siblings
While we continue to put the finishing touches on the house and meeting with the Government, we are going to begin a program to provide that refuge. On May 11th we will be starting an after school program and bringing in some of the kids who we've been working with through One by One at their Saturday morning kids services. Not only will this program provide a refuge, but we will also be focused on restoration. The Refuge Project's psychologist will be working with the after school program to provide emotional restoration to these kids. At this point we will only be able to provide the program one afternoon a week, but with continued support this program can grow to various neighborhoods and become a daily refuge for hundreds of mis-treated and abused innocent!!
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