New Beginnings in the Old Year

Over the last 12 years, the Beehive home for girls has served as a safe refuge for 47 girls between the ages of 5 and 18. They are children of families trapped in cycles of poverty, addiction, and prostitution, exposed to all kinds of abuse. These have been incredible years of journeying alongside these girls, learning with them about the grace and provision of God. Recently we have been prompted to make a change that we believe is in the best interest of the 9 girls currently under our care as well as for the longevity of the ministry itself. We made a decision to merge the Beehive with an existing girls’ home called Salvemos a Cristian that shares our vision of caring for these girls. It’s a beautiful, spacious facility where they are surrounded by love. The caretakers convey the love of Christ through the devotion and attention they give to each individual girl. We will continue to be involved, first by maintaining the bonds between the individual girls and the church family, and second by shifting our financial support to this new organization. We visit them every week, and the families who have spiritually adopted each girl host them a weekend every month. We hope that you will continue to support these girls financially from afar as we share in the responsibility of this new home.
This change is a big one but we strongly feel that we made the right decision. Not only are the Beehive girls flourishing in their new home while remaining involved in our spiritual family, but we are able to extend our efforts into the impoverished neighborhoods in the south of Bogotá. We want to take the Good News of Christ into the communities where the girls are from, targeting brokenness at its root. Specifically, we have started a project in the barrio of Usme that will impact the lives of many more children. This is an area of Bogotá where tremendous poverty results in minimal infrastructure, where access to electricity and potable water is scarce. Living situations are often makeshift shanties crammed with large families, or unfinished shells of apartment buildings where people pay to stay nightly. Unemployment, drugs, alcoholism, abuse, prostitution – these are the everyday realities of the inhabitants. The Free Methodist Church under Pastor Libni’s leadership has already started outreach programs in these neighborhoods that provide resources to youth and their families as well as the support of godly relationships.
One such story of impact thus far incorporates both The Beehive and the new outreach programs. Several years ago, Samantha and her older sister almost became residents in the Beehive, but in the end their mother decided to keep them at home in order to receive government subsidies. There are five siblings in total, the father has long been out of the picture, and the mother has struggled to find regular employment. Earlier this year, Samantha’s older sister of 16 years became pregnant, adding further stress to the family’s meager finances. The mom asked Samantha to start taking contraceptives, but she was determined not to follow in her sister’s footsteps. Having no alternatives and living in an area where violence and teen pregnancy is the norm, her mother turned to someone in the local outreach ministry who in turn introduced her to the new home of Salvemos a Cristian. Samantha joined the girls’ home where she is cared for and able to get an education.
We hope that, through the power of Christ’s love, the next generation be one that breaks the cycles of abuse and poverty. Please consider continuing your support of Children’s Outreach Ministries. We are so thankful to be partnered in ministry with you!