Copy
House of Hope Newsletter - August 2013 
Read our latest mission update below.

The Lord has been blessing House of Hope over the last few months, both in Nicaragua and Honduras. We are so grateful to you, our supporters, for standing behind us to establish God’s kingdom among the women and girls coming out of prostitution.


God is opening doors wide in HONDURAS

On June 26th I traveled to San Pedro Sula, Honduras. I had been invited to come three years ago by missionaries Shari and Terry Sorah who run a ministry for homeless people in the downtown area. Shari has been praying for many years for someone to start a ministry to the women in prostitution. I was in Honduras to see how House of Hope could move forward to minister to these precious needy women in this new location.

My first day in Honduras, I visited and participated in the homeless ministry, Manos Unidas. At the homeless ministry meeting there were about 20 women and 25 kids. I interacted mostly with the women. The first I met was Marisol. She had a small bag of marijuana in her hand. She was dirty and reeked of alcohol. I saw her from across the street and was drawn like a magnet to her.

Afterwards, when the meal was served, I was able to sit down and really listen to her story. Marisol had on scant clothing. On top she wore a dirty, much worn, low riding camisole.  Down the front of her cami she pulled out 2 spoons and a fork. She said, this is so when I get married I can serve my husband food. She went on to tell me that she wanted to get married (even indicating the veil with her hand gestures) and live in a family.  It is heartbreaking to think that her hope chest is in her undershirt. I asked her if it hurt her to carry them that way and she said sometimes. It was exciting to me to hear that she held on to some dream in her life as many of the women I am privileged to meet have no dreams or goals for the future. She confided that her children had been taken away from her.

I spoke briefly after the worship time about the ministry we have in Managua and letting the women know that I worked with women in prostitution and that we are planning to start a similar ministry in San Pedro. I invited them to speak to me privately if they or a family member was trapped in prostitution and would like out.

I was able to talk to several one-on-one and each of the women has a story to tell. One woman, Lesli had her two beautiful daughters with her. She was clean did not have the typical air of a street woman. She is still actively in sexual commerce and her daughters (about 7 and 13) know what she does. She would like help to change her life, especially to assure that her girls do not follow in her footsteps. (continued)


__________________________
MANAGUA

God is still moving at House of Hope in Managua. We had our first woman graduate out of our residential program. She and her children moved out in June into her own home that was built by our wonderful XXI Stones team. She received a refrigerator and a cooler and is supporting herself and her children by making small bags of ice and ice cream to sell.

Martha Suyen is a thirty seven year old woman. At age 17 was introduced to the world of prostitution by a friend. This same friend took her to prostitute herself to the city of Bluefields. In the brothel where she worked, she met the father of her first child, who helped her to leave the life of prostitution. When he died, she decided to return to Managua and  to prostitution, since  she had to provide for her needs and her child.

In 2008, the medical team working at House of Hope visited the brothels inviting women to have checkups. Martha was invited and came to House of Hope during the week. From that day forward, she began to come to the Tuesday morning program to make some extra money.

In 2010, in another attempt to leave prostitution, she worked as a cook for one of the military bases in Nicaragua. While working there, she got pregnant with her second son, Carlitos (3). This new man was a drug addict and abusive. She finally decided to leave him but also left her job as a cook and turned once more to prostitution. She returned again to the Tuesday morning program at House of Hope. (continued)
__________________________

 
 

HONDURAS (continued) - I met Aurora the next day, since she was unable to come to the meeting on Thursday.  She has been participating in the homeless ministry’s women’s meetings and was baptized at Easter. She and her kids live in a rented room across the throughway from the market area, in an area where poverty and lawlessness rule.  Her daughter is one of two children in Shari’s scholarship program.  One son is in a re-nutrition center.

At first she was shy and reluctant to talk to me about prostitution. Then she began to cry and pour out her story. After being abandoned by her mother she was raised by a couple and the man molested her when she was 4. At 13 she was sold to an older man to live with. She eventually ran away and started working at a bar which was a front to prostitution.

Through the support of Manos Unidos, Aurora is no longer in prostitution, but is barely hanging on. While we were visiting her she confided that she and her kids had not eaten since lunch the day before. Immediately Shari was able to get her provisions for a few days. Aurora wants to have something (she suggested sandals) to sell in order to keep from falling back into prostitution, but lacks the capital to invest in the startup merchandise.


SPECIAL NEED

For the Marisols, the Leslis and the Auroras, we have made the decision to move forward with House of Hope Honduras. This Friday, August 30th, in conjunction with Manos Unidas we are launching a House of Hope ministry in Honduras. Angela, one of our faithful Tuesday morning ladies, traveled to Honduras last week and is inviting women from the brothels to come to a lunch we are hosting this Friday. Please pray with us for this strategic launch meeting. Pray that God will protect us in that very dangerous city and that He will add souls to His Kingdom.
__________________________
 


MANAGUA (continued) - In 2012, she met a new man and she decided to marry him, thinking he would offer a better life. Months later, they were drinking and he tried to kill her. After leaving him, she decided to return to prostitution again.

This time she hit bottom, she was really tired of the life she was living and fell into a deep depression. It was then when she remembered about House of Hope; it took great courage one morning last April for her to ask for the opportunity to live at House of Hope. She was so desperate, she was determined to commit suicide and kill her little boy too, if she wasn’t accepted, since there wasn’t another way out for her. That is one reason she is very grateful to have been accepted into the residential program.

Currently, Suyen lives on campus with only her youngest son, Carlitos (3). Now she is the one that takes care of him and knows that during the time she is at House of Hope, they will not lack anything. By entering our program, she feels that now she can really have hope.



__________________________ 
Please continue to pray for the women and children at House of Hope. Pray for our wonderful staff (including some new staff members) as they take on more responsibilities with me traveling back and forth to Honduras.

Once again, we would like to thank you so much for your help and support for House of Hope. With your help, many lives are being transformed.


 

- Mike and April Havlin


For Tax Deductible Contributions

ONLINE: Click Here and select "Nicaragua - House of Hope"

MAIL: House of Hope c/o Harvest Church 2020 W. 15th Street Washington, NC 27889

 


forward to a friend 
Copyright © 2013 House of Hope International, All rights reserved.
Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp