We had the honor of seeing La Esperanza Children’s Home in Bolivia for the first time three years ago. We were quite moved to observe the immense needs that the facility was experiencing during that visit.
With a 60-child maximum capacity, this shelter was heavily dependent on kind hearts that made monthly contributions to keep it running. But we knew these donations weren’t consistent, and we thought it wouldn’t be wise to leave these little ones’ everyday wellbeing up to chance.
At that point, Serve To Save offered the L’Espérance Bolivia organization its support for the next two years of the mission, in 2021 and 2023. Our primary goal in the first phase was to put in place a framework that would enable the home to become self-sufficient. In addition, as young people must leave home at the age of 18 and fend for themselves, they should be given the opportunity to learn a trade.
The first year’s fundraising efforts were utilized to outfit an industrial kitchen and bakery, enabling the manufacturing of natural foods. These goods were offered for sale in order to ensure the kids’ everyday upkeep. Similarly, we were able to replace the flooring in the children’s rooms that same year because of the kind contributions of others.
During the mission’s second year, funds raised by Serve To Save were used to build a water bottling facility so that the children’s home’s neighboring towns could purchase bottled mineral water. We also worked hard to paint the rooms of all the young children.
Over $50,000.00 was raised for the children’s home during those two years, and other donations included school supplies, musical instruments, clothes, shoes, hygiene items, and prescriptions.
In addition, at the end of each journey, we had the opportunity to visit popular tourist destinations in the nation we had traveled to. These locations not only dazzled with their beauty but also gave us experiences and memories that were unmatched by the videos we watch on a daily basis.
The missionaries were abundantly blessed to have Christ with them at all times while they worked for the love of the less fortunate. We came to see that, despite our belief that we were assisting others, we were actually the ones being showered with blessings. Our goal thus evolved into a dedication to Serve To Save.
Every journey is full of unexpected events that teach us to rely on God’s strength and love. These encounters are real evidence that following Christ is an adventure that deepens our faith and makes lasting impressions on our lives.
