Discipleship – Page 2 – Engadi Ministries

Derek Group Takes Outing for Ice Cream

April 1, 2016/0 Comments/in Discipleship/by Nathan

This week, boys within the Derek Program who succeeded in having satisfactory attendance in both community service and their weekly discipleship group were treated to a trip out of Paraíso for ice cream with Engadi staff members- David, James, and Manuel. Over the past several months, the #brotherhood of young men has formed a tighter bond from within, and can regularly be found encouraging each other in attendance and work. During this outing were three boys that had achieved perfect attendance in their discipleship group and in community service for both February and March. Engadi is proud of the strides made by each individual boy within the group, and enjoys watching each grow and develop into Mighty Men of Paraíso.

#engadi

Juanes’ Receives His Birth Record

March 1, 2016/0 Comments/in Discipleship/by Nathan

Meet Juanes. He is a regular participant in Engadi’s Derek Program for at-risk boys living in Paraíso, a neighborhood in the northern slums of Guatemala City. Juanes has one of the highest attendance records within the Derek Program, and can regularly be found helping younger boys within the area complete their community service projects, or helping them in their discipleship groups.

Juanes’ mother makes tortillas within the community, earning little more than a few dollars a day to support their family. His father is absent from his life. In spite of being fourteen years old, Juanes has never been able to attend school due to unusual events surrounding his emergency birth in 2001 that prevented him from receiving a birth certificate. To the Guatemalan government, it is as if Juanes didn’t exist, at least until a few months ago.

Last fall, Manuel, David, and James, of Engadi Ministries, began working with Juanes and his family to locate the small public hospital where he was born, petition for a new birth certificate, and register Juanes with the national government. In October, after searching through years worth of handwritten birth records, Juanes’ file was found in a small hospital across Guatemala City, but that was just the beginning of the process.

Yesterday, after numerous trips to the capital city, visiting at least four separate public offices, and countless hours waiting in lines, Juanes received his birth certificate, and was registered with the Guatemalan government, allowing him to enroll in school, and one day apply for jobs and get married.

Juanes’ mother, Gregoria Cutzal, Juanes, and Engadi’s Director of Discipleship, David Medina outside Juanes home.

Juanes can’t wait to begin studying and learn to read and write. He has already been working one-on-one with Engadi’s Neighborhood Outreach Coordinator, Manuel Fajardo, and has learned to recognize and write letters including his full name, which was made official this winter: Juan Jose Cutzal.

What an example of #hope he is! Engadi will continue working with Juanes and his family to help him reach his full potential in Christ.

#engadi

Juanes proudly displaying his government registration which will allow him to enroll in school, apply for jobs, and one day get married.

Derek Group Outing to the Zoo

January 24, 2016/0 Comments/in Discipleship/by Nathan

This weekend, Engadi Ministries had the opportunity to continue working one-on-one and strengthening brotherhood within the boys within the Derek Program. This month, boys partook in a larger quarterly outing from their neighborhood of Paraíso to Guatemala’s national zoo. Boys who had an attendance of at least 75% of their discipleship groups since September, as well as at least 75% of participation in local community service projects were treated to an outing to the zoo where several had never been before. It was a great time for these boys to break away from the monotony of their small community, and spend time fellowshipping with each other.

Through these outings, Engadi staff members are able to focus intensively with each of the boys and continue mentoring them, focusing on building the hopes and dreams of each young man. Just another way Engadi is working to bring #hope and #brotherhood to Paraíso through the next generation of men.

Camp Week Update

December 9, 2015/0 Comments/in Community Development, Discipleship/by Nathan

Engadi has had a great turnout this week whole hosting a free week long soccer camp for children living in Paraíso. Over fifty children have attended throughout the week, heard a Biblical message and have had the opportunity to sharpen their soccer skills while on Christmas break from school.

Sebastian, seen in photos, lives very near the soccer field in Paraíso and has attended the camp throughout the week. He just passed his grade in school, and is striving to be a lawyer when he grows up. His favorite thing to do is play games, such as soccer, with other children in the neighborhood. Engadi continues to work in Paraíso to serve children like Sebastian, giving #hope to their dreams, and creating #brotherhood within the community.

#engadi

Soccer Camp Kickoff!

December 7, 2015/0 Comments/in Community Development, Discipleship/by Nathan

This week, Engadi Ministries Intl. is hosting a free soccer camp for kids in Paraíso. While children are on a break from school for Christmas, many who live in Paraíso are left to the streets while parents work. As a service to the neighborhood, Engadi has initiated an annual soccer training camp to provide children with a constructive and wholesome way to fill their time.

Engadi has partnered with two local soccer experts, Jose and Tato, who have agreed to donate their time, knowledge, and love of soccer to help train children in Paraíso. In addition, Engadi’s Director of Discipleship, David Medina provides children with a Biblical message each day to deliver #hope to Paraíso. Today’s message was about finding, strengthening and harnessing the talents that God has provided each individual. Around 45 children, ranging from preschool through high school aged boys and girls, heard todays message and were involved in the soccer training, including the boys involved in the Derek Program.

Check back throughout the week to see updates and stories of how Engadi’s camp is bringing #hope and #brotherhood to children living in Paraíso.

#engadi

Step by Step

December 5, 2015/0 Comments/in Community Development, Discipleship, Staff/by Nathan

This week, Engadi staff held a quarterly meeting to discuss ministry in Paraíso and bring together the roles of each staff member to reach out to the youth with an increased focus on the young men in the Derek Program. During the meeting, plans were finalized to host a free soccer camp for children in Paraíso next week during the end-of-the-year break from school. Staff also gathered to create personalized action plans of how we can best help individual young men within Engadi’s Derek Program.

While it is often easy to stereotype and group together all of the children living in Paraíso, in reality, each child comes from a different background, has a different story and faces different struggles. Engadi’s drive is to meet each young man where he is and walk with him through his trials. We want to be his coach, mentor, and supporter while teaching each boy to pursue Christ in all that he does. Engadi seeks to find the hopes, strengths, and dreams of each young man in order to refine them and help them flourish. Through providing #hope and #brotherhood to each of these boys, Engadi is step by step transforming the community of Paraíso.

#engadi

November Pizza Reward

November 27, 2015/0 Comments/in Discipleship/by Nathan

Another month has passed, and the young men within the Derek Program are continuing to excel within the program. This month, sixteen boys attended at least 75% of all Engadi activities including weekly Bible studies and community service projects. As a reward this month, the brotherhood of boys were taken out to a pizza lunch at a restaurant where they were able to play, relax, and enjoy a delicious meal that is a rare treat for most of the boys.

Of the sixteen who participated in this month’s reward, eight boys were additionally rewarded for having perfect attendance in the month of November, a record number since the inception of the Derek Program. These eight were rewarded with a special dessert at the lunch, which they shared until there wasn’t a morsel left.

Engadi is extremely proud of this group of hard-working brotherhood of young men. We will continue striving to bring each of their hopes to a reality so that each individual will continue to leave a legacy within his own community.

#hope #brotherhood #engadi

ABC’s

November 23, 2015/0 Comments/in Discipleship, Education/by Nathan

Juanes, a driven young man within Engadi’s Derek Program, has grown up in the slums of Guatemala City never being able to enroll in school or learn to read or write. Although he was born in Guatemala City, due to a glitch in the system, he never received a birth certificate from the hospital where he was born. Because of this, he has been completely undocumented and prohibited from attending school. Over the past several weeks, Engadi has been fighting for Juanes to obtain his birth certificate to provide him with a broader spectrum of opportunities in life. We are striving to have the process completed before the end of the year so that in January he can enroll in an alphabetization course that will teach him to read and write.

In spite of all the odds and setbacks facing him, fourteen-year-old Juanes is determined to succeed. Over the past few weeks, Engadi’s Director of Ministry in Zone 18, Manuel, has been working one-on-one with him to give him a head start in reading and writing. With a little mentoring, Juanes is greatly excelling in learning his letters and basic sight words. He is also the only young man to have perfect attendance in all of the Derek Program activities. Way to go Juanes!

#hope #engadi #engadiministries #brotherhood

Family Values Classes- Partnering with Families

November 12, 2015/0 Comments/in Community Development, Discipleship, Education/by Nathan

Over the next three weeks, Engadi Ministries will be providing Biblically-based Family Values Classes to parents within the school systems of Paraíso. The classes are designed to provide Biblical parenting strategies to bring families closer together and promote healthy relationships within families. David Medina, Engadi’s Director of Discipleship, will be providing the classes Monday through Friday at several intervals throughout the day. David’s passion for families and gift of teaching has created a special bond between him and the students and families of the local elementary schools.

Families are able to elect classes with topics that interest them, and attend classes at times throughout the week that are convenient to their schedules. Many of these parents have students who are enrolled in Engadi’s annual scholarship program. Parents of these children must attend at least four of the classes as a part of the students’ requirements to earn school supplies.

We are asking for prayers for David as he leads these classes and discussions over the next several weeks. Pray also that parents are receptive to the ideas and messages that he brings them.

#engadi #hope #engadiministries

Turning Bottles to Cans-

November 11, 2015/0 Comments/in Community Development, Discipleship/by Nathan

The boys involved in #Engadi’s Derek Program are committed to bringing #hope to their neighborhood through serving. Over the past several weeks, the Derek boys scavenged their community for plastic bottles littering the ground that they would be able to repurpose. They worked together turning the collection of bottles into a collection of cans- trash cans, that is.

This past week, the boys painted power poles at a local soccer field in Paraíso and attached the newly fashioned trash cans to the poles. Each boy will be responsible for maintaining the can that he made and emptying it as needed. Through this service, the boys hope to hope to convert the image of a derelict, polluted soccer field to a safer, litter-free common area that families can enjoy together.

Together, the #brotherhood of young men are restoring their community and creating a legacy step by step.

#engadiministries #esperanza #hermandad