hope – Page 4 – Engadi Ministries

Engadi Staff Attends Caregiver Training

February 2, 2016/0 Comments/in Staff/by Nathan

Last week, Engadi’s Director of Discipleship, David Medina, and houseparents, James and Ellie Carr attended a caregiver training seminar as we move closer to the date when Engadi Ministries will open the doors of the Benaiah House, it’s first boys home. The three day course, called (Un)Adopted, was provided by Lifeline Children’s Services, and hosted at a local children’s home here in Guatemala. The classes covered topics related to assessing and responding to the needs of children from troubled backgrounds within a home environment.

The courses covered practical tips that we will be able to implement into our daily lives within the Benaiah Home to foster the hope and brotherhood within the young men living there, while providing them with a secure environment in which to live and meeting their physical needs as well. We look forward to implementing these tasks as we begin taking in boys over the next few weeks.

#engadi

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.

First Classes in the Engadi Transformation Center

January 19, 2016/0 Comments/in Community Development, Education/by Nathan

Last week, Engadi Ministries held our first classes within the recently acquired and renovated Engadi Transformation Center in Paraíso. As a way to earn school supplies for their children, families are able to attend Biblically-based values classes, which are now held at the Engadi Transformation Center, a safe and neutral location within their community.

Residents of Paraíso attending Family Values Classes within the Engadi Transformation Center

The classes held last week were taught by Engadi’s Director of Discipleship, David Medina, and covered a Biblical the topics of “Love vs. Hate”, a message which is extremely relevant in Paraíso’s gang-ridden streets. Classes aim to unite, educate, and share hope through the Gospel of Christ within the community. Young men within the Derek Program have also begun using the building for weekly Bible studies and discipleship groups. We are excited to be a part of how God is able to use the Center to ultimately draw the community of Paraíso closer to Him.

#engadi

Thank You, Avenue Church!

January 16, 2016/2 Comments/in Missions Teams/by Nathan

Engadi Ministries thanks the men of Avenue Church who spent the past week partnering to reach out to children and families living in Paraíso. The construction they completed this week was jobs that would have taken our ministry staff many more weeks, if not months, to complete and it will have a direct and lasting impact on the lives of those who live in Paraíso. About half of the team spent the week renovating the Engadi Transformation Center, a beacon of hope within the community that will touch hundreds of lives as Engadi uses it to share Christ’s love with the neighborhood through Bible studies, community classes and events. The other half of the team spent the majority of their week constructing beds, dressers, and desks for the boys who will be living there, creating a bond of brotherhood within the shared rooms of the home. All of the teams’ work looks great, and we are so thankful to have their support, expertise, and dedication for the past week. Thank you, Avenue Church!

#engadi

Benaiah House Furnishings

January 15, 2016/1 Comment/in Benaiah, Missions Teams/by Nathan

For the past week, men from Avenue Church in Waxahachie, Texas have been working on a very special project for the Benaiah House, Engadi Ministries’ first boys home, which is scheduled to open its doors early this year. The house is already home to Engadi’s main offices, and houseparents, James and Ellie Carr. It is now even one step closer to housing its first three at-risk boys from the slums of Guatemala.

Part of the all-men’s team has constructed beds, dressers, and desks for the first three young men to move into the Benaiah House, and even began construction on three additional beds that will be needed later this year as the ministry grows.

These beds are designed to give each young man his own area within his shared room, with his own space to study, place to keep his belongings, and his own bed, things that these boys have never experienced in Paraíso, where most families currently live in small tin shacks that are generally shared by many individuals. These rooms will help create a close bond of brotherhood between the boys who share them, in addition to cultivating the hopes and dreams of each individual boy.

Thank you, Avenue Church, for believing in the vision of Engadi Ministries, and making it a reality through your hard work and dedication. The beds look wonderful!

Transforming the Transformation Center

January 14, 2016/0 Comments/in Community Development, Missions Teams/by Nathan

The new roof looks great!

Over the past week, the all-men’s team from Avenue Church has transformed the Engadi Transformation Center in Paraíso. The team has replaced the roof, rewired the building, leveled and poured new concrete on the floor, begun to tile the upstairs, and dried-in one of the downstairs bathrooms. We are so thankful for their know-how, flexibility, and willingness to get the job done this week.

Beginning their last full day of work in Paraíso

Finishing up the wiring within the building.

Avenue Church helping to lay tile and rewire the building.

Rewiring the building was more complex than first thought, but Robert was able to get the job done!

Laying tile on the newly poured floors.

Pouring and leveling the floors.

Drywalling the downstairs bathroom.

The Engadi Transformation Center will allow Engadi to have a continual secure presence within the community of Paraíso. It is designed to be a beacon of hope for the neighborhood, and a place where Bible studies, community classes, and events can be held to bring a sense of brotherhood and togetherness to the community. Thank you Avenue Church for investing your time, money and talents into sharing Christ’s love with the community.

#engadi #hope #brotherhood

Men’s Team Leads January Family Festival

January 11, 2016/0 Comments/in Community Development, Missions Teams/by Nathan

This week, Engadi Ministries is excited to be joined by two very important partners. Saturday night, fourteen men from Avenue Church in Waxahachie, Texas arrived in Guatemala. Yesterday, the all-men’s team partnered with Engadi Ministries to host a family festival at the soccer stadium where a message about sin and God’s forgiveness through Christ was shared with all in attendance. We are thankful for the team’s efforts to continue bringing hope and brotherhood to Paraíso through the Gospel of Christ.

Also joining Engadi this week is board member, Phillip Blume of Blume Photography. Four years after releasing “Lost Boys of Paradise,” a documentary following the work of Engadi Ministries in Paraíso, Blume has returned to partner with Engadi for the week shooting more footage of the ministry in action. Since Engadi’s inception, Phillip has had a heartbeat for bringing hope and brotherhood to boys living in the slums of Guatemala, specifically, Paraíso, and we are thrilled to have him return to Guatemala for the week.

Throughout this week, the all-men’s team from Avenue Church will be spearheading the construction on Engadi Ministries’ newly acquired Transformation Center in Paraíso. We are thankful to have their knowledge and experience with construction to help us complete several specialized tasks. Check back for updates of their progress throughout the week!

#engadi #hope #brotherhood

Engadi Transformation Center Improvements

December 17, 2015/0 Comments/in Community Development, Missions Teams/by Nathan

Yesterday, the Anderson University mission team was the first to begin work on the Engadi Transformation Center located in Paraíso. The team worked to clean and renovate the center so that it will be a safe location to hold Bible studies, meetings and other Engadi events. We thank Anderson University for their partnership in bringing hope and brotherhood to Paraíso.

#engadi

The AU team cleaning and priming the walls.

The boards from the wall that was removed were repurposed to create a room around a downstairs bathroom.

Walls were primed to be painted.

Scraping the walls and ceiling of dust and debris

The boys from the Derek Program worked alongside the team.

Juanes helped to remove an unnecessary wall in the center.

The boys from the Derek Program worked alongside the team.

Taking out a wall to create more airflow in the ETC

You Shop, Amazon Gives

December 16, 2015/0 Comments/in Featured/by Nathan

Many of you are buying electronics this time of year and Amazon’s 2015 Electronics Gift Guide can help you find high-tech gifts for everyone on your list. You, too, can generate donations for Engadi Ministries International Foundation when you buy items on Amazon’s Electronics Gift Guide at smile.amazon.com. Help us bring hope and brotherhood to Paraíso by doing your shopping on smile.amazon.com!

#hope #brotherhood #engadi

Bringing Christmas to Paraíso

December 14, 2015/0 Comments/in Community Development, Missions Teams/by Nathan

Engadi Ministries welcomed long-time partners Anderson University back to Guatemala on Saturday afternoon. We are grateful for their yearly December trip to serve with us. One tradition the team continues yearly is to bring Christmas to Paraíso with an annual children’s toy handout. This year, the team came prepared with hundreds of dolls, stuffed animals, and other toys to give to kids who likely will not receive anything else for Christmas.

To start the afternoon off, families lined up around the block in Paraíso to wait their turn to pick out a toy. Each child was numbered while the team set up “Santa’s Workshop” in a nearby house. While the crowds of people waited, the opportunity was seized to present the Gospel message and the true Christmas story to those standing in line. People were told of Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection to pay for their sins, and the hope that they can have through placing their faith in Him. Afterwards, a prayer was led allowing people time to pray for their children, thank God for the gifts, and surrender their lives to Him.

The team form Anderson worked together with the boys in Engadi’s Derek Program and each child was allowed to pick out a toy or two to keep. Parents were also provided personal hygiene items such as toothpaste, floss, and deodorant while children selected toys. The children greatly enjoyed the time of fellowship with the team from Anderson University, and Santa even made time to make an appearance at the event! All in all, toys were provided to 379 children, and families were presented with the Gospel message of salvation, making for a very merry Christmas in Paraíso!

#engadi #brotherhood #hope