City of Refuge Outreach
Outreach is a foundational aspect of missions, and The City of Refuge is first and foremost a missions base.
Our outreaches come in many shapes and sizes and are becoming increasingly holistic. For example, there are the standard evangelical outreaches where we preach the gospel to those who have never heard it and or disciple groups and communities that have been evangelized. There medical outreaches and feeding programs.
Sometimes we visit potential candidates for residency at the city of Refuge. This is especially important as we continue to expand our capacity to house families with children that are impacted by poverty and or crime.
Children at the City of Refuge are not always orphans. Many of them have families that are either too impoverished to support them and or there is severe abuse. Also many live in areas that are too dangerous due to gang violence and or sex trafficking etc. There is no such thing as foster care in Honduras. There are only orphanages. But we believe God wants to heal families. So “outreach” can mean taking children visit family members in dangerous parts of the city or remote mountain villages. Sometimes we provide prayer, counseling, education, and discipleship enabling some families to rebuild their lives and provide safe homes for their children. We then do periodic home visits to ensure the child is safe and their basic needs are met. Even so, it is important to remember that these are simply methods and strategies for providing support. Lives and people change as a result of an encounter with the living God. Only Jesus saves. Therefore everything we do is done in His name and through the power of the Holy spirit.
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Evangelism
Dump Outreach
The dump was one of IMI’s very first outreaches. We have been taking fewer photos and videos in an effort to preserve people’s dignity and build relationships with those who live and there lean a living there.
Family Visits
We drive as far as we can into the mountains until we can’t. Most family visits mean escorting children miles along mountain trails to their family’s home.
It was a really long walk to Omar’s house.
He came to the City of Refuge because his mother was concerned that Omar would be recruited by drug cartel members.
Two of his brothers had already died.
and his mother couldn’t afford to feed him at the time.
Sagario our social worker and Emily our translator checked in with the family.
Meanwhile Omar didn’t waste any time finding his old bed.
and reconnecting with his nephew and sister
Like Jesus who asked the Samaritan woman for a drink before offering anything himself; allowing others to serve us is often the first step in missions work.
Omars mom served us coffee and picked lemons and vegetables for us to take back…
the rule in Honduras is that no one is allowed to leave your home hungry.
So Omar’s mother packed up all the food she had picked and they carried it the two miles or so back to our truck.
Doris made her first trip home to see her mother. Ambivalence is the first word that comes to mind.
She was happy that Doris has a better life.
The first thing she told us was that Doris had been raped when she was five.
This family had cared for Doris when her mother couldn’t. They didn’t know Doris was alive.
Doris met her brother for the first time.
Junior left the City of refuge last year after getting influenced by negative peers.
Juniors’s grandparents are wonderful people. they are also old and very poor.
Junior’s grandmother is a disciplinarian and wants her grandchildren to have more than the available sixth grade education.
that’s why she sent Junior’s brother Jefferson to the City of Refuge.
Along with their cousin Keibyn.
There are so many hard working but desperately poor people in Honduras in a leg up in the form of education and discipleship.
Israel, Noellia and Gissel left the City of Refuge last year. There mother tried to take care of them.
in this two room house. But now she is sick and may have cancer. IMI is helping get the medical attention she needs. Israel and Gissel are back at the orphanage.
Hopefully Noelia will be coming soon as well.
She really misses us
alot…
There are two new siblings as well…
Wendy was IMI’s first rescued child. Recently she developed a mental illness that requires medication.
Wendy’s mother extremely young. She was unable to care for Wendy when she was born. But things have changed. The family is very poor.
But sometimes a family’s love is more important and more conducive to healing.
Now Wendy wakes up at 5 am, gathers firewood, makes tortillas before going to school where she is getting excellent grades. IMI continues to support Wendy and her family.