March Newsletter

House of Hope Newsletter March 2014

View this email in your browser

GOD IS CONSTANTLY MOVING
and changing lives in Nicaragua and around the world. We are privileged to have you a long for this exciting journey! In this months newsletter you will find stories on life change, God's restoration and the birth of new ministries!

"I used to use my body to pay for my children's housing and schooling. Now He pays with His body.
Jesus is the one who makes my restoration and healing all possible."
Fatima

FATIMA Fatima is a resident at House of Hope who started prostitution at 15 years of age in Nicaragua. After a year in the business, she moved to Guatemala where her life took a serious turn for the worse. Always feeling an emptiness inside, Fatima tried everything from homosexuality to cocaine in order to fill the void. At her lowest point, she remembers her 5' 7" frame weighing just 85 pounds. She later moved back to Nicaragua but her lifestyle did not change until she came to House of Hope.

It was during a free medical clinic when Fatima first came to House of Hope, almost 2 years ago. She heard the message of Jesus Christ that day and began coming back on Tuesdays. Fatima now has had the opportunity to go to school and has learned how to sew and cook. Her personality and outlook on life have completely changed. She has accepted Christ, along with his redeeming power. She understands the love God has for her but is humble in saying she still has much more to learn in her walk with God.

Last December, she came face-to-face with temptation as she was taking a walk. A man who used call on her for sexual services came to find her and flashed a lot of money in her face saying it was all meant for her if she would only say yes. She felt tempted but was able to overcome. She told him, "The blood of Jesus has power. If Christ is with me, no one can touch me." She walked away and left the man and the ways of her old life behind. She is full to the brim with Christ's love and only He can fulfill her deepest needs and desires.

"It is hard to remember my past but the Lord gives me the strength and removes my burdens. If you do not have faith, you do not know the beautiful things you are missing in the Lord."
Maria Luisa

MARIA LUISA The story of Maria's past is a hard one to hear. She entered the world of prostitution at 14 and remained living that life for 20 years. Her motivation for starting is not an uncommon one in Nicaragua. Being the oldest child, she was looking for a way to support her brothers and sisters after her mother had a surgery and could no longer work. Her mother was a prostitute and Maria could not see any other way of life for herself than to follow in her mothers footsteps. Her three sisters began prostituting themselves as well. All four women eventually contracted STD's. All of them but Maria left the life style and were participating in House of Hope.

She was the sole care taker of her sisters and then her own children as well. Maria tells of how she would leave to go find work and left her children at home for 5-6 days, pushing them from her mind and leaving them to fend for themselves.

April Havlin, the director of House of Hope, often goes to brothels in and around Managua to spread the word of Christ and invites the women to come to House of Hope. April saw Maria at her worst many times. After attending the program for several years, she had finally accepted Christ's invitation as well and allowed him into her heart.

Now, through House of Hope, Maria has become a good mother to her 2 girls. They are both in college and have not fallen into the generational curse of prostitution. Maria has grown tremendously in the Lord and even goes back to the brothel where she once worked and invites women to come to House of Hope. Not only is she an example of Christ restoration to the women in Nicaragua but she has traveled to Honduras as a missionary to speak to women in the brothels and invite them to the House of Hope program in Honduras.

HONDURAS MINISTRY It is so absolutely amazing what God is doing in the new House of Hope ministry in Honduras. We started in August with over 100 women. One of the biggest blessings is that our "girls" minister to others. This month two of our leaders, Maria Luisa, who comes on Tuesdays, and Martha, a House of Hope resident, were there. They arrived on a Saturday and immediately started going out to the parks and street corners to invite the women in prostitution to come to the Friday afternoon evangelistic event. The women coming to the event get such hope from hearing the women from Managua's testimonies and how their lives have changed. On Tuesday and Wednesday, Maria Luisa and Martha taught a jewelry making workshop to the new women. They had 16 women learning to make paper beads, bracelets and earring sets. They market them directly. So exciting! The ministry we partner with has an industrial stove and bread/dessert baking class 3 days a week. This also helps to enable the women to support themselves.

This month we had several come forward to receive Christ. One woman, Wendi, broke down crying in the new believer's class. She wept as she prayed for salvation and proceeded to tell us she is HIV positive and expecting her 5th child. WOW! Her live-in boyfriend beat her and threatened her because of this (he loses the income if she stops prostitution) but she was back the next day for the event. She has hope for the first time in a long time. Please pray for her. Also pray for Angela Nicole. She is a beautiful 15 year old. She had to leave her mother's house due to abuse by her step-father. She is living with a 19 year old man at his family's house. She is alone all day while he is working. His family treats her poorly and she does not always get enough to eat. She is in danger constantly as the man has gang connections -- very dangerous. Now she is pregnant and not able to attend school where she might learn to read. She has nothing to do all day and comes to the ministry center every time the doors are open, and is learning how to bake bread. When we asked her what she likes to do she said "Color, but I do not have any paper". Still such a child. We are getting her some coloring books but hope to teach her to crochet or knit or something constructive in all that free time.

We are launching House of Hope in Cochabamba Bolivia April 4th. It is hard to keep up with all the Lord is doing. Please pray for this ministry as it is being birthed and all the details that need to be worked out. We are believing God for souls in his Kingdom.

BRITTANY'S MINISTRY As you know, there have been changes at House of Hope with regard our dorm girls. The dorm (in addition to 40% of children's homes in Nicaragua) was shut down by Nicaraguan government in October. We are excited that the Lord used this as an opportunity to birth a new ministry, independent from House of Hope. What Satan meant for evil, God meant for good.

Brittany, our former dorm mom has become a foster mom to some of the girls. At the moment, she is helping 13 of our former dorm girls in various ways. Those who aren't actually living with her, she is helping with school supplies, school uniforms and other school related help. It is so important that they stay in school and not fall backward.

In addition to helping the girls with school, Brittany has an after school drop in center. On the weekends, many of the girls spend the night. This gives Brittany a great opportunity to speak into their lives and build positive change. Many of them came to know the Lord while they were at House of Hope but face temptations now that they are in a different enviroment. Some of the girls are daughters of women in our Tuesday morning program. Their home enviroments are much safer places now than they used to be.

THEOPHOSTIC PRAYER GROUP In February we had the pleasure of hosting a Theophostic prayer team, or as the women at House of Hope like to say, "doctors of the heart". They prayed with about 50 women who attend the Tuesday morning program at House of Hope and many of the women walked away clearly moved to tears by a real encounter with the Holy Sprit. The team also visited home groups to pray with more of the women.

The main focus of the trip was to equip and train the staff members to pray with the women in the techniques of Theophostic prayer. The word â€œTheophosticâ€, originated from two greek words meaning â€œGodâ€ and â€œLightâ€. Theophostic prayer or counseling is meant to reveal the lies a person believes about themselves, lies deriving from a painful past or experience. The purpose of the counseling is to expose the lies and reveal the truth. The process is based on science but driven by the Holy Sprit.

The intent of the ministry was for the women to see that they are valued and important. That their past choices do not have a hold on their future choices and who they are as people. The team gets them to a place where they are ready and willing to receive healing and restoration from the Holy Sprit. As one team member put it, â€œWe are like the friends who cut a hole in the roof to get their friend to Jesus. We get people to the feet of Christ.â€ Prayer is such a powerful tool given to us by God and it was truly a blessing to have this team and their Theophostic counseling.

Please continue to pray for the women and children at House of Hope. Pray for our wonderful staff as they take on more responsibility.

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