Guatemala is home to thousands of children who live in extreme poverty. These precious children and their families lack access to even basic necessities, such as food, clean water, shelter, and medical aid. Thankfully, through the continued support of our sponsors, we are able to provide life-saving aid to over 1,300 children currently in our sponsorship program.
When you become a sponsor through Hope of Life, you are making a commitment to change the life of a child for years to come. Your small monthly gift goes beyond just meeting their basic needs; it also gives each child the opportunity to attend school, live in a safer community, and give them hope for their future.
Below is the personal testimony of Sean Conner, on how after seeing first hand the transformation happening in Guatemala, decided to change the lives of two little girls, Kathy and Dulce, by becoming their sponsor.
Two of my daughters and two of their friends and I were blessed to be able to go on a mission trip to Guatemala with my sister’s church in June of 2016. This was my first mission trip outside the United States. We went to the village of Los Bordos and taught Bible School at the local school and made improvements to the church next door. We were overwhelmed by what we experienced. One of the first things I noticed was the genuine hearts of the Hope of Life employees. I realized that it was more than just a job for them. One of the times that this was so evident was when our translator’s eyes were filled with tears as he listened to a teacher tell the story of one of the students. As he relayed the story to me with the tears still in his eyes, I realized the compassion he had in his heart. The first kids I met were Kathy and Dulce, who are sisters, and their cousin Cesar standing on the sidewalk in front of the school. I spoke to them in broken Spanish and they looked at me kind of funny. I guess they had never heard Spanish spoken with a south Georgia drawl. Over the next week I made it a point to find them each day and try to spend a few minutes with them. As the week progressed, I was able to elicit a few smiles and by Friday made them laugh. (I’m not sure if they were laughing at me or with me). I also met their grandmother, Jela, who was raising Kathy, Dulce, Cesar and Cesar’s brother, Junior, by herself. She is a hard working woman who scavenges at the dump for things to sell to buy food but also takes time to help at the school. I was able to visit their house and was amazed at what little they had but at the same time how content they seemed to be. When I got home, I contacted Hope of Life to begin sponsoring Kathy and Dulce and began to recruit sponsors for some of the other children beginning with Cesar. My daughter, who is in college and only works part time, also began sponsoring a baby she met. All four girls that I took with me were ready to return the next week. It was an incredible trip that changed all of us. Looking forward to Guatemala 2017.
-Sean Connor, Kingsland Baptist Church
To learn more about our sponsorship program or to sponsor a child, give us a call at (401) 421-9078 and speak to one of our Sponsorship Coordinators!