When we began our ministry here, God gave us a vision for a place for the homeless to come. Before that could happen we needed to get to know the many people of the street. So for almost two years we have been providing a hot meal in the streets. We provided approximately 80 meals each time. In March we were given a building to use and although not many came that first day – only 15 - that is not a bad thing… we reached out to those that wanted to come and hear God’s word and to be ministered to by us.
While serving in the street we only had about 20 minutes to preach and minister in each street. With the building we have more than 2 hours to talk, preach a good message of hope and to really build a relationship with everyone. (we don't turn anyone away and we are happy to have neighbors come and worship with us)
This is a very poor country & the soup kitchen is really needed. Sanctuary of Hope will continue to have more & more come as the word of it gets around. Starting small made it easier, allowing us time to talk to each person individually and seeing what was working and what changes we needed to make. The number of people has continually grown more each month. Currently we are serving an average of about 70 - 80 people (of all ages).
The building also provides a safe place for the street people. We can see that they enjoy the peace that the building provides and they love being able to take a shower, wash their clothes and enjoy a cup of coffee while waiting for our worship service to begin.
We preach a message of hope… when Shari preaches she often asks all of them to imagine a future – a day when they will have the respect of others, have a home and family, a job and all that God wants for them. Many come just for the food we serve; some come for some first aid care and others are there because they want to take a shower and wash their hair. We fill all these needs but we are really there to share the Gospel with them. We want them to know how much God loves each of them and to understand that they do have a future if they will allow Jesus Christ into their lives.
The bible verse our Mission uses is Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you”, declares the LORD. “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.” We believe this verse completely and that is why we named the center Santuario de Esperanza… Sanctuary of Hope. We all have hope in Christ. Pray that those we minister to will understand and believe and accept Christ into their lives. Please pray for these boys, men and ladies – that they will see all that God has planned for them.
