By Lisa Steele, FLM Executive Director

En Español

For 30 years, we have cared for vulnerable, abandoned, orphaned, and at-risk children in Honduras. As we have learned new and better ways to care for them, we have expanded our Family Preservation Program and added Foster Care. One way we try to preserve families is to reintegrate children who live at our residential home into their biological families. When a family member is located, our Holistic Care Team meets with them to determine if they have the physical, mental, and spiritual means to care for their child or children. If we see a possibility for reintegration, we begin a long and arduous process that includes supervised meetings on our campus, home visits, parenting classes, and spiritual guidance.

We also provide Foster Care for children under five years of age. A child is placed in a loving, Christian home after that family has undergone an extensive accreditation process where they learn about family dynamics, trauma and receive tools and resources as they welcome a child into their family. As one of two organizations that work with Honduran Children's Services, we are excited to see this work grow within the country. We are honored to be chosen to work with the government to provide training and resources to other organizations.

by José Chinchilla, FLM National Director

En Español

Thirty years ago, the mission of Family Life Missions was to preserve the families of Catacamas. One of the ideas was to build a Children´s Home to provide a family for many children. For many years, this is what FLM did without moving forward with other initiatives to preserve families. But God is always acting in favor of the most vulnerable. Five years ago, Family Life missions began a program called "Transforming Lives" with the same idea that they had  30 years ago–to preserve the family!

Today, we have three strategies In “Transforming Lives” strategies: Holistic Care, Building Dreams, and Family Entrepreneurship. We firmly believe that these three areas are critical in preserving families. One program, in particular, has blessed many families. Over the past five years, we have helped build three houses and improved the conditions of one home. This summer we will build another house and improve another. These homes have all been done to reintegrate children, under our care, into their biological families. By improving the living conditions of the families, we are preserving the families of Olancho. 

By Karla Ponce, FLM Director of Holistic Care

En Español

Celebrating 30 years of Family Life Missions is celebrating God's faithfulness, hope, and provision in the lives of the children and families served in all three of our programs, and includes our Por Los Niños Christian Bilingual School. Our school began 22 years ago to provide a holistic, quality, inclusive education with values and excellence that continues today.

It was 22 years ago that Honduras began to go through one of the biggest crises in the public education sector with thousands of children not receiving the education they deserved. They did not receive classes for many days due to protests by teachers, among other factors. This has left marks still today.  During this crisis,  the idea of creating our PLN school was born, initially for 1st-6th grade and for the children living in our residential homes. The vision expanded 15 years ago to reach the children of the Catacamas community.  Next, the bilingual system was added and then the pre-preschool level. Each year another grade was added with our current school going through eighth grade. 

Family Life Missions firmly believes in an education with values and excellence, an education where children are the authors of their own learning, making decisions based on Christian and moral values. Transforming the way of thinking starts with education and our Por Los Niños school focuses on that.

by Lisa Steele, FLM Executive Director

En Español

Thirty years ago, LaRue Hilton had the vision to help the vulnerable children of Catacamas, Honduras. She and her husband, Richard, visited Honduras and decided to pursue an adoption. They saw a great need but could not adopt every vulnerable child. Instead, they purchased a house in this small, growing town surrounded by mountains and need and began caring for orphaned, vulnerable, and abandoned children. They soon realized they needed more space, so they found four acres of land on the outskirts of Catacamas and began building residential homes for children. So many (including many of you reading this) answered the call to help build the Por Los Niños village.

Over the years, our village has changed to meet the community's needs. We have fewer children living on our campus. Many have graduated or have been reintegrated into their biological family. We have found that there are fewer "orphans," but the needs of vulnerable children and families are still great. Families need resources and tools to stay together. In the past, parents would leave their children at Por Los Niños because they could not afford to feed them. Or perhaps it was a single-parent household. Or the child was simply abandoned, but few were true orphans.