Sponsor A Bed and Push Back The Darkness
Help Push Back the Darkness
Would you be willing to sponsor a bed for $200.00 per month?
Feel led to help? One of the best ways to help is by sponsoring a bed. As part of the discipleship program, we expect that individuals grow in spirit and body. Part of a pattern that leads to a physical need in many of the men’s lives we encounter is not being able to gain or retain legal employment. This lack of employment and subsequent lack of material resources can many times be a catalyst for developing a destructive lifestyle. In a city like Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico the opportunity to earn money illegally is not only available, it is abundant. By mixing material need, lack of legal resources, and abundance of illegal opportunity, the chance to succeed is greatly diminished. At Esperanza Y Refugio, (Hope and Refuge) we expect much more than a successful existence. We house and train men of God to walk as a Disciple of Christ. The expectations Jesus has for us is one of extremes. Turning the other cheek, selfless giving, high moral character, and the laying down of our lives are the norm for a true disciple. This is the expectation for Residents of Esperanza Y Refugio. Daily morning and evening devotions, Outreach, evangelism participation, and church attendance are some of the expectations of the Residents as they grow in their walk with Christ. The home itself is designed to be a sanctuary from the day to day surroundings. It has been equipped with amenities that are unparalleled in the environment. The amount of prayer, counsel, and care that is invested to our Residents is not only unique, it is exemplary. The Residents of Esperanza Y Refugio work together as a family and accomplish daily chores as well as directly impact the surroundings. The home has become a blessing to an area besieged by drug and alcohol addiction. The kids in the neighborhood are seeing men act in a way that they have never even considered. When drug sales occur mere feet from where children play in the street and many that grow up in these streets become the drug dealers that operate next to the subsequent generation of children playing, role models are rare. When a group of men that come from the same places as them start to operate not as what they know, but as what Christ called them to be, things begin to look different. The kids that only saw drug sales and gambling now see bible studies and worship. These same children come to the church services held in the home and they become acquainted with men of God. Because these men of God have to hold a high standard, they by their new nature begin to overflow into their surroundings and push back the darkness.
The biggest challenge facing anyone looking to change their lives is the place where it starts. When your direction has been fixed you become unable to easily make changes. In Mexico work is hard, rare, and the pay is little. The wage earned daily is barely enough to get by. Savings are not even a thought in Mexico where most everyone just tries to make it another day. Compounding the problem of no savings and meager opportunity is the time it takes to be able to legally work after leaving the prison or a rehab facility. Jobs are not just applied for by anyone in Mexico. You have to have your papers to work. These papers are held by your custodian. In the case of those coming out of a rehabilitation facility or a time in prison, it often takes 30 to 90 days to have your papers released. Until you can legally work, you are truly at the mercy of your surroundings. As an ex-drug addict or a convicted felon, you have probably long since alienated and preyed upon those you would be forced to seek out for help. You will also often find that the change in your life you are experiencing after beginning your walk with Christ is met with skepticism and ridicule. When you re-enter society alone, in need of material assistance, without a healthy support system, and waiting months to have the opportunity to compete for sparse and menial work, you are poised to fail. We cannot let our brothers in Christ fail without a fight.
We are called to lift up and care for our brother. We are called to serve at our own cost and to give up our self seeking to instead see the will of Christ in the life of another. We are doing this, we will continue to do this, and we will see miracles in the lives of those who were bound for darkness. We are inviting you to to join with us in this endeavor. Sponsoring a bed is simple and helps to bridge the gap from the decision to change to the ability to do so. These men will work hard in the home, in the community, and at their work places, but for a time, they will need our help. You can help by sponsoring a bed for $200.00 US dollars a month.
*Esperanza Y Refugio is part of the Biblical Concepts Housing network, a ministry located in Gallatin, TN that houses and cares for individuals with disabilities and needs resulting from trauma induced circumstances.
*The church gatherings that take place in the home are a part of the We Are Church in San Francisco, California network and are directly affiliated with Lighthouse Community Church in Gallatin, TN.
Want to sponsor a bed for $200.00 per month?
We look forward to hearing from you and we thank so much for your help.
