For the Children

Last Friday night our family was invited to attend a children's service.  But this church is different.  In fact, it is functioning as a foundation for children.  This church named Hug A Child Foundation is located in the small town of Pavia.  The pastor & his wife are both in their early 30's & have 3 daughters almost the exact same ages as our boys.  Our children have even played with these girls many times while we were working in the Global office & their parents were studying in another building.  We had no idea that this family was pastoring such a large group of children & teenagers.  The pastor is currently renting a warehouse in the middle of nowhere that he hopes to buy in the future.  It is surrounded by goats & small square cement houses.  It is in an area filled with prostitution & violence.  Yet from out of the dark shadows of this barrio, forgotten by many, emerge over 200 children.  When the sun falls, vehicles begin to appear from the lights within the other side of hill in Barquisimeto.  The evening crowd comes to pay for prostitution and return back to Barquismeto.  In the majority of the families we met, none of the children have the same father. Pavia is a wasteland, separated from Barquisimeto by the landfill and a set of hills.  In Pavia, where tens of thousands live in a dusty-shame ridden suburb full of hopeless abandonment, God is raising up a work of mercy and love.

At Hug A Child Foundation, we were amazed at the work that this pastoral family is already doing & the team that God is putting in place to reach Pavia.  We are pleased that God is opening doors for us to help this pastor as he reaches out to the forgotten.  What an awesome opportunity!  Pictured above are our children with 2 of the pastor's daughters.  Please keep this pastor & his family in your prayers as they fight the many obstacles that satan throws at them.  Remember that after all, if we can reach the children... we can reach the nation!