Explore. Dream. Discover.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.  So throw off the bowlines.  Sail away from the safe harbor.  Catch the trade winds in your sails.  Explore. Dream. Discover. - Mark Twain

Explore:

If there was ever a quote I would have held onto when starting the girls home "Ecuador Hope House" ten years ago, this may have been it.  One day, I would love to sit down and tell you all about how the girls home came about.  It is a fascinating story to say the least!  However, I do remember when it all started, there was fear in my bones as we "sailed away from the safe harbor" of our comfortable lives as missionaries in the jungle, planting churches and just doing missions day to day the best we knew how.  

Dream:

Sailing away from our safe harbor...is...exactly what we did.  It was no easy task embarking on that new adventure and especially on one where we quickly couldn't see the shoreline.  Yet, there was a something more!

We knew that the Lord had called us to something so much bigger, it was by no coincidence that everything was happening the way it was.  God had given us a dream, we didn't know how but we knew...God.

Discover:

This month, we celebrate ten years as the Ecuador Hope House!  It has been one of the scariest, craziest, most amazing adventures of my life.  During ten years, we have had nearly a hundred girls come through the home, many girls graduate high school, several girls accepted into University with scholarships, one girl become a Missionary to a sensitive country on the other side of the world, but more than anything....all given hope.  

I can say that after ten years, I am not disappointed by throwing off the bowlines.  It has not been easy but it has been worth it!  

Will you Pray?

Will you GIVE hope?  Will you pray with us for this next school year and for the 42 girls that will be with us?  We not only need your prayers, we count on them! 

We also ask you to consider being a Friend of the Hope House.  We cannot do this without prayer and we cannot do this without financial support!

Consider making a one time or monthly (tax deductible) contribution on our secure giving site.  (see the GIVE tab on ecuadorhopehouse.com for secure donations) or CLICK TO GIVE HOPE NOW

Thank you for being part of the adventure!

-Leah

*Photo Credit Caitlin Emfinger, Missionary/ Photographer

Value

Value is a word we hear all too often, but forget the meaning of. This is a word we use a lot in The Hope House. We want the girls to understand that they have value. But not only that, we want them to understand who gives them that value. We want them to know that they will not find their value in boys or in their families or in their talents. God is the one that gives them their value, and He says they are priceless. So many of them come from terrible homes filled with abuse. They were constantly taught growing up that their value is in how many children they can have or how much money they can make. They were taught to look for value where it cannot be found.

Value can only be found in Christ. He is the only one that can give them their value, because He made them. When you don’t know where your value comes from, you end up searching everywhere for it. You look for it in your job, in your family, in the opposite sex, and in cultural expectations. But the only place value is found is in Christ.

When they learn more about Christ and discover the value that He gave them before they were born, they’re attitudes change about themselves and others. The way they treat others changes. Because when you know your value, you’re free to see the things of value in others. Instead of frantically searching for your value, you begin to see the value of others.

As they have learned their value, they’ve also learned how to see the value in what’s important. A few weeks ago, we had a team come in and give every girl their own Bible. The way they treasure their Bibles is amazing. Every time I go to the house, I see at least one girl studying their Bible. They take care of them and make sure that they don’t mess them up or lose them. They treasure their Bibles. And I believe it’s because they understand the value that The Word of God has in their lives. It’s their foundation in hard times. It’s their peace in chaos. It’s their guidance in confusion. It’s priceless.

Value. Everyone has it. It just takes God to reveal it to us.

*Post and Photo credit by Caitlin Emfinger. 

Caitlin is a Missionary Associate to the Jungles of Ecuador. She currently lives and works in Sucua and the jungle region of Ecuador, she has worked with the Ecuador Hope House and other ministries in Ecuador for over a year. If you would like to know more about Caitlin and her ministry, visit her at caitlinemfinger.blogspot.com.

For more information about the Ecuador Hope House,visit our website ecuadorhopehouse.com by clicking here