Year: 2015

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Happy Six Year Anniversary, HFLM Family!

Six years ago, HFLM began as an impromptu picnic of hot dog buns and bottled water with 11 hungry, street children. Today, HFLM operates from a beautiful facility built by the Hovde Foundation and is recognized as a local non-profit by the Rwandan Government. We have grown in stability and impact and currently serve over 100 people in our community.

In our sixth year of operation, we challenged ourselves to think big and set goals to ensure our organization will exist well into the future and bring long-term transformation to each of our children. We focused on organizational health, strengthening internal operations, and pursuing sustainability. We’re excited to celebrate our highlights with you!

The original boys on the streets in 2008
HFLM all grown up in 2014
Organizational Highlights from our Sixth Year:
  • Leadership transition from American to Rwandan Directors
  • Staff development and training, adding five Rwandan employees
  • Completed a four year process to receive our non-profit registration from the Rwandan Government
  • Held three successful fundraisers, more than doubling our donor base
  • Gained 20 new long-term child sponsors
  • Accepted nine new children into our program
  • Relocated a single mother of one of our boys, allowing her to escape prostitution and find alternative work
We had tremendous support this past year that led to these accomplishments. Thank you for believing in the vision God put on our hearts and for standing with us in partnership. Together, we have shown that we can make an enormous difference in Rwanda!

 

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A Month of Joy

 

 

 

Two years ago on a dreary afternoon, a dejected young boy walked into our compound. He hadn’t showered in over a week and an expression of hard numbness was etched onto his 14-year-old face.  Although his name, Joyeux, means happiness, he hadn’t experienced it in a long time. His family had rejected Joyeux and kicked him out of the house, leaving him nowhere to go except the streets.

 

Local street boys that attend HFLM’s outreach program: the boys wash their clothes, eat a warm meal, receive loving counsel, and learn about Jesus.
 
Joyeux had been living on the streets for over a year when he heard about HFLM’s weekly outreach services and decided to check it out. For the next two years, he came every week to shower, wash his clothes, eat a hot meal, receive loving counseling, and learn about Jesus.  He reflected, “When I first came to HFLM, I didn’t know the difference between right and wrong, but my eyes have been opened. I enjoy coming to outreach and hearing the word of God. It makes me happy.” This past January, after three years on the streets, Joyeux asked his mom if he could come home. She was reluctant at first, but soon her heart softened and they were able to reconcile. Joyeux is now residing at home and will continue being supported by our staff. 
Joyeux was motivated to reconcile with his family after participating in HFLM’s outreach program.
Joyeux is enrolling in vocational school, with HFLM’s financial assistance, to become a mechanic. He is deeply excited and cites HFLM as his motivation to not only pursue reconciliation with is family, but also to commit to studying.  “I came to Hope For Life and listened to their advice. I made up my mind and want to have a better future. Life on the streets is not easy. I know that if I can learn something, my life will be better.” If you are interested in sponsoring this changed young man through auto mechanic trade school, please click here. 
 
We are honored to journey with you as, together, we equip Rwandan children to change their futures. Thank you for standing with us in partnership!
Click here to watch the music video our boys and staff made.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Surprising New Year’s resolutions from the boys of HFLM

Paul, Djuhudi, & Emile’s goals: be closer to God, forgive enemies, and learn to read and write.
Last month, we introduced Amanda Good and the transformative work she has been doing with the boys at HFLM. Each week, she leads an interactive devotion with the boys, asking challenging questions, discussing what it looks like to be a Christ follower, and having a time of journaling their prayers and reflections. The boys finished their first mini-series devotional on goal setting just in time for the New Year. The boys eagerly wrote down their goals for this next year, imagining the kind of person they would like to grow to be. The following are a few highlights of their 2015 goals:
  • “I want to be a good example in all that I am doing.”
  • “I want to grow in love.”
  • “I want to honor God in my youth and all the days of my life”
These goals demonstrate what precious hearts our incredible young men possess. To learn more, watch our goal setting video here!
Claude’s goal: “I want to love people more than I do.” He also wants to work hard at school, respect his teachers, and become a better soccer player.
Coming from backgrounds of intense abuse, neglect, and rejection, a big struggle amidst many of our boys is changing their self-perspective from an unwanted street child, into a deeply loved child of God. We have begun the next mini-series devotional focused on love and are confronting the common lie street children feel – that they are unworthy of love. After diving deeper into questions of identity and how to receive and show love, one boy wrote in his journal, “From now on, I know that God really loves me so much. When people see me, I want them to see love.” We are beyond excited for this next season!
Jack (right) after being baptized.
16-year-old Jack ended the month by deciding to publicly declare his faith by getting baptized. Jack said, “It is a special day because I have chosen Jesus as my Savior. I thank God because He protected me while I was on the street and He created a way for me to stop that life. I thank God because He just really loves me.”
Thank you very much for all you are doing to enable these important moments in our boys’ lives. As a result of your generosity and support, broken hearts are healing, chains are being broken, and lives are being rebuilt for God’s great glory.
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Megan Reunited with Boys after 3.5 Years!

This holiday school break has been a very special time for the boys at HFLM. After being apart for three-and-a-half years, the children were reunited with co-founder Megan Chao and her husband, Yao! It was a very joyous reunion full of basketball, games, and making new memories together.

The highlight for most children, however, was traveling to Rwanda’s national safari park to view wildlife for the first time. Squeals of delight and surprise filled the bus as zebras, giraffes, monkeys, and warthogs sprinted around us. With an enormous grin shining from his face, 16-year-old Olivier exclaimed, “This is my favorite trip of my whole life!” It was truly a special day that will always be remembered. Click here to view a glimpse of the safari.

Megan and Yao visiting HFLM and taking the boys on their first Safari!

Yao playing with Benjamin and Claude.

The boys’ vacations have also been enriched by a remarkable young woman, Amanda Good. Amanda is a volunteer from Colorado who has committed to living and serving in Rwanda for the next two years. She brings deep passion and talent to our team and has been busy assisting our Directors, developing sustainability projects, and leading weekly Bible studies for our children and staff, among many other responsibilities. She recently made prayer journals for each of the boys that have been an immensely powerful resource for them to record their prayers, thoughts, and emotions, while also developing their personal relationships with Jesus. One boy wrote, “I remember when You picked me from the street. I didn’t realize that I could stop that life but You showed me that You are able as God. You didn’t stop there. You helped my family. It is not easy for us as humans, but for You, it is simple. Thank You so much for that. I need You to put me among your servants forever and ever.”

Amanda spending time with Claude, who goes by his nickname “Littleman.”
We are immensely grateful for Amanda’s commitment to serve alongside us, and we rejoice at the fruit already being displayed from her efforts. If you would like to follow Amanda’s journey in Rwanda, please visit her blog.

We hope you had a terrific holiday season, and we look forward to partnering with you in 2015 for our sixth year of ministry in Rwanda!

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