The stories we have today are a testament to what God has done. Many of them have yet to be shared for privacy reasons. Children who were left alone in their homes, competing with dogs for trash; a newborn baby abandoned in a dumpster; a child whose mother cut off his toes. This is the reality they live in.

When we started the orphanage, it was all God. We did not know where the funds would come from. We didn't know who would take care of these children each day or who the psychologist would be to help them recover. But God knew.

Many friends along the way made acts of faith and sacrifices. They saw the vision God had for these children that they would yet to meet and they trusted His plan.

Today, there are children who have grown up and have families of their own. We dream that one day you could meet one of them. They'll shake your hand and you'll see the love in their eyes as they stand next to their children and wife.

Your legacy goes beyond one child. As they have families and as they impact others, your act of faith lives on and on. More importantly, it echoes in eternity. People will enter the Kingdom because of the impact you have made.

These eighteen years have been amazing. We have brought children from hopelessness and into a bright future because of you and the blessings of the Lord.

As we celebrate, we look forward to the next generation of children.

Thank you for your support and prayers, your partnership to rescue abandoned, abused, and neglected children has made all the difference.

If you would like to equip the ministry to rescue more children, Click Here to donate towards the Greatest Need.

I am 13 years old and I attend the 6th grade. My dad's name is Gabriel and mom is named Dominga. We have lived in our community in Honduras for two years. Since then, I have helped my dad on the farm, planting beans and corn. My mother helps around the house and takes care of us. And I love going to the church because they show us good things and I like to sing.

I had the opportunity to meet missionaries. They shared their time with me and the other kids in our village. We played games, sang songs, and heard their beautiful stories of Jesus. They brought us toys, including a soccer ball, which meant so much to me. And my sister received gifts as well.

Missionaries visited our house. They brought us food and provisions. I remember my mom and how worried she was because we didn't have enough food at that time. The missionaries prayed for us too. After their visit, we were able to use that food for one month and fifteen days.

We celebrate Christmas here with my parents and siblings, sharing moments as a family. We love to celebrate at church and home.

Thank you for the gifts you give to all the children and for the people that spend their time with us.

Dominga, Yesferson’s Mother

When missionaries visit us, we get so happy because they play with the children and have fun with them. They visited our home and prayed with us. They provided provisions. We feel so blessed when they bring God's love to us.

The provisions they gave us was a blessing from heaven. We did not have anything to eat that day. They also gave provisions to my daughter and her family too. Sometimes we have food and sometimes we don't. And God had blessed us and we are forever thankful.

My daughter recently had her baby and did not have any clothes. She did not have any for her other children as well. They visited her with a suitcase full of clothes. God has been good to our family.

We thank the missionaries for all their help and we know God's blessing is with them.

I love spending Christmas with my family. And we spend that time to thank God for all that he has done.

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]]>Yesferson's Christmas StoryChildren's Impact NetworkThu, 17 Oct 2019 16:19:04 +0000https://www.cinonline.org/stories/children-raised-at-the-bolivia-life-center-are-now-having-families-of-their-own5cd315c5d7819e336e35b43e:5cd31b6753450ada625ec756:5da8931b0abeb42ed32c3ff6We recently celebrated our 16th anniversary of the Bolivia Life Center. It was an amazing celebration, praising all that God has done throughout the years. Looking back, we have seen how He has used each person, church, and organization to make a difference that will last forever. 

When we invest in people, God gives us a return that has everlasting results.

We realized this truth during the anniversary, when many of our children, now adults, visited with their young families.

Children that came to us abandoned, abused, and neglected, are now living a life filled with faith, raising their own families.

These young families are being brought up in the ways of the Lord. The ripple effects of the impact you have made continues to write a multi-generational story. We cannot wait to see what God continues to do decades from now.

God moves in miraculous ways, and in this anniversary season, we got to appreciate all he has done in the name of His love.

These families would not be here if it wasn’t for you. You made this happen by following God’s command to care for the widows and orphans of the world (James 1:27). Thank you.

Below are some of the pictures of our boys and young families in Bolivia.

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]]>Children Raised at the Bolivia Life Center Are Now Having Families of Their OwnChildren's Impact NetworkFri, 06 Sep 2019 16:13:47 +0000https://www.cinonline.org/stories/lourdes-unforgettable-day-nbsp5cd315c5d7819e336e35b43e:5cd31b6753450ada625ec756:5d72854952df316984d53e2aWhen children arrive at our orphanages, they come from backgrounds we cannot imagine.

 Not only are their situations so devastating, but it can take up to a decade for the full story to unravel. Through the years of healing and therapy provided to your children, we begin to hear the extent of it.

 As a ministry, we know the most powerful things that can make a difference is the Love of Christ and the love of a family. Every small moment that says “you’re special” or “I love you,” make an impact in their lives.

Lourdes is one of the girls at the Honduras Life Center. This month, she turned 15 while one of our mission teams was serving in the country. In Latin culture, a girl’s 15-year-old birthday, or Quinceañera, is one of the most special days in their lives.

The family at the HLC and the mission team hosted a special birthday party for her. Lourdes was shocked, surprised by the love she felt and how it was planned just for her.

Before she was rescued, Lourdes had no hope. Coming from a life no child should ever live, she now has a loving family. She has a hope and a future. On one of the most memorable days of her life, she felt the embrace of her big, extended family wishing her a precious Quinceañera.

Every act of love, every action that says “I chose you”, makes a life-changing difference. That’s why we want to thank Lourdes’s sponsors and all of the sponsors of our children who support and care for every single one.

Find out how you can impact children like Lourdes. If you are not sponsoring a child, we still have many needs. Click Here to learn more about the program.

The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. I Kings 19:11-12

 If you're fortunate enough to visit Children's Impact Network's Bolivia Life Center (BLC), there are several mantras you will hear repeatedly: don't pet the stray dogs, drink water, and pray about it. Throughout several conversations with people on my team, the Children's Impact Network interns, and onsite staff, I heard the last phrase so many times that I began to wonder if I'd ever truly heard it before. Since I was on a mission trip abroad with my church to visit a Christian organization, that reminder seemed like it should be obvious. Of course, you would know to pray in this environment! But what became obvious was that I wasn't doing it nearly enough. And, each time I was told to pray over something, I began to realize how little I hear this outside of places like my church and my family. Or, perhaps, how little I have practiced seeking out this advice.

This world we live in is very much a "dream it, be it" world. If you want to try something, go for it! If you want that new job, why not? If you want to achieve something, follow your heart! But this is not the attitude of Children's Impact Network, where prayer and seeking God is what the Bolivia Life Center revolves around. I found myself so affected and motivated by this attitude that I began to want to pray over the concrete we mixed during our morning service project. I began to pray grace and salvation over the little children we played with and danced for at Sidewalk Sunday School. I looked at the boys running around at the BLC and prayed over and over that they would begin to understand just how loved and valued they are. And then came the house visit. 

Another idea that we as a church group were reminded of during our stay was the necessity of spiritual quietness. God asks for a relationship in which we intentionally seek out meaningful quiet time, choosing to ignore or push aside all the busyness and distractions begging for our attention. No matter the situation, if we are ready and willing to listen, He can and will speak to us - but quiet time can change the game.

“And then came the house visit.”

Getting quiet in order to inquire of the Lord on behalf of someone in need was an example of the spiritual quietness that we sought at our home visit. In a typical home visit, we bring a basket of food and drink and take the time to get to know whoever we are visiting so that we can be more specific in how we pray for them. Before we even walked up to the home of Gladys, the single mother we were visiting, it was as if a hush had already fallen over the group.

We gathered around Gladys and two of her three children, heard her story of great hardship and bravery, and listened to three different languages spoken and translated back and forth. God had never felt so close. In the very act of quieting and focusing our minds, we had actively made room for Him to stand in the midst of us. We’d made room for Him to inhabit our prayers. And because of that, He was far more glorified than he would have been if we were encouraging Gladys by our own strength.

“We had actively made room for Him to stand in the midst of us.”

So, in the midst of Spanish, Quechua, and English dancing back and forth, God was whispering to Gladys,  “I am here. I am faithful. I see you as much as I see everyone else.” And we were fortunate enough to be the conduits of those reminders. 

The best part is this isn’t a one-time thing. Not only do church groups who visit CIN orphanages pray with and give to the needy in the community each week, but those of us in the States can do this same thing in our own communities regularly. And we don’t have to take three flights to do it! This was probably the most valuable advice given to us by the founders of CIN: take the servant heart you’ve cultivated in a different country back to your home country. Pray over and give to those in need. Find those who have been abandoned and love them. Sometimes they’re right next to you. And in everything you do, pray about it. 

It’s there, when we open ourselves up to pour love into others, that God comes close and whispers. Both to them and to us.

This article was written by Molly Pearson, who served on a mission trip in 2019 with Lake Forest Church, North Carolina.

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]]>How a Home Visit Impacted a Single Mother in BoliviaChildren's Impact NetworkMon, 24 Jun 2019 19:55:34 +0000https://www.cinonline.org/stories/just-one-night-read-how-ronaldo-found-his-home5cd315c5d7819e336e35b43e:5cd31b6753450ada625ec756:5d1127df2959550001829512He was an abandoned eight-year-old boy in Bolivia (who will be called Ronaldo). He had no parents or family that cared about him— he was on his own. He was not sure what was going to happen to him... would he starve? Would he ever find a home? Ronaldo had no hope.

The child services department in Bolivia found Ronaldo in an emergency state. They needed to find a place for him to stay for just one night until they could move him to a designated orphanage. They were not sure what to do with him. He was desperate; they had to do something immediately.

They chose the Bolivia Life Center (BLC) as a temporary place to keep him safe for one night. He met the family at our center, who welcomed him with loving arms, and he experienced the love of Christ. Even though the family at the BLC knew he was only to say for just a few hours, they treated him like part of the family. God called CIN to make a difference in the lives of these children, and He designated Ronaldo’s path so that we could have the opportunity to make a difference in his life with the little time we had. The next morning, he left with the child services to find a home.

He had to do something radical.

Ronaldo arrived at his new home. He had shelter and food and a bed to sleep in. But still, he could not truly settle into the orphanage—something was missing. He tasted the love of God at the BLC, and he wanted more. He had experienced a special place. He knew that to experience that kind of love again, he had to do something radical. Ronaldo ran away from the orphanage. He was on foot, desperate to find his new family.

While on the run, the department found him again. They had specific protocol and decided to reassign him to a similar orphanage like before. But God had already chosen his home, and this new orphanage was not part of His plan. Ronaldo escaped the second orphanage and headed toward the city of Sipe Sipe, where the BLC resides (an over 20-kilometer walk). He contacted the government, requesting that they bring him back to the very first place they left him for one night, the Bolivia Life Center.

The social worker assigned to Ronaldo brought him to our Life Center. When she met the Directors, Gerson and Allie Gabriel, she broke down crying. As tears rolled down her cheeks, she told them how Ronaldo dangerously left a large city of over 1 million people on foot, to the small town of Sipe Sipe, just to find the Bolivia Life Center. She could not believe the impact made on the boy’s life and how he desired so much to join our family. She had never seen anything like that before.

It only took one night. That night there was love and acceptance that he had never felt before. He held on to that sense of love and compassion that welcomed him home. God had a plan for him and he opened the doors and paved the way for Ronaldo to join his new family, one that would love him to eternity.

Today Ronaldo is part of an incredible family that loves him unconditionally. He has more brothers, sisters, uncles and aunts, friends, and mentors than you could ever imagine.

It is amazing just what one night will do.

We want all our children at Children’s Impact Network to feel the love and compassion of Jesus Christ. We care for them every day and encourage them in all their dreams and challenges. God is doing amazing work in the lives of our children. All it takes is one day, one night, to make an impact on a child living on the streets with absolutely no one who cared for them. And once we rescue those children, we have the privilege to show that love every single day.

You have the opportunity to pour into the lives of children just like Ronaldo. Through our Child Sponsorship program, you can build a long and lasting relationship, one that can change a child’s life forever. Every moment is an opportunity to grow the Kingdom of God. Today there are available sponsorships opportunities for friends like you. Together, God can use us to make an impact for eternity.

This article was originally published as “Just One Night” in Children’s Impact Network’s quarterly magazine.

Since those early days, much has changed for us. We’ve gotten married, had children of our own, been through graduate school, had three moves, and experienced many life changes. But the sponsorship of our boys in Bolivia has been constant. We consider them part of our family. Their pictures line the walls of our home and the front of our refrigerator.

Sponsorship has anchored our family in the global church and reminds us regularly of the redemptive power of Christ. What a gift to us and our children to be reminded that the God we serve is one of transformation, restoration, and deep, deep love.

Jhoel has graduated from the Bolivia Life Center but is still a significant part of our lives. A few months ago, he told us he was getting married and asked if we could be there. I’m not sure which of the 3 of us (Andy, Kim, Jhoel) sobbed the hardest when we were reunited in the Cochabamba airport.

The morning of Jhoel’s wedding, on the grounds of the Bolivia Life Center, we asked him how many children he and his wife wanted one day. He responded that they weren’t sure exactly, but they knew they wanted to adopt. When Andy asked him why, he responded, “I want to give a child like me a chance to have what God gave me here. A family.”

At the wedding reception, after giving a very jumbled & teary toast, we looked at one another and said, “How in the world did we get to do this?” It was an incredible honor to join the large family from the BLC and the local church to love on Jhoel and his new bride, Renata.

Seeing the outpouring of love from God’s people in Bolivia made us understand his words from earlier that day about family. This incredibly poignant time in Bolivia was right up there with our own wedding and the births of our children.

For years we had hoped and prayed for the completion of the vision of CIN – transformed lives starting new families with health and love only found in Jesus Christ.

What incredible joy to experience that fulfilled vision with our hermanito, Jhoel. It is undoubtedly one of the greatest privileges of our lives to be a sponsor.

Kim, Andy, Ellie, and Nate Muhich

Originally published in Children’s Impact Network’s Christmas Magazine 2018.

Lizet trusted her mom like any other daughter would. She gave birth to her and took care of her. Whatever her mom asked her to do, it was in Lizet's best interest-- so she thought.

Lizet's mother soon had a boyfriend. He seemed like a good man at first, but little did they know that he had other intentions to harm them. The boyfriend convinced Lizet's mother to sell herself to his friends and strangers for money. She was desperate for food and survival, so she turned to prostitution. Men would come into her house, she would tell Lizet to go behind the curtain that sectioned off her room, and the mother would entertain the men.

This happened often and soon became their way of life. But one day everything changed. The boyfriend asked for Lizet. She had no other choice.

Every night, men would visit the family and pay to have sex with Lizet. Lizet was under ten years old. The pain and sorrow that accumulated in her, along with the broken trust of her mother, tortured and scarred her. She lost all hope. She had nowhere to go. Nowhere to run.

One day one of our missionaries heard about Lizet. He asked questions and investigated the situation. We did everything we could to rescue Lizet. Through a lot of prayer and hard work, we rescued Lizet from the chains of human trafficking. We welcomed her into her new home, the Honduras Life Center.

When Lizet arrived to our front door, she was welcomed by loving parents. Her new siblings embraced her like a new sister. She slept that night in her own bed, safe from all the evil that her world had brought her.

Every day, Lizet learns what it was like to be in a healthy family. She knows that Jesus loves her and that he makes us new, white as snow. He is her heavenly father that cares for her no matter what she has been through. He heals her and strengthens her. Our Honduras family loves on her, helps her with her homework, teaches her responsibility, and pours hope into her, each rising day.

You are the reason why Lizet is with us today. God put you in our path so that you could pray, support, and make a difference with us around the world. These children were hopeless, most abused, and lost before we found them. But we gave them the hope, love, and message of Jesus Christ that was always for them the day they were born.

Watch the Video

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]]>Rescued from Human TraffickingChildren's Impact NetworkTue, 14 May 2019 16:50:33 +0000https://www.cinonline.org/stories/i-get-a-whole-family5cd315c5d7819e336e35b43e:5cd31b6753450ada625ec756:5cdaf14bf9619acb18dce423Children’s Impact Network’s Sponsorship program has been a life-changing experience. Our children have come from tragic places, where not one family member care for them. When a sponsor like you says “I chose you,” their life is renewed and filled with love.

CIN hosted teams all summer at the Bolivia Life Center this year. It’s a special time for team members because they get to know each child at the home. Many people sponsor a child after their visit. It’s one of the most beautiful things you will ever see—when a new sponsor gets to share the news with the child that they will sponsor him/her. 

This summer, we had a very special experience with one of our visiting families. One of our boys Angel connected with them. At the end of the trip, they told Angel that they wanted to sponsor him. He looked at all of them, seeing their hearts filled with the love they had for him. His first words were: “A whole family??” After the news, he ran to the other boys and introduced the family to them. He kept their picture and memorized their names every night. When new teams came, he would show the picture and recite each name and detail he knew about his new family.

Here are some words from the family:

"When we were in Bolivia, we fell in love with the landscape, the people, the BLC and its staff, and most importantly, our Angel.  We watched how well the boys of the BLC were cared for and loved and couldn't be more excited to help take care of a boy of our own.  We met Angel at the beginning of our trip and when we found out he needed a sponsor, we knew that was where God was calling us.  We are so thankful that we now get to be a permanent part of his life.  He is a part of our family now, as are all of the people of the BLC.  We just can't wait to go back and see our Angel!"

The impact that Child Sponsors make in the lives of our children is unmeasurable. From letters back in forth to visits throughout the year, our children love knowing that they have someone who thinks of them, loves them and encourage them in their daily lives.

We have children in both Bolivia and Honduras who are still in need of sponsors. By sponsoring a child, not only are you forever impacting and changing the lives of a child, but you help us continue to rescue more children from abuse, neglect, and abandonment.

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]]>I Get a Whole Family?Children's Impact NetworkTue, 14 May 2019 16:45:19 +0000https://www.cinonline.org/stories/it-started-with-one-child5cd315c5d7819e336e35b43e:5cd31b6753450ada625ec756:5cdaed288165f53550918a92Children’s Impact Network started on the foundation that impoverished children desperately need the hope and love of Jesus Christ. In the early 90’s, John and Maritza Hernandez met through ministry in Miami. Both they and their team would go to the most poverty-stricken, and violent communities in the city. They began ministering to children through Side Walk Sunday School, a Vacation Bible School format of evangelism that uses a box truck, cut out from the side to use as a stage. But one day, He had a new mission for John and Maritza.

A missionary from Bolivia visited a Side Walk Sunday School service. She saw what God was doing in Miami and knew the ministry would make a difference in Bolivia. She asked John and Maritza to visit and train her team to do the same. Knowing little about Bolivia or even international travel, they went knowing that the children of Bolivia needed the love of God.

The moment they stepped in Bolivia, God had changed their lives. They saw a great need. In 1990, the life expectancy in Bolivia was 55 years old. The infant mortality rate was also 8.5%, meaning eight out of one hundred infants would die within a year. The country was full of street children, malnourished and neglected. Something had to be done.

One night, John and Maritza visited a plaza that would fill up with street children in the city. Many of them would sniff glue, which would soften their hunger. The children would wander the plaza, scavenging for food in the dumpsters and fighting with the dogs. Among this horrible scene, John felt a small tug on his shirt. It was a small child, 2 or 3 years old. He was asking for food while wearing torn clothes, with matted hair, and dry snot on his face. John looked around for a parent or sibling of his. No one was there. Did he even matter in the eyes of the world? That one child changed the course of history.

After the night, God spoke to John and Maritza, saying, “what are you going to do about it?” They continued to pray, hoping for an answer. Finally, God spoke. He wanted them to build a children’s home. To a surprise, this caused more distress. They knew nothing of orphanages. Who would care for them? What psychiatrists and doctors would help them? Who would provide the funding for a project so big? But the Lord is a great God who provides.

Even existing orphanages had great needs. Many of the children were actually worse off in some of the orphanages, rampant with abuse and disorder. They saw issues in these children that needed healing beyond understanding.

God provided a partner church and pastor to Children’s Impact Network that knew the need and culture, providing a powerful team to make an eternal difference in Bolivia. When CIN was ready to finally break ground on the orphanage, the tragedy of 9/11 happened. Still, God provided a way and the orphanage was built. He provided the people, staff, and missionaries to raise these children.

God has since made an eternal impact in the lives of children at the Bolivia Life Center. Many have just started getting married. Some are now working on how they can impact their brothers at the orphanage through businesses and opportunities. There are young men from the orphanage that are heavily involved in church, have been taken in as a family, and become leaders. You can see how the love of God has changed them as each child becomes a professional, pastor, engineer, and more.

CIN’s dream is to one day have one of these children grow up and visit with their young family to say thank you to your church. The impact you have done by partnering with us will have eternal consequences— impossible to measure. You are making a difference, and we can now see its fruit.

But the need still exists today. As we speak, there are thousands of children that are being abandoned, abused, and neglected today. No one is caring for them. They are hungry, thirsty and desperate to find some hope for a future. More than ever, Children’s Impact Network has the opportunity to rescue more of these children from the streets and to change lives forever. The mission cannot stop today. As you read this, there is a child in need of rescue. We cannot do this without you. Please join us today by donating towards the Greatest Need. Together, we can make a difference.

Watch the Video

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]]>It Started with One ChildChildren's Impact NetworkTue, 14 May 2019 16:26:21 +0000https://www.cinonline.org/stories/hearts-surrendered-in-adoration5cd315c5d7819e336e35b43e:5cd31b6753450ada625ec756:5cdae9b5e5f24a00014ede19In the past 15 years, we have seen the work of God in every child that has been part of the Bolivia Life Center family. An event that marked the lives of our team was when one of our boys was part of an electrical accident during one of his engineering courses in college. He could not walk or fend for himself. It broke our hearts to see a child that we have raised in the orphanage, now growing to an adult, go through such a tragic and painful accident.

He has been known for his selflessness and the way he treats his brothers from the orphanage. It was amazing to see those same boys care for him with admiration in return. My wife and I assisted him to eat, clean, and did all the necessary things to nurture him. He stayed in our home as we all nursed him back to health.

One Saturday night, we arrived from the youth service and heard loud music in the house. I wasn’t sure where it was coming from and who was playing it. I hurried to look to see what happened and when I arrived in the room where the music was coming from, I found the boy we helped mentor and raise, unable to move with bandages, casts, and every imaginable limitation. I watched him with an emotional heart. He had his hands raised as best as he could, worshiping the Lord, praying, broken, crying in the presence of God.

I will never forget it. I've seen others who have accidents or problems stop believing in the power of God, or let depression invade them and distract them from the Lord. But I know that God has changed many hearts through the Bolivia Life Center, from a past filled with pain and suffering to a new life and hope. These boys have grown spiritually in the Lord. They know that in the midst of storms, they can still love and confide in Jesus with all of their hearts.

When I see the Bolivia Life Center and each child, I know God has provided an incredible opportunity in their lives. God will continue to transform and forge new worshiper’s hearts through the lost and abandoned children in Bolivia and around the world.

This article was written by Sergio Espinoza, Associate Pastor of Sanidad Divina, Children’s Impact Network’s partner church in Bolivia.

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