Children of Hope

In recent weeks, Casa Hogar Infantil Ammi has been offering a variety of training programs for its teenagers. These included courses on drug prevention, life planning for adulthood, academic regularization classes, and physical education, among others. These weeks were filled with significant learning and productivity. Opportunities like this one are always a tremendous blessing. We extend our heartfelt thanks to the dedicated teachers who invested their time to support the youth at Casa Hogar Infantil Ammi.

Our children are cherished, blessed, and very loved. We thank God and each person who invests in one way or another in these precious lives🙏🏽 From volunteers, students, and professionals. Thank you for investing in the little lives of these little ones. Anything we do for them is in vain🙂 Thank you to these young dentists for caring for the children's dental health!

Nuestros niños son muy amados y bendecidos, gracias a Dios y a cada persona que invierte de una u otra manera en estas preciosas vidas🙏🏽 Desde voluntarios, estudiantes y profesionistas. Gracias por sembrar en los pequeños. Nada de lo que hagamos por ellos es en vano🙂 Gracias a estas jóvenes dentistas por cuidar la salud dental de los niños!

Casa Infantil AMMI IAP has been blessed with the arrival of a wonderful family of five siblings. The youngest is just 2 years old, and the oldest is 10. At Casa Ammi, and many similar ministries, there's a heartfelt commitment to keeping siblings together. We are grateful to God that these precious children have found their way to Casa Ammi, a loving and secure home where they will be cherished and introduced to their beautiful Savior, Jesus.
We are also excited to announce that Casa Ammi opened a third home in Ajusco in the state of Mexico. Let us introduce you to the wonderful couple leading this new ministry: Jaime and Xilo, along with their two daughters, Asenat and Noa Santos. They have been busy getting to know the community by inviting kids and adults into their home for coffee, dinner, or just to hang out. They provide food hampers to families in need and host Bible studies with different couples. Last Christmas, they organized a special dinner for the people they’ve been connecting with. They also celebrated Children’s Day with the kids in the community and shared the good news of Jesus with them. The community already knows and appreciates them for their care and friendship. Social Services are eager to bring children into their care. It’s amazing to see the impact they’ve had in such a short time. God is working powerfully everywhere! Praise the Lord, who is good all the time!
Additionally, Casa Ammi in Queretaro is acquiring property from the Mexican government in another municipality in the same state. This will either be the new location for one of their existing homes or the site for a new Casa Ammi.
In terms of self-sustainability projects, Casa Ammi is moving its greenhouses to a new site where they’ll get support from a farming company. This company will help manage Casa Ammi's strawberry greenhouses, which will free up the directors to focus more on running the home. The chicken farm has also been a great success, with the children enthusiastically caring for the hens. Every day, dozens of white and brown eggs are collected for self-consumption, and any surplus is sold to cover small expenses and maintain the chickens.
Casa Ammi is a place of love, learning, and growth, and we thank God for the wonderful developments that are helping it flourish even more.

Joey's Food Fight!!! Awesome job! Thank you for your support!!

¡Hola amigos! We're heading to La Casa Otomí!

Get ready for a fiesta of flavors, heartwarming moments, and a cultural adventure you won't forget. We're building a kitchen for La Casa Otomi, learning a shocking horchata secret, and sizzling up huevos con chorizo with local legends.

This episode is pure magic – food, fun, and giving back. Join me on this Mexican escapade! https://youtu.be/rbi_aU5t_xI

Congratulations to all the moms of Mexico on your special day. And even though Mother's Day isn't celebrated in Canada until Sunday, today I want to extend my heartfelt congratulations to all of you. The work you do in this world is truly invaluable, and the love and dedication you pour into your children profoundly impact our society! Sending virtual hugs and flowers to every one of you! May you be spoiled and feel the love of your beautiful children on this special day! Happy Mother’s Day!!

Saludos a todas las mamás de México en su día. Aunque el Día de la Madre no se celebra en Canadá hasta el domingo, hoy quiero felicitarlas a todas. ¡El trabajo que realizan en este mundo es vital y el amor y la dedicación que invierten en sus hijos impacta en nuestra sociedad! ¡Les envío abrazos y flores virtuales a todas ustedes! ¡Espero que las mimen mucho y sientan el amor de sus preciosos hijos en este día! ¡Feliz día de las madres!!

"Another Children's Day celebration filled with joy! We are so happy to share photos capturing the abundant festivities in our homes and soup kitchens, all dedicated to celebrating the lives of our precious children whom we serve.
As always, there was something for everyone. At Pan de Vida, bungee jumping stole the show, while Casa Ammi kids got busy with gotcha wars. Brazos de Amistad hosted a lively kermes and rally, while Esperanza para Ti treated the children to outings at the cinema and water park. Meanwhile, the Creando Sendas soup kitchen had fun dressing the kids in costumes and providing them with a delicious meal complemented by a super yummy dessert. Ancla de Amor spoiled their beautiful children by taking them to the movies and having a private party at a very nice park nearby. Casa Otomi made the day extra special by presenting each child with a heartfelt gift. They also joyously broke some pinatas, enjoyed a magician's show, and inflatable castles provided the kids with endless entertainment. There was no shortage of yummy food, sweet treats, and activities.
We want to thank everyone who generously contributed their time, resources, and love to ensure our children had an unforgettable, joy-filled day they will cherish forever!"

Friends, it's been a while since we caught up on the recent happenings in the ministries in Mexico. Let's dive in. Over this past spring break, Jeremy, the director of Children of Hope, along with Geof Hoogstra, Chairman of the board of Children of Hope, and Ana Laura Torres, child sponsorship program coordinator, had the opportunity to visit the five homes and three different soup kitchens that work together with Children of Hope. This was the first time Jeremy Van Beelen visited all the ministries as the new director of Children of Hope, and it was truly uplifting to witness firsthand the impact of each ministry. Connecting with directors, volunteers, and the children brought immense joy, allowing us to immerse ourselves in the unique atmosphere of each home and soup kitchen.
In addition to our visits, we had the privilege of leading a group of volunteers, including family and friends, in serving at Pan de Vida. Together we also afforded the chance to explore other homes and soup kitchens in Queretaro and Irapuato. Meanwhile, in Queretaro, as we served at Pan de Vida, another team from British Columbia, was serving at Esperanza para Ti home. What a wonderful bunch of teens and adults in that team. They dedicated themselves tirelessly to the construction of the new building where the boys and girls will live. Their efforts and love undoubtedly made a lasting impression on the hearts of all the children in the home.
One highlight was when all the homes in Queretaro and the children's home in the State of Guanajuato came together for a day of fun at a water park. It was a delightful opportunity for everyone to bond and create lasting memories.

Wonderful memories 🩵

Volunteer: where small actions lead to big impacts
Voluntariado: donde pequeñas acciones generan grandes impactos.

The first episode of Joey's Food Fight is out on Pan de Vida! 🎉
Help us by watching it, liking it, and subscribing to his channel. Remember that we are all fighting this fight together! Soon Joey will be visiting more orphanages and soup kitchens in Mexico. Support him so he can continue supporting us!

https://youtu.be/-qH-7ToE684

Ya salió el primer episodio de Joey's Food Fight en Pan de Vida! 🎉
Ayúdanos viéndolo, dándole like, y subscribiéndote a su canal. ¡Recuerda que esta lucha la estamos librando todos juntos! Pronto Joey visitará más casas hogar y comedores comunitarios en México. ¡Apóyalo para que pueda seguir apoyándonos!

https://youtu.be/-qH-7ToE684

Talking about beautiful people! Maggie Bernier is a 23-year-old lady who came down from Ontario to serve at Esperanza para Ti home on January 9 and will be helping there till March 17. She studied linguistics and has studied in Korea as an international student. She has been working with the girls and lived in the dorms with them. She would sometimes help cook, clean, and do yard work. She helped the kids with homework and was also teaching the kids English on the side when they wanted and needed help. She has been a great help, and this has been for her a life-changing experience. As you can tell, Maggie is a happy kind young woman. Children in the home are going to miss her so very much as she is taking a small piece of their hearts with her. Thank you, Maggie, for every smile, for all the work you did, and for sharing this piece of your life with Esperanza para Ti children! They surely love you and will miss you!

Oh oh oh, good news! Well, sort of more good news for the Van Beelen Torres family, hehehe. We are flying to the beautiful country of Mexico!! We will be serving together with two other families from BC. (Jeremy's Brother and his 3 sons from Vernon, and the Sikma family from Langley, flying down on the 19) We will be serving Pan de Vida mostly and visiting the other three homes that are in the same city plus a soup kitchen that is in the municipality of Amealco (an hour and a half away from the city of Queretaro). You can't imagine what a privilege it is to be able to return to your home country and share a little bit of all that God has given you. Our family will be in Mexico from March 15 to April 6. Please pray for all of us who are going. May God give us health, and strength so we can see the glory of God in everything we do! Now, let the FIESTA begin!!!

Who doesn't enjoy good company along with good food, eh? Here I share with you a very cool man, not only is he Italian, but he is also a Chef!! Who doesn't like having friends who make delicious food? Meet Joey Morelli, the founder of Joey’s Food Fight, he has always been passionate about giving back to the community. With a background in Restaurant Management and Culinary Arts, he has been in the restaurant industry for years, working in several successful establishments.
Driven by his love for cooking and a desire to support children in need, Joey started Joey’s Food Fight to bring his unique blend of culinary expertise and humor to orphanages worldwide. For the last few weeks, Joey has been sharing his time, love, good humor, skill, and money with the different ministries under the wing of Children of Hope. Pan de Vida, Esperanza para Ti, Casa Ammi, and Casa Otomi had the privilege of hosting Joey for a few days each. What an awesome time and time for a break for the cooks as well. Imagine having a chef cooking your breakfast, lunch, and supper for a few days! Oh man, awesomeness! Joey Morelli, now the Queretaro Orphanages will carry you in their heart for ever! Your love and laughter will be greatly missed by all those kids you were able to bless. I do not doubt that with your visit some of those boys and girls now want to become chefs when they grow up! What a great impact and legacy your life has been for many! There is nothing else to say than, THANK YOU JOEY. God bless you richly and will continue using your life to keep blessing and impacting positively the lives of many more boys and girls. Do not forget about us. MI CASA ES TU CASA AMIGO!! Come back soon!

Learn more about the cause here. https://linktr.ee/joeysfoodfight

These last few days, Ancla de Amor hosted a group of incredible people who built a basketball court for Ancla's children! Can you imagine how happy those kiddos are right now!?!? It looks amazing! Great job and thank you River of Life Church!

(A message from Brian Krahn)
Good Morning Everyone!

We hope this letter finds you well. We wanted to share some wonderful news with you – we've had an exceptional week! Our hearts are full of gratitude and encouragement.

The team from the River of Life Church in Minnesota has been absolutely amazing. Beyond their work projects, they embraced us and the orphanage in such a special way. Their presence brought joy and warmth to our hearts, and we are incredibly blessed to have had them here.

As they prepare to depart, our hearts are a little sad to see them go, but we are also filled with anticipation for what the future holds. We are deeply thankful to God for bringing these wonderful people into our lives and for the connections we've made.

Please keep these incredible individuals in your prayers as they travel home today. May they have safe journeys and continue to be blessed in all they do.

With heartfelt thanks and warm regards,

Brian

Oh, and I want to share with you the link to a video that our friend Bill Opthof made of the Esperanza para Ti construction project which he recently visited.
Thank you Bill Opthof!!
https://youtube.com/watch?v=ZzaWqiDX10U&feature=shared

Enjoy!

February 8, 2024

Hello, everyone! I hope everyone reading this post is having a day full of beautiful blessings. I bring you good news! The construction of the new boys’ and girls’ home at Casa Esperanza para Ti orphanage keeps on growing!! Wow, it looks pretty nice! The Vacation with a Mission team from the province of Manitoba worked very hard on several construction projects these past two weeks. They did an excellent job for sure! But it wasn't all about construction, they had fun going bowling with the kids and doing all kinds of fun activities with them! It is beautiful to see how with so much love the church of Christ comes together to help build, not just a building, but one another in Christ's love. It is a wonderful feeling when a group of strangers comes to visit your home. They have no idea what to expect but they already love you. These teams worked hard several months before their trip to Mexico to raise funds to be able to do all these fun activities at the orphanage. The kids that they will meet are already in their thoughts. Excitement fills their hearts and just like that, they feel like they already know you! Each one who comes to visit undoubtedly leaves a piece of their heart! Thank you, “Vacation with a Mission” team, for your work, but above all for taking care of God's little ones.

Happy Tuesday to everyone! We are already halfway through February, can you believe it? Time certainly flies by! This makes me reflect on the lives of all those who have been serving, full-time, in our ministry for years. And I don't mean full-time, eight hours a day. (I have nothing against working 8 hours a day, making that clear 😊) I am referring to those who live in the ministry 24/7, or 365 days a year. It is truly a heavenly gift, to be able to give your years of life to the service of God and others. Let me tell you one thing about that, not everyone can do it. The willingness to get up every morning to feed, bathe, do homework, look for the lost shoe of "x" child, and settle the matter between child "y" and child "X", making lunches, doing tons of laundry loads every day, is not the most complicated part of the matter. What is, is to humble yourself every day before God so that he can use you as his hands and feet to love and serve, not only children but adults who need a word of encouragement or a hug (not only hugs to the one you like and love, but hugs to the one that make life a bit more exciting for you in the ministry, you know what I mean!). Knowing that you are completely an open book to others. There is no way you can hide your flaws or your shortcomings and areas in which you need to grow and mature. Willingly, you are there, serving, to be a role model to the children and peers. (Not of perfection, but as what a jar of clay looks like) Maintaining yourself humble and vulnerable, so you can listen to the advice and correction of your leaders and advisors. Admit every day that if you do not remain attached to the vine every hour of your life, your efforts, or your achievements in the kingdom of heaven, will be of no use to the king. It's like being in the front row of the battle. You must remain constantly alert to defend your purpose, to listen to the voice of God, and thus remain humble. Who says, “I want to live my life this way, in complete surrender to God every day of my life? Because I can recommend some places where you can go serve 24/7, 365 days a year. And do not get scared. The years you set aside for Christ will be among the best-lived years of your whole life, I am not exaggerating! (I am not saying that those who do not serve in ministry 24/7, are not living their lives for Christ, this could be an opportunity for you to completely dedicate your 24/7 to Christ if you are not.) This will be years in which you need to depend completely on the Holy Spirit's direction! Years in which you will fall in love with your savior like you haven’t before. You won't want to change those years for anything in this world!!!

😃🥳🙌Hey everybody, we need your help. We are $2500 short to be able to get a playground put in at the soup kitchen. This would be a great opportunity for the children that come and eat 4 days a week with us. Right now all we have is grass and 1 soccer ball so we would love to make our soup kitchen a safe place for the kids not only come and eat but to play and hang out and feel loved. We know that God will provide what we need and we can’t wait to have a fun place to play.
Every $1 helps! So please if you feel lead to help us with this project donate to this website 🇨🇦 https://childrenofhope.info/creando-sendas/ and if you are 🇺🇸 please donate here https://orphanos.kindful.com/?campaign=332897
We appreciate all the love and support. God is good!

From the soup kitchen Creando Sendas, in Puebla, Mexico!

Hey everyone we have some exciting news happening here at Creando Sendas, soup kitchen! Yesterday was our first day having the kids stay and eat with us. We have been waiting for this day! Before they would have taken the food and eaten it at their own homes. We can finally start to know the kids a little better and spend more time with them! We have also been having a physiotherapist coming on Tuesdays to do exercises with the moms. Next month the physiotherapist will be starting physiotherapy with the children as well.
We are now serving the kids 4 days a week, with many more activities to come!
We have 7 children in our learn-to-read program, and we see the program starting to grow soon.
God has blessed us with this space and we are so happy to see things starting to flourish to bring glory to him.
If you would like to support us in any way please go to this website 🇨🇦 https://childrenofhope.info/creando-sendas/
If you are US please go to this website https://orphanos.kindful.com/?campaign=332897
We appreciate every $1 and we appreciate all the love and support for our ministry

Faithworks team in Mexico!

Wow, my friends, I feel very sentimental today. I feel deep gratitude! I remember the first time I experienced sharing with a group of foreigners as a child. I was barely thirteen years old. You cannot begin to imagine how special I felt that this group of young men and women were visiting us from abroad just to play and share with us. I did not speak a single word of English and they did not speak a word of Spanish, but I want to tell you that, we did not need to speak the same language to be able to communicate. We laughed so much and had lots of fun! I will always treasure this experience in my heart! This group of young people showed me love and communicated to me somehow that my life had value. After two weeks of staying with us, they had to return home to their home country. Many tears! It was a sad day. However, after that time I understood that the groups could only visit us for a short time. I needed to enjoy them while they were with us. I understood it and made me look forward to the visit of a new group of beautiful people! My enthusiasm for meeting and sharing with new people never disappeared! It always felt like a privilege to receive missionaries and volunteers who left their comfortable homes and went to serve us, us strangers! A big Thank you to hundreds of Canadians, Americans… Teams of wonderful people for loving so much God’s work in the orphanages and soup kitchens in Mexico! Thank you to everyone who has been part of the beautiful memories in the childhood of many boys and girls. In advance, we want to thank those that this year will become part of somebody's new story and wonderful memories. Love it!! The thought of it makes me smile!

Happy New Year to all of you who faithfully follow Children of Hope on social media. Blessings to all! How exciting it is to see the ministries start the New Year 2024 with all the enthusiasm in the world. The soup kitchen, Brazos de Amistad in the state of Guadalajara, has many projects to keep blessing many more families this year. Do you remember that they are bringing food from time to time to a poor new community in Tlaquepaque? Well, now they are being very intentional in teaching the word of God to the adults and the children as well. Once a week they come and teach the Bible. There is a great need for Jesus. Help us pray that God will provide for a new church in that area and a building for a new soup kitchen as well. The hands are all ready to work! Now we need the material resources to make this happen! God will provide, he always does!! Thank you, Jesus!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL 🥳🥳🥳🥳

A very Merry Christmas to you all as we celebrate our savior’s birth!! Have a blessed time celebrating with family and friends!

This past weekend, there was a wedding at the Pan de Vida children's home! Kris Jongsma and Lucy Aguas tied the knot on August 27. Congratulations on this new stage in your life! May you seek the Lord in all you do as you serve Him at Pan de Vida. What a beautiful celebration! Many hugs, well wishes, and prayers from CANADA to you, Kris and Lucy!

Children of Hope is asking for your prayers and financial support for the Ancla de Amor children's home in Guaymas, Sonora which just suffered a major natural flooding disaster. The whole property was under water due to a major rain storm. You can support the rebuilding efforts by clicking on the webpage link below and give via the PayPal button for one-time donations at the bottom of the Ancla de Amor ministry webpage. Cheques can be sent in the name of Children of Hope with the note: for Ancla de Amor flood response.

https://childrenofhope.info/ancla-de-amor/

For up-to-date information on the current situation at Ancla de Amor please visit Brian Krahn's page:

https://www.facebook.com/brian.krahn.7

Thank you for keeping this home in your prayers!

Children of Hope would like to share with you a need of one of our missionaries in regards to raising financial support for their monthly expenses while serving at the Ancla de Amor children’s home in Guaymas, Sonora. Thank you for prayerfully considering this request to bless Dave and Manda Zacharias with your monetary gifts. Click on the link below to read their bio and how to donate via PayPal. Or feel free to contact the Children of Hope office at 604 853 6001 or [email protected] for more information.

Dear friends and family, brothers and sisters in Christ,

I would like to share with you our family's financial need for support. I ask you to take the time to read and consider supporting the work God has for us at Ancla de Amor. We are currently short of the monthly support needed for our basic living expenses. Housing and some food are supplied, but we are in charge of our own transportation (gas and insurance) some of our own food, school supplies for our children, and personal items for our home, etc. As our wage is based on how much financial giving we receive monthly, and not on the Children of Hope (COH) organization, we rely 100% on the generosity of supporters for monetary compensation. We know God is in control of all things and that He will provide for us. In our case, He uses donors who are led to support us through finances and prayers, for which we are so thankful! Our COH biography has a link for online PayPal gifts (below), but if you prefer the old-fashioned way, checks can be made to: Children of Hope with the memo "Zacharias salary". 100% of all donations given to any of Children of Hope’s missionaries are passed on to them. There is NO processing fee. Yearly donations of more than $20 are tax deductible. COH needs your complete mailing address, email, and phone number for tax receipting purposes. Thank you for considering this request, and for your encouraging messages and prayers

Dave and Manda Zacharias

https://childrenofhope.info/dave-and-manda-zacharias/