Why oh why La Luz Brilla?

I wanted (promised awhile back I would) to share briefly the vision and purpose for La Luz Brilla.

Really the purpose for La Luz Brilla is to help young señoritas make a successful transition from 'institutional' living, to independent living. Through learning to live by faith in God, and with practical help and training in real life situation.

God gave us the vision for La Luz Brilla over two years ago. We received approval from our mission to begin, and we had been waiting on Gods leading to provide the means and proper timing to begin.

God began revealing the need shortly after we came to Guatemala, through the opportunities He led us to working with lots of high risk youth.

We got to know lots of young people and we watched as they grew and were sent out on their own. We watched sadly as many, really most, struggled greatly. These girls all come from backgrounds of rejection, abuse, neglect etc which creates so many obstacles to overcome. Until you take the time to really get to know these kids you can't really understand how great these obstacles can be.

Here in Guatemala there just really isn't a support system for them.

Our goal is to help, one girl at a time, to grow in self-confidence and security, until she can have a legitimate chance for success in life.

First, we want to love these girls like Jesus does. Unconditionally.

We have found that this is the hardest of all concepts for them to understand.

Until they can believe in unconditional love, they can never fully appreciate, or accept God's grace.

They need to know, and believe, that even when they make mistakes, that love remains.

We want them to learn to live by faith. We believe that La Luz Brilla can help them by watching as it is totally operated by faith and they will be able to see how God provides miraculously. 

We want to help with teaching and training them in basic life skills, budgeting their meager funds, how to shop more wisely, how to pay bills, and the daily skills so many of us just take for granted, yet are anything but natural for them.

We want to be there for them when they fall, and not only help them back up, but help them to learn why they fell, and hopefully learn from their mistakes.

Finally, we hope to watch them eventually go out into the world, provide for themselves and be able to have a stable, God honoring home and family, breaking the cycle of abuse and poverty they have come out of.

They deserve nothing less.