BRIDGE OF LOVE HOME UPDATE... MARCH 20, 2017

 

This last month has been pretty eventful at the Bridge of Love Home.

We celebrated 3 birthdays, although one was super duper extra special. 

Adriana turned 16, sweet sixteen (has she ever been kissed?)!

Adriana is in blue, and the cake says Valentin because we celebrated their birthdays together, hers is Feb 13 and his is Feb 14 (ie. St. Valentin!)

Eric turned 18, and that was special... a milestone year in a kids life who loves the Lord and is growing to be a fine young man!  

Both Adriana and Eric (siblings) have been with us since 2004, when 7 family members came together to stay at Bridge of Love Home. Edwin is also still with us, while Margarita, Deisy & Norma have all gotten married. Gerardo is Norma´s son, #7

But there was one more birthday that was super duper extra special. 

Why was Valentin´s 5th Birthday... 

SUPER DUPER EXTRA SPECIAL? 

THIS WAS VALENTIN´S FIRST... FIRST BIRTHDAY CAKE!

FIRST BIRTHDAY PARTY!

FIRST PIÑATA! 

 FIRST TIME RECEIVING PRESENTS!!!

 And its the first time Valentin and his brothers have had a real home where they are loved and cared for with dignity and respect.  

This brings me to something that happened yesterday. A few days ago I asked for prayer for Romulo on Facebook and many prayed and sent their well wishes. Thanks so much for that, Romulo healed fast and is doing great now.  


But last night, out of the blue, as Martha was eating dinner, just her, Romulo and Valentin, Romulo said something she will never forget.   



 "Mommy, I´m really Happy!"

Martha was surprised and wanted to make sure she heard right. "What did you say Romulo?"

"I´m really happy!" 

"Why are you happy Romulo?" 

"Because I have a good mommy that loves me and cares for me. Because I have a good daddy that loves me. Because I have good food and a nice house to live in. And my brothers are here with me. Now I have a family."

Then Valentin answered... "And because you have God in your heart too!" 

Romulo confirmed... "Yes little brother, if it weren´t for God I would have nothing!"

In just two months living with us they have learned, that God is   our provider and our peace, our everything!


 These are the cases that show us, that any sacrifice is worth it when we see lives changed in this way. 

Matthew 25:34-40

³⁴ Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: ³⁵ for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; ³⁶ I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? ³⁸ When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? ³⁹ Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ ⁴⁰ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’


YOUR HELP WITH THE KIDS UNDER OUR CARE WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED! 

BRIDGE OF LOVE HOME WEBSITE - DONATE (DONAR)
 

Please see the following information about BRIDGE OF LOVE HOME 

BRIDGE OF LOVE HOME BROCHURE

Or gifts can be sent to Paypal accounts 

contacto@casahogarpuentedeamor.org 
fletcher.martha@ymail.com 

DAY OUT AT THE ZOO!

Blessings to you in the Name of Jesus Christ, our soon coming King!

This week we had to go to Merida to fulfill an obligation with the government for the kids monthly counseling session. That time went well, and next month the counselor has set an appointment for us alone to help with strategies on how to work with these kids based on their experiences and past situations. These kids are polar opposites of the kids we have worked with in the past, and we need an extra dose of patience and wisdom each day in our work with them!

 

We took advantage of our trip to Merida and had a day out at the zoo with the kids. This was a needed time of refreshment for all of us, just a day out to kick back, walk around, enjoy a car pulled tour through the zoo, as well as a meal out. 

We are working on organizing our weekly schedules, making sure we have our routines organized, as well as making sure we have the needed help available at all times so that nobody gets over exhausted, especially Martha. In this new phase of our work our main concern is finances, making sure we have the funds available in our budget to make the decisions necessary to pay for needed help and to cover all the basic expenses to keep things rolling smoothly, especially having groceries on hand and our menus organized.

I recently put together a new brochure, explaining our history and present situation, if you would lilke to help I´d encourage you to check that out to get a better idea of what we are trying to accomplish at this time. Thank you so much!

BRIDGE OF LOVE HOME BROCHURE

There is a donation button on the website, or paypal can be used directly to email address:

At this time PAYPAL is our only means to donate from our site.
DEBIT, OR CREDIT CARDS will be accepted soon.
If you would like another option for donation, conatct us at the email address below
 

www.casahogarpuentedeamor.org

 contacto@casahogarpuentedeamor.org

Steve and Martha Fletcher, Bridge of Love Home Representatives

www.casahogarpuentedeamor.org

For more information on the daily life of this new phase with the kids, please see our blog...

BRIDGE OF LOVE HOME... GRAND RE-OPENING!

http://bridgeoflovehomeorphanage.blogspot.mx/

BRIDGE OF LOVE HOME BROCHURE

Bridge of Love Home for Children

Dzan, Yucatan, Mexico

HISTORY

Bridge of Love Home for Children has been functioning since 2004, run by missionary Steve Fletcher, from Minnesota, and his wife, Martha, who is a Yucatan native of Mayan descent. In 2004, as they were seeking property to build their orphanage, there were seven children from one family who needed a home, as both parents had been incarcerated. Seeing that it would be quite some time before their orphanage property would be ready (they were purchasing the land at this same time), Steve and Martha, along with their three biological children, Melissa, Steve Jr., and Michael, decided to take these seven children into their own home. This transition was coordinated through the Mexican government defense of the family offices (DIF).

 

In 2004, these seven kids ranged in ages from newborn to 13 years old. In the process of raising these kids in their own home, the work on the new 20 acre property began. Through the help of mission teams, churches, and donations, the property began taking shape. Between 2004 and 2012 there were more than 40 mission teams and 500 people who came to visit and serve at Bridge of Love Home. 

  This is the Dining Hall / Auditorium 

Kitchen

4 Dormitory Rooms Ready

Interior of dorm rooms

Ball Court / Activities Area

 

Family picture from 2015

PRESENT SITUATION

In 2011, Bridge of Love Home was legally Registered with the Mexican Government and Authorized to function on a larger scale on the property.

But there was too much riding on too few major donors, and in 2012 funding was lost to finish the project. At that time it was thought that Bridge of Love had come to an end, before it even got officially started.

In the middle of 2016, things began moving again. Doors began opening with government agencies here, that are committed to helping Public Service Organizations to get up and rolling. Part of this is from the administration standpoint, and another part is from government funding that is available for non profit organizations that are committed to serving the public and the communities.

Now, once again, as we are considering this new phase of the Bridge of Love Home, new kids have come into our lives. 4 kids from one family arrived December 22, 2016.

  

From left to right,

Valentin (4), our son Michael, Marcos (8), Romulo (6), Steve and Martha, and Luis (10)

These kids are coming from an extremely violent situation, and also need much patience as they learn to adapt in a new, loving and respect filled environment.

From the original 7 children, 3 still remain in our home, two of which are still minors. Then we have the 4 new kids that just came... so there are 6 minor orphans under our care and completely dependent upon us. In our home at this time... Steve and Martha, Our children, Melissa, Steve Jr, and Michael, Three of the original orphan kids that have been with us since 2004, Adriana, Erik, and Edwin, and the 4 new kids, Valentin, Romulo, Marcos, and Luis. 12 persons total.

PRESENT FINANCIAL SITUATION

The long term goals of construction and getting the project back on track is on hold until we can get through this new phase of raising consistent monthly funding for the daily needs of the home with 6 underage orphans, 12 total living in our home.

At this time we are not receiving any consistent budgeted monthly support, just periodic donations that come in sporadically. And although the government here is working to get us financial assistance, none has come in yet, so we are at zero budgetable monthly support.

We have a monthly budget of approximately $2000. This would cover the very basics of food, gas for the vehicles and the stove, education expenses, and all daily needs that arise. This will also cover the paid help that are brought in for cleaning, washing clothes, and caretakers of the children. The new process with the government is also costing us more at this time with all the trips we have to make to seek the government helps and file paperwork (gas recently went up to over $3.50 USD per gallon).

For complete coverage of all expenses including clothing, shoes, extra gas for outings and expenses involved, $1000 more per month would be excellent.

$2000 p/month / 30 = 67 dollars per day

6 orphans @ $11 per orphan per day

$3000 p/month (full coverage) / 30 = 100 dollars per day

6 orphans @ $16 per orphan per day (full coverage)

Both Martha and I are full time missionaries, and beyond the work with orphans we visit local communities weekly sharing the love and Gospel of Jesus Christ. The love of God is the heart behind what we have committed our lives to doing, serving others even in the midst of great personal sacrifice. The amounts shared above will be a great service and relief to our complete missionary work and will ease the burden and allow us to continue on serving wherever the Lord shows us the needs around us.

Thank you for taking the time to read this information and considering support of this ministry.

God bless you! 

GIVING OPTIONS

1. $11... Covers one child for one day under basic coverage

2. $16... Covers one child for one day under complete coverage 

3. $67... Covers all costs at the home for one day, basic coverage

4. $100... Covers all costs at the home for one day, complete coverage 

5. $462... Covers all costs at the home for ONE WEEK, basic coverage 

6. $700... Covers all costs at the home for ONE WEEK, complete coverage

7. $2000... Covers the costs at the home for ONE MONTH, basic coverage 

8. $3000... Covers all costs at the home for ONE MONTH, complete coverage

There is a donation button on the website, or paypal can be used directly to email address:

www.casahogarpuentedeamor.org

 contacto@casahogarpuentedeamor.org

Steve and Martha Fletcher, Bridge of Love Home Representatives

www.casahogarpuentedeamor.org

For more information on the daily life of this new phase with the kids, please see our blog...

BRIDGE OF LOVE HOME... GRAND RE-OPENING!

http://bridgeoflovehomeorphanage.blogspot.mx/

WE WON´T LET THE LITTLE PLANT DIE!

Good afternoon! I pray you are well and enjoying the blessings of the Lord as you find yourself reading this Bridge of Love Home update. 

I would like to share with you a story about how these four new children came to live with us just a month ago now. The family has seven kids, four that had remained with the father, after the mother left town with the two oldest boys and the baby daughter. We don´t know too much about how the 3 kids with the mom are doing, but the four who remained with the dad are from our town, living just down the street from us. 

Marcos, Martha and Luis

Last Christmas, 2015, Romulo ended up in the hospital. The dad was drunk, and in an enraged state, he put his son´s head under water, while at the same time cutting off the air from around his neck. After pulling him up out of the water, he smashed his head against a rock, and when he was bleeding with a wide gash on his forehead, an aunt came to rescue the boy and take him to the emergency room. The other kids ran to get her when they saw the dad was out of control.

The second boy in green is Romulo

After a few days in the hospital, the state department knew what had happened with the dad, but somehow the boy returned home to his dad´s house. The state did not intervene or charge the dad with any wrongdoing. Over the next months we saw that the abuses continued against the kids, and this is when we began pushing this case to that state department that works with the defense of the family (DIF). We ended up making a number of trips to the state offices, confronting the government workers that they weren´t doing their job, and coming to the point of telling them that it looked they were waiting for one of the kids to die before they would do something. When we didn´t know what more to do to get them to act, we told them we were going to take the case to the governor´s wife, because she is the president of this department, and show her how they have been negligent to intervene in this case where all four kids who were with the dad were clearly in danger of their lives. This caused them to react, and they got all their lawyers together, and they moved to get the kids removed from their home, even on the week of Christmas when the government workers were already on vacation, they got it done on December 22. 

Adriana, Luis, Martha and Marcos

So thank God that the kids have now been rescued out of that environment, and are in a safe place now where they have love and the attention they need. But there is something that pushed us to stay on this case until it was resolved, that made us feel that we could not let it go. 

One night, a few months earlier, two of the boys, Luis and Marcos, were roaming the streets at around 10:30pm. One did have shoes on and the other didn´t have a shrt, and they stopped by our house. They had not had dinner, so the first thing was to get them something to eat. As Martha was preparing a sandwich, Marcos brought something to her in the kitchen. It was a little plant, that he had just picked from beside the road. 

"Miss Martha, I brought you a plant. But please don´t let it die."

The way he said it made Martha´s heart melt, and she felt as if God was speaking directly to her. "Don´t let this case die. I have entrusted these kids into your care, follow through until its done." She understood that this is what God was telling her. 

This was the voice of God, the way God spoke to keep us on the case. Now God has followed through and touched the government workers to get these kids into better hands. 

WE WON´T LET THE LITTLE PLANT DIE!


MATTHEW 25:40 

And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’


We have one special need at this time. As a family we really need to get away to refresh ourselves as a family and in the Lord. We are hoping to go to the beach this week, give the new kids a nice fun day out, and get away from the pressures of the daily life that we feel with this new commitment we have to these kids. We can do this for only $200. Would you like to help us to reach this goal? Thanks so much! 


PLEASE SUPPORT THIS LABOR OF LOVE 


paypal account: contacto@casahogarpuentedeamor.org


BRIDGE OF LOVE HOME WEBSITE 

OUR HANDS ARE FULL!!! PRAY FOR US, AND THEM!

 

It´s been 2 weeks since 4 new kids arrived in our home. You never know what you are getting yourself into until you are right in the middle of it! We know that we are called to love, serve, and sacrifice for others, as Jesus did, giving us the greatest example to follow. 

John 10:11-15

¹¹ I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
¹² But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
¹³ The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
¹⁴ I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
¹⁵ As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.

Knowing what we are called to do, and doing it, many times are two different things!

Each one of these new kids have their own issues. I would like to share a little about each one and ask you please, please pray for us and them. There are many strongholds and generational curses that these kids are bringing and we need much prayer for them and for us in this process. The effective and fervent prayer of the righteous availeth much!

 

LUIS is 9 years old. Luis is a great kid, and very loving, but has a very strong personality that causes him to rebel and act out at times. He is helpful to try and lead his other brothers to do right, to work with us and to obey, and at the same time will disobey and get angry out of nowhere. But he reacts soon, so he is easier to work with than the others. 

 

  MARCOS is 8 years old. Marcos can be very loving, and he wants hugs and kisses all the time, but our patience is tried most with him as he is pretty much a fighter all day long. He is always disturbing the peace amongst his other brothers, disobedient, and has a terrible temper with many anger issues to deal with. We are working with him and with the government psicologists, as we want to find the best solution, but we are considering having him temporarily transferred to another children´s home. These are hard decisions and we are praying for the Lord to lead us in His will.

ROMULO is 6 years old. Romulo is for the most part a normal 6 year old. He is happy most of the time and can have a temper tantrum whenever something doesn´t go his way. All of the kids have suffered different abuses, but Romulo has suffered major scars more than the others. He was hospitalized, almost dying after being physically abused by his dad, and even still the government knowing the situation, he was sent right back to his home with the father and no charges or sentence was given. Many issues he is dealing with, please pray for him.

VALENTIN is 4 years old. Valentin is an amazing kid, so full of love and need for a mother´s attention! He loves getting up early and coming to hang out in our bed with us before the others get up.  His age is a great advantage to keep him on the right track of growth for his age, without carrying so much of what the others bring over more years and bad experiences. We are trusting God for great things in Valentin´s life as well as all the others, but we need to pray constantly for each one trusting that the presence of God will make the difference in each of their lives. 

Please pray for each one of these 4, LUIS, MARCOS, ROMULO, and VALENTIN, as well as for Martha and Steve, and for the other kids in our home, and for the help that we are bringing in starting on Monday January 9. 

 

This is an incredible financial challenge, and we need your help!

If you would like to help us financially with this endeavor, please do so through paypal account: contacto@casahogarpuentedeamor.org

PLEASE SUPPORT THIS LABOR OF LOVE

paypal account: contacto@casahogarpuentedeamor.org

BRIDGE OF LOVE HOME WEBSITE