Child Sponsorship and A Life of Purpose

In Honduras, our ChildCARE Plus program is run by PAOC Global Worker, Kathy Mizen. This article comes from Kathy Mizen’s blog, Kathy’s Adventures, and gives an update on how sponsored children are being discipled, taught about their identity in Christ, purposed as peacemakers, and so much more.

Our staff has started on a discipleship journey by doing The Purpose Driven Life together, by Rick Warren. This is in preparation for us to teach our youth in October–November.

Over the past several years, since COVID, actually, we’ve been more intentional about discipleship classes with our sponsor kids. We had a prime opportunity while schools were closed to host small groups and the kids and youth were super eager to come, partly to get out of their house, but also to learn more about God. I mean, how could we say no! That desire has continued. We’ve expanded the classes we’re offering, and the children keep coming!

As our sponsor kids have gotten older, the focus and needs have shifted towards our youth, since we have over 200 of them! We continue to teach children and have a discipleship class called ‘Seedlings’ for Grade 6 students. However, the majority of our high school students do not receive weekly bible classes, and since this group is so large, I wanted us to be more intentional about the classes we offer. All of them have evolved as we hear their needs and desires to learn more.

We started with a course that one of my former pastors created in Canada called First Steps by Del Wells. We were able to get it in Spanish and had some of our Grade 7-12 students start there. Last summer, after Hope Camp, we really felt to do a course about ‘Identity’, as it was our theme at camp and many students were struggling with knowing who they are in Christ.

Earlier this year, my leadership team and I did another course called The Young Peacemaker. We decided it was so good we would have our bible teaching team use it in their weekly bible classes in the kindergarten and elementary schools. We then offered it as a discipleship class for Grades 7-12. It was so life-changing for many of our students, as it taught them how to resolve conflict and make better decisions. It became our focus for Hope Camp this past summer — ‘Make Good Choices’. Who doesn’t need to make better choices?

Over this year our youth have been asking more questions about their purpose and that hit a chord with me. My heart, my passion and greatest desire is that our students would know that God made them for a purpose and He has a plan for their life. It’s also our ministry verse — Jeremiah 29:11. That’s why our study on The Purpose Driven Life is so applicable. I read the book years ago, but understand the theme is absolutely relevant today, especially for our students as they prepare to graduate in the next few years.

Will you pray with me?

I have decided to do this class on The Purpose Driven Life with Victor, my Assistant, Pastor, friend and translator, because both of us are very passionate about the subject of purpose. My Spanish is pretty good, but I want to make sure our students fully connect and grasp these powerful lessons. I would greatly appreciate your prayers as we go into this course the second week of October. It will last six weeks, every Thursday morning and afternoon. It’s a 40-day journey and I can’t wait!

Currently, we have over 42 students signed up! Praise God. I’m praying and believing that God will transform their lives and speak directly and clearly to them. I truly believe these students are already world-changers — but once they know their purpose in this life nothing can hold them back! Let’s believe for this together.

Sponsor a child in Honduras today and give them the life-changing gift of education and access to discipleship classes.

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