This past week Cat shared about her missions trip to Panama, and the villages around Volcán. She also shared about the church where they had their base.
This Sunday, 4 October, we’ll be taking a special collection for this project.
Cat’s given me more information about them, and for this week’s blog post, i’ll just share that email, to help you know about this mission opportunity.
The Lighthouse Ministries – Volcán
Projects for the community – projects that will make a difference
Who are we?
We are a Christian community which has as its main objective to announce the good news of salvation to every person on earth taking the message to different people transforming and restoring their lives though the Holy Spirit.
We are aware that the communities in Chiriqui are faced with great social problems such as malnutrition, drugs alcohol etc. There is also lack of care for the elderly and a high percentage of divorce and dysfunctional families. It is for this reason that The Lighthouse ministry wants to contribute to their lives in spiritual and practical ways
The programmes we want to start are:
A Food Kitchen
The Lighthouse will offer food for more than 120 children in the community two times a week. Many of the children in this community only have one or two meals a day as many of their parents are unemployed and cannot afford to buy the basic necessities for their families and this leads to other problems such as drug and alcohol abuse.
Our objective is to manage a project where children can be feed and also understand their moral social and spiritual values through the programme, through friendship and sports.
Help for old people
Many old people in our community who have given their lives for their children’s education and development of this country have now been forgotten and abandoned by the very same and are now living in extremely inhumane conditions. Through the help of private employment and our ministry we want to bring concrete answers to them on different days of the week in the form of voluntary assistance, and in the more extreme cases, offer substance and a place for them to live.
Troubled Teenagers
You only have to go outside to see how many teenagers are hanging out in the parks and public places instead of being at school or at work. Without a proper education these troubled teenagers become delinquents.
Regrettably there are no alternatives and this often leads to a mediocre existence and an empty life with no purpose. For this reason The Lighthouse wants to fill their lives with the right kind of emotions and a new spirit of hope, through Jesus Christ. We want to offer them counsel and a place where there is focus and where they can listen and achieve goals and objectives in their lives.
We are aware that it won’t be easy to change their thinking, but our strategy is to do this through sports, entertainment and a meeting place where they can get to know us better and where their particular needs can be met through the advice we can offer them.
Marriage Counselling
The percentage of divorces and separations in Panamá is alarming and the major cause for marriage breakdown is bad communication, adultery and domestic violence. In the most part there is nowhere for these troubled couples to turn for help because psychologists and marriage counselors cost money that they don’t have.
Our community needs the opportunity to receive counsel and prayer without cost and also a place where there is a great opportunity to work and form an integral relationship within their families. This will be a place where the whole family can come for help, which will in turn help bond families together and give us a stronger society.
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Cat’s sharing about Panama is available here.
You can also watch her slideshow video here.
You can also find the third in our series on 1 John. The message as well as the worship are available at the BCEC Sermon Page or listen to the sermon directly – 1 John 2:28-3:10.