Thank you, Frisco First Baptist Church! Your gift to plant Truth and Life Baptist Church in Mexico is currently enabling the holistic care of 150 children. You have provided them with a trusted church community that they can rely on in times of trial and a safe environment where they can learn, grow and develop. Thank you for supporting this church plant from beginning to end! In the photo above, all major construction on the kitchen and dining room has been finished.
This report includes updates on implementation and impact of the intervention, interviews with the church pastor and with the mother of a beneficiary and photos of construction progress.
Implementation Progress
Over the course of twelve months, construction workers have successfully built a church sanctuary, six classrooms, a kitchen, a dining room and bathrooms at Truth and Life Baptist Church. These facilities are now fully functional. Construction was divided into stages of execution, including excavation, construction of the foundation, construction of the walls and roofing and finishing touches. After the structure was built, construction workers painted the interior and exterior walls. Throughout the process, church members and caregivers also volunteered their time and energy to help with construction.
Now that construction is finished, church staff are learning important skills that will help them teach and care for children in the child development center.
Impact of the Intervention
The church continues to share the gospel and minister to the community while providing holistic care to 150 registered children. Due to pandemic restrictions, the church is caring for children in smaller groups at the church and through home visits.
Thanks to your support, classrooms are equipped with learning materials and school supplies appropriate for each age group. Children are also encouraged to read the Word of God with their parents. The church provides devotionals that help families to adopt biblical practices. Some caregivers were also blessed with church construction jobs that allowed them to provide for their families during the pandemic.
At the church, safe sanitation facilities help protect children from the spread of disease. Children also receive nutritious food prepared in the kitchen by trained cooks.
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- Young children play in a fully-equipped classroom.
An Interview With Timoteo, the Church Pastor
How have the lives of the affected beneficiaries been changed since the intervention’s completion?
This intervention has positively impacted the lives of beneficiaries. Children now have beautiful and spacious classrooms with tables and chairs where they can comfortably learn and grow. The parents are thankful that their children are being supported. In addition, several parents were hired to work on the project when many of them lost their jobs during the pandemic. It was God who provided for them and us! This was so impactful that some of the parents decided to learn more about God and the gospel.
How has this intervention benefitted the church and the community?
This intervention has been a great blessing to our church and an answer to prayer. We had prayed years ago that God would grant us the appropriate facilities for working with children, and in an extraordinary way, the Lord blessed us through you! Now, we have comfortable spaces where our children can enjoy many different activities. We see the joy on their faces when they arrive at the new facilities.
All of this has been very inspiring to church members. They continue to help with labor and have given sacrificially to see this dream come true. This project has united us, challenged us and helped us to grow in all areas of our lives.
People in the surrounding community have great confidence in what is being done, and they, too, have approached to ask for information on registering their children.
How has this intervention affected your ability to minister to the beneficiaries?
Now that we have a consistent, safe place where we can meet, we are able to offer families adequate care for their children. With multiple classrooms, we can divide children into smaller groups according to their age.
What would you like to say to those who provided the financial support for this intervention?
Thank you to all who were guided by the Lord to obey the great commission and be part of helping children here in Mexico. Your generosity inspires us, encourages us and blesses us. You are an example for our church. We pledge to continue praying for you.
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- Completed construction with a sign that reads, “Truth and Life, a family for you.”
An Interview With the Mother of a Child Registered With Truth and Life Baptist Church
What was your life like before and after the intervention was implemented?
Like many families in the community, we were in a difficult situation, struggling to find work to support our family. Though I wanted to find work, I was afraid to leave my young children at home alone. Now that the church facilities have been built, my children can receive care there. My children are looking forward to the new classrooms and being with the teachers and other children.
What will this change mean for your future or the future of your family?
The church supports us through courses and workshops, medical checkups and useful materials. Some of the things we have learned I am already putting into practice, such as planting a backyard garden. The church is a place we can go when we are in need of help.
What lessons have you learned from this intervention?
We have learned that though we are from far away, we are not alone because we can count on help and encouragement from the church. We still have some difficulties, but we see them and face them in a different ways, thanks to what we have learned at the church.
What would you like to say to those who provided the financial support for this intervention?
Thank you very much for caring enough to support us. May God bless you!
Thank You for Your Support
Thank you for partnering with Compassion International. Through your giving, children, families and church staff in Mexico have experienced God’s love in tangible ways. May God bless you abundantly!
