Thanking God and our donors for our BC building façade transformation

Looking at these before and after photos gives us so much peace and is a reminder of God’s faithfulness and renewing power.

Our BC building façade had been in disrepair for quite some time due to its age and surroundings. Its repair took a back seat as the pandemic and more pressing human needs took precedence. At the end of last year, though, some generous donors gave specifically to take care of this need. In March, we obtained the necessary permits to restore the building and a capable crew of Hondurans went to work. By mid-April, the building exterior had been transformed.

We could not be more grateful to the donors for giving toward this need. Not only does the change brighten the space and create a more welcoming exterior, but it also helps preserve the structural integrity and safety of the building so we can continue serving. We look forward to welcoming more souls through these doors for years to come.

Thank you to everyone who continues to believe in the work of this ministry. We are grateful to God for all the people he places in our path.

Reflecting on 2020 and looking toward the New Year

Dear Friends of Breaking Chains,

2020 was certainly not the year we, nor anyone else, anticipated. Many aspects were harder and looked different than usual, but God was still present and faithfully working in Honduras. 

Government shutdowns in Honduras due to COVID-19 meant that some aspects of our ministry, like mission groups and in-person church services, had to be suspended. However, it birthed a new opportunity to serve those economically affected by the shutdowns through food support. Thanks to generous contributors, we will have distributed 11,000 food provision bags to those in need by the end of the year.  

Our teens and our private education students all made the move to virtual learning in March. That presented several challenges, but our students and their parents persevered. Even amidst the changes, we will see two of our teens and two of our private education students graduate from high school this month. 

As we enter 2021, we are hopeful to carry the lessons we learned this season into a brighter New Year. One thing is clear - we would not have gotten through this year without our incredible and capable staff. Looking toward the future, we will need additional staff members to fortify our team. Please check out our Giving Guide to see more detailed information about our greatest needs in 2021.  

As you seek to bless others through your year-end giving, we humbly ask that you keep Breaking Chains in mind. Your tax-deductible donations are instrumental in supporting the ministry’s mission and continuing to create more opportunities to serve. In addition to considering a year-end donation, we ask that you also consider making Breaking Chains a part of your regular monthly giving in 2021. 

If you wish to contribute, you may do so online or by sending check donations to P.O. Box 20454 Oklahoma City, OK 73156.

Thank you again for your love for Breaking Chains and those it serves. We pray that God gives you grace, peace, safety and health this holiday season and into the New Year. 

Bendiciones,

The Breaking Chains Honduras Family

COVID Relief: Any's perspective

Our administrative assistant, Any, has worked diligently over the last several months to order and organize provision bags to feed 300 families per week. Please take a moment to read her perspective about the ongoing need and God’s faithfulness. We are so grateful for her heart and for all the staff and donors who make this possible!

"There are experiences that sometimes only come around once in a lifetime. In this difficult time, both for the ministry as well as the families we serve, we realize how this crisis has impacted people in an incredible way worldwide. People are without homes and without places to sleep. Many people lost their jobs, but we are thankful to the many people whose hearts God has moved to bless us as a ministry and in our individual families.

My father was in a very difficult situation, and the ministry was there saying, “We are family; we are here to support you.” Neighbors have lost their jobs. People have lost their homes. And yet the ministry is always there ready to help. God will make nations move on behalf of his children.

Thank you to everyone for your support of this effort! My job is to place the order for food provision bags each week and to make sure everything goes smoothly with the delivery. I am thankful for each of the people who make this possible. I hold fast to the promises of Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel:

“Because you are precious and honored in my sight, and I love you; So I will give men for you, and nations for your life. Do not fear because I am with you; from the east I will bring your children, and from the west I will gather you. " - Isaiah 43: 4-5

"Behold, you will call people you did not know, and people who did not know you will run to you, because of Jehovah your God, and the Holy One of Israel who has honored you." - Isaiah 55: 5

-Any

COVID Relief: Allison's perspective

Another one of our dedicated house parents, Allison, shared her testimony of serving food bags during the pandemic. Please take a moment to read her perspective. We are so grateful to Allison and all our other staff for serving so selflessly throughout the past several months.

“If I were to tell you all I have experienced in this pandemic, I would never be able to stop. But I can tell you about my experience giving away food bags. I feel so fortunate and blessed to be a part of this grand mission to provide for these families who are simply looking to survive. None of this would be possible without people like you giving so that so many families in Tegucigalpa can have food on their table.

It hurts to see each Monday when people line up early for the chance to get a food bag on Tuesday morning. Sometimes my heart breaks wondering what these people will eat for lunch or dinner if they don’t get a food bag. We wish we could give out food to every single person who ever asks, but unfortunately we have a limited amount. It personally pains me each time I have to say, “No, we don’t have any more,” or “Please come back next week.” Nonetheless, I thank God for allowing me to be a part of this project that blesses so many families. It’s a rewarding experience to be a part of, because we also get to see smiles in faces filled with happiness.

I pray to God the funds keep coming in, and we continue to provide each of these homes with food as we have until now.” - Allison

COVID Relief: Rafa's perspective

Rafa is our ministry driver who supports our education efforts, mission team efforts and much more. During this time of COVID, he has been essential in getting our employees to and from work, running various errands, and basically stepping up in any and every way to serve. Here he shares his perspective of passing out food bags during the pandemic.

Rafa and our education students

"This pandemic has affected all of us both emotionally and economically, even more so with this country’s government corruption. But God never leaves us even for a moment. We can judge and criticize Him, but He is always by our side.

When I found out we received donations to give out food bags, I became so overwhelmed with emotion. I first thanked God, because there are many people that don’t have anywhere to turn to feed their families. Now we can stand in front of them and give them food.

It’s painful to see how long they wait. Many line up the night before, and some even come Monday morning, meaning they wait 24 hours in line. It’s hard, but it also fills us with joy to know that they will receive food for the coming week.

You experience a wide range of emotions when you hand out food bags. A few may threaten you if you tell them to get out of line when you see that they are trying to cut in front of other people. You feel their frustration when there are no more bags to give. You might even feel your shirt get wet if they throw a bag of water at you. You want to give more, but there’s no more to give.

It’s beautiful to help others, especially when you know they have many needs. I thank God for every person that makes these food bags possible. Things would be very, very difficult for people without them. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this. Thank you to each and every person who has made a donation to make a small change in the faces of the people receiving help. But most of all thank you to our infinite God!!” - Rafa

If you would like to make a contribution toward food bag support, you can do so here.

Resilience and Growth: Thanking God for His continued Faithfulness in our Young Adults

By Amber Foster

When the Honduran government issued its decisions about a country wide lockdown, we were forced to make some hard decisions. We cut back on the number of staff coming in and out and ordered a complete lockdown of our young people, along with the rest of the country. There was no public transportation and any outing posed a risk to everyone. As the weeks turned into months, our concern grew. Lockdown is hard on everyone, but to young people who have grown up with the complete “freedom” of street life it takes an extra toll. Virtual schooling for kids that struggle with in-person school seemed like an insurmountable obstacle. In the past, a week without being able to go out would have been enough to cause them to give up. We began to worry about how many of our “kids” we would lose back to the streets before it was all over.

Incredibly, our young residents have stepped up to the challenge placed before them. With the exception of one resident who had a preexisting reason for leaving, every one of our young people continues to fight hard for their own future. There have been some very rough patches along the way, but everyone continues in school and continues to hold their place within our family. 

We’ve seen Karen blossom as she took on the job of washing clothes for some of the boys so she could save money for a pretty mirror and some makeup. The joy and pride she emanates when she talks of her savings is contagious! We’ve seen Yeri really struggle and want to give up, followed quickly by our staff and his school coming around him and supporting him above and beyond expectation until he was where he needed to be. We’ve seen Luis, who is at his mom’s, overcome technology issues and do things on paper packets provided by the school. We’ve seen Nohemi endure two weeks of solitary quarantine with a smile on her face after attending the funeral of her grandfather. We even added a new young lady to our family, David’s sister Genesis, within the last month. She is already blessing us with her sweet smile and great work ethic.  

We’ve seen them all grow closer to each other and to God through evening devotionals. The sweetest blessing has been to see how proud they are to be a part of packing up the weekly food bags for distribution. It is long, hard, repetitive work that they dive into each week with their whole hearts. Watching them serve others with a joyful heart is evidence of the changes God is making inside each one of them, and is such a beautiful picture of what we are striving to teach them at BC.  

This season continues to be difficult but we are honored and amazed to be a part of the work God is doing in each one of their hearts. As things begin to open up, please pray with us on the leadership team as we make decisions about how much freedom to allow them and when is the right time to lift restrictions. Also join us in praising God and our young residents for how successfully they have met this challenge.