Open at Last 🙌🏼
WHAT A MILESTONE! We are Up and Running and Still celebrating this!
It’s truly incredible to go from years of planning and preparing to finally Operating!
In late September of 2026 we Opened Our Doors to our first two residents 🙌🏼
And now the house is nearly full and the program is fully up and running!
It all feels a little surreal and like a dream come true!
For each of us here at Casa de Gracia, it is a joy and a privilege to be able to do this work!
From the application process and visits to get the girls ready to transition from their Hogar (orphanage or refuge) into Casa de Gracia to planning and then enjoying their move in days,
It Has Been Amazing!
Week by week the program is now running in all of its different facets. This has been a tremendous joy to see actually playing out!
Here is a glimpse of what that looks like;
Teaching the program - Each team member has scheduled days and themes to teach every week within the curriculum of the Discipleship and Life Skills program. Finally being able to teach the modules that our team spent years developing has been amazing and we are truly enjoying it!
Psychology and Social Work Days - Part of the girl’s schedule each week is group and individual sessions with the psychologists and social workers that work with us. These are extremely important and beneficial times each week as each resident works through their own story and receives the guidance they need to navigate their healing process and their future path.
Church and Community - As a staff, we are committed to helping each girl find a church home. This involves taking them to our respective churches as well as others that they may be interested in visiting with the goal of them choosing where they feel most comfortable to become involved. A critically important part of our program is helping them to become part of a church community, a young adult group plus finding mentors to walk alongside them in this independence process.
Jobs, Documents and Accounts - A very important first step for certain members of our team is helping each girl get the necessary government identifications, cell phone and bank acccounts set up. Once these have been obtained, we can move forward with helping each resident in their search for employment. The hope is for each girl to be able to find a job that can give them some income and experience while still allowing them to finish school.
Life Skills - Trips to the local market to buy needed food and other items for their home are an important part of their program as they learn to meal plan and to budget.
Education - Our goal with each resident is to make sure they leave our program (within 2-3 years) with at the equivalent of a high school GED. Unfortunately, for most young people here growing up in the system, education is often severely restricted due to many factors. We are committed to meeting them where they are and working with each one to help educate them the best way possible. This also includes extra classes such as tutoring or English classes (for those who want to learn English).
Fun and Creativity - An important part of life as well as the healing process is having fun! The girls love to play soccer, go for walks around the surrounding area, do artwork, needlework, cook,etc. And we as a staff are enjoying these things with them!
Group Times Together - Whenever possible, we enjoy having times of devotions, meals, table games and other activities we can do with them in the evenings. These times are creating bonds and teaching values in ways outside of their typical daily routine.
We are praising God for this opportunity to spend time investing in these young lives!
We invite you to celebrate all of this with us and ask you to pray for each of us and our residents!
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