SHEPHERD'S HEART MINISTRIES

A Life that Transcends

A Life that Transcends

Luis on the left just a few days ago...on the right, Luis in July 2012 Luis is one of the several boys at Hope House who has been part of the Hope House family for quite a while. He is the oldest of three boys in his family, all of which are at Hope House. When Luis came to Hope House, he was only eight years old and was the “guardian" for his brothers. All three boys had their own challenges to overcome while adjusting to life at Hope House, each struggling to adapt. Luis

Update on Hope House

Update on Hope House

The little boys accompanied Hope House Director Annel to pick up the weekly meat donation. We got this note from our treasurer this morning. “This year is not starting well! Both Hope House Operational and Sponsor A Child’s donations are little more than half what they were this same time last year.” As you can imagine that was not the financial report that we had hoped to receive. As always, Shepherd’s Heart remains committed to sharing the love of Christ with the less for

Jesus People

Jesus People

Waiting for our table outside under an umbrella in the rain - and enjoying a hot cup of coffee. Leaning over with a smile he asked me, “Are you Jesus people?” My wife and I were seated in a bustling, crowded restaurant enjoying a late breakfast. We had dutifully read the online reviews and decided that this would be a great place to celebrate our 23 years of marriage. In spite of the cold temperatures and rain we bundled up and headed out. The line was already out the door wh

Christmas Blessings

Christmas Blessings

Thanks to so many, the boys at Hope House were blessed with a wonderful Christmas. The traditions of opening presents, family dinner and marshmallows on an open fire keep the boys and staffs spirits joyous. We are grateful for everyone who hosted a Christmas party, sent gifts, prayed or gave financially to contribute to our Christmas blessings this year. For those who sponsor boys, thank you for taking time and resources to bless the boys and participate in the daily needs t

The Hiddenness of Christmas

The Hiddenness of Christmas

Every year we live through patterns that have the potential to fill our lives with meaning. But since our connection with the natural world is tempered by technology, our relationship to tradition is tenuous, and we are all-the-time busy—we are prone to miss out on the wonder of it. How can we allow the spirit of the Christmas season to more profoundly touch us? Nature is the first teacher. Since the beginning of summer, darkness has been steadily encroaching on the light. If

A Missionary's Home

A Missionary's Home

The last 6 months our family has experienced a constant wave of emotions. Cleaning out 16 years of life in Mexico, we packed anything that would fit into our van, sold items that could not make the trip, and threw out tons of miscellaneous junk that somehow crept into the nooks and crannies of our Mexican “home”. Midway into our one year sabbatical, we are continuing to clean out emotional clutter that had also crept in during the long season of missionary service. As we debr

Suffering: Live in Hope While Doing Good

Suffering: Live in Hope While Doing Good

Suffering is a pesky and pervasive pest that doesn’t seem to hold any special regard for the Christian. It finds a way to enter our well-ordered houses. It slithers over the walls of our gardens. Whether by our own doing or because of the sinful state of the world, it will visit us. The Christian may find common ground with the Buddhist who says that life is suffering. After all, our Christ is a tortured and crucified Messiah who told us to pick up our cross daily and follow

A Quick Hope House Update

A Quick Hope House Update

Hope House Administer goes horseback riding with Leo We are so blessed by everyone who continues to support Shepherd's Heart and Hope House. As you know, Hope House suffered some major damages as a result of a hail storm. We have seen the people around us work together to go above and beyond on restoring Hope House again. Even some projects that have been on the list for months have been repaired! What a blessing! Hope House boys and staff enjoy some funny times with the

"I'll pray for you and your family"

"I'll pray for you and your family"

Hugo arrived in the back of a police truck in 2008 and immediately won our hearts. "Somebody stole my socks" Hugo whined to me. And flashing his (in)famous smile added, "But I found another pair that is better than mine!" There have been few boys who forged a permanent place in my heart over the years and Hugo is one of them. Hugo arrived at Hope House in the back of a police truck. Usually this sends up all kinds of red flags as Hope House is not equipped to receive boys wit

Post-it-notes to myself

Post-it-notes to myself

I've been reflecting on our family's sixteen years of service as missionaries in Mexico. The emotional rollercoasters, the physical strain and the stretched cultural barriers have been a little overwhelming to say the least. Overwhelming and at the same time...life-changing. I wanted to write something about missions this month in an effort to begin digesting those sixteen life-changing years. Taken all at once, those years are difficult to articulate. In our social media dri

Five months in...

Five months in...

Karlee and Ever being "festive" in the international food store in Cincinnati. Growing up, Ever never thought he’d need a U.S. visa or even a reason to visit the United States. His dad has been a citizen for over 20 years, but Ever never saw a need to make the trip north of the boarder. When Ever and I began dating, and things got serious, he knew he had to try to make it here to meet my family and eventually ask for my hand in marriage. That was unsuccessful. Twice, he wa

And God is able to bless you abundantly

And God is able to bless you abundantly

It is often that in time of crisis or hardship that we begin to notice God providing our every need around us. We notice his perfect plan for us, every detail we frequently forget. The Lord put into work great things as a reminder of his love for us. Hope House is in an exciting place and we are blessed to share a little about all that God is doing in and around Hope House. Hope House Administrator, Ismael and volunteer install new emergency flood lights. Three weeks since th

Another opportunity

Another opportunity

Eyes darting back and forth, suspicious and scared. This is how the majority of boys arrive at Hope House. Hope House is so much more than a simple building - it's a refuge - a place of restoration. Arriving wounded and hurting, it's a safe place where boys can learn to trust again. Simply put, Hope House is about providing the boys it serves with opportunities to learn, grow and become independent young men. (You can read more about what motivates Hope House here.) I use the

Facilitating transition

Facilitating transition

One common question we are asked about the boys at Hope House is: “What happens when they come of age?” Well, Mexican law is pretty clear about what that means for our boys. Our job is to prepare them for life outside our walls. Faithful to this charge, we teach the boys skills so that when they leave, they have something of value to offer. Traditionally, this is the function of the woodshop and aquaponics system. Our boys have had additional internship-style experiences on c

Just not enough space

Just not enough space

Summer seems to get shorter and shorter! In Mexico, the school year consists of 200 school days, sprinkled with a number of long weekends, one day holidays and 2 week vacations. Officially school does not end until July 15th and students return to school August 20th, just four short weeks of summer vacation. With an average of 23 boys spread out among 5 schools at any given time the Hope House 15-passenger van runs non-stop Monday through Friday the majority of the year. And

Hope House 10th Anniversary

The Joys of Parenthood; Pt. 2

Making a Transition

Mother's Day

Sabbath Rest

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Cute Smiles

Cute Smiles

Sabbatical

Sabbatical

Jesus is Better

Jesus is Better

Prisoner of hope

Prisoner of hope

The Joys of Parenthood; Pt. 2

The Joys of Parenthood; Pt. 2

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