Giving a Future
Fellowship missionary Melodie Francis walks alongside children who have come from shattered and painful situations — children seeking shelter at Casa Hogar.
Casa Hogar is a Christian children’s home in Honduras that provides a safe home environment for children at risk, including orphans and children coming from abandonment, severe neglect, abuse, and extreme poverty situations. The home houses approximately 40 children, all between the ages of three and nineteen. While living at Casa Hogar, each child receives the warmth and support of a home and family, including food, clothing, medical care, education, recreational activities, and most importantly, love and spiritual guidance. Fathrless children come to know God as their Father, and Jesus as their eternal companion. Melodie is responsible for the general well-being of the children, contributing in multiple areas, including health (physical, psychological, spiritual), academics, and legal support.
Children who live at Casa Hogar experience freedom from their burdens — physically, emotionally, and
spiritually. Melodie shares Sara’s story to show us a glimpse of both where these children come from,
and where they can end up.
“Sara (pseudonym) was 10 years old when we took her and her younger siblings — one and a half, three, and six years old at the time — into the home.
“She was eight when she left her mother’s home. Her mother, a single parent, worked the streets at night and when she was home, she was abusive beyond description towards her daughters. Sara, who had the role of feeding, caring for, nurturing, and protecting her siblings from their mother’s abuse, decided to leave. With her little sister (then a baby) in her arms, they walked the streets of San Pedro Sula for hours until a police patrol brought them to Child Services in Honduras. From there, they were placed in an emergency shelter (designed to host children for 24-72 hours), where they stayed for over a year.
“When we went to visit the shelter one day, we met them and were overwhelmed by the amount of pain and abandonment in their eyes. We asked if we could bring them back to the home, since they had been
in the shelter for so long. When we brought them home, Sara, who had never been to school, was able to start grade one at the age of 11. Today, she is in high school, and continues to fill us with pride and joy. She is an “excellency award-winning student” every year, and has a clear vision of the path she is taking. God has been healing her soul throughout these past eight years. At the home she found a safe place to be a child, a teenager, and now a beautiful young adult. God willing, she will be staying with us until she finishes high school. At the home, there is no age limit; we are a family. When some kids need to stay longer, they are welcome to.
“Sara is a strong, determined girl, and a good role model for her younger siblings. It’s wonderful to see how Christ has been at work in their lives since the first day they arrived eight years ago.”
On a personal note, Melodie was married to her now-husband, Geoffrey, in early September 2016. We wish them both a lifetime of love and enjoyment, and that God would continue to bless their ministry
in Honduras.