Sergio is thriving in his new home (name changed and face blocked for security reasons)

A Rescued Life

A little boy finds real love!

Dear Family,

You have been faithfully helping individuals in the DR Congo, Kenya and Uganda. This year we have expanded to three new countries: Israel, the Philippines and Guatemala!

In Guatemala, there are children with special needs who have suffered tremendous abuse.

Here is Sergio’s story as told by our partner in Guatemala:

Little Sergio came to our home from a private orphanage. They asked if we could take a 10-month-old boy with pronounced special needs. When we read his medical files, we knew we needed to accept him into our home because of the care he desperately needed to address his cognitive and physical delays, along with his severe seizure disorder. But as more details of the case emerged, we realized that both his needs and his mother’s were far greater.

Sergio’s mother is only 12 years old! He was conceived due to sexual abuse by an older brother, and after the pregnancy was discovered, the courts removed both Sergio and his young mother from their home. They were placed together in a private orphanage, and the staff sought to help the mother learn to parent and care for her child, but they quickly discovered that she was suicidal. The danger to Sergio became obvious when his mom attempted to throw herself off a tall building with her baby in her arms! At that point, they determined that she needed to be separated from her child for his safety, so Sergio came to Hogar de la Esperanza.

Now we are caring for Sergio’s special needs, while also working with the other residence to provide a Christian psychologist for his mother. She desperately needs to discover her identity in Christ, so that she will no longer identify herself by the abuse she has endured. At the same time, Sergio is blossoming in our home. We are seeing him transition from sadness to joy, as his laughter and smiles increase. His seizures are under control now, and he is developing appropriately. We are seeing God redeem his life, and we hope to see the same occur in his mom’s life soon.

What a beautiful smile Sergio has!

Thank you for your love and care for little Sergio and the others you are helping through the Heaven’s Family Victims of Sexual Violence Ministry. You are impacting lives for eternity!

Together for the “least of these,”

Patty Forney
co-Director, Victims of Sexual Violence Ministry