(This week we feature a guest post from Wendy Raffaeli, Hope Haven Rwanda’s Director of Investor Relations—Enjoy!)
Hope and a Future
Children growing up in the small area of Murindi, Rwanda, did not have a reason to hope for a future any different than the one they saw their parents living day in and day out. Without an education or any other reason to hope for change, it was a survivalist mentality – unfortunately, one that is all-too-present in impoverished communities.
But in 2012, that started to change for many of these children. When Hope Haven opened its gates and started providing an excellent education in their neighborhood and invited them to attend, parents of these students dared to do something we take for granted – hope!
Hope is the assurance that God is with us – and for us – and that we can rely on every single promise He has made to us. Our daily lives and struggles give us many opportunities to choose to hope rather than to despair.
There are many promises from God to his people in the Bible. One of my favorites is Jeremiah 29:11: “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” God gave this promise to Jeremiah to pass along to the exiles from Jerusalem in the time of king Nebuchadnezzar while they were living in Babylon. God desires a hope and a future for each of us as His children. Each of our futures is different, but they are all His good and perfect will for us if they are from God.
The students at Hope Haven love to hope and dream about what their futures will hold! They are taught that they can accomplish all that God has in store for them. They plan to be doctors, teachers, engineers, and businesspeople. And these plans change from year to year as their horizons expand.
When the students at Hope Haven are sponsored through the Kugaba Initiative, they are prayed for by their sponsors, their “Hope Angels.” The sponsors provide concrete and visible hope for their future. They speak the eternal hope of God into the child’s life through letters and prayers. The children are honored by being sponsored, and they love to pray for their sponsors too! They feel privileged to know that an American is speaking their name and praying for them and their family.
Hope Angels provide the means for an education, and for a way out of generational poverty. They provide hope – not only for a better and more productive life on earth, but for an eternal harvest in God’s kingdom. By investing in these students, we are investing in God’s kingdom now and forever.
Would you be open to starting a relationship with a student in need, one who needs your help to realize their eternal hope and future? There are hundreds of students waiting for their Hope Angel. You can become one today!