This year Allan and Pearl Jackson celebrate 8 years of working with abandoned youth in Manta, Ecuador, and 2 ½ years since Montañita Verde Children’s Homes was built.
Not only do they administrate the children's homes, they are working with the Manta City Dump Community and the many other ministries of the Por Amor Foundation. Both Allan and Pearl were brought up in Ecuador as Mks and their love for the people is so very evident. Allan worked as a contractor, while Pearl administrated the orphanage, but now they are 'full time' at the Children's Homes.
Por Amor Foundation
Foundation For Love
By Allan Jackson
Nothing is as simple as it looks. And it is not easy, but since we decided on full time work with orphans and abandoned kids, we are just plain happy. This work, and the Children's homes, have survived at times day to day, mostly month to month, not knowing at times where food etc. will come from, and yet we are all here and fine. All because of many others who I consider true partners in raising and reaching kids that otherwise would have no home and little hope. It all means nothing if not done for higher reasons than just humanitarian effort. We cannot speak of this without pointing skyward and thanking our gracious Creator, Friend and Bringer of Hope. (LoL--is bringer a word?) Here are two of my latest concerns that keep me up at night. (What keeps you up at night?)
We plan to open Home 2 soon--Lord willing. There are tons of needs, but we are thankful that good interim house parents are in place. We still will be needing to find the monthly support for this house raising 14 kids--equipped to house at least 5 babies. House one is housing 17--3 more than what it was made for.There's also a new project using up my brainwaves.
Project Soup Kitchen --Barrio Los Esteros, Manta
Here's a prayer item that can be voiced over this next year as we proceed.
I met with Giovany, who is the pastor of a small church planting work of our church. This fairly new church (they have been meeting for a few years) is located right down where the rubber meets the common road--close to downtown and yet in the industrial tuna packing plant neighborhood. This has been a red light district, and has been a bit of a shady place. The building was built to be a small fish packing plant and they started renting the building a year ago, giving them a building to meet in.
It is unfinished, and some of us, along with our pastor Velez, are asking God to provide the money to buy and finish it. The third floor will be ours, the Por Amor Foundation, to set up as a soup kitchen specifically for drug kids living on the streets. Currently no one does anything for these cases here and this will be a first step until we develop relationships and see need for taking some in...which will not be in Montañita Verde, but a different home. --Anyhow, we are in beginnings of this so I don't know all the details... God knows. This has come about because I have had this desire for many years and have not been able to reach these kids that no one wants. And now "coincidentally" I have met others with same desire. Too much coincidence to be accident.
The second floor will be a clinic for ladies since most of the thousands working for these tuna plants are women. The church seeks to draw them to God by ministering to medical needs--this is a group of doctors from our local church--they are also wanting to tackle an HIV/AIDS clinic--I will also be fund raising to finish off clinic.
I had a meeting with our Salvation Army brethren who have moved into the area two years ago, the Captain is new, actually she's a captainette and she's Aussie. She has seen this need also, is supportive of these efforts, and willing to send personnel for training in dealing with addict kids. Well, there are too many coincidences on this one, different Christians from all different walks, meeting and wanting to push towards this.
I'm not asking for folks to switch focus away from Montanita Verde Children's Homes, just simply to pray for this effort and keep us in mind. Right now our focus is on opening Home 2---Keep people praying about that also!This is a clip that a visiting church posted on you tube after visiting Montañita Verde Children’s Homes. Also listed there is a clip about the dump ministry that Por Amor is involved in: http://www.youtube.com/PorAmorEcuador
Pearl is a mother of four and works at Por Amor Foundation office each day. She is the Executive Director of Por Amor, so she has way too many responsibilities--I don't know how she does it, but, that's just our Pearl. She spends her spare time enjoying school activities with other parents, hanging out with family at home, doing farm chores together, and painting toe nails every fifteen days.
Allan is the gopher, builder, cleaner, secretary, Director's Assistant and let's not forget the "Joe the Plumber", the Grounds Logistics, and Construccion Manager. He stepped down from the president position a year ago, so as not to have to attend as many meetings. Now they call him Director of Construction and Maintenance (titles are very important here), but really he's just the kid's favorite uncle. He's got the guys raising chickens and pigs currently. The local university is helping teach agriculture on the small farm which also part of Montañita Verde. Allan likes to ride bicycles with his boys around Montecristi, ride Honda 650 XRL up northern coast, and most of all, when not overly busy, every 3 months, fishing the Cojimies Inlet.This is a ministry that has been on my heart since I first reconnected with Allan a couple of years ago when our class was getting ready for our class reunion--which is tough to do when everyone is, literally, scattered around the world. I love hearing how God has worked in his life, and how God is using his family. Be sure to check out Por Amor Foundation.
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What a WONDERFUL missions post to finish up your focus, dearest! I can feel his passion, and yours. Thank you so much for sharing this with us.
ReplyDeleteYes, a perfect end, but one that is leaving me praying. The needs are so great it is overwhelming. So thankful for a Huge God that leads us to pray and provide.
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