LIMA, Peru–When Elizabeth Mejía Laguna first arrived at a Buckner Family Hope Center in Lima, she was shy and kept to herself. She often stayed in her home and did not interact with her neighbors.
“There was no light in my house. I was always behind closed doors,” she said.
She struggled in her marriage and lacked resources to buy proper nutritional food, so her young daughter, Luana, suffered from anemia. As a first-time parent, Elizabeth did not know how to care for Luana.
“I didn’t know how to raise her,” she said. “I had so many problems inside.”
After attending classes and meeting with a psychologist at the Family Hope Center, she experienced a transformation in her life and home.
Instruction from parenting classes helped Elizabeth and her husband, José, learn how to express love to Luana. They began to play and interact with her. The couple also learned how to interact and talk with one another to strengthen their marriage.
“I started opening up,” Elizabeth said. “I discovered that, when you open your windows, light comes in.”
Offering aids healthy growth
The family received a much-needed resource in the Manna Packs they received at the center. Manna Packs are a blend of rice, dehydrated vegetables and soy nuggets mixed with vitamins, minerals and other nutrients.
By incorporating the Manna Packs into their weekly meals, Elizabeth saw immediate health improvements. Luana overcame her anemia, and the family began to strengthen physically.
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Gifts to the Texas Baptist Hunger Offering provide Manna Packs and water filters to families at the Buckner Family Hope Center. he center not only meets immediate physical needs, but also addresses severe spiritual poverty.
Elizabeth Mejía Laguna expressed gratitude to God for using the center to change her life and her family.
“Without God, I would not be me, who I am now,” Elizabeth said. “We love God very much. He is our strength to face each day.”
The family, now involved in a local church and growing in their faith, is one of about 200 served through Buckner’s Family Hope Centers in Lima. Through the centers, families receive Bible teaching, life skills, parenting classes and access to psychological care, providing a holistic approach to family care. By meeting the spiritual, physical and emotional need of families, Buckner builds healthy families that can withstand the trials of life.
The Texas Baptist Hunger Offering partners with 130 hunger relief and development ministries worldwide like Buckner that help individuals overcome the cycle of poverty and shine Christ’s love in the darkness.
We seek to connect God’s story and God’s people around the world. To learn more about God’s story, click here.
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