Stan Nelson, Author at Rocsana's Hope

Founder's ThoughtsJuly 31, 2019August 12, 2019

A Word From Papa Stan

We have now completed the first half-year of operating the ministry of Rocsana’s Hope here in Guatemala. It has been an exciting 6 months and what’s more, it is only the beginning of a ministry that we truly believe is going to make a difference in the lives of dozens, if not hundreds, of young ladies.

The ministry now has three young ladies who are living here and preparing for their futures. Diana was the first to come to us in April and she has adjusted really well to being here. She is currently enrolled in classes for English as well as a free class on how to do nails. She loves that kind of thing and is excelling. Next came Fabiana in May. Fabiana was trying to make it on the street with her brother and was not doing well. She was accepted into our program. She is a go-getter and is doing really well. Besides working a job up the street, she is enrolling for classes next year and is working towards becoming a teacher of history and art. Finally, Darling was accepted into our program the first week of June. She cried a lot her first day but since has adjusted wonderfully. She is still enrolled in and attending school at the high school level and will be done with this year in October, after which she might need another year before she can graduate.

Every girls’ situation is different but they all have a similar heart. They are grateful to be here and thankful that they get to be a part of a program that is going to impact the rest of their lives. What a joy this has been. God is so good.

Ministry NewsJune 30, 2019August 12, 2019

A Huge Need Met!

Since we made the full-time move back to Guatemala in February, we have been relying on help from friends and cheap rentals when needed in order to get around and do all of the things we need to do. Our houseparents have a single cab pickup truck that their family of five goes to church in. They have another vehicle that is in the shop right now so for now their truck is it for them.

Jeff and Esther raised some of their personal support to purchase a Hyundai Terracan that they were able to purchase a little over a month ago. They got one with third row seating so that we can transport the girls along with Alberto and Rocsana to church on Sundays as well as any classes or activities during the week.

Sundays have been especially difficult trying to figure out how to get everyone to church so what we have been doing is making multiple trips. It has been working but also has been a real challenge. We had some money that had been previously given towards a vehicle but not enough for a decent one. Our friends from the First Baptist Church of Ark City asked us what needs we have and so we shared with them our need for a ministry vehicle that we could use to transport the girls. They came through in a huge way and, coupled with the other money, we were finally able to purchase a Kia Sorento Diesel SUV with third row seating just this past week. The girls were so excited that they wanted to with us when we finalized the deal on the vehicle. We had a blast and the girls all rode with me when we picked it up back to San Lucas. The Kia has a sunroof that opens up and so we did that and the girls just loved sticking their heads out on occasion while we were stopped in traffic. I really enjoyed watching them enjoy a vehicle that finally has the room to help them.

Needless to say we are deeply grateful for the people that we will probably never know that helped give to this need and help to meet it. So we give thanks and express gratefulness to God for how He touched people to help and give and we are asking God to bless them as only He can.

Mission TeamsJune 20, 2019August 12, 2019

Thank You FBC of Ark City, Kansas

June 8-15 Rocsana’s Hope hosted a mission team from the First Baptist Church of Ark City, Kansas. The team was composed of 15 people who each took a week out of their summer to come and help in the process of getting our house ready for more girls as well as participate in several ministry opportunities which included orphan ministry, school visits, and hospital visitation. The team did a fantastic job with each and every one of the things that they did and we are deeply grateful for how God used them to change lives as well as helping us take a big step forward on the many work projects we have here to do at Rocsana’s Hope. Many of the team shared with us the life changing experiences that they had during their time with us and how amazing their week was. It was an incredible blessing to see the team get close to our girls and especially the last night when we did a final program for them. There were many tears shed and the goodbyes were tough, but the memories will be forever.

THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts and we look forward to having you join us again in the future. We love and appreciate every single one of you!

Ministry NewsJune 5, 2019August 12, 2019

Rocsana’s Hope Welcomes Two New Girls!

Fabiana, on the left, came to be with us at Rocsana’s Hope on Monday, May 19th and has been an absolute gem and a huge blessing. Her mom died when she was very little and her dad is in prison. She was living with her maternal grandfather until he remarried and his new wife no longer wanted her with them so she was forced to leave. She slept where she could until Esther met her on the street. One thing led to another and we decided to invite her to come and be a part of our ministry. She accepted with deep gratitude and has already been such a huge blessing to all of us here. She is so excited that she actually gets to have a future with hope.

Darling, on the right, was accepted into our program on June 1st of this year. She was in a government orphanage. In March of 2017 there was a fire at a government orphanage in Guatemala City that saw 40 girls lose their lives. Darling was in that orphanage when the fire occurred but through God’s grace survived the incident. She turned 18 and would have otherwise had to live on the street but for the efforts of Myrna, a lady who works for the government that now knows about Rocsana’s Hope. She asked if we would be willing to take her, and we did with joy. Darling has responded to the loving atmosphere we have here and she is doing wonderfully.

Ministry NewsApril 22, 2019August 12, 2019

She Is Everything We Hoped… And More!!!

Diana has been with us for two weeks now and we are so very happy.

The moment was everything I had hoped for and more. In what has been an announcement a year and a half in the making, we are beyond thrilled to announce that Rocsana’s Hope has finally received the very first young lady and accepted her into our program. Her name is Diana.

Diana has spent the last 8 years in an orphanage approximately two hours from our ministry headquarters in San Lucas. She actually left her orphanage after her 18th birthday hoping to find relatives who might help her. What she found instead were people who were trying to exploit her. After two months of hard living and having nowhere else to go, she reached out to her original orphanage for help. They were simply unable to take her back because of the possible risks it might bring to the other children, so they began searching for some place where she might be able to live but also have hope for a future. Again, there are no ministries like ours that are designed solely to help these precious girls once they turn 18. Somehow they heard about Rocsana’s Hope and reached out to me personally through Facebook and asked if there was any way we could take her.

The funny thing is this: I told Jeff and Esther as we prepared to return to the United States “I’ll bet you we will most likely receive our first girl while we are in the states.” Sure enough we were presented with Diana’s need. After some quick praying and assessing the situation the decision was made and I messaged the ladies from the other orphanage and told them to bring her to Rocsana’s Hope. I then contacted our Guatemalan staff and instructed them to prepare the first bed.

Diana arrived at approximately 7:30 p.m. on Friday, April 5th. I was in the US but my heart ached to be there not just greet Diana and make her feel welcome but also for our staff who were a little nervous accepting the very first girl without us being there. God touched a precious lady at the First Baptist Church of Ark City, Kansas on Sunday the 7th and they purchased a plane ticket for me to return to Guatemala the very next day, which I have. I will only be here for three days but I have had the amazing privilege of being here to get to know Diana, help make her feel welcome, do some shopping for her, and also to provide leadership and encouragement to our staff. They were all grateful to see me and all greeted me so warmly. Finally Diana came out from the house and she just came right up to me and hugged me. We both cried and it was truly one of the most exciting and precious moments of my life.

Now of course the REAL work begins. We have to begin the process of assessing her needs, aptitudes, goals, dreams, abilities, and desires for her future, and then construct and implement a plan that will help her achieve her goals and provide her the opportunity to have a bright and shining future. We also need to address her past from a psychological and emotional standpoint and help her overcome any residual issues she is dealing with from being an orphan. We will gather as much information on her as possible to help us ascertain where she is educationally and see what we can do to get her moving forward in that area. Then we will work in conjunction with her to devise a plan for her future that will help her be successful and happy. In order to do that, we will introduce her to the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ because He alone can transform a person’s life.

So now we need your prayers more than ever before, and so does Diana. Pray for her that she will thrive in our program and for us that we will be able to provide her with a future of real hope.