In Zaachila, on the outskirts of Oaxaca City, Mexico, live many impoverished families who’ve traveled from distant areas in search of more opportunities and a better life…only to find themselves confronted with the same devastating and debilitating effects of poverty: hunger, joblessness, water-borne illness, lack of education, gang violence, drug and alcohol use. Our Mexico children’s program, Trigo y Miel, was placed directly in the middle of this community to be a shining light in the lives of these families.
Owen, Belen, and their two children, Caleb and Hannah, have seen their fair share of struggle, but God has done amazing things in their family through Trigo y Miel and Operation Enduring Homes, our local homebuilding and block-making business/ministry run by missionaries Tom and Wendy Hogan. When they first joined the Trigo y Miel program, the family was in a desperate position. Owen had been disabled from an accident and was unable to work for seven months. At the time, Belen was pregnant and limited in her ability to help provide for the family. They joyfully joined the Trigo y Miel program and God began writing a beautiful story in their family as the years passed.
After Owen recovered, he began working with Tom at Operation Enduring Homes. Their children began to thrive as the family grew holistically through Forward Edge’s programs.
Owen stepped up at work and eventually became Tom’s right-hand man, the one he trusts with the business’ finances and deliveries. Meanwhile, Caleb and Hannah have exceled through the support they receive at the Trigo y Miel program. There they receive nutritious lunches daily to help stretch the family’s finances further, as well as educational support and tutoring to keep them on pace towards graduating. This has been a big challenge for many children in Mexico – and around the world – as COVID-related school closures have set many children back in their education. However, Trigo y Miel staff have worked diligently to make sure children don’t fall behind in their studies.
“Our children have a better future with their studies, and will not lack the opportunity for a profession as we do,” Owen and Belen shared with a deep sense of pride.
For many years, Owen, Belen and their children lived in rented homes made of sheet metal. These homes were too small for the family and didn’t protect them from the weather, often leaking when it rained. In 2021, their prayers were answered when they received the 11th house from Operation Enduring Homes! “We can think of few folks who are so deserving of a new home,” Wendy Hogan remarked.
The transformation of this entire family has been invaluable for Caleb and Hannah as they grow and develop. They’re witnessing a God that does miracles in the lives of those who trust Him, and they’re learning that as they grow, the sky’s the limit.
Another huge milestone for the family happened in the summer of 2021 when, after many years together, Owen and Belen finally made the decision to get married. As part of the Trigo y Miel church, led by program director and pastor Victor Velasco, they had learned the importance of following the word of God. They shared, “Since we are giving our children an example, it made us realize that we need to make good decisions according to what God indicates us to do.”
Everything Trigo y Miel and Operation Enduring Homes have invested in this family will only be magnified in the lives of Caleb and Hannah as they grow up in a completely different reality than their parents experienced. They have every opportunity needed to break the cycle of poverty for generations to come.
This story was shared in our 2021 Annual Report. You can view our full report here >>
In the extremely poor village of Kijabe, Kenya, there lives a crippled widow named Mary. After her husband died of AIDS a few years ago, she struggled to find food. While she suffers from HIV, too, Mary’s greatest challenge is a nerve problem in her legs. She has to use crutches
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Berenice was used to seeing the same narrative play out around her growing up: a life marked by poverty, wealth inequality, and barriers to education. Most families in her area in Oaxaca, Mexico have traditionally come from smaller villages in search of a better life and are facing severe unemployment
Choosing to sponsor a child is a big leap of faith. Once you have taken the first step of saying “yes” to sponsorship and helping vulnerable children, the next step can be joyful…and overwhelming! It can be difficult to know where to start that’s why we’ve put together a list
13 yrs. old
Entered the program: May 2025
Moses lives with his grandmother and older sister in a rented one-room wood house with a dirt floor and a sheet metal roof. The family has no furniture and uses candles for light. They share a poorly-constructed communal outdoor kitchen with neighbors that uses firewood for cooking. Water is fetched from a nearby river and boiled for drinking. The neighbors also share a communal pit latrine made of sheet metal that is in poor condition and there is no bathing facility.
Moses’s mother has addiction issues which prompted her to attempt drowning Moses and his sister in the river when they were younger, as she was struggling to care for them. Fortunately, they were rescued and taken to their grandmother who is raising them. His mother fled and her whereabouts are unknown.
Plus bonus group fundraising ideas!
