“’Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.’ Proverbs 22:6,” shares Pastor Angel Salgado as he begins his Sunday school class for parents. Pastor Angel lives in the city Valle de Angeles (Valley of Angels), 45 minutes away from the capital of Honduras. He lives with his wife Karina Mercado and his little son Angel, who is eight years old.
Pastor Angel and Karina have been training parents on World Vision’s Raising Children with Tenderness methodology. “A lot of things have changed in the community; we are having a lot of parents that are becoming part of the church, thanks to this methodology,” says Pastor Angel.
In Honduras, violence is one the biggest problems that is constantly affecting children. Unfortunately children experience this violence at home. Not knowing any other way to raise children, they repeat the same violent cycle, generation after generation.
“I ́ve had a lot single mothers and single fathers who have cried after being part of the school for parents. They are broke, but they learn to forgive and heal those broken relationship with their parents, to become better peers for their children,” Pastor Karina shares.
A year ago, World Vision partnered with Pastor Angel and Karina ́s church through the World Vision Christian Discipleship program. They were trained and equipped with methodologies like raising children with tenderness, learning how to raise children with love, become peers for their children and help them increase their faith in Jesus, all helping to break the cycle of violence they were once part of. After that training they started replicating these skills with other parent through parent Sunday school classes.
“I have changed, I feel more close to God and I learn to forgive all the punishment my mother put me through when I was just a child. My daughter has grown spiritually and now we are both closer to God,” says Mrs. Carmen, a mother who is part of the parents Sunday school.
Pastor Angel and Karina realize that this methodology is not only bringing life, hope and a future for many parents and children in their community, but it is changing their family, too. Pastor Angel says, “I just want to say thank you to World Vision for their support because they are bringing more families to God through this methodology.” His son Angel interrupts, saying, “No matter what, God will always love us, I have a loving family and when I grow up I just want to be like my dad,” looking at his father with great joy.
“Like I was saying, I’m just grateful for God and for World Vision. Thank you for being part of this wonderful journey,” Pastor Angel says, as he looks at his son Angel with tears in his eyes.
