Jesus is being used as a role model for families and children experiencing trauma and dysfunction in Chile.

We’re partnering with the Chilean Bible Society again this year to support their Bible-based programmes, administered by teams of Christian professionals in the highly regarded Profamilia Centre in Talcahuano.

Working with families in need, the centre is renowned for its success in helping repair broken family relationships and running programmes to prevent alcohol and sexual abuse, violence, bullying and drugs.

In partnership with the police and government antinarcotics departments for eight years now, the centre’s courses, which promote Christian family values, are in constant demand.

Profamilia teams also work directly in at-risk primary and high schools running anti-bullying and cyber bullying prevention workshops for children, and dating violence prevention for teenagers. Through these workshops they promote Christian values.

“The goal we seek to fulfil is to develop ‘good people’ with Christian principles,” commented a Profamilia spokesperson.

“The results of our work are tremendously positive and recognised by the authorities, counsellors, teachers and parents.”

Just one example is eight-year old Josie (not her real name), who had severe reading problems and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). There was no help available to her and her mother sought out the Profamilia Centre. The Christian professionals at the centre focused on giving tools to Josie’s mum to help her overcome her daughter’s learning disability as well as deal with a stressful family living situation.

There was a ‘remarkable’ turnaround in Josie, which her mum attributes solely to the Christian staff at the centre.

By helping us support this project, you can help turn around hundreds more young lives in Chile. Scripture materials will also be given away in this project.

At a small church in a poor rural Mexican community, I met four, passionate and gifted volunteer teachers who are using Bible Society’s materials to help rebuild families.

In communities like this, family life is often broken and unstable. It’s common for Mexican children and youth to struggle to navigate through very difficult circumstances at home and school.

Roxana (pictured above, second from right) teaches 4 – 6 year olds in this church. “In this community, in our case, the children are really ignored, they’re neglected. It’s a matter of giving them attention and helping them feel valued and they can feel like they not only have their parents, but they have God. And God loves them,” Roxana says.

Like so many other communities, family life here is “disintegrating”. These volunteers have seen firsthand how the programme has aided families in their communication. Catalina (pictured above, second from left) explains,

“It’s improved their Communication and their time together with their families. There’s a lot of brokeness and abuse and families are suffering. This material is creating values for the children which helps them unify with their families more. For us, this material has really been a big blessing.”

Young people play a game to teach them about boundaries.

Desperate to implement the programme wider, they shared it with local school teacher Veronica, (pictured above, far right), who now regularly uses the material at a nearby Junior High School with 13 and 14 year olds. “I shared it in school,” she says. “Not in a religious manner, as I’m not permitted to do that. But I applied it to some children that had a lot of behaviour problems. I applied it to strengthen their moral values. There were changes in some of the kids. They took better advantage of the opportunities at school and a lot of their negative attitudes were modified.

And there was a big change in the group they allowed me to share it with – in the end they were working together in a harmonious manner. And they started doing better at school.”

For many of the local children, growing up without a father is a reality. Lisbeth (pictured above, far left) grew up in this community and says that when the kids learn about God the Father, they change. “That’s when the children’s lives change and it really helps them grow. It’s really been useful for us,” she explains.

Caption: Children with materials they’ve received from Bible Society.

The Mexican Bible Society is passionate about reaching children and youth with the hope of the Bible. Will you help us equip volunteer teachers like Roxana, Catalina, Veronica and Lisbeth with the materials they need to help rebuild families?

Volunteer Brenda Saavedra is desperate for more resources.

She’s loved the Sunday School materials produced by the Bible Society in Mexico. But they’ve been through the book more than once, and now she’s eagerly awaiting book two.

Brenda holds up the Bible Society materials that have been so helpful to her and the volunteer team.

Brenda (picture right) is delivering the Bible Society’s creative Grow and Learn Sunday school programme, designed to strengthen church children’s programmes in poor areas and where churches need help. The programme includes volunteer training and provides churches with the materials they need to grow a solid children’s ministry.

I met Brenda at Fuente De Bendiciones Church (Fountain of Blessings Church) at San Cristobel outside Mexico City. My Spanish is terrible, but I understood her two-word response to me when I asked her why she does it. “Los niños!” she says. “The children!”

“I haven’t had the blessing of having children, so these are my spiritual children,” Brenda says. “Some of the kids even call me ‘mum.’ I want to invest everything I have in them – they’re my passion,” she  explains.

The church is in a poor neighbourhood where most families don’t have good access to essential services. Just like many children in Mexico, exposure to violence, be it in their own home or in their community is almost normal. Grow and Learn is about changing that – the programme’s main theme is Jesus is a model to follow. Brenda and other volunteers teach the kids biblical morals and values and that treating people badly is not ok – nor is the violence they see around them every day.

I stood at the back of the room beside a dentist from the next town. He brings his child a long way just to attend the programme. In fact many parents are dragged to church by their children who have such a great time. The parents notice a change in their behaviour, bring them to the programme and end up sitting in the church service downstairs themselves. Some of the children found out about the programme because they heard other kids in their neighbourhood singing the songs.

Mexican kids enjoy the engaging programme, especially the activities and games.

“This material has been a great blessing for us. It’s not just the content, but the community that we’re in doesn’t have a lot of resources. They’re not well off. And having this free material has been a big blessing,” Brenda explains.

She notices a change in the behaviour of the kids that come. “Some of them were very timid. But they’ve opened up and now get involved in the classroom. They make friends. Some were really aggressive and violent and very expressive, because they come from a context where they hear and see that kind of violence. But they’ve become more tranquil and friendlier.”

I’m inspired by the importance Fuente De Bendiciones Church places on these kids. It’s a small church but they know that this is the next generation who will carry on their work in the years to come. That’s why teaching them now how to follow the best role model they could possibly have – Jesus – is so important.

Grow and Learn is being run in churches all over Mexico. By the end of 2017, Bible Society hopes to have trained another 400 teachers to deliver the programme and build up their church children’s ministry.

Will you help support this work enabling volunteers like Brenda to be trained and provide children’s materials?