The Adventures of Being and Making...: Casa DaLuz

Drum roll please! I’ve been waiting to announce something very exciting for me, Gloria. But I had to wait until my project was presented and approved to and by our board. But now is the time…

God has been getting me ready for this new ministry called, Casa DaLuz (meaning, Give Light House) (Da Luz is a word that Spanish people use when a woman has given birth.). It was while in REACH, a discipleship program, (20 years ago) that I was challenged to write out what I would dream of doing if God would allow me to do. My dream has been to have a home filled with mothers and children. This desire has come partly from my own adoption experience, but also just because I love babies and the excitment of teaching mothers to care for their little ones! Because of the focus DeLynn and I have had lately in establishing VidaNet, my dream has been put on hold.

Katherine and Dylan (6 months)

But when our “adopted” daughter Katherine came into our lives a year ago, my vision was rekindled. Her life has impacted my life in such a way, that I’ve come to a place in my life where I am ready to open this home where teenage mothers and their babies can be embraced and cared for. My prayer and goal is that they find Jesus in this process. I am ready to love on them and their babies and I can’t to see who God sends.

Casa DaLuz is a new ministry that will be under the umbrella DaVida. This ministry is a very special ministry for young women, ages 13-19 that are in their first pregnancy or already have their first child under the age of 12 months, who need a place to live. This ministry is for those young women who have little to no moral or financial support from their family.

Casa DaLuz would offer them a place to live, food, baby items and clothing both for the expectant mother and child, medical expenses, if needed. To help them on their journey, parenting classes would be offered, as well as teaching them hands on job training for jewelry making, cooking classes, hair and beauty classes, and painting classes, and the list goes on. Spiritual input would also be given through discipleship classes especially to meet the spiritual needs of each of the girls. If the young mother would like to look for a job, we want to help facilitate that by taking care of her child while she works.

Future Casa DaLuz

In Costa Rica, teen age pregnancy is on the rise. On average 41 teenage women per day learn they are pregnant in Costa Rica, and relative to population this represents a rate 50% higher than the United States. This statistic makes me want to help as many young women as I can. But to start out, right now the plan is to have a house for 4 girls.

Costa Rican friends

One of the fundraisers we are doing to raise money is selling beautiful headbands and barrets (examples shown below). Presently, these headbands and barrets are being made by myself and my Costa Rican friends. In the future, these headbands will be made by the young girls living in Casa DaVida. If you are interest in helping us either sell or would like to buy one of these gorgeous headbands and/or barrets, please let me know. ALL proceeds will go to project Casa DaLuz.