Whenever asked, “Who is La Casa?”, our response is typically that we want to be about family. Family is defined in the Webster dictionary as “a group of one or more parents and their children living together as a unit.” Family conjures up thoughts of being cared for, loved unconditionally, supported, and provided security. Family rallies around you, encourages you, and is unrelenting. However, families can go through hard times that unravel this institution to the core. They can be broken. And that is where La Casa usually enters the picture – when a child or children are removed from their home for a period of time or permanently due to the brokenness. But that is not where we want to land and be content.
The children we serve most often have family that they were connected to. Family is a big deal in this culture, so the children have even extended family that they may have lived with or know and love dearly. One of our first tasks after getting the child settled on their home setting here in La Casa is to begin to dig and locate family and either continue healthy connections or work hard to restore what has been broken when at all possible.
A few years ago, we took in a young teenager. She had a biological mother but could not care for her due to many challenges, many beyond her control. It wasn’t long until we knew that she had two younger brothers who would need a home as well. That was at the beginning of lockdowns due to COVID, so there was a gap in time, but we soon had her two brothers under our care. Siblings reunited.
Their mother was trying to go to school. She had enrolled on a local university and was selling fruit in order to pay her tuition. We helped to provide a few things she needed to have a more permanent place to sell her fruits. She was faithful to do her part. Soon, it became evident that she would need a computer to be able to complete both the online courses and her daily schoolwork. We were able find a computer for her to use. She has continued her studies and selling her fruit.
The children get to visit with their mother monthly and sometimes have phone calls in between those one-on-one visits. They have been able to maintain a connection while things legally get sorted out and mom has the chance to work on her brokenness.
Keeping families connected is part of who we are. Modeling healthy family while the children are with us and reaching back into the brokenness to find healing and reconnection and reunification are all a part of the La Casa story.
Thank you for being a part of the story God is writing in each child and family served.