Brothers and Sisters,
As we wrap up this year, it is with great joy that we celebrate the UrbanPromise family growing in Latin America. Now that we have several members and unique programs operating under the same roof, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on what unites us, and how we have seen the hand of God guiding, providing and inspiring in 2019.
I have equal love for all of you, but I think we can all agree that this message should begin with words for the little seed that started it all—the seed that is definitely no longer just a seed: UPH.
Much of what I cherish and remember about this year is summed up through my observation and experience of the 10 year anniversary parade. It was the perfect culmination one should hope for after 10 years of service and the festivities embodied so much of our original goals when we started back in 2009. The parade is a testimony to the fact that you (UPH) have left and are continuing to leave your fingerprint on the town of Copan Ruinas. People now understand UPH better and they are looking to us as specialists in a variety of fields from nonprofit excellence to Christian leadership. Continue embracing your role as ambassadors of Christ-centered servant leadership.
You have pursued new dreams this year through activities such as the Trekkers solar project and the opening of our 3rd AfterSchool Program: Alabanza. You have taken courageous steps of faith and exceeded expectations through activities such as MUNAC. You have not only been sources of light for the children and youth you serve, but you have also been lights for each other. Keep investing in your own personal spiritual growth as well. If you are growing, then those around you will naturally grow also.
Many organizations do not have the privilege of hiring from within at the top levels of leadership. Our Director transition this year speaks to the work of Hugh over the last several years and it speaks to our ongoing commitment to raising up local leaders. This is more than just a job and it is more than just a service we provide for children and youth. Our time and our purpose should also be seen as an intentional investment into the development of each other as brothers and sisters, so that ultimately we can serve God and others better regardless of where we are. Thank you Hugh for how you did this during your tenure as Director of UPH, and thank you Londin for how you are already serving as an example in this way during what has been just 4 quick months in your new role.
Five years ago, Lauren and I were packing our bags and preparing for our move back to the United States. While discerning about our next season as a ministry, I distinctly felt God encouraging me to consider a training program for Latin American leaders. I am not always the best listener, and I often do not have enough courage to follow God completely. I wanted to see the full plan, I wanted all the answers, maybe I wanted it to be easy. Finally I said YES and we started putting the pieces together for UrbanPromise LatinAmerica (UPLAM). This August we saw the first fruit as we graduated our first cohort from the UPLAM training program; 5 leaders from Puerto Rico and Colombia. To the best of our ability we prepared them to lead youth-serving organizations like UrbanPromise and we inspired them to take one giant leap further in the dreams God has placed on their heart.
It is our dream to continue accepting new cohorts each year and continue perfecting this program until it becomes one of the most-well known centers for non-profit and ministry leadership that exists in Latin America. In 2020 we will be making some important additions to the UPLAM team so that we can better recruit and provide for leaders in our training program. As part of this goal we will be hiring Kris Schnepf as UPLAM Director beginning in August 2020 (pause for excitement and celebration). Kris will be based in Copan full-time and will be the primary leader for recruitment, logistics and pastoral care for all future UPLAM cohorts. We will begin recruitment in June next year and our 2nd UPLAM cohort will arrive in February 2021.
We have established formal partnerships with two new UPLAM affiliate programs—CreeSiendo Paz in Cali, Colombia and Tertulia Creativa in El Cocuy, Colombia. We have also provided a one year post-graduate practicum for Almeiro Henriquez as he takes what he learned with UPH and implements similar aspects for the children of Uribia, Colombia.
I had the privilege to visit both CreeSiendo Paz and Tertulia Creativa in October. They are launching their very first pilot programs during these final months of 2019. I saw a sincere need for youth ministry like UrbanPromise in their community and I sensed a longing for this kind of support from their children and youth. Jorge, Carolina, Yolanda, Almeiro, thank you for your modeling courage for us in the way you’re stepping out in faith and pursuing the desires of your heart (with God's ever-present and guiding hand).
The model of UrbanPromise is now reaching 478 children and 133 youth in 2 countries and 4 unique site locations; and all led by an incredible team of 21 full-time staff. We look forward to that impact continuing to grow both in Honduras and abroad!
Numbers are great, but they are not everything.
“What unites people? Armies? Gold? Flags? Stories. There’s nothing in the world more powerful than a good story. Nothing can stop it. No enemy can defeat it.” - Tyrion Lannister
I believe that all of us at UPH know this is true. And you see it lived out in our traditions of storytelling now so intricately woven into the way we work—luces altas, devotional times, momentos destacados, writing books called Sitting in the Circus. All of those things are not just time fillers or random activities that we have decided to implement. They are intentional and sacred times of storytelling. When I ask for you to share a highlight, there is sincere purpose behind the question. I’m asking you to share the goodness of God and to be a living testimony that points others towards Him. There is an unspeakable power that resides in the words of those stories and we are all the better for hearing them.
Keep your eyes open for those stories and keep telling them!!
I believe this has been one of our best years with UP in Latin America, but it has also been my most challenging personally, particularly financially. I have prayed and prayed and prayed but the results do not always come out exactly like I want. The big check that saves us does not always come on time. The unexpected donor who provides a miracle donation does not always show up. So I’m left asking myself many questions. Did I not pray fervently enough? Did I not have enough faith? Did I do something wrong? Did God not hear me? Does God not care? My journey through this year has taught me that those questions are not the most important thing. God is with me, and that is the most important thing. He is with me when there is enough, and he is with me when there is not enough. My faith in him and my trust in him does not change depending on my circumstances. My desire for God does not only grow when we get a big check. My gratitude towards God is not dependent on us having an abundance.
I will continue praying harder and more than ever. I will continue trusting that God will work miracles. But I will also continue trusting in Him and longing for Him regardless of what happens.
One of the greatest things that my marathon training helped re-teach me over and over again was to repeat the phrases “I am not enough, You are enough”, “When I am weak, you are strong”. I pray that you all grab hold of this prayer as you enter 2020. I pray that you will dream big and humble yourself before our Lord!
I may have experienced some difficult moments this year, but I will always, without a doubt, find a way to let the word Hallelujah roll off my lips.
Hallelujah! God be praised!
God be praised for 2019 and may You continue guiding us in 2020!
Peace to you all and I look forward to being reunited at our UPLAM Summit 2020.
Un fuerte abrazo,
Blair
Familia UPLAM,
It is such an honor to begin in this way, being able to say Familia UPLAM. Family has always been an integral value of our organization, and many of you have expressed that it was this very sense of family that actually drew you to UrbanPromise in the first place. It is an honor to now use the phrase family in broader geographical terms as a descriptor for who we are and where we belong. It is without a doubt that Familia UPLAM has contributed something to each of us this year. Creativity when our ideas ran dry, a shoulder to cry on when our world flipped upside down, motivation and encouragement when we were ready to quit. Your unique contribution helps make Familia UPLAM great.
This will surely be a year that we will never forget. It could be that it will remain etched in our memory because of the challenges, the Zoom exhaustion, or how simply strange it felt at times. But I hope more than that, we will not forget 2020 because it has refined and polished us in ways that only trials can do (James 1:2). It has helped produce something of much more eternal value: steadfastness.
We have all been infected by the tireless effort of every person under the UPLAM umbrella. There is no “give up” in us. I have seen it lived out over and over again this year, in each and every one of you.
PAUSE: Before I continue with the rest of this message, please take a moment to enjoy this music video created by several former UPH staff. We made it in honor of you—the saints who embody what it means to never give up.
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A special thank you to all the Executives of UrbanPromise in Latin America. You provide us all with great examples to follow. Each of you has been blessed with unique challenges over the last year, and each of you has finished with your skills stronger and your faith deeper.
Londin—it was a transition into the role of Director that you could never have imagined. You were the leader that UPH needed at this time. You carry an immense love for your team on your shoulders. I know this year was not easy, but you often make it look easy. Your optimism, dedication and laughter keep us focused on what is most important.
Yolanda—a great deal of discernment was needed for your decision to relocate from El Cocuy to Bogota at the beginning of the year. I know that decision was painful in many ways, but I admire your faithfulness to follow through on a conviction when you felt it was time to change location. The timing ended up being perfect. You have done a phenomenal job assembling a team of volunteers during a season when team building was accomplished over Zoom. Nothing short of outstanding.
Jorge and Carolina—also confronted with the difficult decision of moving from Cali to Cartagena, you were forced to start from scratch in January. With only a few weeks of normal programs under your belt, everything was forced to change again. When many would have hit pause, or postponed until next year, you dug deep and provided the leadership necessary to continue creatively ministering during a dark time. Be encouraged in remembering all who benefited from your efforts this year.
Thank you for showing us what it looks like to not give up.
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There are many stories of perseverance and commitment that we could call upon from this year. One that I personally will never forget is the testimony of Carlos Chacon.
Carlos grew up under the care of his grandmother after not only being abandoned by his father, but also seeing his mother murdered—all when he was just a little boy. Experts tell us that this level of childhood trauma is statistically likely to lead to issues such as depression, drug use, alcoholism, learning or behavioral problems, violent tendencies, and even heart disease and other dangerous illnesses (Van der Kolk, Bessel: The Body Keeps the Score, pp. 145-147).
We sent this message to donors, and I say the same thing to you (staff)—it is because of your investment that we have been able to provide a support system for Carlos. Without it, he would likely be facing a drastically different reality from what he is currently experiencing. Days from his high school graduation, Carlos sent a voice message to our staff, thanking each of them for the crucial role they have played in his development:
“I’m grateful for UPH because the staff was always there supporting me, telling me it was possible and telling me not to give up. Ever since I was a kid in camp, they taught me excellence. They motivated me and showed me love. Once I got to seventh grade, I thought I wasn’t going to finish, but thanks to UPH I kept going and saw my graduation getting closer every day. I’m thankful for UPH, and with little things that UPH has done, God has done big things.”
Amen! Carlos is a shining example of what it means to never give up. He not only embodied it this year in 2020, but its something we have seen him embody over the last 10 years—thanks in large part to your leadership and commitment to being a consistent presence in his life.
Your faithfulness serves as a testimony for others.
(portions of that story about Carlos were written by our talented Communications Director, Marissa Thornberry)
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Carlos’ remarkable story is one of our Top 10 groundbreaking moments this year. As we look back on a year that tried to take away our hope—we can’t help but relish the countless memories that actually did just the opposite. It’s a privilege to share this snapshot of HOPE with you. Here is the rest of our Top 10 for 2020 (I know there are more than 10, don’t worry if you see something missing...this list is not comprehensive and it is not only “the best”—it serves as a beginning from which we can all join together and say “Thank you Lord!”):
Familia UPLAM: UrbanPromise Honduras is now joined by our first two affiliates [Colombia (CreeSiendo Paz and Tertulia Creativa)] to create a “UP Latin America Family.” Up to 30 staff met regularly for prayer, encouragement and professional development workshops. This broader network is critical in providing hope, fostering creativity and equipping staff with needed skills.
Food distribution in Copan: As most families we serve lost their jobs due to COVID, our bi-weekly food distributions met basic needs while parents adjusted to their new reality (1,220 total food baskets delivered!).
Londin’s leadership: With only a few months under his belt as Director of UPH, Londin was thrust into the whirlwind of 2020. He guided the team through unknown waters, inspired with endless optimism, and prepared staff to emerge from 2020 with momentum into whatever comes next.
Virtual AfterSchool programs: It is almost incomprehensible to imagine that this idea came to fruition in communities where many children do not have computers or consistent internet access. Nevertheless staff found a way to make it happen, and it ended up providing crucial tutoring, character building and emotional support!
Piñatas: In the aftermath of devastation from Hurricanes Eta and Iota, the UPH staff took a break from their normal activities to deliver a hot meal, letters of affirmation, and piñatas to first responders (they replicated this event 4x with other communities in need!)
Backyard Gardens: Our Trekkers program inspired both staff and youth to take on the challenge of food sustainability; many were successful in growing food for their families, plus some were even able to give produce away to those in need and sell leftovers at a profit.
Phone calls: When programs went virtual, our staff did not skip a beat. They innovated and provided a continued presence for children, youth and parents through regular phone calls (810 calls made!).
Strategic plan: Organization-wide input made this achievement possible. We are excited to embark on the next 3 years with our overarching strategic direction: Cultivating Sustainability.
Drumroll...We have a BIG announcement coming in 2021—YOU WON’T WANT TO MISS THIS!
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Buckle up for 2021. Who knows how it will turn out—but we can guarantee that it will be an adventure, that He will be with us, and that we will courageously attempt to follow Him in all that we do.
Please take one more moment to enjoy this music video about never giving up.
Dedicated to you—the faithful saints who walked with courage and humility under the shadow of the King of Kings during the year 2020.
We never gave up.
With much love for all of you,
Blair Quinius (CEO)
