Helping those who are less fortunate is a basic tenet of human compassion and decency towards your fellow man. The Bible teaches us to help others who have no food, no possessions, and no place to call home. 

Youth with a Mission (YWAM) can play an important role in the lives of young children and teenagers who want to know God and share His wisdom and guidance with others. 

Conner Searcy has shared his dedication to charity and humanitarianism by serving as a board member of the Youth with a Mission Program, an international organization focused on missionary work and short-term missions conducted by young adults in all parts of the world. These future missionaries begin their training in a series of Discipleship Training Schools that prepare them to become full-fledged Youth with Mission members at any of the organization’s locations around the globe. 

Providing Shelter and a New Start

One of the many programs backed by Youth with a Mission is the Homes of Hope initiative, which offers homes to less fortunate families who lack the necessary resources and expertise to build a home of their own in their community. 

This first step towards helping families obtain this most basic of needs – a roof over one’s head – sets them on the path that enables them to lead more fulfilling and productive lives. 

The YWAM San Jose branch in Costa Rica was established in 1999 as a means of outreach, bringing services and information to young adults ages 18-30 for the purpose of dismantling the  cycle of poverty in that region and putting these young lives on the right track towards positive social, economic, and spiritual well being. 

Homes of Hope puts families in safe, clean, and healthy homes as a means for fortifying the community as a whole and strengthening the family dynamic is a vital component to a healthy economic structure within that community. 

A Chance Encounter 

In January of 2015, Conner and his family, including his 11 year old son Will, participated in the construction of a home as part of a Homes of Hope project in the community of Pavas, where Will met a young boy about his age named Axel. Axel also wanted to be part of the project and offered his assistance alongside Will and the other twenty builders involved in the two-day construction project. 

When it was done, young Axel, with the little money he had, brought popsicles to Will and his family – this gift sparked a lasting friendship between the two boys. Will told his father that he wanted to build a house for Axel one day, and months later, it came to be that the Searcy Family through Homes of Hope and YWAM returned to Costa Rica to provide a home for Axel and his family. 

God had a plan for the Searcys and for young Axel and his family through a chance encounter underscored by gratitude and kinship from one young boy to another for a home that wasn’t even intended for him or his family. 

The Homes of Hope Process

Families who receive homes through the Homes of Hope Program are chosen based on a carefully considered list of criteria. A selected family must first demonstrate ownership of the land on which the home will be constructed. This is done to ensure that family is given every opportunity to succeed and secure a brighter future. Home ownership is a major part of that security. 

Second, the family is part of a community with established partnerships with local leaders who have already taken the initial steps towards meeting the needs of that community. Last and certainly not least, the dynamics of the family are strong within the community and they are involved in their own decision-making when it comes to strengthening their future. 

Homes of Hope is intended as a support system for those families who are enthusiastic and eager to continue on a path towards self-reliance, making a positive contribution to their community as a whole. This is part of a transformational process in the community. 

During the two-day construction project, families are encouraged to participate in the building of their new home, strengthening the familial bond alongside members of the community who participate as well. Twelve to twenty people work together in crews assigned to painting, building walls and trusses for roofing. 

You don’t need to have prerequisite knowledge for building a home or a skill set in construction. All you need is a willingness to be part of something bigger to help those less fortunate in the community. Homes of Hope projects are supervised by a team of experts who guide the crews over the two-day project and children as young as five or six years old are encouraged to be a part of the project. A key ceremony, where the family is presented with their new home, memorializes the gift and the teams who helped build the home are invited in as the first guests of the family. 

After the project is complete, members of Youth with a Mission and the local church in the community follow up with the selected family by engaging the children in monthly youth camps and a personal discipleship through the YWAM outreach in that region. This involves further support for the community through microenterprises, ministry, dental and medical clinics, all geared towards keeping the community on an upward trend towards becoming self-sufficient and breaking the cycle of poverty for good. 

The Searcys continue to work towards helping others through service and improving the lives of those who are eager to reach their full potential while enriching their community.