Mighty Hearts

International

Projects

True Christmas

True Christmas is designed to give the poorest children in Peru a Christmas experience filled with love, laughter, presents, and the gospel message. True Christmas takes place throughout Peru during Christmas week each year. Children are entertained with singing, dancing, and skits performed by volunteers from the local churches in Callao. These volunteers take time out of their Christmas week to prepare for this massive, countrywide event. Church volunteers spend weeks organizing the presents, selecting which areas to visit, and planning the performances.

True Christmas has been growing in size and scope for over 20 years. Mighty Hearts International has been supporting True Christmas since 2008 and has seen it reach over 2,700 children for Christ in that time. What a Christmas blessing that is! The program is expanding at a rate of roughly 20% each year and requires hundreds of volunteers, months of planning, and a large amount of money to make it a success. The cost to provide True Christmas is about five dollars per child. We encourage you to get involved in whatever way you can!

God is Present
We know True Christmas is making a positive impact because we see people come to Christ right before our eyes! We try and look at the events through the eyes of the children. We ask ourselves what they envision Christmas to be and we try to give that to them. It is so fun to watch the children crane their necks to get the best view of the stage and stare in wonder at the performers. It is even more fun to see their expressions when the presents are brought out. Many children have never received gifts before so they are overcome with excitement when they find out there is a present just for them! It is even more exciting, though, to see the children sing along to the worship music and close their eyes tightly as they concentrate on prayer.

The joy and innocence of the children during the celebrations is so beautiful to watch and truly makes all of the time and effort worthwhile. We are all reminded of what Christmas day is really about, why it exists, and God’s purpose for the day. We look forward to many more True Christmas celebrations in the future! Thank you all for your continued support.
We Can't Do This Alone
True Christmas requires hundreds of volunteers, months of planning, and a large amount of money to make it a success. As you can imagine, all of this planning requires a lot of time and resources. As a result True Christmas has become one of the main fundraising efforts of Mighty Hearts International™. All proceeds from our Oktoberfest fundraiser go directly to True Christmas. We also send out a newsletter with a specific request for donations to the True Christmas celebration.

Preparations for the events begin weeks in advance. Volunteers from the local churches spend a great deal of time identifying the children with the greatest need, selecting the best sites to hold the True Christmas celebrations, and organizing a leadership group for those areas. Volunteers from the church spend their Christmas breaks making gift bags, organizing toys, and preparing for the True Christmas celebrations.

While some groups travel across town for a True Christmas festival, others take up to an 18-hour bus ride to reach remote villages in Peru and give those children a True Christmas. This past year a group of 20 people from Appleton Alliance Church visited Peru and participated in the True Christmas celebration as well. These trips will continue every other year.
Imagine a Christmas...
Imagine a Christmas with no decorations, no build-up of anticipation, and no story of Jesus’ birth. Imagine a Christmas with no gifts, no worship service, and no real reason to celebrate at all. Imagine a Christmas day that is seventy-five degrees and sunny. OK, that last part actually sounds nice. However, the point is that Christmas time can actually be quite sad for many of the poorest children in Peru. They do not wake up and run down the stairs to a Christmas tree surrounded by presents. Instead, they see other families returning from shopping trips with bags of presents knowing they will not receive any of their own.

When you think about it, there really is not a better time of year to share the good news of Jesus Christ than Christmas time. Christmas is a time of joy and love and celebration. Our goal is to bring all of that and more to the less fortunate in Peru. It isn’t the fact that the people do not want to celebrate Christmas or the fact that they don’t believe in Jesus, it’s the fact that they don’t have the resources or have never even heard of Him. It is a great blessing for us to share the hope of Christ with them during the Christmas season!
What We Do
True Christmas is designed to give less fortunate children a Christmas celebration like nothing they have ever experienced before. When the time comes for the actual celebration it is all about the children! The volunteers are trained to bring high energy and lots of love for the children! The volunteers sing songs, dance, perform skits, and play games with the children. In addition to the worship music, a leader from the team will share the story of Jesus’ birth and the true meaning of Christmas. This will be the first time many of the children will hear the gospel message. At the end of the celebration the children are all given chocolate milk and a traditional Christmas cake called “panettone”. The children also receive a gender and age specific gift such as a soccer ball or Barbie doll. For the majority, this will be the only Christmas gift they receive.

After the celebration volunteers will walk the children back to their homes. When they arrive volunteers will ask if they can come inside to meet the rest of the family. This is a very powerful part of the celebration for many volunteers. The opportunity to share the gospel message with these families in their homes is always a great blessing for our team members. We have seen many people, and in some cases entire families, come to Christ during these visits! You can’t ask for a better Christmas gift than that!
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Children's Tutoring Center

The Children's Tutoring Center is a program that is positively influencing the academic development of children. Many of them have improved their academic performance, earning passing and outstanding grades. Every Saturday they come to our tutoring center very excited to continue learning more about the different subjects taught in their schools. This program takes place during the school year at our Lima-based learning center on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 pm. Transportation, a healthy breakfast and lunch are included.

Mighty Hearts has a team of dedicated volunteer teachers who are part of this great work. Thanks to their efforts, our children continue to learn and excel in their schools.

Education is an act of love

young boy writing on a work book with a pencil

Our Current Challenges

Providing enough qualified volunteers to support the high demand for tutoring services
Creating a pleasant environment to facilitate children's learning
Supplementing what’s taught in school with personalized support for each child
Affirming the children’s desire to learn and creating greater challenges to achieve excellence

The Future of Our Tutoring Center

We dream of opening a private Christian school available to those children most in need. There are many small steps ahead to make this a reality for our children, the first being the tutoring center. Through this program, we can observe favorable results in our children’s academic performance as seen in their school report cards!

Please join us in support of our Tutoring Center by giving to Mighty Hearts International. Your donations will help us provide many children hope during their school year through the loving care of our volunteer team!

Medical Missions

The purpose of Medical Missions is to address the lack of quality medical care available to many families in Peru. Since 2008, Mighty Hearts International has teamed with dedicated medical professionals and other missionaries to make several Medical Missions trips to Peru. During the trips doctors, nurses, and non-medical personnel all work together to ensure that they see as many patients as possible. As is the case with everything we do, our primary goal is to LOVE the children. Our teams are all taught to make the children feel welcome and special. Almost all of the children seen by the doctors come from the local Children’s Clubs and every child receives a medical check-up as well as an emotional and spiritual evaluation.

When each child walks into the clinic they are greeted with a big hug and smile. We want the children to feel special because they are! God is working in their lives just as He works in ours so we make a point to discuss spiritual issues in addition to addressing their medical needs. We tell the children about the great love that Jesus has for them and encourage them to share how Jesus has impacted their lives. This spiritual encouragement is just as important as the medical advice.

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God is Present
Since our first Medical Missions trip in 2008 we have made a very tangible impact in Peru. The children and their families are always excited to see familiar faces from our team returning to Peru. For the children, having someone outside their family that genuinely cares about them goes a long way in building their confidence. This confidence is a valuable building block for a successful future. The bottom line is that a healthier child is a more confident child. This confidence allows the children to keep their dreams for a better future alive and well!

The charts that the teams keep are showing a positive trend in both the hemoglobin levels and iron scores of the children from year to year. Nothing is more exciting for our team than to come back and see the children leading happier and healthier lives year after year. It has become obvious to our Medical Missions team over the past few years that these children really are benefiting from our visits!
We Can't Do This Alone
We believe that physical well-being is directly related to the emotional and spiritual health of each child. This belief provides the basis for our Medical Missions plan. During clinic week the team creates and updates charts so that the children’s progress can be tracked from year to year. Psychological and family counseling is also available to parents during the week to encourage good nutrition and a healthier lifestyle at home. Many translators and medical professionals from Peru participate as well to ensure that communication is not an issue. The key to all of our success is the people that make the decision to go on these trips. Their great enthusiasm and genuine love for the children and Jesus Christ is what makes the Medical Missions possible.

The short-term Medical trips are an excellent way to serve those in need. However, it is important to understand that proper health care requires more than we can provide during a 10-day visit. With that in mind we have set up a dedicated office at a local church in Peru where Dr. Ynez can see patients on a regular basis. As a Peruvian resident, Dr. Ynez volunteers her time year round to follow up with patients, focus on general nutrition, and address any emergency situations that arise. This year round care is an invaluable resource and immense blessing for the families in Peru.
Resources that Make this Possible

Children’s vitamins with iron

General medication (Tylenol, anti-biotic ointments, etc.)

Dental supplies (toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss)

Allergy medication (eye-drops, skin creams)

Shampoo, deodorant, bars of soap

Tennis shoes, clothing, socks

Small gifts, toys, candy

School supplies

Cash donations (some supplies are much cheaper to buy in the country)

We are constently in need of these resources to make this service avaliable. Any donations are greatly appreciated and will be put to great use. For information on how to give any of these items click here to donate.
A loving touch at each station

Height, weight, blood pressure, pulse, and temperature are recorded

Each child is tested for iron deficiency and dangerous hemoglobin levels

A family photo to take home

Psychological counseling is given to parents to help support a healthy home

A care package containing a toothbrush, toothpaste, crayons, a personal hygiene item, an item of clothing, and a toy

Teeth cleaning and examination from a dentist

A month’s supply of children’s vitamins with iron

An individual examination with a doctor
The poverty in which many families live makes it very difficult for them to receive adequate health care. Despite having a public health care system many Peruvians cannot afford to travel to the clinics and find the care they need. Poverty is also the root of many medical related problems. Malnutrition, the spread of disease, and growth deficiencies all pose serious health risks to children and their families.

Another big initiative of Medical Missions is the nutrition program. Malnutrition is one of the major problems contributing to health issues in Peru. In large part, the problem stems from lack of knowledge regarding healthy eating. Our program consists of a presentation on proper nutrition, a healthy snack given to the children, and recipes for cost-effective, fiber and iron-rich meals. Moving forward, Mighty Hearts International will be placing a greater emphasis on educating the families on sanitation, hygiene, and nutrition.

Another crucial part of our mission is to make sure that these families have the resources to maintain the healthy lifestyle we promote on our trips
Teeth cleaning and examination by a dentist

A months supply of children's vitamins with iron

An individual examination with a doctor
A loving touch at each station

Height, weight, blood pressure, pulse, and temperature are recorded

Each child is tested for iron deficiency and dangerous hemoglobin levels
       A family photo to take home

Psychological counseling is given to parents to help support a healthy home

A care package containing a toothbrush, toothpaste, crayons, a personal hygiene item, an item of clothing, and a toy

On the medical side, every child is given a check-up consisting of the following:
On the medical side, every child is given a check-up consisting of the following:
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OlimpiKids

OlimpiKids is an event that aims to bring kids from all Mighty Hearts Lima-based Children’s Clubs together to interact and build new friendships with one another. Throughout the day-long program, kids enjoy a Christian children's show as well as physical sports and biblical competitions. At the end of the competition, the first three places are awarded medals and trophies.

A time for fun and recreation!

Group of kids standing in front of the olimpikids sign

This will be a high-impact project for our children which will be an opportunity to free many from unhealthy, less edifying lifestyle practices. We dream of creating sports teams such as volleyball, soccer, and basketball with the purpose of teaching children basic life principles and values. This will allow parents to see the potential capabilities of their children as they are trained in discipline, respect, and responsibility.

Help us maintain the momentum of this program by donating to Mighty Hearts International!