Faro de Luz

Lighthouse Ministry

A church and community center that supports vulnerable communities by giving them tools to improve their quality of life.

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Covid-19 Relief

Venmo @farodeluz

The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated the extreme poverty many of our Faro de Luz families live in, and has restricted their access to education. Many children are left home alone to take care of their younger siblings while the parents go to work. As a result of the pandemic, many parents are without work and spend the day on the streets searching for cans and plastic bottles to sell to recycling plants for little money. Meanwhile, students in Mexico are attending class through the TV, with 3 channels running 24/7 with schedules for all age groups. Students can receive homework through WhatsApp if they have access to a phone with internet, but most of the families in Faro de Luz do not have a phone or TV for the kids to do their classes and homework. Additionally, the majority of parents do not know how to read or write and are therefore unable to help their children with homework. Without access to interactive classes or communication with the teacher, kids are not able to receive help or ask questions.

Just before classes started in the Fall, Faro de Luz received a donation of a TV and decided to get cable so those kids without access to a TV or phone could attend class. Every Tuesday and Thursday, a group of staff go to the community center to allow for the kids to either attend class through the TV or receive help with their homework. The staff noticed the kids were having more trouble focusing than normal, and discovered that many families only have enough to provide them with one meal per day. To focus on learning, our brains need fuel! Help us provide all students with a meal of a PB&J sandwich and milk every Tuesday and Thursday. Keep their tummies full and fuel their brains!

Meet Gersom and Amada Ayala

Gersom and Amada met when they were young and both had a passion for helping. They are now currently the founders and pastors of Faro de Luz.

Gersom is from a family of missionaries and has always been involved in altruistic labors. He is a handyman/ builder/ carpenter and loves using this talent to help people in need. He helped Kathy found Casas de Luz in 2005 and designed our 16x20 model home. Gersom has huge visions for Faro de Luz and the community of El Ranchito. He wants to turn the lives of community members completely around and build a better Mexico.

Amada is originally from Vera Cruz, Mexico and grew up in a humble community. She was surrounded by extreme poverty and felt drawn to help those around her. Amada came to Tijuana with Gersom and their son Abdiel, and began building houses. She loves meeting community members and getting involved with them individually to change their path. Amada loved the way a house could begin a family’s transformation, but she wanted more. Together, Gersom and Amada developed the idea for Faro de Luz to teach the community how to live with God and create a new beginning.

Their Vision

Gersom and Amada have a vision to help the parents of many of the community children escape the harsh cycle of drug addiction, prostitution, abuse, and other toxic behaviors that have been a part of their lives for so long. They want them to take charge of the education and care of their children and help them form a life worth living. In this way, we can help reduce the number of young children who abandon their studies and homes and join gangs, drug cartels, and prostitution.

In the future, they dream of having different projects that teach applicable skills to adults and teenagers alike. For example, they want to have a woodwork shop where they can teach community members how to make furniture. By creating these self-sustainable projects, Faro de Luz no longer has to depend on Gersom and Amada’s resources, but on the community’s ability to sustain itself.

Their Vision in Action

Volunteering

Community members visit an elderly shelter, orphanage, and run fundraisers to provide meals to firefighters.

Ceremonies

Faro de Luz has married 9 couples and celebrated 2 quinceañeras. The whole community attends these events!

Youth Education

Youth attend classes that teach about values, the bible, creativity, and how to work towards a successful future.

Food Security

The Despensas de Luz program provides families in the community with groceries once a month.

Adult Education

Adults can attend school to achieve their diplomas for elementary or middle school which many dropped out of.

About

In 2017 someone donated a piece of land to Gersom and Amada in one of the most isolated areas in Tijuana, Mexico. This land fell in the community called “El Ranchito.” In this community there is a huge problem with drug addiction, child and spousal abuse, illiteracy, and an overall lack of value for life. Gersom and Amada decided to begin visiting and getting to know the community before building the community center. They visited the land and handed out food and donations to begin spreading the word about their vision. Lazarian World Homes donated all of the material for the building of the community center and church, Faro de Luz. It is named Faro de Luz, meaning “lighthouse,” because the community center and church offer a source of light and hope in the lives of community members in El Ranchito.

First addition built with the help of University City High School in May 2018.

After the initial building of part of the community center and church, Casas de Luz supported Gersom and Amada in expanding to build a kitchen, bathrooms and storage area. In just two days, the walls were lifted and Faro de Luz expanded dramatically. Since then, they have installed bathrooms, a functioning kitchen, and a storage area for Casas de Luz donations. Through donations from our re-purposing with a purpose program, we were able to fully equip the kitchen and bathrooms. A few months later, we built a second story that now functions as that is dormitories for building teams and families who need a place to stay during times of hardship. This construction was again supported by builders from University City High School in October 2018.

Faro de Luz now receives around 80-150 people three times a week. Amada, Gersom, and other staff provide them with food, workshops for embroidery, reading and spelling, English, values, and personal hygiene. At first, community members were hesitant to participate, but after seeing and interacting with the volunteers, they began to gain our trust and care. We have seen huge radical changes in a lot of the families, some of them have abandoned drugs and want to help their children move forward and grow, trusting in the support that we can provide them with the help of our sponsors.