Our Inspiration

It’s been said that there is a special sense of God’s presence when you arrive at the Prince of Peace Home for Girls. “God lives here” they say. Psalms 82:3 says we should ‘Defend the weak and the fatherless’ and that is exactly what we hope to do for every girl that enters the gates of our campus.

 

The girls that come to us have been removed from their family homes by the courts due to the most severe cases trauma, abuse, and/or neglect. The healing that happens is a true testament to God’s grace and the hard work by the on-site staff team.

We strive to provide a safe, loving Christian home and focus on the mental, physical, and spiritual needs of each girl. Professional medical, dental, and psychological support is provided to help the girls heal and become whole again. At the on-site school, teaching staff works to meet the unique educational needs for each girl. Our primary goal is for each girl to open their hearts and foster a life-long relationship with Jesus Christ.

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How It Began

It all started in the early 1980s when missionaries Al and Marie Sanchez got their first glimpse of Guatemala. Amidst the majestic mountains, Al’s heart broke as he saw so many children who were homeless – dirty, hungry, living in cardboard boxes, begging on the streets. Al soon learned that girls were especially vulnerable to the effects of poverty and abuse. It eventually became clear there was a desperate need for a home for girls.

On their drive down to Antigua through the mountains of Guatemala in September 1985, the hitch on the trailer that Al & Marie were pulling broke. The van careened and hit the side of the mountain, killing Marie instantly. Marie was gone and Al felt that their dream had died with her. When he returned home to the US, he felt he would never go back to Guatemala again.

 

But God had other plans. After receiving assurance from the Lord, Al returned to Guatemala in February 1986. With faith similar to Noah’s, one of the first things he did was to begin building bunk beds for the girls who were to come. In July 1986, Al received the first girl through the Guatemalan court system.

 

Soon afterward, God began to supply the staff necessary to run the home. Cindy Miller came from the US to serve as co-founder and Assistant Director where she remained for 17 years. In 2003, leadership of the home was passed to fully Guatemalan staff before Al and Cindy returned to live in the US. Without the vision and faith of these Christ followers, Prince of Peace Home for Girls would not exist.

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” – James 1:27