Over 20 years ago, we went to the mayor’s office in Topa de Sus and simply asked how we could help.

He gave us a list of the poorest families in the surrounding villages, and that was the beginning of what became our F.B.I. program.

It started with just seven families, but over the years, this ministry has touched the lives of thousands. Through regular visits and practical help, many families have been encouraged and supported. Some have even found employment with the help of our social workers, bringing stability and hope to their homes.

Others have become lifelong friends through years of faithful visits. One of them is Florica, a widow who lives in isolation on the top of a small mountain road. She still waits for our monthly visits. While we help her and others like her who live on very small pensions — about $150 a month — what matters most is that she knows someone cares and loves her.

Through this ministry, many people have heard the Gospel, and some have come to know Christ, which has always been the heart behind everything we do.

It was through these early years of caring for orphans and widows that we chose the name

Project 127, based on James 1:27:

"Pure religion before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress and

to keep oneself unstained from the world."

That is how the ministry began — and that heart continues today.