Every year, God writes new chapters in the story of Love & Hope. This year’s chapter is one of provision. On my recent trip to El Salvador, surrounded by 32 of our kids and staff at an early Thanksgiving dinner, I was struck by how much there is to celebrate. I want to share with you what I shared with them.
The first time Love & Hope had to move, God gave me a vision of sorts. It was as if He showed me one of my heart’s deepest desires. Here’s what I saw: I was working in a garden in El Salvador on a property that belonged to Love & Hope. I turned around and saw Jocelyn—the oldest child at Love & Hope, who was about 14 at the time—walking toward me as an adult woman, hand in hand with her husband and child. My heart filled with joy as I watched her coming home to visit.
That vision captured what I’ve longed for ever since: that Love & Hope would have a permanent home—a place where our kids could always return, even when grown with families of their own. Last night, as I told this story, my voice shook and my eyes filled with tears as I looked out at Jocelyn, her husband, Gustavo, and their beautiful daughter, Camila.
Ever since that first move back in 2010, I’ve prayed for Love & Hope to have a permanent home. Property in El Salvador is very expensive, and Love & Hope has never had abundant resources. Yet God has always provided for His children, giving us exactly what we need when we need it. I’m grateful for that, because He has shown Himself to us time and time again through miraculous provision. And honestly, I’d take that stretching of faith over a cushion of money in the bank any day.
“God has always provided for His children, giving us exactly what we need when we need it.”
Still, as property prices (and rent) have continued to rise, and as we’ve realized that some of our young people will always need our support, I’ve desired more than ever to have a permanent place for them to call home. We began looking for property a couple of years ago. We love Santa Tecla, where we’ve rented a few different homes since 2013, and we didn’t want to move far from there. But homes in Santa Tecla are hard to come by—and rarely affordable. None seemed like a good fit, and the owners of the house we’ve rented since 2015 had made it clear they had no intention of selling.
In late September, during my weekly call with our leadership team, our administrator mentioned, “The owner of the house is in town and stopping by to visit.” I asked Rebeca to see if they might be willing to sell. She said, “They already told us they don’t want to sell, but I can ask again if you’d like.” My response: “It doesn’t hurt to ask.” A few hours later, Rebeca called me and said, “I didn’t even have to ask—they told me they want to sell!”
Awesome, right?! But of course, a house you’d love to buy doesn’t do much good if you don’t have the money to buy it. Without the funds, we would have had just a couple of months to find a new place to rent. But remember—God has always provided for His children, giving us exactly what we need when we need it. And that’s exactly what He did.
One family, who wishes to remain anonymous, considered the needs of God’s children at Love & Hope and said, “They are worth it.” They listened, they prayed, and they responded to God’s prompting. And now, Love & Hope has a permanent home.
Last night, as I shared this testimony of God’s faithfulness, many of the kids had tears in their eyes. Moisés said, “There is no doubt that this is the hand of God.” One of our young men—who for years has doubted God’s very existence—said to me, “Hearing you share that makes me doubt my doubt that God exists.” Another young person feels led to donate from his own savings to purchase one of the appliances we need for our “new” home. One family’s obedience is inspiring faith, wonder, and conviction in the lives of our kids. And if you ask me, that’s even more exciting than buying a house!
“There is no doubt that this is the hand of God.”
I want to thank you for your faithfulness in supporting Love & Hope. Every month, when you send a check, click the link to give online, or see that recurring donation email in your inbox, you are saying “yes” to God’s prompting. Your gift might be just what is needed to pay for groceries that week, gas for the van to take Chamba to school, tuition for one of our scholarship students, counseling for the kids, diapers for Noely, or monthly food donations for families in need. What I can guarantee is that your donation fills a real and immediate need for God’s precious children in El Salvador. Thank you for answering the call.
We have many dreams for how to use this little piece of land God has given us to steward for His glory. But first, there are a few practical needs we must take care of. If you’d like to make an end-of-year donation, would you consider helping us replace some of the essential items that have reached the end of their life?
Looking around the house these past few days, I had to laugh as I saw pots and pans we’ve used for over 20 years and appliances, bunk beds, and mattresses that have followed us from home to home for more than a decade. We definitely don’t replace things until it’s truly necessary! But right now, it’s time. Our refrigerator is on its last leg, our oven made it tricky to cook Thanksgiving dinner (when the oven’s on, the stovetop doesn’t work), our couches are far past “well-loved,” and our microwave stopped working this morning when I tried to heat up my coffee. Our dryer has already been repaired once and is hanging in there—but probably not for long.
Our goal for the end of the year is to raise $3,000 so we can purchase these necessary appliances, including a dryer, when the time comes. Any donations beyond our $3,000 goal will be directed to My Safe Place, a partner ministry that is near and dear to our hearts and shares the same vision of bringing love and hope to El Salvador’s most vulnerable children.
We are so grateful to have your support as we continue to walk in faith and serve the people God has called us to in El Salvador. We do not take lightly the privilege of this calling, and we believe that the part you play is absolutely vital. We pray that the testimony of God’s provision for Love & Hope will inspire your faith and obedience this holiday season as much as it has inspired ours.
With Love & Hope from our family to yours—
Happy Thanksgiving!
Rachel Klubnik Sanson
