Author: admin

What would you do if your child was turning eighteen and they weren’t quite ready to be on their own? What if they were still finishing high school? What if they had some emotional difficulties or disabilities that prevented their independence at this age?

Would you wake up on the morning of their eighteenth birthday, hand them a few garbage bags, tell them to pack up their belongings, and say, “It’s time to go?”

That is exactly what happens at government orphanages in El Salvador. Let me tell you the story of a young boy that I know personally. Miguel would be turning eighteen on July 15th. He had been living at an all boys orphanage for the past two years, and no family members had ever come to visit. In June the orphanage’s one social worker realized that Miguel had no family to go to. The countdown to the dreaded day for Miguel had begun. He wasn’t concerned about whether or not he’d get the birthday present he wanted, or whether there’d be cake at his party. Instead he asked himself, what would he do if no family was found? Where would he sleep on the night of his eighteenth birthday? He was half way through ninth grade, would he get to finish the school year? Would he ever finish high school?

On July 3rd, a great aunt was found. Marta lived with her husband and her elderly mother. Miguel could stay with them, but they had nothing to offer him. No bed, no promise to stay in school, but they could provide a roof over his head: Sold! He’d take it. After all it was his only option.

The night before his birthday, Miguel was given a large garbage bag. The next morning he put his belongings inside the bag, a few t-shirts and a couple pairs of jeans. The school year was only half way through, but he packed his notebooks, hoping he’d find a school near his new home that would take him in. If not, he’d have to count the year a loss and start 9th grade again the following school year. 

The social worker and the other kids wished Miguel a happy birthday; no cake, no present, no decorations. They wished him well and Miguel walked to the gate of the orphanage to wait for these strangers to pick him up and take him home. Miguel’s heart was filled with gratitude, his birthday wish had come true: he had a place to go.

Over the next few weeks we will be introducing you to our Horizon Ministry – Love and Hope’s transitional program for young adults “leaving the system.” Please follow along and consider how you can be part of walking alongside our young people as they transition into adulthood.

Dear friends, 

2019 is the year of graduations at Love and Hope! This year we will have SEVEN high school graduates! In June, Justin and I got to go on a little tour of the west coast to see our first two international high school grads! First, we visited Brenda who graduated in beautiful Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, British Columbia and then we flew to Los Angeles to attend Michell’s graduation in Mission Viejo, California! This fall Brenda will be attending Johnson and Wales University in Miami and Michell has already begun her college career playing soccer for the women’s team at Lakeland Community College in Ohio. Both of these opportunities are thanks to amazing, generous people who believe in these girls and have decided to invest in their futures! If you are in Ohio and would like to watch Michell play, send me an email and I can give you her game schedule! In November and December we will get to see Jacobo, Esau, Jefferson, Isaac and Linda graduate in El Salvador from their respective high schools. They are all busy making plans for next year as well!

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At Love and Hope we value education so much and encourage the kids to pursue their interests and dreams and to be well rounded, hardworking young people. In April, Esau and Moises each won a scholarship to take intensive English classes at an English academy in San Salvador. The boys chose to apply for the scholarship even though the classes take place during their free time. They are both excited for the opportunity to improve their English skills. Another interest that Esau has shown is in graphic design and photography. We asked him to take photos of our kids for this mailing, so the photo you are holding in your hand was taken and edited entirely by Esau! Over her summer break Erika is doing a short internship at a hair salon and she’s also had the opportunity to spend more time on one of her greatest passions, skating! Just last week she won a first place and a second place medal at her skate meet! Jocelyn, who started an internship at the Inter Continental Hotel four years ago, was offered a job at the hotel last year and because of her hard work and English speaking skills was given a promotion in June! 

Because of your support, all of our kids are able to speak English. They all attend bilingual or semi-bilingual schools and have been able to practice their English a lot at home with our volunteers and missionaries. We wanted to give each of our kids the opportunity to show you how your support has paid off. I asked each of them to write a letter in English to catch you up on their lives. These letters are purposely unedited. Some mistakes will make you laugh and others might cause you to scratch your head a bit. We hope that prompts you to either write back, send them an email or even come down and visit and ask them, “What did you mean when you said…?” One of the letters said, “One day I want to throw myself on a plane with a life preserver.” I could have edited it to say, “I want to go skydiving,” but what’s the fun in that!?

Thank you so much for continuing to support the young people at Love and Hope. We believe that as we continue to invest in each one of them, they will go on to impact and shape the future of El Salvador.

Follow us on Instagram (loveandhopechildrenshome) and Facebook (Love and Hope Children’s Home)! We hope you had a wonderful summer!

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With Love and Hope,

Rachel Sanson

Thank you so much, Callie, for dedicating three weeks of your summer to Love and Hope! Read about how Callie was impacted by her time in El Salvador!

“This past July I had the privilege of spending 3 weeks at Love and Hope Children’s Home. It was my third visit, and once again I was struck by how difficult it was to leave at the end of the trip. Love and Hope impacts not only the lives of the kids who live there, but also the lives of anyone who volunteers. Never have I been happier to rake a garden, organize school supplies, sweep and mop floors, or clean garages, and it was because of the bigger lessons I was learning as I worked. My time at Love and Hope was significant in 2 ways, and the first is that God used it to give me a passion for kids in need and for missions, something that used to terrify me. Because of those visits, I am currently studying Social Work and Spanish at Cedarville University with the goal of being involved in an organization that helps put kids in safer situations. The second thing I learned this summer is how it really looks to love someone. I was so impressed with the way the kids interacted with and took care of each other, the tias, and me, and that has been a convicting thing for me. I am so thankful for the time I have been able to spend at Love and Hope, the relationships I have been able to strengthen with the kids, and the things God has taught me through those experiences.”

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