This past spring, a group of men and women in the U.S. who have a heart for Hogar de Esperanza began Corazón de Esperanza, Inc. This public, non-profit charitable organization has been created to raise financial support for the orphanage, continue to help advance our programs, and to raise awarness of our growing needs. Please consider giving to our ministry through Corazón de Esperanza. You may donate online, sign up to give monthly donations online or send a check to Corazon de Esperanza, PO Box 4354, Gypsum, CO 81637. Our needs are greater than ever and we are thankful for Corazón de Esperanza partnering with us. Visit them online for information on their board of directors and mission. www.corazondeesperanza.org

Felicitaciones, Liz and Obal!

March 16, 2010 our director, Liz Bernuy, gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, Mateo. Liz and her husband, Obal, are overjoyed with their new son and we congratulate them and pray for God’s blessings upon there life. Liz has worked with the orphanage for over 6 years and continues to dedicate her time and love to the children of Hogar de Esperanza. Congratulations!

A Child Looking for Love

Abraham is an easy child to overlook. He’s quiet and sometimes shy. But it doesn’t take much inspection to realize all he has to offer as a person. In art, he’s creative and skilled. In basketball, he has no difficulty nailing a shot off the dribble with a hand in his face. He can throw a football as far as our green space will allow. Yes, in his quiet way, it is clear Abraham is a child of exceptional talent and is just one of our many children who are praying for a family of their own.

Amazing Volunteers Return Home

An amazing group of young men and women made up the long-term group of volunteers we had in 2009-2010. The children and staff said goodbye to many of them in the past few months as they traveled back to their homes in the U.S. and the Ukraine. John & Lori Foster, Lena Blagodarna, Becca Burlington, Nikki Hansen, Courtney Chappuis, Susanna Davenport, Mateo Bednarsky, Bekah Rust, and made a tremendous impact on our ministry. From painting, teaching art, serving in the kitchen, doing laundry, tutoring, teaching in Escuela de Miller, working with our jewelry program, teaching English, gardening, fixing anything that broke, working with our water system, being door-man, mentoring, taking pictures and serving by loving our children every day – these volunteers gave 100% by sacrificing their way of life to serve our kids. We are overwhelmed with gratitude for these wonderful volunteers. Please pray for them as they return home and re-adjust to their own culture. Visit their blogs to learn more about their time in Peru.

Please join us in prayer as we tell our story and pray for churches and individuals to partner with us. May God continue to meet the needs of these precious children.

Que Dios les bendiga,

Board of Hogar de Esperanza

Sofia spent many of her 8 years living on the streets of a small mountain town near Otusco, Peru, a town which boasts of no electricity or running water and sits just a few hours from Trujillo. Her birth mother is mentally handicapped and was unable to care for Sofia, her brother, Jose Luis – 18 months, and her sister Luz Consuelo – 11 years old. Before coming to the orphanage last January, Sofia and Luz Consuelo had never been to school. But now, the two girls have been involved in summer programs and have started learning their alphabet, numbers and basic skills and this month, Sofia began attending the Escuela de Miller. This shy little girl quickly changed into a smiling face who has made countless friends

School Time

It’s March and that means pencils sharpened, shoes shined and clip-on ties de-wrinkled. It’s school time. This year many of our students are going to school outside the orphanage, and they are all excited to be making new friends. That leaves only those children that need extra special help in the Miller School this year, freeing Miss Aly to pay them the attention they need. For Easter, many of the children in Colegio Betania acted out The Passion, with our Abraham in the lead role.

Director’s Assistant

Carmen Adriana Alcantara began working as the assistant to the orphanage director, Liz Bernuy, 9 months ago. She is gifted in organization and is a wonderful blessing to our administration team. Carmen encourages those around her through scripture and prayer and is a constant reminder of God’s faithfulness to use each of us in different ways. Carmen is married with two sons; David, 21 years and a student at UPAO, and Adrés, 17 years who has just finished high school.

Que Dios les bendiga,

Board of Hogar de Esperanza

Caroline shows Maricielo a picture she

took of her younger housemate

during the photography summer program.

Over 17 different summer programs were offered to our children during January and February. This year we were blessed with many gifted volunteers and workers who created and implemented many of these summer programs. All children participated in tutoring, sewing, Bible study, theatre, card making, reading and service projects to the community. They were also given the opportunity to sign up for elective programs of their choice. These programs opened a new world to many children, giving them experience in art, playing the violin and guitar, yo-yo’s, choir, creative writing, basketball, gymnastics, soccer and photography. We are proud to be an example throughout Trujillo in regards to the programs we provide our children. A big thank you to the volunteers and workers who helped make these summer programs a beautiful reality!

Muchas Gracias!

Samantha Smith has given the past 17 months of her life to the children and volunteers of Hogar de Esperanza. In August of 2007, as a volunteer, Sam took the position of Volunteer Coordinator and has done a great job meeting the needs of the volunteers, groups and children. Sam was an integral part of refining this position, bringing in new ideas and helping to bridge the gap between the staff and volunteers. As she leaves the orphanage and begins new adventures in Chiclayo, Peru, we pray that God continues to work through her. We will miss her greatly and continue to be blessed by the work and time she dedicated to our ministry.

New Floors for our Chapel

Through the kind donations of a few individuals, we were able to redo the floor of our on-campus chapel. Previously the floor had a thin carpet that had been damaged by flooding, molding and 4 years of daily use by 40 children. Through these donations, we were able to put in durable and beautiful tile that will help us use the room for a variety of purposes, including chapel, children’s programs, trainings and special services. THANK YOU for helping us keep our facilities in great condition to serve the children of Peru.

Que Dios les bendiga,

Board of Hogar de Esperanza

Deisy leaves with her sister, Janet,

to reunite with her family.

It’s always a mix of emotions when children leave Hogar de Esperanza. We’ve had plenty of experience with those emotions over the last month as several children have left to reunite with their families. Deisy and Janet; Maria and Jonathan; Pedro, Rosario and Brisa are all now with their families. Volunteers and workers are sad to see their little friends leave, but happy to see them reunite with their families. It’s tough to know what’s best. The children all long to be home, but we know they won’t have the same opportunities in terms of education, activities or living conditions. We just pray God’s blessings on them as they leave our hands.

Cooking is Her Ministry

Where most orphanages serve the same menu of rice and beans each day, Filomena takes pride in creating menus that include some of Peru’s most savory and popular dishes. Filomena has been the head cook at the orphanage since 2004 and says, “Cooking for the children is the way I serve God. I am happy when they like the food I make.” She is always looking for ways to save and bargain so the children can have a variety of fresh vegetables, fruit and meat. She shops weekly and feeds over 70 people 3 times each day for a little less than $700 per month. Filomena is the mother of 3 grown children and lives in Esperanza with her husband, daughter and young granddaughter. She commutes by bus over an hour each way to and from the orphanage and is an active part of the Baptist church in Esperanza, where our younger children attend services each Sunday.

Summer Camp

Paul is one of the many children at our orphanage that enjoyed the benefit of going to summer camp. Twin Lakes Camp is offered to many of the community members in Trujillo, as well as the children of Hogar de Esperanza. The children spent their days swimming, horse-back riding, playing soccer, participating in team building activities and learning more about God’s love for each one of them. We are grateful to Twin Lakes for providing our kids with this experience!

Que Dios les bendiga, (May God bless you)

Board of Hogar de Esperanza

This past month, Robyn and Joel Hanson had much to be thankful for as the adoption of 5 siblings from Hogar de Esperanza was completed. Although there were delays and new regulations, the family finally came together and has arrived home to Colorado. You can keep up with the Hansons on their blog www.joelrobynhanson.blogspot.com. Please pray for this family as they begin this new adventure and pray for the many children who are still hoping to have a family of their own.

Imagination

Rebekah Rust is volunteering with us in the kinder class, teaching the 2 to 5 year olds at the orphanage. However, in her free time she is adding sparks of imagination throughout the orphanage through her gift of painting. The kinder room and the children’s casitas are now filled with beautiful paintings representing the children and the beautiful landscape of Peru.

Marching, Marching, Marching

To celebrate their second anniversary, Betania school put on a series of events in Salaverry, which several of our children participated in. Students competed in athletics and silly competitions, a formal flag-raising in the Plaza de Armas, and three separate parades. One night, the children paraded through town with candle-lit lanterns. Our children hoisted lanterns of birds, insects and a large star, all hand-made by our staff by bamboo cut from the banks of the River Moche.

Christmas Blessings

The warm December in Peru still brings Christmas cheer with hot chocolate and presents. Many Peruvian businesses, churches and individuals have been hosting parties for the children. Our U.S. friends, To Every Nation brought Christmas joy to the children by purchasing new bikes for the orphanage. And, yet, in the midst of all the parties and gifts, the children are receiving the message of Christ’s birth and some are experiencing hope for the first time.

Thank you for your love and faithfulness to this ministry over the years. We are grateful for your prayers as we reach out to the hurting children of Peru and continue to grow.

Que Dios les bendiga, (May God bless you)

Board of Hogar de Esperanza

October 18, 2001 David and Vickie Miller’s dream of helping the street children of Peru became a reality with the opening of Hogar de Esperanza orphanage. Hundreds of children and 8 years later, we gathered together to celebrate. Men and women who were a part of the beginning years shared their experiences with those who have recently become connected with the ministry. The Millers were honored with a mounted, engraved plaque, as well as naming Herbert and Norma Elliot the God-parents of the ministry and thanking them for their beautiful example and support. Pastor Valencia, long time pastor of the church our younger children attend; Carlos Vasques, board member; and David Fhon, former director are a few of the people who shared their thoughts and memories with those in attendance. The children showed off all that they have learned by performing skits, singing and displaying many of their art projects. Before enjoying a lunch cooked by our staff, tours were given and each volunteer presented their area of work to the guests. We are proud of the work our staff are doing and are grateful to celebrate the tremendous growth of Hogar de Esperanza over these 8 years of ministry, which have impacted the lives of so many. Thank you for being a part of changing hearts.

We will miss you, Kevin

Kevin Leyva has called Hogar de Esperanza home since April 2002 and has brought joy to the hearts of many workers and volunteers. However, Kevin is 15 years old and has a variety of special needs. He is leaving our orphanage to be placed in an all boys orphanage in Trujillo, which is equipped to help Kevin succeed. Kevin is loved by all who meet him and will be missed, but we are thankful that God has opened the doors for him to receive the education and support that he needs for his future. Please keep him in your prayers as we all work through this transition.

Orphanage Field Trip

Once or twice a year, the orphanage plans a day out with all the children, staff & families and volunteers. We have become a large group of about 100 people and having time together to bond and strengthen the relationships within our ministry is important. This past month we made the trek to Cerro Negro, which is a beach located 45 minutes south of the orphanage. We packed up our lunch and sandboards, ready to spend the day together. Teams were created for friendly competition in soccer, cheers and tug of war and everyone played in the ocean, made sand castles and practiced sand boarding. The end of the day brought a bit of wind and cold, but the hearts of everyone were warmed.

Four of our children at Hogar de Esperanza chose to be baptized during the service September 13 at Larco Presbyterian Church in Trujillo after several months of attending discipleship classes. Pastor Jaime dipped his hand in water and placed it on Rocio, Milagritos, Roxana and Yulianna (shown) with a prayer of blessing. When asked, Rocio said she chose to be baptized because the Bible commands her to. She was nervous to be in front of everyone, but excited to know that she was taking one step further in following Christ.

Books from Students in the U.S.

A group of students from Berry Creek Middle School in Edwards, Colorado created and sent bilingual books to the children at the orphanage. Each book includes a photo and information of the student author. This simple gift created with imagination builds a bridge of friendship, education and inspiration between two different cultures and countries. For some of our newer children, these books were the first books they’ve actually held in their hands.

Reaching Out

Jacky Gavy Zamora, a student at the National University in Trujillo, has been interning with our social worker since May of this year. One of her responsibilities includes implementing Saturday morning trainings for the biological families of our children who are under our protective custody. This month, she shared training on self-esteem and taught the families how to evaluate personal motivation and actions. Her trainings are vital to the future and well-being of our children who will possibly return home.

Sebastian’s Tears

Last June Sebastian, age 4, entered the orphanage with a serious eye infection. We were able to take him for medical exams and found he suffered from an underdeveloped tear-duct system. At his age, the only way to cure the over-abundance of tears and infection was to have surgery. This past month, Sebastian had a silicone tube placed in his tear duct to stretch the tear duct, prevent blockage and prevent excess tearing. The surgery was a simple procedure and thankfully, Sebastians tears are dry!

Although Peru does not have an overwhelming number of cases of the swine flu, they are definitely taking precautions to ensure it does not progress. All schools, nation-wide, were closed for the last two weeks of July. The National Education Board decided that they would extend that to continue through the first week of August. Later in the month, the high school was closed for another week. Peru has been proactive in teaching the community how to keep from spreading germs and sent a team to the orphanage to instruct the children and staff in how to remain healthy.

Prayers for Isabel

Isabel didn’t realize she had a heart condition when she and her younger sister arrived at the orphanage last fall. At the age of ten, she had never been to a doctor for a thorough physical. In May, a volunteer medical group came for an afternoon to do check-ups on all of our children. One of the doctors examining Isabel listened to her heart and heard something abnormal. With the doctor’s suggestion, we began a series a medical exams in Trujillo and then sent Isabel to Lima to be examined by experts. They diagnosed Isabel with Ebstein’s Anomaly. Thankfully Isabel is at Hogar de Esperanza and, under our care, will be able to receive the treatment she needs. We ask for your prayers as the doctors study her case and decide what kind of treatment to pursue.

Water for Everyone

We have been updating the water situation of the Hatfields and the McCoys for the past two years. With the help of many people from the town of Absulon Vasquz, located on top of a hill next to the foothills of the Andes Mountains, we installed a new water system. Several months after the installation, we had a split in the community of those who lived at the bottom of the hill and those that lived at the top. The ones living on the lower part (McCoys) had a great deal of water pressure and received most of the water, while those who lived above (Hatfields) received very little. These two groups could not work out the problem, so the McCoys cut the water to the Hatfields and declared that the water system was theirs. The Hatfields asked me to help them out. I came up with a way of using the old system to give them water using, but I had to do it in the night so the other group would not see the new installation. In the middle of the night I went to the upper area and tried to install a separate water system. I was almost finished with installing the system when a mob raced up the hill throwing rocks. I took off in my truck and the mob uninstalled the water system for the Hatfields.
The Hatfields had lost hope of getting water to their homes, when about three months ago a lady noticed that the national government was going to do road repairs on the Pan American Highway. Her husband was laboring in the asparagus fields during the day, but was willing to work in the evening repairing the Pan American Highway. This woman planned for her husband to secretly install the separate water pipe for the Hatfields while he was working in the evening on the highway. It took him many nights to install the water pipe across the Pan American, but finally it was accomplished. This month we finished hooking up the new system for the Hatfields and the people now have water to their houses. What a great blessing to see how God worked it all out.

Dave

July is an important month in the Peruvian culture, where the people spend the 27th and 28th celebrating their independence. The streets are filled with Peruvian flags, banners decorate the stores and patriotic pins are clipped on every shirt. Our children celebrated with a program for the visiting group, our board members and other supporters of the orphanage. Each casita chose a region of Peru to represent, dressed in traditional costume, performed a skit or song and made typical food to share with the guests. Even the volunteers dressed in their Peruvian flair and performed. Celebrating national freedom is not only an important part of the Peruvian culture, but also a reminder to every child, worker and volunteer of the freedom and possibilities we have in Christ.

An Adoptee Returns

Tim Brooks and his adopted daughter, Loren, returned to the orphanage this past month to serve. Loren and her two sisters were adopted from our orphanage in 2006 by Tim and his wife, Andrea. This time, they came with 23 other members of Windsor Road Christian Church to serve the very ministry that brought them together three years ago. The group spent their days providing a Vacation Bible School program for the children, a variety of crafts and activities, health care lessons for the staff, repairing screens, painting and building a car port for our bus. The days were jam packed with activity, but more importantly they were filled with hugs, laughter and love. Tim, Loren and the entire group blessed the children, staff and volunteers with all of the supplies and gifts they brought and with the old and new friendships that were established! Read about their adventures on their own blog by clicking here.

Lighten the ‘Load’

As I mentioned a few months back, doing laundry for 48 children is a huge task. The orphanage spent a lot of time and money, in the past, making repairs on machines and dealing with sand in the water tubing. A few months back, I shared the need for an industrial washer and I am grateful to those people who generously gave. After investigating the best system for solving our problem, we were able to put in a new filtration system for the laundry room and purchase 4 semi-industrial washers – and still have funds left! The madre tutoras are so excited to have the new machines and the simple task of doing laundry has become an amazing blessing. Thanks to those who gave – you have made an impact!

There are so many ways to be involved in the work of Hogar de Esperanza/Saving Street Children, Inc. If you are interested in getting involved, please contact us. Everyone has something to share!

Changing hearts together,

Dave

Saving Street Children
422 Armour Road
North Kansas City, MO 64048

Karl Greden, with an education in engineering, volunteered with our water project for 6 months. However, digging trenches for new water piping and figuring out the water flow for our tanks was not enough. Karl spent his extra time going into the casitas and reading with children. Reading books is a luxury most of the children rarely have before their life at Hogar de Esperanza. Karl bonded with one child in particular, Anabel. Not only did he spend countless hours reading and playing with her, but he was able to see her be adopted into a loving, Peruvian family.
Click here to read his personal story.

Paint and a Smile

Trinity Presbyterian Church volunteered at the orphanage for a day. With several cans of paint, they transformed the once gray fountain into a colorful display of sea life. The fountain provides the children with countless hours of relief from the summer heat. And, now, it also provides countless smiles as the children admire the orange fish and purple octopus.

Winter Break

The children had a week off of school for winter break. Provided by some generous donations of our supporters, we were able to take the children on several different field trips. They visited the nearby beach town of Huanchaco, the popular Plaza de Armas in the center of the city, and a park – including slides, swings and monkey bars. We are blessed to be able to give the children opportunity to experience new things and have time to explore and be a kid.

Changing hearts together,

Dave

Saving Street Children
422 Armour Road
North Kansas City, MO 64048