Laura Alte has made two trips to Brazil to volunteer at Hope. Last year, she brought her entire family. And she is amazing. She married Alan, adopting his daughter Shannon (who dreams of working for Hope some day). They had three kids of their own. Then,...
The view from my kitchen window at the youth ranch is beautiful. Green, lush hills, sprinkled with tall palm trees that sway in the wind, heavy with coconuts begging to be picked. But just beyond the palm trees, in the distance, I can see little...
Getting a call in the middle of the night is never good. But when the call is from thousands of miles away, it's even worse. I was in the United States, and João Pedro was on the line from Brazil, moaning in agony, and begging for...
It seems like Cristian has been with us forever. He’s a cute, spunky kid with a bit of a Napoleon complex and a charming smile; but he has a huge chip on his shoulder. At 14, Cristian left us to be adopted by a well-to-do...
"It's not that they don't want you," I heard myself say to Nicolas. He was sitting on the edge of the sofa, while I knelt down beside him, trying to gaze directly into his grief-stricken eyes. I struggled for the words to finish this sentence....
Life is messy. And people in ministry are broken, impulsive and struggling—just like everyone else. Several of our staff are former street kids, and have struggled with addiction. For some, their only "crime" was to be orphaned. Others have had more sordid pasts...
I'm always mystified when Jonas texts me. He was tough as nails when he first arrived, but a year later he had transformed into a charming 15-year-old. He starting doing well in school, and he quickly picked up the violin, even traveling with our little band...
Michelle, our cosmetology course instructor, is Miss Congeniality. She's a great teacher and takes a real interest in her students. When she and her husband took young graduate Rhai under their wing (remember him from yesterday's prayer?)...
My first memory of this skinny, small-for-his-age kid is being kicked out of a friendly soccer game for his temper. As he sat on the sidelines fuming, Rhai refused to talk to me. I also remember him strutting his stuff down the corridors of the...
I got the door to hear the words I always dread: "Tia (aunt), I'm coming to say goodbye." I knew I was supposed to be happy for Felix. He was happy because the judge was re-integrating him back to his family. But you can imagine...
