To Our Friends and Supporters of Vision For Children and The House of Hope

Dear friends and supporters of Vision for Children and the House of Hope,

The 2023 year began with a great deal of optimism for our ministry. Covid-19, which had affected our work since 2020, was finally fading in the rear-view mirror. This allowed “normal” activities to resume at the House of Hope in La Pintana. It also allowed for the resumption of regular mission trips from the US to Chile. Our fall trip to Chile included a project to improve the facilities and furnishings where future teams and interns will stay while they minister. These trips are essential both for fundraising as well as for ongoing maintenance and expansion of our facility.

Sadly, 2023 ended on an incredibly sad note. In December, our founder, leader, and principal cheerleader, Tom Orme, was called to go home to the Lord and master he so enthusiastically served. To say that his passing left a void at Vision for Children would be one of the greatest understatements of all time.

In December, a group of leaders, former residents, and friends of the ministry gathered in Franklin TN to support Tom’s family, bid our friend farewell until we meet again, and to plan for the next steps for Vision for Children. Estefania Layseca Gutierrez, the director of the House of Hope, traveled from Santiago to attend. Claudia Mills, a former House of Hope resident and living success story, attended with her husband David. Rev. Rob and Cheryl Fugate, long-time C&MA missionaries to Chile and supporters of our ministry, were also there. There was a unanimous sense that, while Tom founded and led the ministry, Vision for Children was ordained by God for the good of His children in Chile, and that, as such it must and will continue.

Our ministry in La Pintana continues to provide a safe place for girls in Chile to grow into successful Christian young women, just like Estefania and Claudia did. It also provides the opportunity to minister to the young girls at the Hogar de Ninas and the children at the Catholic Hogar, and other kids and families in the neighborhood and local schools. 

As we move ahead, we look forward to more ways that God will allow us to serve and make a positive impact. In April, a short-term mission team from Albany, NY will travel to Chile to collaborate with schools in Santiago. We pray and believe that this trip will be a blessing to both the teachers traveling from the US as well as to the educators and students they will work with in Chile. We are exploring other opportunities for mission trips and internships which match up well with our ministry. Specifically, we are planning a trip in October that will include a dedication of the House of Hope in honor of Tom Orme, along with the normal fall mission trip work activities. We will soon announce the dates and planned activities and pray that many of you will join us there.

During 2024, we ask you to reach out to us and let us know how we can best connect with you about the ministry of Vision for Children. Can we come to your church and tell you firsthand about the wonderful things that God is doing through the House of Hope? Would you consider being part of a mission trip team to Chile, either as individuals or with your church? 

We also pray that God would provide all the financial resources we need to continue our ministry to meet the physical, social, and spiritual needs of these young women in Chile’s poorest communities. Now more than ever, these young women need our help and support.

Honored to serve with each of you,

Joe Botana
VFC Board Member

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