Karla Rang, U.S. Coordinator

My name is Karla Rang and I live in Mesa, Arizona. I am a special education teacher and work for Mesa Public Schools. In the summer of 2003 I took advantage of my summer vacation and went to Maipu, Chile to volunteer at El Faro, a Christian church. El Faro is a church in the middle of a ¨barrio¨ (or project) where many families live in small apartments with great poverty. El Faro meets spiritual, emotional, and physical needs in a way I had never experienced before. With so little to be grateful for, these Chileans possess a love, joy, and a servant’s heart that taught me about the REAL hope that is found in our Lord, Jesus Christ. He truly changes lives and gives HOPE to those who truly have a desire to hope for something better than this life. It is often difficult to see this same ´hope´ in our abundant United States. I was tremendously humbled and God placed in me a NEED and DESIRE to help meet the needs of these families and friends that I had the incredible opportunity to know and love.

Members and leaders in El Faro recently decided to start a shelter that would help to meet the needs of the children in the community. The shelter, House of Hope, will exist to take in children who are in desperate need of love, clothing, food, help with school work, and to learn about the love of Jesus. As I heard of this project, I decided to take a leave of absence from my job and return to Chile to help with this project. The shelter will begin in July 2004. I will be taking pictures of the children who are attending the shelter and will post them on this web site along with a brief history of each child and their life situation. My hope is that God will open doors as well as the eyes of people who see the needs and are able to bless this project financially. This last week I woke up one cold morning and visited homes to take pictures of the kids already on the list to attend the shelter. I, bundled in my warm jacket, scarf, and gloves, knocked on doors to find kids home alone - in t-shirts, shorts, and many without socks. How could this be?

In another home I discovered twenty people living in the small apartment. Ten were there the day I visited. I tried to imagine ten more people packed in this small, cold place. Sadness poured through me and excitement grew as I understood the blessing this shelter will be in the lives of these families. The stories and need continue. Nothing will change until Christians begin to take God’s word seriously and make it a goal to help those in need around the world, even in our own communities. God lead me to Chile, but the needs are all around us. May you be blessed by this site and may God continue to show us where we can be used around the world for His kingdom!

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