Dear friends and supporters, 

As we come to the close of 2022, we want to express our appreciation for your faithfulness. We are grateful for your prayers and generosity, and we want to share how your donations had a significant impact on the lives of the children at Niños de la Luz this year. 

In brief, your support provided: 

  • A loving Christian home for our boys, including all living, educational, and medical expenses.

  • A quality Christian education and training in life skills, including teaching English, to our boys at the home and the 140 students enrolled in our school. 

  • Transportation for students to school and for our boys to doctor visits, church, and activities. 

  • Support for 184 Hondurans students and staff, not including family members who also benefit. 

  • Health insurance! In September this year we were able to provide health insurance for our entire staff and their families. 

2022 Highlights 

  • Realigned our staff to more effectively meet our current needs 

  • Established a transition home for our boys who are aging out of the boys' home 

  • Provided health insurance ($35 a month) for all our employees and their families 

  • Completed the 2022 school year with high school classes 7th and 8th grades 

Boys Home 

In 2022 we shifted our focus for the current boys in our home. The goal of Social Services for orphans in Honduras is now to reunite children with families, and we have learned the majority of children in homes/orphanages like ours have family members who love them and want to provide for them. Each situation is unique as to how children came to be placed under our care. For this reason, we have found it necessary to work with our social worker and our psychologist experienced in these types of situations to research each boy's individual circumstance and locate their families if possible. 

During recent research we found out one of the boys in our home had family but is not able to return to them until the home has proper bathroom and shower facilities. Our team in Honduras has worked together to find local sponsors to help the family update their home to include these facilities and this child could be reunited with his family by the end of THIS YEAR (2022). What a blessing for this boy to be able to grow up with his own family and in a real home! 

Transition Home:

Welcome back, Mary! Mary, founder of Niños de la Luz, returned in January of this year from a well-deserved sabbatical (26 years of service, WOW!). She jumped right back in and helped establish a transition home to teach and mentor the older boys who have aged out of the system. She is developing new skills with them like how to balance a check book, make a budget, shop for groceries, cook healthy meals, write a resume, search for work or continued education, etc. 

Also, as a follow-up to our reintegration process and part of Mary's role as the After Care Director, she will visit and follow-up with the boys that get reintegrated back to their families. 

Education Center:

We are extremely excited to report we were officially able to open our high school this 2022 School Year! The 7th and 8th grade classes began this 2022 school year. There is a significant need for a high school in our rural community. Our goal is to continue to open one grade per year through 12th, starting with 9th grade in February of 2023. (The Honduran school year goes by the calendar year, and school is in session from February through November.) 

You can help! 

We are starting 2023 with a budget deficit this year totaling over $140,000. We are praying for wisdom in ways to raise the needed funds, make cuts in our expenses, and work toward making Niños de la Luz a more self-sustaining mission going into the future. Our goal by year-end is to raise $100,000 of this deficit. This effort will involve creative funding ideas and working to expand our exposure footprint to those who have a desire to serve with us. We have seen God meet our needs now for nearly 20 years, and we pray his will is the same in 2023. 

Heart4Children is primarily a volunteer organization in the US, and our overhead is below 6%. As you determine your year-end giving, will you consider helping with our financial needs? Your tax-deductible donation can be made using a credit card or e-check on our website. Simply follow this link to donate: Donate to End of Year Campaign 

If you prefer to send a check, you can send it to Heart4Children, PO Box 47, Tomball, TX 77377. We truly appreciate your support, and we are committed to using your gifts wisely and efficiently. God's blessings, Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year to you in 2023! 

Sincerely, 

Jim Cook