Serving at Esperanza para Ti.
I, Duane, grew up under the loving care of my parents, along with my 4 brothers, on a hobby farm in Langley, BC. I grew up going to church every Sunday and attended Christian school.
During and after high school I worked construction. Following this, I spent a year studying mechanics, then gained work experience in a mechanic shop. Then I returned to doing construction work again.
During all this time God was teaching me valuable skills. I was happy with where life was taking me as I was on my way to becoming prosperous as one can do if wise with their money in Canada. Yet I had a nagging question in my head, “Was this what God had created me for? Was this what God wanted for my life?
Then in the summer of 2000 I had the opportunity to go on a mission trip to Pan de Vida. My eyes were opened when I saw the poverty. The children were well fed but their living conditions were horrible at that time. There were close to 90 children living in an old building. The boys were living in what used to be the animal’s shelter. Rats ran free in this area and occasionally bite a child.
I felt God saying, “Duane, I have given you abilities to help these children”. So I returned to Mexico in January 2001. I then helped with the construction of their new facilities till the summer of 2005. The project was moving along well and the children were in their new homes.
God then opened a door to a new project at another orphanage. The orphanage had a piece of land but no one to build the required buildings, so the following September I stepped up to complete the required construction work.
In July, 2007 I was blessed to become a missionary for Children of Hope and I began receiving financial support through Children of Hope. This allowed me to continue with my mission aid work.
In 2010, Maribel and I were married and now we have two beautiful daughters, Perla and Tricia. We were happy to call Pan de Vida our home and our family for 10 years!
In 2020, we transitioned to Esperanza para Ti. Here, I work in maintenance and construction and Maribel works in the administration department. We are overjoyed to be part of Esperanza para Ti and anticipate the future of this home.
