What We Do...
At The Lighthouse Ranch
In Venezuela

The Lighthouse Ranch is at the core of the Niños de la Luz ministry. It is here that the boys are taken in from the streets into loving homes where they are nurtured by caring parents, taught family values through example and discipled into a strong faith in Christ. Each of the three homes on the ranch has a house “mother” and “father” who come to love the kids as their own. Their commitment to the children is beyond a job; it’s a calling and passion that God has given them. It is through this calling that each one of our staff members is able to give the kids what they need and deserve.

The homes on the Lighthouse Ranch are kept small, with only eight to ten boys, in order to maintain a close knit family environment so that each boy can receive the individual attention that they need. The house parents spend one-on-one time with each boy daily, nurturing and loving them while they adjust and work through the problems that they have suffered on the street.

Most of the boys had been living in extremely dysfunctional or unhealthy situations even before they ended up on the streets. A large percentage are children of prostitutes or homeless people. They have never been in a healthy family environment. Rather than explain to the boys about a good family, it is our hope that they will learn first hand by the role model of their house parents in an intimate family setting. The initial contrast of their surroundings upon arrival to the ranch is extreme, but most adjust rather quickly and come to see their “brothers” and “parents” as the family that they never had. In this family they see how a healthy married couple interacts with one another and with them. They learn family values through their experiences in the home, through the guidance of their parents and most importantly through the unconditional love that they receive.

Within the strong Christian community at the ranch, the boys are discipled by not only their “parents”, but also by their “Aunts” and “Uncles”, by our special grandparent couple, and by the older boys who have now grown into mature young adults. With so much support, the boys’ growth and change is evident almost immediately. Our sole desire is for each of the boys not only to have their physical needs met in our homes, but to come to know Jesus as their savior, friend and father. It is this relationship that will change them, carry them and guide them for the rest of their lives. And it will be this light that shines through them as a beacon of hope for their own family, friends, and community for years to come.

It is evident as soon as you step onto the Lighthouse Ranch that each home truly is a “light”, a light that floods into the heart and soul of each child with the love of God. The time, love and dedication invested into each one of the boys are evident as we see them growing into young men of God: strong in character, strong in their values and strong in their identity in Christ. We are thankful for the opportunity and privilege of being a part of their lives.

The three homes on the ranch; "La Esperanza" (The Hope), "Manantial" (The Spring) and
"El Camino" (The Way)