Tlay Maak tsu  is the name of the historic site  on the West Coast of Vancouver Island that the Ehattesaht people of the Nuu chahnulth used as a resting and stop over place for canoeing travelers. The village is ideally situated; it has easy access from the ocean, cool refreshing potable water and protection from the prevailing winds.

It is this exact location that, in 1937, Dr. Herman Mclean, with the aid of Percy Wills and Mr. Peters from the Ucluelet Tribe, were led. This location became known as Esperanza, a mission hospital, named after the inlet.

Esperanza means “hope” in Spanish and many have indeed found hope here.  No longer a medical mission,  Esperanza, its staff and volunteers, remain steadfast  to the calling of community, refuge and service.

During the fall, winter and springtime the staff and volunteers offer family and individual counseling, crisis and substance abuse intervention,  and community outreach. During the summer the focus turns toward the children and youth.  The development of youth leadership is the focus of both the Counselor in Training program and Outdoor Adventure Program at Camp Ferrier. During the summer, at the youth camps, children come into contact with the gospel in a unique and fun way.

Throughout the year many, many, skilled and unskilled volunteers come to help make Esperanza what it is. Church groups, family groups and individuals come with their diverse gifts and share these. Some build buildings, some provide bookkeeping services, while other beautify and chop wood. Still others abide quietly in prayer.

Esperanza is also a community of convergence;  a meeting grounds for people of various abilities, interests, denominations and ethnicities. Esperanza is a place where people can come to learn about the Creator , about another and about themselves. It is a community where some live, some volunteer for a day or a lifetime, some rest and some simply visit to enjoy.

It is amazing how historic and modern purposes of the land, to provide rest and restoration, have lined up over time and culture. To us it demonstrates how God is sovereign and His purposes are larger than our understandings.

We invite you to partner with us in Esperanza.  For many, it is a formational experience in knowing Jesus and making Him known. It is an invitation to follow the call of deeper service, to participate relationally and vocationally in intentional community, to give of yourself in the ways you are gifted and called to live and serve.