Helping Global Orphans: A Common-Sense Approach

Albert Reyes • Jul 17, 2014

In Peru, the government recently passed a law guaranteeing the right of all Peruvian children to family care, rather than care in an institution. Photo by Andy Olsen / TEAM


We asked Dr. Albert Reyes, president and CEO of Buckner International, to share about how community development intersects with ministering to at-risk children and global orphans. This opinion column appeared in the summer 2014 issue of Horizons magazine.


The Problem With Institutional Orphan Care

If I earned a dollar every time I heard a well-intentioned Christian say, “I want to go to the mission field and start an orphanage,” I would have enough money to really make a difference for the more than 200 million orphans in the world today. While an orphanage is a better place than life on the street for children who are abandoned, neglected or abused, I wonder why institutional care rises to the top of the list of solutions for vulnerable children outside the United States.


What all children need is a healthy, safe and loving family to care for them. 

Isn’t that what we would want for our own children? Why does this common-sense approach escape us when serving vulnerable children in the global village? The world’s local churches are full of families that could provide homes for vulnerable children.


Dr. Dana Johnson, a professor of pediatrics and neonatology at the University of Minnesota and founder of that school’s International Adoption Clinic, says that orphanages produce negative affects on children. “Within an orphanage, during the first years of life, growth slows, the electrical activity of the brain diminishes, cognitive abilities decrease one IQ [per] month, language development lags, children fail to form a primary attachment relationship to caregivers and the likelihood of future mental illness increases dramatically,” he says.


The Solution is Community Based 

Buckner International, a ministry I direct that began as an orphanage west of the Mississippi River in 1879, has transformed over time to advance the view that the best place for a child is in a home with a loving family, rather than in an institutional setting. Internationally, we provide foster group homes, foster care and kinship care to place children in healthy family environments. Families make room for vulnerable children and work everyday to redeem these precious lives, turning what was intended for harm into good.


Much like TEAM, we also work through various community development strategies to help strengthen families and their communities. Initiatives such as health care services, community children’s centers, and educational assistance all play a part directly and indirectly in improving the future for orphans — or preventing them from becoming orphans in the first place.


Truly helping the world’s at-risk children requires action at the individual, community and policy levels.

One of my favorite people, Claudia Vergara de León, executive director of Buckner-Peru, recognizes this. She developed the first-ever foster care program in Lima, working diligently with the government’s Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations. In January, Vergara de León was instrumental in helping the Peruvian Congress unanimously pass a law guaranteeing the right of all Peruvian children to a family rather than care in an institution. She has written a book and trains groups in foster care all over Latin America.


Orphan Care Requires Open Hearts and Homes

Of course, there are many far simpler ways to serve the world’s orphans, and many of them are very accessible. First, we can see them as in our village, as part of our global neighborhood. Jesus said the whole law and the prophets could be reduced to loving God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength; and loving our neighbors as ourselves. We do this by providing homes, and by strengthening families so children can grow up in their family of origin. This is the right thing to do.


Some of the 200 million orphans live in your community. Would you open your home and become a forever family? Would you make it possible for a family to open their home for another child in the global village? You have heard that a mind is a terrible thing to waste. I would say a life is a terrible thing to waste.

By Suzanne Pearson 19 Mar, 2024
Previously on the TEAM blog, we sat down with Justin Burkholder (pictured above at left, with TEAM's Executive Director of Communications, Aaron Catlin). Justin will become TEAM’s next International Director on July 1, 2024. Justin shared about his background, family, and the journey that led him to TEAM. Check out that interview here . Today, we pick up the conversation as Justin shares how God called him to the role of International Director, and what he sees for the next chapter in TEAM’s work in the global Church. Q: How and when did you first consider applying for the position of International Director? How did the Lord reveal Himself to you as this opportunity presented itself? A: For some time, I have been evaluating how God wants me to use the gifts He has given me. Jenny and I have had a fruitful ministry in church planting in Guatemala and would happily continue doing so as God leads. However, as God blessed my efforts in TEAM leadership, there were friends and family who expressed that I should consider using my gifts in the International Director role. I don’t believe that everything necessarily rises and falls on leadership, but I do believe that it is a core component in the body of Christ. Using the gifts God has given me is a way that I want to bless the body of Christ in TEAM, making my contribution to the global purposes of God’s mission. Jenny and I spent a lot of time praying about this and decided that I should put my name in for consideration, trusting God’s guidance. We had a tremendous amount of peace throughout the entire process and were blessed by the prayer-filled process that the board undertook. Q: This is a key role in a large and complex organization, and I’m sure this was a big decision for you and your family. What were your fears or concerns? Why did you ultimately decide to accept the position? A: You say “were” like the fears have passed! I still am quite aware of my youth and inexperience - of the responsibility and weight of this role. Mostly, I’m afraid of leading an organization like TEAM in the flesh. Many of the fears that I have faced have been fears rooted in fleshly desires and concerns. I have no desire to succeed in the world’s eyes and fail in the Kingdom of Jesus. Why did I ultimately decide to accept the position? I’m convinced that the Good News about Jesus is true. The tomb is empty, Jesus is King, and the world needs to know, because Jesus is coming back. He will put things in order. He will establish righteousness, peace, and justice for all mankind, and He has commissioned His Church to proclaim and demonstrate His rule and reign. I want to use my gifts to do whatever I can to amplify the proclamation of this message and the multiplication of His Church around the world. Q: What are your goals and vision for the future of TEAM? A: This is something that I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about. I’m certainly not ready to present a fully-shaped vision and goals for TEAM’s future without the input of other people in different contexts in TEAM. But, I will share a few things that I think are important: First, we need to model God-Dependence . I am hopeful that as leaders in TEAM, we can continue to model God-Dependence. As Hudson Taylor said years ago “…God’s work, done in God’s way, will never lack God’s supplies.” I am hopeful that we can increase our sense of faith in God, prayer, and seeking direction from the Spirit. Secondly, we must strengthen our relational fabric . Due to the changes that we have experienced by decentralizing our home office functions, and the challenges from the pandemic, we have experienced a loss of relationships. It is imperative that we intentionally prioritize the building of relationships with one another. I plan to visit our workers and staff, and I am expectant that other key leaders and staff will be doing the same. Third, we must pursue the greater presence of the global Church. The Kingdom of Jesus Christ doesn’t look like any single geopolitical, ethnic, or racial culture. If we want to truly see the Kingdom of Jesus come on earth as it is in heaven, then we as citizens of this Kingdom must learn from one another, submit to one another, and grow with one another. The missional potential of the global Church has been unleashed by God’s Spirit since Acts 1, and we have an opportunity to learn from many brothers and sisters in Christ who can help us to better model and proclaim the Kingdom of Jesus to those who have yet to believe. Lastly, we must increase our Gospel boldness . There are still many places of great spiritual blindness and spiritual brokenness around the world. The apostolic impulse of cross-cultural organizations should call us to the to the edges of where the Kingdom of Jesus is not penetrating. Whether spiritual blindness and brokenness exists because of lack of access, idolatry, injustice, or any other myriad of reasons, I prayerfully hope to see more and more TEAM workers continue to move into spaces of great Gospel need.
By Suzanne Pearson 08 Mar, 2024
Through God-ordained partnerships and creative connections, TEAM worker Keith Moore sees the global Church advancing in amazing ways. In the global missions landscape, a phrase that comes up often is “from everywhere, to everywhere.” God is calling His global Church in literal new directions, as He raises up cross-cultural workers to be sent from places that were once on the receiving end of missions work. We call this movement “polycentric sending.” TEAM workers Dawn and Keith Moore have seen first-hand this transition taking place. Their story involves the unlikely but beautiful intersection of Charlotte, North Carolina; Tegucigalpa, Honduras; and Memphis, Tennessee...and beyond. The Path to Honduras Keith and Dawn joined TEAM in 1991 and served as church planters for nine years in Bogota, Colombia. After safety concerns precipitated their return to the States in 1999, they knew they wanted to continue serving in Latin America. The Moores felt called to Honduras but wanted to connect with a strong missional church to help send them. The Lord orchestrated a collaboration with Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee. “Some people asked, ‘Why Honduras? Missionaries have been there for 100 years. It’s already reached,’” Keith says. “But there’s a whole section of Latin America that had not been reached - the upper crust.” Keith goes on to explain that he and Dawn felt called to reach college-educated professionals in Honduras – a ministry vision that resonated with the missional goals of Bellevue Baptist. Impact and Growth With the support of this new church partnership as well as another sending church in Birmingham, Alabama, the Moores embarked on their next adventure. Keith and Dawn started Impacto Honduras Church from scratch, and in less than 20 years, the church grew into four locations with 1600 total members. The Moores and other TEAM workers also created a “Bible school” type training program to help professionals who feel a call to ministry to make that transition. Throughout this period of explosive growth, church partnerships played an integral role. “It’s such a different vision when you have a church that says, ‘OK, this is our deal, we want to make this happen,’” Keith explains. “They helped us with everything. They took away every single obstacle to growth. Every time we needed something, they were there.” In 2017, the Moores once again found themselves on the verge of another decision. Was it time to leave Honduras? “I had no desire to leave,” Keith recalls. “People were coming to Christ every week! It was just so amazing.” However, back in the U.S., Keith and Dawn’s parents were in their 80s and would soon be in need of more care. “We realized that either we would leave in a crisis, or we would leave strategically,” says Keith. The couple began to implement a careful succession plan. By the time they left, the four churches were established with strong, Honduran leadership ready to carry on the work of the Gospel.
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