The Gospel and Trauma

Our boys completed school two weeks ago--summer is here! I'm excited to share with you what I've been learning as I've settled in my role with Back2Back, and the impact I'm seeing. This week Kim is in Monterrey, Mexico observing, serving and being trained by the local leaders in how holistic child development models are changing the landscape of orphan care. Back2Back is fervently pursuing their mission:

1. That each child would know and love Jesus
2. Have healthy interdependence in their community
3. Be developed for sustainability and independence

During college I remember this phrase often repeated: "Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary." This, for me, led to a new season of exploring how vocation and lifestyle would pair with the truth I believed and wanted to share. 

Now in a ministry focused on launching traumatized children beyond the orphanage I realize a new facet of the gospel: Trauma teaches the inverse of the Gospel. This is because it not only deeply impacts a child's behavior and actions, it unfortunately also forms them to see and understand life through a new lens. Loss, neglect, abuse and abandonment oppose God's perfect design and demonstrate the effects of sin as it fractures human relationships.

The rich truth of Jesus' good news is that we can place our hopes and needs in the hands of a saving God who values us so much he sacrifices to the point of dying for us. This is both incredible reality and incomprehensible logic. What helps us along the way are God's graces, and tangible or remembered examples (even if imperfect models around us).

Thank you for your prayers, friendship, support and partnership with this mission. My role as IT Director allows me to identify and strengthen elements of our communication tools across the organization. By April I accounted for providing remote support to not just the US Corporate Office, but to all eight site locations. It is a deep blessing for me to increase my competence in tech areas, and serve our staff, so that their direct impact with children and care workers would be efficient and lasting.

Below are some photos giving a glimpse of our life over the last two months.

A portion of  The Backyard Beanery bean sales so far assisted with the sponsorship of Fwanguul (“Angel”), a five-year-old girl living in a children’s home for orphans in Jos, Nigeria. Many of the children in this particular home have been orphaned by religious persecution. Sponsorship funds help provide balanced meals for the children, pay for school fees, assist with housing costs, and provide medical care.

Kim has started a home business called The Backyard Beanery, providing fresh coffee beans, roasted in our backyard and delivered to your front porch. Bringing things full circle, the coffee comes from small farms paid fair-wage around the world, is hand-roasted, and the proceeds help provide sponsorship and awareness of orphaned children.

Looking at this view has been a familiar sight the last month. Almost all the network devices were replaced or refreshed. With a stable infrastructure we can focus on our mission to develop toward sustainability--by being sustainable ourselves!

Sometimes my view also looks like this--trying to reach into complex and untouched spaces to make everyday-life easier through technology!

With this amazing group of individuals I am blessed to serve orphaned and vulnerable children-- until every child is known and loved!