Wholistic Care
Ahana’s World
by: Kathy Davis | Sr. Director of Wholistic Care Ahana’s world was upended at the tender age of four when cancer claimed her mother’s life. Left in the care of five older siblings, she endured a childhood marked by hardship and loss. Her father’s remarriage brought...
A Father’s Journey
by: Billy Ray | Sr. Director, Middle East My name is Haider Omar Qawas, and I am from Kobane, Syria. I am blessed to be the father of 23 children, twelve sons and eleven daughters. Two of my sons are still living with me and are not married yet. Among my younger sons,...
The Language of Love
by: Jennifer Holcomb | Mobilization Director In the vibrant, contrast-filled heart of Guatemala City, two church partners meet for the first time amidst a mosaic of Mayan and Spanish cultural influences. The city, divided into zones, presents a striking dichotomy: the...
In Loving Memory of Bishop Julius
Letters and Tributes Beloved Family and Friends, I’ll never forget meeting Bishop Julius the first time in 2010 with the team from River Oaks Community Church as we traveled from Maryville, TN to Nairobi, Kenya to meet our new church partner. The dirt road leading us...
From Herdsman to Fisher of Men: This is Negusse
by: Kevin Squires | Sr. Director of International Programs Reminiscing about his childhood, Negusse remembers the silence, the loneliness, and the constant pacing across the fields of common ground as he herded his family’s cattle. His eyes would often be fixated on...
Precious in His Sight
by: Scott Vair | President/CEO We matter to God. Each one of us - you, me, your neighbors, our friends, those we know well and those we will never meet. God sees, loves, and adores us. Each one. In Luke 12:7, Jesus tells us, “Indeed, the very hairs on your head are...
A Grain of Hope
by: Loyda Sandoval | Guatemala Family Empowerment Facilitator It was a Saturday afternoon, coming back in the car from a session with her son’s occupational therapist. Suddenly, Flor, with her voice choked with emotion, said to me, “Loyda, I dream of having my own...
Blooming Bougainvilleas in Guatemala
by: Marlana Smith | Guatemala Communications Director The World Orphans Guatemala team started our first devotional of 2024 discussing pruning/simplicity and what John meant when he wrote about abiding in Christ as our vine in John 15:5. We actually spent time...
FRUIT TAKES TIME
by: Randy Phillips | Sr Director of Church Partnership As I walked up the concrete church stairs covered with dust from construction all around me, I heard the sounds of hammers and construction workers talking and the voices of another group of people. I turned the...
Committed to True Partnership
by: Kate Borders | Sr Director of Operations Can you imagine the surprise, when a member of one of our international churches is talking with a US-based team member (whose church has been partnering for many years but he was visiting for the first time) and they find...
Church Partnership
Ahana’s World
by: Kathy Davis | Sr. Director of Wholistic Care Ahana’s world was upended at the tender age of four when cancer claimed her mother’s life. Left in the care of five older siblings, she endured a childhood marked by hardship and loss. Her father’s remarriage brought...
A Father’s Journey
by: Billy Ray | Sr. Director, Middle East My name is Haider Omar Qawas, and I am from Kobane, Syria. I am blessed to be the father of 23 children, twelve sons and eleven daughters. Two of my sons are still living with me and are not married yet. Among my younger sons,...
The Language of Love
by: Jennifer Holcomb | Mobilization Director In the vibrant, contrast-filled heart of Guatemala City, two church partners meet for the first time amidst a mosaic of Mayan and Spanish cultural influences. The city, divided into zones, presents a striking dichotomy: the...
In Loving Memory of Bishop Julius
Letters and Tributes Beloved Family and Friends, I’ll never forget meeting Bishop Julius the first time in 2010 with the team from River Oaks Community Church as we traveled from Maryville, TN to Nairobi, Kenya to meet our new church partner. The dirt road leading us...
From Herdsman to Fisher of Men: This is Negusse
by: Kevin Squires | Sr. Director of International Programs Reminiscing about his childhood, Negusse remembers the silence, the loneliness, and the constant pacing across the fields of common ground as he herded his family’s cattle. His eyes would often be fixated on...
Precious in His Sight
by: Scott Vair | President/CEO We matter to God. Each one of us - you, me, your neighbors, our friends, those we know well and those we will never meet. God sees, loves, and adores us. Each one. In Luke 12:7, Jesus tells us, “Indeed, the very hairs on your head are...
A Grain of Hope
by: Loyda Sandoval | Guatemala Family Empowerment Facilitator It was a Saturday afternoon, coming back in the car from a session with her son’s occupational therapist. Suddenly, Flor, with her voice choked with emotion, said to me, “Loyda, I dream of having my own...
Blooming Bougainvilleas in Guatemala
by: Marlana Smith | Guatemala Communications Director The World Orphans Guatemala team started our first devotional of 2024 discussing pruning/simplicity and what John meant when he wrote about abiding in Christ as our vine in John 15:5. We actually spent time...
FRUIT TAKES TIME
by: Randy Phillips | Sr Director of Church Partnership As I walked up the concrete church stairs covered with dust from construction all around me, I heard the sounds of hammers and construction workers talking and the voices of another group of people. I turned the...
Committed to True Partnership
by: Kate Borders | Sr Director of Operations Can you imagine the surprise, when a member of one of our international churches is talking with a US-based team member (whose church has been partnering for many years but he was visiting for the first time) and they find...
Home BAsed Care
Ahana’s World
by: Kathy Davis | Sr. Director of Wholistic Care Ahana’s world was upended at the tender age of four when cancer claimed her mother’s life. Left in the care of five older siblings, she endured a childhood marked by hardship and loss. Her father’s remarriage brought...
A Father’s Journey
by: Billy Ray | Sr. Director, Middle East My name is Haider Omar Qawas, and I am from Kobane, Syria. I am blessed to be the father of 23 children, twelve sons and eleven daughters. Two of my sons are still living with me and are not married yet. Among my younger sons,...
The Language of Love
by: Jennifer Holcomb | Mobilization Director In the vibrant, contrast-filled heart of Guatemala City, two church partners meet for the first time amidst a mosaic of Mayan and Spanish cultural influences. The city, divided into zones, presents a striking dichotomy: the...
In Loving Memory of Bishop Julius
Letters and Tributes Beloved Family and Friends, I’ll never forget meeting Bishop Julius the first time in 2010 with the team from River Oaks Community Church as we traveled from Maryville, TN to Nairobi, Kenya to meet our new church partner. The dirt road leading us...
From Herdsman to Fisher of Men: This is Negusse
by: Kevin Squires | Sr. Director of International Programs Reminiscing about his childhood, Negusse remembers the silence, the loneliness, and the constant pacing across the fields of common ground as he herded his family’s cattle. His eyes would often be fixated on...
Precious in His Sight
by: Scott Vair | President/CEO We matter to God. Each one of us - you, me, your neighbors, our friends, those we know well and those we will never meet. God sees, loves, and adores us. Each one. In Luke 12:7, Jesus tells us, “Indeed, the very hairs on your head are...
A Grain of Hope
by: Loyda Sandoval | Guatemala Family Empowerment Facilitator It was a Saturday afternoon, coming back in the car from a session with her son’s occupational therapist. Suddenly, Flor, with her voice choked with emotion, said to me, “Loyda, I dream of having my own...
Blooming Bougainvilleas in Guatemala
by: Marlana Smith | Guatemala Communications Director The World Orphans Guatemala team started our first devotional of 2024 discussing pruning/simplicity and what John meant when he wrote about abiding in Christ as our vine in John 15:5. We actually spent time...
FRUIT TAKES TIME
by: Randy Phillips | Sr Director of Church Partnership As I walked up the concrete church stairs covered with dust from construction all around me, I heard the sounds of hammers and construction workers talking and the voices of another group of people. I turned the...
Committed to True Partnership
by: Kate Borders | Sr Director of Operations Can you imagine the surprise, when a member of one of our international churches is talking with a US-based team member (whose church has been partnering for many years but he was visiting for the first time) and they find...
Orphan Care
Global Village: Filling the Gap
“I never loved you and everything is your fault. Don’t expect anyone to love you if your own mother can’t.”
Those were the last words out of his mother’s mouth before David was launched into the foster care system. It was a couple days after his 10th birthday and, to say the least, he’d had a difficult first decade.
Are You Exhausted in Orphan Care?
By Matthew Hanks | Project ManagerAfrica The first time I participated in the Christian Alliance for Orphans Summit (CAFO), the number of amazing groups fighting on behalf of the orphan astounded me. There were more groups present at this adoption/foster care/orphan...
He Became and I Become
By Kathy Davis | Director of Wholistic CareThe question is often asked of children, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I remember my well-meaning grandfather asking me this question, hoping I would dream big, work hard, and achieve everything I ever desired. I...
Finding Hope in Lessons Learned
By Jeremy Resmer | Sr. Director of Projects Global orphan care is complex. We have the tendency to oversimplify problems. Sometimes, in our desire to think globally, we develop elaborate strategies to care for orphaned children and assume our plans will work in every...
Just Normal
By Sheri Mellema | Church PartnershipWhen considering the meaning of the word “normal,” I think we would all agree that it has become a very subjective term. Given the numerous contexts of our world today, what is deemed normal for one person can vary wildly...
The Journey to Flight
By Kathy Davis | Wholistic CareYesterday morning my middle daughter brought a cup of coffee into my office, nestled into the couch, and said “Momma, you’re sad.” “Well, maybe a little,” I replied. Later in the day, my youngest daughter passed off her favorite...
Gratitude and Great Anticipation
By Bailey Kalvelage | MobilizationReflecting seems to always be part of the festivities of a new year. Whether in the quiet of the morning or between errands, we tend to ponder the past year, retracing steps both large and small. I invite you to journey with me...
“Love Me Until I Die”
By Kevin Squires | Senior Director of Church PartnershipsAmerica was taken aback in recent weeks by the sound of an orphan’s cry. Davion Only, a 15-year old boy in Florida’s foster care system, put on his finest clothes, went to church, stood on stage, and...
Why Not Family?
By Jesse Blaine | CambodiaWorld Orphans is excited to share with you the release of a new video ‘Why Not a Family?’ presented by Uniting For Children. Uniting For Children is a movement whose purpose is to “expand the conversation about the best ways to care...