SPRING/SUMMER 2017 VOLUME 25
Care for today. Hope for tomorrow.
I’m in if you’re in!
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR
Back2Back is blessed with now over 240 staff, who care deeply about orphans, families, and vulnerable children around the world. I feel so grateful to serve alongside leaders and experts in the orphan care community. My favorite quality among the team is they are learners, especially in the field of child development, constantly taking steps toward helping children heal from hurt places. Back2Back’s depth of care continues to go deeper! The Back2Back family doesn’t stop with the staff. Thousands of you have joined in meeting kids needs through prayer, advocacy, time spent serving onsite, and financial investment. This year we created a hashtag #iiiyi, representing an expression we’ve used for a long time, I’m in if you’re in. You might see it on t-shirts and social media posts. This started between hard working staff members in moments of challenge, when one looked at the other and gained strength from their commitment and shared calling. Today, it's an expression of encouragement, which we hope motivates us all to lean into community, to link arms with other co-laborers so we can all fight another day. You are a part of this family and we want you to know how much we appreciate what you do, how you use your gifts and offer yourself...I'm in if you're in. I can remember in the earlier years, knowing someone was coming on a trip to serve, or had sent in a donation, or had signed on to serve for another year, it was always easier to say “I’m in if you’re in.” Clearly, we all serve because God calls us, but as colaborers, God has given us a great community to encourage each other. Thank you for all the times you showed up to serve on a short term trip, prayed for the life and success of a child, advocated within your network, and contributed to a heartfelt need! I so appreciate when talking to a mission trip guest or ministry advocate and they use the word, “we.” They are right! This is a whole group effort.
20 years later, Back2Back is still Thank you for all in. Not only is God working all the times you through us at our sites, but He is allowing us to share what we have showed up to learned with others in this fight. serve on a short We regularly collaborate and share our lessons and best practices term trip, prayed in child development, non-profit leadership, and advocacy. Recently, a for the life and handful of Back2Back staff traveled success of a child, to the Dominican Republic for a three day, Trauma Competent Care advocated within training with a handful of orphan your network, and care organizations. Together, they represented more than 1700 contributed to a children.This is only one example of heartfelt need! the thousands of children impacted by the Trauma Competent Care training Back2Back has shared globally. It is a win when we share our expertise to impact the lives of children and families. Please join me in praying for wisdom and strength as Back2Back continues to learn and invest in the lives of individuals. That’s our priority, to invest into one life at a time. At the Night of Hope, I shared a Dave Ramsey quote, “Intensity over time, times the multiple of God = Momentum (I/T(God)=M ).” My daily prayer is we would never let up our intensity, that we would all endure challenges to continue this fight over time and we would humbly submit ourselves to God, so we can sense the momentum of His power behind us.
Todd Guckenberger, Executive Director of Back2Back Ministries
11 A Foundation of Shared Hope 13 A Family Reunited
VISION
We desire for every orphan and vulnerable child to have the opportunity for success through “Care for today and Hope for tomorrow�. The goal is each child would experience restoration to a life of purpose in which they can become fulfilled and mature Christian adults.
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MISSION
Hope In an Unexpected Place
Back2Back Ministries is an international Christian non-profit organization dedicated to being a voice for orphans. We exist to love and care for orphans and vulnerable children, by meeting their spiritual, physical, educational, emotional and social needs so they may overcome their life circumstances and break free from the cycle of generational poverty.
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What Makes a Family Stronger? 7
Opportunity for Strength
We would like to thank Quality Printing for partnering with Back2Back by offering us high-quality printing.
THE BIRTH OF OUR RECKLESS FAITH
by Beth Guckenberger, Back2Back Ministries Co-Executive Director
It was 1996, and we were co-leading a Mexico missions trip that lacked substance. Painting a wall around a church, we wondered what God was doing in Queretaro, Mexico. We had visited an orphanage once in Albania while in college and it had moved us. Was there an orphanage in this city? Todd asked. We jumped in a taxi and found an orphanage. After initial conversation with the director, he told us the front window was broken and the kids hadn’t eaten meat in a year. We could come back the next day and do something about that, if we wanted. The next day while serving hamburgers, I followed a preschool girl up to her dorm room and watched as she and her friends hid burgers under their mattresses. Todd and I talked the whole way home about people we knew who would buy hamburgers for orphans, if they only knew how.
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We shyly began to tell our friends and family we were saving money to move to Mexico. We bought a map to put on our kitchen wall. We enrolled in a beginner Spanish class. We
talked to every Mexican we could find. There was a fire burning in us and we didn’t know exactly how to explain it to people, but it felt like a magnet pulling us towards something we couldn’t see. During spring break, 1997, we visited Monterrey, Mexico for the first time.
This was the city we had decided to move to and we wanted to check it out. It was a terrible trip! We were hot, and eventually sick, felt lost and we questioned this calling. It took a lot of prayer to get us back on track after we arrived home. The next month, we took a step of faith and asked our bosses for a year’s leave of absence
from work. People around us began asking questions, “What organization are you going with?” “What is your plan?” “How long will you be gone?” “How’s your Spanish?” We had lame answers to most of their thoughtful questions and we knew it. Our answers were along the lines of “We are leaving our jobs, spending all our savings, hoping to learn the language, not get sick, and set up a bridge between what we know and what we imagine.” We left late June of 1997 and headed south. It takes three days to travel by Isuzu Trooper from Cincinnati, Ohio to Monterrey, Mexico. We didn’t understand how to cross the border, get a visitor’s visa, or read a Mexican map. More than once, we had to turn around and go back to the border for the correct paperwork. We hired a taxi once we got into town and followed it to the address
of the house we had rented. It was the year of El Nino and the 115-degree summer heat felt epic. We had been there one night and already it felt hard.
discovered salsa and soccer, mountain hiking and four hour meals. We danced for the first time in worship and cried about children not our own.
Nonetheless, we prayed in that house on Avenida Rio Panuco fifty people from our hometown would get on a plane and visit us. Before the year was up, we’d host three hundred and fifty.
The following spring, the consensus was God had been moving a long time within that community before we ever showed up, but he was clearly inviting us into His work. We talked to the Back2Back board and purchased property in nearby Colonia Los Cristales. It looked to everyone like an acre of land housing an old thread factory, but to me it looked like roots.
Once guests started arriving, we didn’t know where to put them. The girls slept on the floor of the second story, sharing our bathroom.The boys slept on the floor of the living room and anywhere else they could find. Everyone mainly hosed off on the back deck, and I ordered chicken or pizza every night since the kitchen wasn’t designed to cook for 30 at a time. It was a tremendous year, one I would relive over and over. We gave birth to our daughter, Emma, we met and fell in love with the Mexican church and our hearts were permanently broken for the orphan. We
If we knew then what we know now, that nearly 20,000 people would sleep under its roof to date, we’d have probably just knocked it down and started from scratch, but thankfully God doesn’t show us what we can’t handle. All we could see was the step ahead, and so in lockstep with the growing Back2Back family, we walked forward in reckless faith. 4
Looking Back 20 Years Worth Celebrating
1997 The adventure begins! We welcomed the first mission trip teams, providing hundreds of individuals with an opportunity to express God’s love by serving orphans in need.
Monterrey, Mexico Back2Back launched its first site in Monterrey, Mexico in 1997.
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1999 After discovering that many orphans have few prospects for their future once free public schooling ends at ninth grade, we knew we had to do something. We began by coming alongside a few students to provide them with resources to continue their education.
2002 What began as a small initiative to empower orphaned children to continue their education, grew into Back2Back’s Hope Education Program. This offered students an opportunity to live with staff families, receive mentoring and discipleship training, all while pursuing high school and college degrees. In 2002, we opened the first official Hope Home, the Joshua House in Monterrey, Mexico.
2006 Jos, Nigeria Back2Back launches a site in Jos, Nigeria and begins meeting the needs of local orphans through community development.
2003 A year later, the Hope Education Program was continuing to grow, but we realized that providing educational opportunities alone wasn’t enough. We began to shift our model to emphasize empowering students to achieve sustainability. 2006 Additional Hope Program homes were added to our Monterrey, Mexico campus, allowing us to accept even more students into the Hope Program.
2008 Hyderabad, India Realizing the need of the 33 million orphans in India, Back2Back launches a ministry site in Hyderabad.
2009 Back2Back launches a child sponsorship program! Our first child sponsored was Bety. We have over 360 sponsorships that are benefiting the children.
2009 We celebrated the graduation of our first Hope Education Program college graduates.
2013 Port-au-Prince, Haiti Back2Back launches a site in Haiti and begins meeting the needs of orphans.
2010 Cancun, Mexico After learning that orphans in Cancun are especially vulnerable to falling victim to human trafficking rings, Back2Back opened a site in Cancun, Mexico to provide preventative care for at-risk orphans.
2011 In an effort to continue to encourage orphaned children to reach sustainability, Back2Back developed an orphan care approach that seeks to meet the needs of the whole child. Back2Back’s Child Development Plan centers around providing deep, holistic care to each child we serve.
2012 Mazatlan, Mexico Back2Back opens a ministry base in Mazatlan, its third site in Mexico in 2012. Currently, we are partnering with three orphanages in the area, one of which serves children with special needs.
2016 105 Hope Program students currently living in family-style homes. 95% of Hope Program students who have graduated from the program and have begun families of their own are the primary care provider for their child/children.
2017 Global Partnerships with 168 organizations serving more than 75,000 children these partnerships revolve around Back2Back sharing best practices in global orphan care.
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opportunity for
STRENGTH
A rural village sits within walking distance of Back2Back’s India Hope Campus in Hyderabad. There, in homes with open doorways, many families live and work in agriculture, hopeful for rainfall to bring their crops to harvest. The homes sit close together and line a combination of cement and dirt “roads.” This is the village where eight-year old Sudha lives with her mom, dad, and little brother.
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Back2Back staff first met Sudha when they visited a local, government-run school in April of 2016. Rows of children sat wide-eyed and curious as the group visited, and it was Sudha’s soft smile that caught their attention. A desire to know more about Sudha and her family, and a call to help where and when they could, grew right there, in the middle of an Indian classroom.
meet
Sudha
This was the day Back2Back India Strong Families was born. Back2Back Strong Families is an international initiative whose vision is that every family would have the rights, recognition, and resources it needs to thrive. We seek to come alongside children and families by providing holistic care to help parents care well for their children within the home. It helps families understand the irreplaceable value of a parents’ love in the life of a child, and the effects of a safe family environment. Back2Back first joined the Strong Families movement at the Cancun site. After Back2Back India staff expressed interest in beginning this program on their campus, Erick and Julie Mowery, Cancun directors, visited the India Hope Campus and shared what worked best for them. Together, Back2Back staff shares open handedly with each other to pursue orphan prevention. For most rural village residents near Hyderabad, agriculture is the main source of income.The lack of consistent rainfall throughout the year strains the yielding of crops, creating a lack of harvest and financial pressure on families. Children often move to the city in search of a job, hoping to assist their family. Sometimes children as young as 13-years old are at risk of becoming child laborers or being trafficked to another city. In other cases, entire family units will relocate to slum areas, where they sort through garbage for recyclable materials to be sold.
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We are so excited for this next chapter of his story.
Back2Back’s Strong Families program greatly benefits young, capable children like Sudha, as well as improves the quality of life for her parents and siblings.This creates opportunity, where desperation for resources once stood. Within one month of meeting Sudha in her government school, the young girl came to spend her days on the Back2Back Hope Campus. Sudha’s mother drops her off each morning for a bus ride with her fellow classmates to her English speaking school. The government-run school Sudha formerly attended didn’t teach English, but her transition to a school taught largely in English hasn’t hindered the young girl from maintaining a high rank within her class. Along with improved educational opportunities, Sudha attends spiritual classes with the
other girls her age, participates in Nurture Groups every two weeks, and meets with a child psychologist. At the end of the day, she returns to her family, stronger for the time she’s spent with Back2Back. Although she doesn’t live on campus, Sudha is being pursued spiritually, physically, educationally, emotionally, and socially. She knows she is worthy of investment.
Sudha’s experience and positive results encourage the Back2Back India team as they set their sights on working with other marginalized families. Through Back2Back partnerships with Christ for All Feeding Center and Little Tom’s School, both located in urban Hyderabad slums, they hope to keep families together while introducing them to the love of Christ.
As staff work alongside Sudha and her family through the Strong Families model, they offer employment opportunities to her father, a painter by trade. Sudha’s younger brother also is invited to attend spiritual classes on campus with the other boys. Additionally, Sudha has been able to see an optometrist in the city to help her vision.
Sudha’s sweet smile, and newly framed brown eyes, are a welcome sight at the India Hope Campus these days. Daily, she learns about her inherent worth as the daughter of the King. As Back2Back comes alongside Sudha and her family, and sets their sites on partnering with additional families, we trust the Lord is lacing strength into each story.
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A FOUNDATION OF SHARED HOPE Brown eyes peek through the chain linked fence. The school day has drawn to a close in Mazatlán, Mexico and the children at Rancho de los Nino’s have positioned themselves along the barrier between their current home and the foundation of their new one.
On January 20th, Back2Back Mazatlán broke ground on two new homes for the children at Rancho de los Niño’s. This is the culmination of over a year of planning on the part of the staff. They’ve been dreaming about family-style housing for the sixteen children with disabilities who call Rancho home.
“Adam! Hey Adam! That’s my house!” Fourteen-year old Alexis points to the foundation being poured opposite the fence. A half dozen construction workers gather around a concrete mixer, focused on the job before them as a small fan club gathers to watch a dream come to fruition.
Backhoes dig dirt up and entertain the watching children as the foundation is poured. Each day the children take in the progress, witnessing a dream being laid down and a God who brings it to life.
18-year old Chuy sits in his wheelchair, fingers laced through the fence, calling out to Adam Gellenbeck, Back2Back staff member and architect. “Hey, that’s my house, right?!” Adam nods in encouragement, “It will be in six months!” He turns back to the task at hand, enjoying seeing the initial stages unfold.
The children at Rancho de los Nino’s have positioned themselves along the barrier between their current home and the foundation of their new one. Check out the progress: back2back.org/RanchoTour
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“The vision is to take the children from institutional living to family-based care,” explains Adam. “We want them to understand they will always be a family, but in a smaller setting, someone is better able to pay attention to their nutrition, their bedtimes, and their school progress.”
The updated Rancho de los Niño’s is designed completely through the lens of providing safe spaces for the children to have freedom to safely play. There is support from among the local community, as volunteers come weekly and offer their talents to the project. The two new buildings, with two apartments each, will house four kids per apartment and have space for caregivers and their children, as well. Each home will have access to a palapa, a basketball court, and a playground. This will provide connection opportunities for the kids with each other, the professional staff, and the local volunteers. The current home will eventually be renovated into a therapy center for not only children at Rancho, but all children served with Back2Back Mazatlán.
“We see this as a place of healing. That healing will come from therapies as well as quality time spent together through physical and sensory activities, along with a specially designed pool and an additional palapa,” explains Adam. Staff members and children daily watch the progress of their new home. While still in the early phases of construction, there is lots of excitement building as Chuy, Alexis, Julian, and the others line themselves up at the fence after school everyday.
They take in the men working, loads of material driven in by trucks, and imagine the day they will have the freedom to play safely, within the perimeters of their new home. “Hey, where will we watch TV? Where will we eat?” Chuy looks at Adam with a sparkle in his eye. As conversations and questions swirl, they anticipate the days of their own space - a living room, a kitchen, and a common play area where they can still see their friends everyday. Alexis thinks about shooting a basketball on the newly poured court in his backyard; Chuy imagines resting underneath the palapa – a welcome reprieve from the hot sun. They watch the progress of their new home from their current one, and excitement abounds. A mission team recently got to visit the construction site while serving the kids. It was the 14th anniversary of the home, and it was time to celebrate all God’s done and all He’s yet to do. Each team member and child was handed a rock and a marker and asked to think of their favorite Bible verse. Together, they wrote on each rock powerful promises and threw them into the foundation. The new Rancho de los Niño’s home will be built on the truth of the Gospel – a foundation of shared hope for generations to come.
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A FAMILY
[RE]UNITED After seven years at Lighthouse Children’s Home, Gervens is being reunited with his family. 13
A tear slips down Gervens’ face. Lauren Neal, Jesus in Haiti staff member and respected partner of Back2Back, looks out among the children who have lived and grown alongside Gervens for the last seven years.The children at the Lighthouse Children’s Home register surprise, sadness, and wonder. The room quiets as they process the news. Gervens shares he is being reunited with his family. “Gervens, blind since birth, felt defined by his disability,” shares Lauren. “His self-esteem was painfully low, he disliked having his photo taken, and he often hid when the Lighthouse received new visitors.” ---------------------Gervens’ slender fingers move fluidly over the black and white keys as the music is heard through the windows. His musical abilities improve each time he sits at his keyboard and his belief in himself is more evident. Gervens, who long struggled in school, is
learning he has gifts worth sharing and, as a result, is becoming a teen learning his capability and worthiness; He recognizes he is designed with purpose. Gervens now learns in a classroom that suits his needs. He reads and writes in Braille and is regularly at the top of his class. “Gervens is constantly receiving high praise from his teachers,” shares Lauren. ---------------------Staff members will never forget the day Gervens’ father came to the home. He was initially pursued by staff who needed to get Gervens original birth certificate. As he walked into the Lighthouse, a melody filtered through the air. His footsteps stopped, and he was overcome with emotion; he hadn’t ever had the opportunity to hear his son play piano. Shortly after this initial visit to the Lighthouse, Gervens and his family began getting reacquainted. “Gervens began spending afternoons in his family home and then eventually staying overnight,” said
Lauren. “As time passed and we moved closer to reunification, he would spend school breaks with them.” Lauren and Gervens were talking one afternoon during the reunification process and he shared he always thought he’d return home one day. Lauren began praying God would direct the next steps in the process. It was his wish to have a final birthday celebration with his Lighthouse family. He shared about his move that night as the children gathered to celebrate Gervens’ life. “We will miss him, but we are so excited for this next chapter of his story,” shares Lauren. Gervens will continue schooling and benefitting from sponsorship programs through both Back2Back and Jesus in Haiti Ministries. In his final days living at Lighthouse Children’s Home, Gervens shared a reflection with staff members: Reconnecting with my family and spending time with them makes me feel more confident about my future. I am more comfortable. I feel lighter, like a weight has been lifted, because I do not doubt anymore they’ve always remembered me. I want to thank God because I have a good family that shows me how they love me when I’m with them.
Gervens with Mama Odette, his caregiver at Lighthouse Children’s Home in Haiti
On February 18th, Back2Back and Jesus in Haiti staff drove Gervens to his home. Emotions were high as they wished him well and hugged him tight, but hope was even higher.
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Hope in an unexpected place Smooth, black rocks surround the land. They serve a multitude of purposes – protection from the elements, a resting place for travelers, a natural jungle gym for children to climb and conquer. Amidst the rocks and occasional bursts of greenery, lies a haven of education and encouragement. 157
The Igmin Kibe Education Center was opened in 2011. Serving orphans and at-risk youth from the Kisayhip Village, dedicated staff, care givers, and educators address the growing struggle to educate Nigerian children within an inconsistent educational system.
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Ezra runs the ball in for a goal. He hears his teammates whoop victoriously behind him, and a small smile breaks out on his face. He turns and runs towards his team and coach. They high five him, bringing him close to the huddle as their soccer coach nods knowingly.
meet
Ezra
Ezra is a young man with flourishing promise. _________ Smooth, black rocks surround the land. They serve a multitude of purposes – protection from the elements, a resting place for travelers, a natural jungle gym for children to climb and conquer. Amidst the rocks and occasional bursts of greenery, lies a haven of education and encouragement. The Igmin Kibe Education Center was opened in 2011 and pursues children spiritually, physically, educationally, emotionally, and socially. Serving orphans and at-risk youth from the Kisayhip Village, dedicated staff, care givers, and educators address the growing struggle to educate Nigerian children within an inconsistent educational system.
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The education center offers supplemental after-school assistance for the children in reading, math, English, and Christian studies. The children arrive at the center each morning, eat breakfast, and are transported to school. After their school day ends, they receive a meal, have time to play, work on homework with tutors on-site, and then return to their homes in the village. This carries the nutritional and educational burden that often breaks the
backs of single and widowed mothers, who struggle without a spouse to even provide basic housing.
two teachers and a coach at the education center, who pour into his story both in and outside of his time there.
In community development, Back2Back believes in the Galatians 6 model of building relationship. In verse 2, believers are instructed to “carry each other’s burdens. . .” while verse 5 states, “for each one should carry his own load.” Load versus burden. Burden, in Greek, is meant as something one is incapable of carrying himself; a load is singularly manageable. Single and widowed mothers are faced with the task of providing shelter for their children along with consistent meals and educational opportunities under circumstances that often make these very things difficult to obtain. The education center steps into this strain and assists in shouldering the burden, keeping families together and allowing growth and opportunity where stress to provide once existed. As a result of the shared burden, vulnerable children like Ezra who attends the center, are learning their future hopes, and daily needs, are worthy of investment.
“Ezra is an active young man,” shares Dori McCormick, Back2Back Nigeria staff member. “He was asked to join the soccer team through Meshiah Academy and he is growing physically, socially, and emotionally. The consistent support and guidance Ezra is receiving is evident in his growth. He is a supportive teammate, he is forming relationships with his peers, and he is becoming a positive example for his younger siblings.”
Ezra began attending Igmin Kibe in August of 2011. He and his six younger siblings are raised by their widowed mother – a hardworking woman who does her best to provide meals and care for her seven children. As the eldest, and having lost his father at a young age, Ezra long lacked the consistent presence of a male role model in his life. He was met with overwhelming support from his
The consistent support and guidance Ezra is receiving is evident in his growth. He is a supportive teammate, he is forming relationships with his peers, and he is becoming a positive example for his younger siblings.
As Ezra attends a challenging school, he is learning just what he is capable of. His marks in school are on the rise and he receives encouragement to strive for more, to push himself higher. Ezra is learning what he is able to accomplish because he is surrounded by voices insisting he can. ________ The team huddles around the coach, listening intently for what comes next. Ezra breathes deeply and wipes perspiration off his face. He is focused and ready for the new play – he knows he has the support he needs to tackle whatever comes next.
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That’s All I Ever Wanted by Beth Guckenberger, Back2Back Ministries Co-Executive Director
I first met Junior while walking one night around the cafeteria at his children’s home. I noticed him up ahead, quietly drawing. I was fascinated by his face. He didn’t know I was there, and he looked relaxed, peaceful. He was leaning against the wall, in his ripped jeans and heavy sweatshirt, lost in his notebook. I guess I could feel guilty about spying on him, but I couldn’t tear myself away. A noise made him stop, and he shoved his drawing in his backpack. No one saw you, I said silently, as he stood up and his old, bored look returned again. Your secret is safe with me. “What am I going to do?” It was July, and Junior’s junior high graduation. It was time to make a decision about his future. I wish I knew then what I know now. But I didn’t, so we sat back during this season and watched him flounder in self-discovery. “I could leave, and get a job. Or, I can go to a technical school…?” He stood in my kitchen, “Everyone is telling me I should go to work in a factory and earn money. Then I could help my family out. I am not sure what to do. I want to enroll at a vocational tech high school,” Junior continued, looking away. “I found a school where I think I could do ok.” While some of the other boys in his class were our first students to consider a college preparatory high school program, Junior 19
climbed on his bus every day and shuffled off to classes that satisfied other people’s expectations for his life, but not his own. It seemed like the ‘right thing’ for a boy with his background, to get a practical skill, but it didn’t energize him. This is how he moved along for the next couple of years. “It’s nearing your graduation, Junior, and we are so proud of you. What are you thinking about next?” I started in one day, two years later. “ What do you want to do now with your skills?” He didn’t answer for a long while, finally he sarcastically laughed, “Nothing. What do I want to do? Draw. That’s all I have ever wanted. I love commercials, and cartoons. I like ads and film and design.”
His voice sounded animated. “Is there somewhere I can go and study that? That’s what I want to do.” I wanted to hug him for being honest with himself and slug him for waiting until the week of graduation to admit it. “Sure there is a place to study that, but first, you would have to go to a college prep high school. That’s the track you didn’t choose two years ago. To do that now would mean going into a classroom with 15 year olds, and you will be 18 this summer. You’d have to finish high school, then add a four-year college degree on top of that. I am glad you know now what you want, but it’s a big decision.” I looked at him pleadingly, and then plunged ahead, “Do you want it? You have to want it enough that when it’s hard, you do it anyway. It will take tremendous energy to change your study habits, your expectation of yourself,
your capacity to meet new people and be in new environments.” I took a deep breath. I didn’t want to say all that, I knew it sounded like a threat. “Do you want the big change (the future, a job you love) enough to start with all these daily little changes?” His big, brown eyes looked so vulnerable.
prestigious CEDIM University. It’s world renown for its design program, you know.” What his mouth wasn’t admitting, his eyes confessed. The old Junior would have settled for the program he could finish under the radar. The maturing, changing, engaging Junior looked ready for yet another risk. His faith carried him to the hardest of all options and saw him through as a CEDIM graduate four years later.
was standing in the yard, I hugged him as hard as I had ever remembered doing. “You came,” he whispered. In response, I stood on my tiptoes and kissed his forehead. While the bride was being attended by Rosa Porto, Junior’s houseparent while in the Hope Program, I stood around with him, waiting for the outdoor ceremony to begin.
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He handed me his boutonniere to pin on his jacket and I could see his hands were shaking.
Junior changed tremendously from the time I first met him. I wonder if change is not becoming more of someone you’ve never been, but instead reversing the world’s impact on who God made you to be.
After his college graduation, Junior worked for years, being promoted and traveling for his company. He would come and see us, pulling in with a new car, or showing off what he was working on. We were proud of who he had become and the way he was learning to navigate his relationships and work responsibilities.
“You’ve got this,” I assured him. “Like all the other steps you’ve taken before, you know this will be hard, but good.You have proven to yourself and all the rest of us watching, when you want something, you are willing to do what it takes. There will be challenges, but you are one of the most resilient, amazing men I know.”
“Beth, I need you to get to know her. She is the one.” His eyes sparkled. There was something about the way he talked about this girl that seemed different than anyone else he’d mentioned or brought around in the past. After meeting her on several occasions, I, too, became convinced. Junior was in love and ready to share his life. It was time for another step forward, he already knew how to keep his promise, make a commitment and work through challenges. I knew he was ready for a lifetime covenant.
His hand stilled and his breathing slowed down.
“Yes.”
For Junior, he purposely walked into a situation where he had to prove over and again he deserved to be there. Every time he faced a challenge, (a deadline, a hard professor, a snotty group partner, less money than he wanted for materials) he had a choice to keep at it or quit. Choosing to stay daily built in him confidence where fear had resided. He demonstrated his growing health the day he enrolled for a graphic design college program. He was saying aloud he had a gift and was willing to learn how to share it. That was a far cry from the boy hiding behind the building with his notebook. “I have several choices of colleges, can we talk them over?” he was sitting in our living room, with brochures surrounding him. “There are small community colleges, traditional universities, and of course, the
I flew to Monterrey the day after Thanksgiving, 2016. Junior had chosen Todd's and my wedding anniversary to marry his bride and wild horses couldn’t have kept me away. As I climbed out of the car and ran to where he
“Tienes razon.” (You are right.) he whispered to me and then made a silly face. “I got this.”
“You’ve got this,” I assured him. “Like all the other steps you’ve taken before, you know this will be hard, but good.” 20
What makes a family
STRONGER? Back2Back Cancun Strong Families Program seeks to come alongside children and families by providing holistic care to help parents care well for their children within the home. We help families understand the irreplaceable value of a parents’ love in the life of a child, and the effects of a safe family environment. Here is a glimpse into how this movement is making families stronger.
Medical & Dental Care
Carlos, age 9
Amiel, age 5
Each family member has a medical file with their information and prior medical visit notes. Each year, medical outreach teams join staff in Cancun in providing medical check-ups and providing necessary care through supplements and medications. A dental office on site in Tres Reyes allows families to have their teeth cleaned and treated as needed.
Adriel, age 1
Tutoring
Tutoring services are offered in the Tres Reyes and Bonfil community centers and within the homes of Back2Back Cancun Strong Families. Several times each week, tutors spend individualized time and resources helping each child understand their lessons.
Nutrition
Each child served in the Tres Reyes and Bonfil communities receive a healthy breakfast or snack before attending Bible or tutoring classes. As the physical needs of each child are addressed through healthy, filling food they are better able to focus on the tasks and day ahead. 21
Play & Exercise
The Back2Back Community Center in Tres Reyes offers a full playground, basketball court, and a soccer field for children to run and play freely. In partnership with Kids Around the World, 2017 will bring a brand new playground to the Bonfil Community. Sports camps, dance classes, and gymnastics lessons also provide outlets for the children to explore their interests. Back2Back knows play is an integral piece of a child’s well-being.
The Alvarez Mendoza Family represents one of the Strong Families in the Cancun community of Tres Reyes. Mom, Sureyma, Dad, Artemio, and their children participate in programming and are a consistent presence at the Community Center of Tres Reyes.
Mom’s Market
The moms bring to the table what they can – handmade jewelry, mugs, sewing projects, shells from the ocean. Visiting mission teams have the opportunity to meet each mom and learn how money earned from the markets will help impact the life of each family.
Parenting Classes
Mothers, fathers, and grandparents are provided for spiritually, physically, educationally, emotionally, and socially through discipleship classes, Bible studies, life skills training, and nutrition classes. Families are made stronger by equipping parents with skills and investing in their stories.
Computer Skills
Twelve computers line the walls of the Tres Reyes computer lab. Weekly, teens in Tres Reyes gather and gain skills necessary to their future success. The teens learn how to create Word Documents, use Excel, and conduct research on the internet. These skills help bolster experience for the teens as they begin to think about their futures.
JosĂŠ, age 6
Finance Classes
Back2Back Cancun provides assistance and instruction on how to best handle their income and achieve personal goals. Parents are taking greater steps towards sustainability by learning more about financial responsibility.
Bible Classes
Each week, children and parents receive Biblical instruction through weekly support groups, in-home Bible studies, and local church attendance. Biblical leadership helps families address inevitable bumps in the road. Back2Back Cancun is hopeful each child and adult comes to know their value to a God who knows them and loves them wholly.
Library
The library is a treasured destination for children to go when given free-time. Access to borrowing books is extremely limited in Cancun. To better cultivate a love for reading, children are afforded time to read leisurely, checking out books based on their ages and interests. A resource center is also available in the community of Bonfil, allowing children to explore the world of books. The libraries are providing a chance for the children to grow and explore their interests.
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THE
STYLE OF
T N E C S A
A 35-foot ladder stands in the middle of a room. It is ominousinviting wonder, fear, d anticipation, an excitement. tioning its e ladder, ques th in ke ta Eyes a life-size deo plays over vi a as e, os purp ce: Alex “The Nor th Fa . en re sc n tio projec documents ere Luminoso” nd Se El – ld no Hon onnold as climber Alex H e fre of y ne ur the jo ain surface. 0 feet of mount 50 2, s lo so e he fre or y of Alex suppor t, the st or s pe ro t ou With ain unfolds. and the mount high school folds and 205 un y ne ur jo e th As clear voice in wonder, a d an st ts en stud ope! No way. quiet room, “N e th to in s he pitc .” Not doing that 23
were two of scent retreats A of e yl St e Th ive One21 ctive and inclus ra te in t os m the challenging In the midst of . te da to ts ea retr were each students, they g in ag ur co en and theme. nsider a larger also asked to co
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b the some will clim es rit w ul Pa 4, me will In Ephesians as prophets; so rs he ot s, tle os rds, and mountain as ap ts, or as shephe lis ge an ev as ce ake the scale the surfa rs. Many will m he ac te as b im cl ds us still others will Paul also remin three of these. or . o nd tw ce as as y to ne jour children in order for His d de en sc de ai s Jesu mount ns p us to climb ui eq to n w fore Alex Jesus came do uld conquer. Be co e w ve lie n, someone we didn’t be e the mountai al sc y el fre d climbed fir st, Honnold coul is best friend H . m hi re fo m to cling to, had to go be mountain for hi e th on ns tio especially in placing protec Alex’s success, re su en to th cleaning the pa ons. vorable conditi the face of unfa t tr ust He who les well, we mus ac st ob e al sc In order to . goes before us tackling 35-foot t was spent ea tr re nd ke ussing ways to The wee the air and disc in d e de en sp su face. Fear s wer ladder s ng generations gi er em e W ns . ai nt ed climb mou e was embrac e light, adventur old ways. brought into th und comfort in fo d an gs in th to tried new in, and began home, clipped ed rn n tu ca re e w , us st of fir Many imbed e know Jesus cl w e us ca be nd climb. A xt hold. reach for that ne
And because we know Jesus climbed first, we can reach for that next hold.
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visionarey “Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.” Luke 6:21 #B2BMaz #B2Bgram
andyjanning I’ve been absolutely
amazed by the servant heart shown by @eeast5 this jessicaduncan week in Monterrey during our mission Her trip Her laugh is a jessicaduncan laugh is a sound I’ll never forget. #b2bcancun sound I’ll never forget. #b2bcancun for @b2bministries and @traderspointcc. #BeTheDifference #BeTheDifference
wbrianferry The kids of Arbor Ave are selling “Treats for Concrete” to buy a new cement mixer for #B2BMaz @newcitycincinnati
emcarlier Give away love like you’re made of the stuff, we’re rehearsing to spend eternity together.” #B2BHaiti #B2Bgram #B2Bteam #BeTheDifference
haney.lar This is Sai Kiran, my brother in Christ. Whether it be reading books, playing four square, or picking flowers, I cannot get enough... #B2BIndia
mattcooper1974 You, sweet girl, are precious in God’s sight. Jesus sees you, he knows you, and loves you more than you can imagine. #B2BCancun
#BeTheDifference #B2Bgram #ChildSponsor #B2BMTY #B2BCancun #B2BMAZ #B2BIndia #B2BNigeria
Check out Beth Guckenberger’s newest book! dziggs90 One of my favorite gifts today was receiving this photo and a message from Sathwik, the precious boy we sponsor in India. #ChildSponsor
llmetzler My newest friend lives in Nigeria. She is beautiful, smart and kind. I was blessed to spend the day with her. #B2BNigeria #B2Bgram
Jenna Ghizas Today I got to meet my sponsor kid, Lucky, for the first time in 2 years. It was a God day! #B2BNigeria #ChildSponsor
Julie Mowery This is one of many highlights from today’s FDLIC group. #B2BCancun #BeTheDifference
The Bible is full of stories and passages where God’s people started their prayers with amen. Why? As Beth Guckenberger shows, amen is more than just a way to punctuate a conversation with the God of the Universe. Amen is a declaration of who God is and who we are in relation to Him. It is a moment of submission and worship, saying “So be it” to a Sovereignty that holds all things, and acknowledging “It is as you say” to Him who holds our lives.
back2back.org/StartWithAmen
beal.mad 90% of communication is non-verbal. #B2BMTY #BeTheDifference
@itstbrown Haiti has my heart #B2BHaiti #BeTheDifference
Join the conversation with @b2bministries!
Order Today!
Wild. Fearless. Reckless. A willingness to trust even when lacking understanding. As Back2Back Ministries celebrates 20 years, we want to share how stepping into the global orphan care movement has made your faith more wild, fearless, and perhaps, even a bit reckless.
Share your Reckless Faith story at back2back.org/ shareyourstory
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IF I HAD A SUPER POWER Our guest writer is Kaden Kimple. Kaden submitted the following essay last fall to Power of the Pen, Ohio's Interscholastic Creative Writing Program for Middle Schools, while her mom was on a mission trip with Back2Back Ministries.
When I think of super powers, I think of strength, speed, flight, brains, and maybe the ability to shoot spider webs from my wrists. Some people would kill for those if super powers were real. I wouldn’t. If I had a super power, I would want it to be saving people in need. My mom has inspired me. She is currently in Haiti at this very moment helping orphans. Hurricane Matthew had hit the area where she is right now. Luckily, there wasn’t that much damage. I want to be just like her and give these kids with no families, hope. My mom made a trip down to Haiti last year and told me about this little guy named Stanley. Stanley would sit in my mom’s lap with his hands full of matchbox cars. After they had left the orphanage, someone that my mother knew told her that Stanley had been very quiet and really didn’t get near anyone. Stanley had been through a lot. His mom died during childbirth and I think his dad died. His uncle took him in, but couldn’t afford to take care of him. Stanley’s uncle took him to his friend’s orphanage and asked if he could take care of Stanley. The orphanage didn’t usually take kids that were under four, but since he was good friends with Stanley’s uncle, he couldn’t turn him down. My mom made an impact on Stanley. One day I plan to meet Stanley. My church may plan a women’s retreat in June, 2017 to Haiti. I would like to accompany my wonderful, inspiring mother there next year. I want to inspire other kids. I want to give kids like Stanley hope again. I want to shine like a flashlight in the darkness. I’ve never told my mom I want to follow in her footsteps. When she gets home on Sunday night, I’m going to stay awake and tell her when she walks in the door that I want to be like her, like giving the orphans a second chance. I believe that giving inspiration and hope to others is the best super power a person can have. Share your stories…you never know who you will inspire. I have never viewed myself as being inspirational, her words are a gift as can your words, stories and actions.
Twelve-year old Kaden Kimple believes in the power within our stories. A fan of horseback riding and electric orange, Kaden hopes to follow in her mom’s footsteps by bringing hope to those around her, right where she is. She dreams of being a veterinarian and strives to confidently shine light into the darkness.
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As Eduardo runs back and forth, never giving up on seeing his kite fly, he learns about the Spirit who makes all things possible.
“You did it! Eduardo, you did it!” The words ring clearly against a clear, blue Mazatlán sky as young Eduardo whispers with wonder, “It’s flying!” Eduardo has been busy this afternoon. Using a garbage bag, dowel rods, and an old sheet, he sets about building a homemade kite. Throughout the afternoon, Eduardo takes off running, willing his hand-crafted kite to take flight. As he races, again and again, in one direction, clinging tightly to the string of the kite, he waits for the wind to lift his kite skyward. Ten times, Eduardo wills his kite to fly. Twenty times, Eduardo races to give his kite wind to soar. Thirty times, forty times – Eduardo remains relentless in his pursuit of wind for his handmade kite. About the fiftieth time. Eduardo sets off again, two hands grasping the kite’s string. A burst of air comes underneath the kite and propels it to the sky. It’s ruah. Ruah, the Hebrew word for both wind and Spirit, seems to be present as young Eduardo races against the wind, flying his raw, handmade kite. As Eduardo runs back and forth, never giving up on seeing his kite fly, he learns about the Spirit who makes all things possible. He learns it is not the materials his kite is made of, but the wind and the Spirit that make it soar. Watching this video, we see a God who can do anything with our sorry, raw ingredients.
Check out the video: back2back.org/upandaway
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P.O. Box 70, Mason, OH 45040
SAVE THE DATE
SEPTEMBER 13,2017 A 20TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION!
An Open House Event | Crossroads Mason | 990 Reading Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45040