March 16, 2012

LAKELAND, Fla. – After making significant progress on rebuilding an orphanage in Haiti, the work of Orphan’s Heart has slowed significantly due to a lack of skilled block layers. More than 50 children from the orphanage that was destroyed in the January 2010 earthquake are still living in tents and makeshift structures.

“Our greatest need is for block layers — people with experience laying blocks,” said Ron Gunter vice president of international childcare for Orphan’s Heart.

“This project will be stalled until we get the necessary volunteers to help. This might not be so significant if it weren’t for the upcoming rain. The rainy season starts as we get into May,” Gunter said.

“The project has made a lot of headway in the last couple months. Six teams have gone down to Haiti since January to put in septic tanks, to ensure clean water is flowing through pumps, and to lay the foundation.”

The goal is to complete Phase 1 of the orphanage before the rainy season starts. If not, the children from the orphanage that was destroyed in the January 2010 earthquake will have to endure another season living in tents. In addition, block laying is much more difficult in the rainy season which usually runs from May to July.

Phase 1 is only intended to house 30 kids but will be adequate enough to house all 54 children until the next phase is complete.

“The kids will be in the tents again in the mud for another rainy season. We really don’t want that to happen. We really want to get these children out of the tents. They’ve been there for over two years now,” Gunter said.

“These kids have already suffered the loss of one or both parents and have survived a major earthquake not to mention having to live in deplorable conditions. You can only imagine what it’s trying to provide for their well-being. It’s just going to be a real mess if we don’t get them out of that situation by May,” Gunter said.

“The children are getting more than housing. Several have already accepted Christ. Seeing the love of Orphan’s Heart teams for the kids has transformed orphans, as well as members of the community.”

Orphan’s Heart has three trips scheduled between now and the end of April, but will work around any schedule. Even if someone can only go for four or five days, they will make that possible and can accomplish a lot in that time with the right experience. In addition, they also need people with all kinds of construction experience.

Orphan’s Heart is asking people to pray for God to supply the necessary workers to help complete Phase 1 of the orphanage project.

If you can help or would like more information, contact Orphan’s Heart today by visiting OrphansHeart.org or calling 305-271-4121.

CLICK HERE to learn more about our mission trips to Haiti and how you can help.

Partnership Yields Opportunity to Expand Missions in Africa
LAKELAND, Fla. –Mt. Kilimanjaro is a constant presence in the distance as volunteers work to prepare a recently acquired property for a new orphanage in Arusha, Tanzania. This work is the result of a partnership Orphan’s Heart forged last fall with Small Steps for Compassion to establish a new orphanage in the area.

Despite the fact that Mt. Kilimanjaro is a major tourist attraction, it is still a very impoverished area with most Tanzanians making only about $1.25 a day. In addition to the extensive poverty, Tanzania has also been ravaged by the AIDS virus.

According to Ron Gunter, vice president of Orphan’s Heart, Tanzania ranks fourth in the world for the number of deaths due to AIDS with more than 1.4 million people living with HIV/AIDS.

“It’s staggering to think that there are about 1.3 million orphans in Tanzania alone as a result of the AIDs epidemic. Consider that more than 40% of the population is under the age of 14,” Gunter said.

Gunter said that they have purchased a piece of property with a small building on it, which is now available to serve children. He says that the vision is to have an expansive ministry that cares for orphaned children and serves the entire community.

“These are just the beginning steps. The plan is to eventually have a complex full of homes staffed with house parents as well as a central place for doing outreach to the community.”

“We want to provide medical care on the site of the orphanage as well as provide clean water for the community. We also want to provide educational programs on nutrition and parenting,” Gunter said.

Gunter says that clean water will be especially vital for the community since only about half of the Tanzanian population has access to clean water. “We have already dug a new well on the property which will allow us to provide the community with fresh water as we teach them about the Living Water provided by Christ.”

“This is a great opportunity to not only meet the needs of many orphaned children, but to also be a light for Christ to the entire community.” Gunter said.

For more information about upcoming mission trips to Tanzania or how you can help, contact Ron Gunter at (305) 863-687-8811 or Ron.Gunter@FBCHomes.org. See all of their upcoming mission trips at OrphansHeart.org.

CLICK HERE to learn about the next mission trip to Tanzania being led by Orphan’s Heart.

A mission team from Orphan’s Heart helped establish a new well for fresh water on the recently acquired property for a new orphanage in Arusha, Tanzania.

Mt. Kilimanjaro is a constant presence in the distance of the new orphanage in Arusha, Tanzania where Orphan’s Heart will be serving children and doing outreach to the surrounding community.

LAKELAND, Fla.  — It was two years ago today that a massive 7.0 earthquake hit Haiti. But after 24 months in recovery, over half a million people are still living in tents and on the streets.

Fifty of those individuals happen to be orphaned children. The Foundation Foyer des Enfants Demunies orphanage, run by a pastor and his church in Bon Repos, collapsed during the earthquake. Ever since then, the 50 children who called the orphanage home have been living in tents.

Children who have already suffered the loss of one or both parents have been sleeping on dirt floors in temporary shelters for well over 700 days now.

“They’re still living on tents on the ground in some very sub-standard conditions,” says Ron Gunter, Vice President for International Childcare at Orphan’s Heart. “Our priority is to get them out of the tents as soon as possible.”

When other plans to help Haitian orphans fell through following the earthquake, Orphan’s Heart discovered the Foundation Foyer des Enfants Demunies. The orphanage had been struggling since the quake, without any outside help from anyone.

Orphan’s Heart was eventually able to come alongside the orphanage and procure property, and they have since been working on resurrecting a building. They are currently in the first phase.

“Our goal is to get our first phase done by April or May, before the rainy season starts, so we can at least get the children off the ground,” says Gunter. “The first phase will be able to house 30 children. The complete orphanage will house 90 children and will have a school, a cafeteria, and a storage area for the children.”

Orphan’s Heart currently has volunteers working on the wall around the property and constructing a home that will eventually become the pastor’s living quarters. However, until the orphanage is completed, the structure will serve as storage as well as a place for some future mission teams to stay while construction is in process.

Volunteer teams are scheduled to come down to work on the orphanage through July. Gunter is confident that the building process will not take long, but the hurdle thus far is a lack of resources.

“We are calculating that with everything that we’re doing, we’re looking at probably in the neighborhood of $450,000-$500,000 for the entire project,” says Gunter. It’s a fairly small price to pay for buying property, a 90-person orphanage, and a school, but more funding to cover those expenses is needed.

When the orphanage is completed, it will provide a loving, Christ-centered home for dozens of children. But more than that, it will–and already has–provide outreach to the entire community. As Gunter points out, when an activity begins in Haiti–even if it’s part of a Vacation Bible School, kids from all over come to join in.

On this two-year anniversary of an earthquake that instilled both devastation as well as a new hope in the Gospel, consider supporting the ongoing Kingdom work in Haiti.

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LAKELAND, Fla. ― Most college students are taking a break now after weeks of hard work and days of exhausting exams. Enjoying the rest could naturally lead to thinking about the summer. This summer could be more than just enjoying the sunshine though. It could be life changing.

“Very rarely do students describe their internships as a life-changing experience, but all five of our interns said that very same thing at the end of the summer last year,” says Howard Hooper with Orphan’s Heart.

Most people at the university level need to do some sort of internship. Orphan’s Heart summer interns are able not only to get that requirement over with, but to do it while impacting the lives of precious children.

“With Orphan’s Heart, you have an opportunity to make a lasting impact on the lives of some of the neediest children in the world,” explains Hooper. “Guatemala’s known, unfortunately, to have a 45% malnutrition rate among its children.”

Interns spend a great deal of their time at the Orphan’s Heart Malnutrition Center where kids are nursed back to health. The interns’ job is to help direct and administer the volunteers that come to the Center, but also just to love on the children.

While most internships involve being stuck in an gloomy office doing mundane work, Orphan’s Heart interns are able to get out on the field and work as a missionary would–living out Christ’s love to everyone they encounter in Guatemala.

“We’re not only ministering at the Malnutrition Center, but we’re also ministering in the grocery store, we’re ministering in the local market….We’re able to witness, we’re able to share, we’re able to be light in a dark world wherever we go,” says Hooper.

As if these life-changing elements were not enough, the logistics of the Orphan’s Heart internships are icing to the cake. Interns essentially get to choose their own schedules: they need to be available for at least four to five weeks over the summer, but it can be in June or July. Orphan’s Heart will work around schedules.

As any missionary would, students are required to raise their own support, which, including airfare, is about $3,500. Orphan’s Heart will help you get started.

If you or someone you know would be interested in a life-changing summer for college credit with Orphan’s Heart. Learn more at our internship information page on our website.

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LAKELAND, Fla. ― Ranked as the third-poorest country in the world and an orphan population making up over 10% of its residents, it’s no wonder Orphan’s Heart chose to send a mission team to the Uganda.

Orphan’s Heart’s mission team returned last Sunday, December 11, after working with Hines Ugandan Ministries. Working with this established ministry in eastern Uganda allowed them to reach the people of Kamonkoli.

The team was led by Orphan’s Heart’s Vice President, Ron Gunter, and team members worked in various areas such as medicine, construction, conducting home visits, and Bible studies.

“All of our roles had a commonality in that they were to glorify God in serving the people of Kamonkoli,” writes team member, Dr. Allen Holmes.

Medical aid is in high demand for the country of Uganda. According to Orphan’s Heart, one out of every six people is infected and dying with AIDs. That’s 4.7 million Ugandan people.

To meet this need, the mission team with Orphan’s Heart was able to acquire and bring over many medications and supplies to help the local medical clinic of Kamonkoli. By the end of the week, they were able to treat over 100 patients.

Part of their outreach ministry included a Ladies’ Christmas Party. They had an incredible turnout of over 100 women. At the party, members were able to distribute 200 pairs of men’s and women’s shoes as gifts.

Along with giving out shoes, they served cake, made crafts, and played games. Their party also included a time of worship and mission team members shared the story of “The Three Trees” outlining the Gospel message.

Construction began for an orphanage in the area as well, and team members put their skills to work. Orphans in Uganda often find themselves sleeping on dirt floors and become susceptible to lice, worms, and many diseases.

Holmes puts out this challenge. “If we would but follow the ‘true religion’ of caring for the widows and orphans as described in James 1:27, we could provide these children and this generation of Kamonkoli a brighter future.

Most importantly, it would give them a future basked in and supported by a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.”

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LAKELAND, Fla. – As drought has swallowed chunks of East Africa whole, the starvation of millions has been on the minds of many. The situation is dire and tragic. Due to the scale of the disaster, other cases of starvation and malnutrition are easily forgotten.

Malnutrition plays a part in more than half of all child deaths worldwide. Children and adults in Guatemala in particular are confronted with malnutrition on a daily basis.

“Guatemala is considered to have the fourth-highest rate of chronic malnutrition in the world; actually it’s the highest rate in Latin America,” notes Cynthia Gunter with Orphan’s Heart. “On average, about one out of two people in Guatemala are malnourished, but among the indigenous population, it’s up to 80%.”

The issue in Guatemala is different than what we’ve seen in East Africa. People are not necessarily starving, but they don’t have the proper nourishment to survive well or for long.

“Malnutrition really isn’t hunger. It’s a different thing,” explains Gunter. “People may be getting the proper calories–if they have tortillas one day or pasta one day. Malnutrition really is the greater problem, which means their diet is lacking in vitamins and much-needed protein. They just don’t have that available to them.”

An elite few in Guatemala are well taken care of, but most of the nation’s workers who harvest fields and pick crops don’t see any of that nourishing food in their diets. Many live on pennies a day. Their malnutrition is a direct result of their poverty.

Orphan’s Heart has been working to combat this problem for the last three years. The ministry has a Malnutrition Center which is currently home to 79 children. There, malnourished kids are nursed back to health.

Most children just come from families who cannot afford to provide adequate nourishment. The children are taken into the center for a period until they are well again. While in the center, kids receive crucial, often life-saving care, but they also hear a life-giving message.

“The neat thing about Orphan’s Heart–since we’re a Christ-centered organization–is that we not only bring the necessary physical help that’s needed for these children, but we also are able to bring them the Gospel and to bring them the love of Christ,” says Gunter.

The center is serving 79 kids in this way, but it has the space to serve 200 at a time. The only thing needed is the funding so more children can be helped.

For Americans, November means a season of Thanksgiving. For all believers, Christmas is coming soon. These holidays are joyful times often filled with abundance, but most in Guatemala will not even have the most basic need of nutrition met.

Consider partnering with Orphan’s Heart this Thanksgiving or Christmas. More funds are needed to fill the beds of the Malnutrition Center.

“We hesitate to ask for money until we are able to bring people down to the center and show them. So we also ask for physical resources for people going with us,” adds Gunter.

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LAKELAND, Fla. – Orphan’s Heart and the Florida Baptist Children’s Homes will be launching their second annual 40 Days for the Fatherless campaign in order to help raise awareness of the plight of orphaned and disadvantaged children throughout the world. The campaign kicks off on Monday, September 26 and concludes on Sunday, November 6, Orphan Sunday.

Diaper Drive
The focus of this year’s 40 Days for the Fatherless campaign is a diaper drive, which will benefit their foster parents in Florida and their international childcare ministry in Guatemala. Their goal is to collect at least 30,000 diapers, which is the number of diapers required to fulfill their domestic and international childcare needs for one month.

They hope to be able to defray significant childcare costs for their foster parents in Florida and for the Children’s Malnutrition Center in Guatemala by providing them with a large quantity of disposable diapers for use throughout the year.

“We can use all sizes of diapers, but the greatest need is for size 1-2 and size 3. For those that live in Florida, diapers can be delivered to any of the Children’s Homes’ campus locations from Monday, September 26 to Friday, November 4.”

Win a Free Mission Trip
By participating in the diaper drive, people have an opportunity to win a free mission trip with Orphan’s Heart to the Children’s Malnutrition Center in Guatemala.

“Everyone who makes an online contribution to the diaper drive or delivers diapers to one of our campus locations can register for a chance to win a free mission trip. In addition, each church or organization that collects diapers for the drive can register to win two free mission trips for their organization.”

40 Days Campaign
According to Orphan’s Heart, there are more than 140 million orphaned children throughout the world. And these children suffer disproportionately from severe poverty, malnutrition, disease, and physical and emotional abuse.

“The 40 Days campaign is a way for the body of Christ to unite and show the world that God’s people care about orphaned and disadvantaged children.

“We hope that more people will be inspired to find ways they can minister to orphaned and disadvantaged children in their own community or overseas on one of our international childcare mission trips.”

Learn more about Orphan’s Heart and the 40 Days for the Fatherless Campaign online at 40DaysfortheFatherless.org.

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LAKELAND, Fla. ― Start saving those diaper coupons in your weekly ads, because Orphan’s Heart and the Florida Baptist Children’s Homes needs your help.

Between its domestic and international childcare programs, Orphan’s Heart and the Florida Baptist Children’s Homes use nearly 30,000 diapers a month. Together they are conducting a diaper drive to offset significant childcare costs for their foster parents and for the Children’s Malnutrition Center in Guatemala

The goal is to collect a large quantity of disposable diapers for use throughout the year, but it’s really more than just diapers. Defraying the high cost of this one item allows the Children’s Malnutrition Center, in particular, to worry about one less thing, and instead focus their attention more fully on the main reason for its ministry: sharing the love of Christ with children who otherwise might never know it. CLICK HERE to learn more about the Children’s Malnutrition Center.

If you live in Florida, you can help by actually delivering disposable diapers to any of the Children’s Homes’ six campus locations from September 26 to November 4. CLICK HERE to see a list of campuses. All sizes of diapers are needed, but the greatest need is for size 1-2 and size 3.

However, people can also donate diapers online. Options range from 40 diapers for $8.99 to 300 diapers for $39.97. CLICK HERE to give online.

Everyone who makes an online contribution to the diaper drive or delivers diapers to one of the campus locations can also register for a chance to win a free mission trip to the Children’s Malnutrition Center in Guatemala.

In addition, if a church or organization collects diapers, they can register to win two mission trips for their organization. For more information, e-mail children@FBCHomes.org, or call (863) 687-8811.

As you give, pray for the precious babies who will benefit from the diapers. Pray that these children would grow up to know the God who loves them enough to provide even the smallest of needs for the smallest of bodies.

LAKELAND, Fla. — Since the earthquake struck Haiti last year, Pastor Edmond Fenelon, his family and 37 orphaned children have been living in makeshift tents in the countryside.

Pastor Fenelon was director of an orphanage located in the Port-au-Prince area of Haiti when the earthquake devastated both the orphanage and his church where he led a thriving congregation.

For over a year now, the children along with Pastor Fenelon’s family have lived just like the thousands of  other Haitians with no home: in tent cities. These “cities” are composed of “homes” made of pieces of plastic, fabric, and any other type of scrap that can be found in junkyards.

Orphan’s Heart has seen this desperate need and is coming alongside Pastor Fenelon and the precious children to give them back the life they had. Just last week, they purchased property in the Bon Repos area, about 15 miles north of Port-au-Prince. With this property, Orphan’s Heart hopes to begin construction on a new orphanage later this year.

Orphan’s Heart has regular volunteers in Haiti who will be working on the basic construction, but a team will be sent down in September to begin the major push toward building the orphanage. Another team will also be sent in November.

Charlie Cox with Orphan’s Heart states, “We’re hoping that possibly within at least a year, maybe less, to have the first main building constructed so that the children will be able to move out of those makeshift tents and into a more secure and better environment.”

There is much pressure to get these children into more secure living conditions. With this being hurricane season down in Haiti, extreme weather and dangerous storms could be a threat to Pastor Fenelon’s family and the children in his care.

Orphan’s Heart has discussed the question of safety with Pastor Fenelon, and there is a plan to move the children in case of another disaster. A plan is good, but a building for safety would be much better.

Cox says, “The concern is that there are so many people; families and children living in those makeshift tents and those ‘tent cities’, that if a hurricane was to come through that area, it would be devastating because there’s just not enough places for people to go to get into safety.”

As Orphan’s Heart ministers to Pastor Fenelon and the Haitian children by seeing to their physical needs, they have also been encouraging them spiritually. Teams have gone down to be with the kids and teach Bible lessons. Also, Pastor Fenelon and his church staff have received training so that they can continue their ministry to the people and orphans in Haiti.

“Sharing Christ is the reason we’re there, it really is,” states Cox. “As we’re providing all the other services and the basic needs and things that we can do to help them get back on their feet, sharing the love of Christ and sharing our faith with them is vital.”

Please pray for the safety and health of Pastor Fenelon, his family, and the children as they continue living in tents. Pray that construction of the new orphanage would continue without any hindrance or delay so they can be moved into a secure space.

God is certainly doing a work in Haiti despite everything the people have been through.

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LAKELAND, Fla. ― Malnutrition plays a part in more than half of all child deaths worldwide. Every year, malnutrition is associated with the deaths of five million children under the age of five. That’s 16,000 young lives lost every day.

Malnutrition cripples children’s growth, renders them susceptible to disease, slows mental and physical development, and diminishes their motivation and productivity. About 167 million children under five years of age (almost one-third of the developing world’s children) are malnourished.

Vice President for International Child Care for Orphan’s Heart Ron Gunter says Guatemala faces a similar problem. He says poverty creates some of the problem. He says food is just too expensive. However, he says it’s not because of the lack of food, but “so much of what they raise in that country is exported for the money. If you look at the rich farmland in that country and you look around at all the potential that’s there, it’s hard to even imagine why the problem is so severe.”

Gunter also says, “The need for vitamins and nutrients and the right types of food is a tremendous need, and that’s takes an education.”

Orphan’s Heart started a Children’s Malnutrition Center three years ago that’s now helping more than 75 children. “We come alongside nationals already doing the work, and we do everything we can to encourage them and support them. What used to take maybe one to 1 1/2 years to nurse children back to health is now occurring in three to six months.”

While the poor economic situation is causing problems for almost all ministry, Gunter says it’s been mixed for them. 200 more volunteers have gone to Guatemala to help with their malnutrition center. “But, we have seen a slowdown in the donations that have come. And currently we have nothing here on our campus to pack for our future groups because we’ve taken everything that we’ve had.”

Orphan’s Heart needs donations of diapers and medical supplies, along with $30 child sponsorships. As this ministry affects kids’ lives physically, the prayer is that they’ll eventually come to Christ. 

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