Advocate: a person who publicly supports or recommends a particular cause or policy. Also known as a backer, a supporter, a spokesperson, a champion. Child sponsorship often turns out to be much more than an updated photo and neatly penned letters throughout the year. It is about relationship. Advocacy. Championing. The effects of advocacy are… Read more
Glowing candles light up Martha’s face. She looks around the table at her friends. The purple, zebra-striped tablecloth and the cupcakes in front of her make her smile widely. Today, Martha celebrates her tenth birthday. As she closes her eyes and takes in a deep breath, she considers all she has to hope for. At… Read more
Mariah slowly opens her eyes. Surrounding her, small voices fling hopes high to a Father – and she feels her heartbeat quicken. Ashwini’s black veil carefully covers both her head and Mariah’s, honoring an Indian custom of women covering their faces in prayer. Ashwini prays aloud next to Mariah, praying over her new friend and… Read more
Mazatlán, aptly named the Pearl of the Pacific, rests on the west coast of Mexico almost directly across from the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula. Grant Keys and his family have been serving with Back2Back in Mazatlán for just over three years, but the Keys family started surfing only 6 months ago. FloreSer, where… Read more
Adan is a 23-year-old college student who lives at Bethany Children’s Home in Monterrey, Mexico. Recently he served at Back2Back’s Cancun site with his sponsors Ric and Shari Sharrer and their mission team from Apex Community Church in Dayton, Ohio. Ric and Shari have sponsored Adan since 2012. Here, in his own words, Adan shares… Read more
Perla and Ami climb into their bunk beds in their new room. The walls are cream-colored and serene. This space of their very own is welcoming, calming, a respite. Around a year ago, Perla and Ami were reunited with their mom, Esmeralda, after living at San Jose Children’s Home for eight years. This process of… Read more
Citlally, a student in Monterrey’s Hope Program for the last year, has been praying for her little sister, Paola, now 15. She’s at a point she needs to make a decision about her next steps. Together, they grew up in Del Norte Children’s Home along with their seven other siblings. Recently, their mom decided… Read more
The ping of dribbled basketballs, the deep thud of a kicked soccer ball, and a choir of laughter echo onto the dusty road in front of the Community Center at Tres Reyes. Behind the gates, orchestrated flurries of kids – sporting new, green jerseys – yell, “I’m open!” as anxious parents cheer from the sidelines…. Read more
Fednia came to Harvest Care Children’s Home confused and afraid. She was unexpectedly transferred from another children’s home and wasn’t told why. Being uprooted once again created another painful rip in her heart. She arrived at Harvest Care wounded and angry, with thick emotional walls around her small frame. For the first few months, Fednia… Read more
Fear can be a powerful author of our stories. It has the ability to immobilize each of us. Fear can overwhelm, overshadow, debilitate. It nestles quickly into the pores of our skin and wants to make itself at home. Twelve-year-old Elisa is not unfamiliar with co-existing with fear. She is a young girl coming from… Read more