International News

Making a Life Changing Deposit

September 6th, 2006

Making a Life Changing Deposit

The following article will be featured in The Fourth Seed , a men’s devotional magazine by Man in the Mirror, Inc.

Angel* grew up much faster than he should have. He quickly learned how to get what he needed and provide for his younger siblings. Nobody told him to take care of them; that sense of responsibility just kind of rose up from inside after his mom left.  Some days that meant taking a beating for them, or stealing and then selling the items for food. Other days it meant pretending everything was under control when he was scared to death. After a few years of this life, Angel has deep-seated scars that negatively impact every aspect of his life. This is how we met him. 

Does Angel need someone to share the gospel with him? Yes. But he also needs someone to share their life with him, to demonstrate what it says in 1 Thessalonians 2:8, that Paul was delighted to share not only the gospel, but his life as well. 

Back2Back Ministries provides ‘Care for today and Hope for Tomorrow’ to orphaned and marginalized children, primarily in Monterrey, Mexico. We provide care for today through meeting physical needs in almost a dozen orphanages, in order to earn the relational bridge to share the gospel. Then we invite these teenagers, who have grown up in orphanages, to come and live on our campus, continue their studies, and hope for a better future. Imagine that these children are like a sheet of paper, and every broken promise or betrayal of trust is like a small tear.  For some of the children we work with, there are hundreds of rips, until the paper looks like a pile of confetti.  We are looking for leaders and men’s groups who will help us make deposits into the hearts of young people who have been disappointed, disillusioned, and discarded.

Sometimes those deposits are a long weekend where we work on the homes or dorms where they live. We live out the promise of God to provide them a home and to lead them out of their current situation. Sometimes it’s a deposit through direct contact, a game of soccer, pairing up on our ropes course “man to man,” or taking a long hike in the mountains, where principles of trust, adventure, and patience are transferred. Sometimes it’s a deposit made through prayer, or sometimes it is a deposit of resources, helping to establish a business opportunity that can not only meet a child’s financial need but also demonstrate to them their own ability for self reliance and entrepreneurship.

Are you feeling God’s calling into a greater purpose for yourself…your family…the men of your church?  We can help you be a good steward of your gifts, energy and resources to care for one of the 90 million orphans in the world.

*Name has been changed.

Contact Brian Bertke the Director of Corporate, Family Programs at Back2Back Ministries for ways you can get involved with Back2Back.