#95: Are Orphanages the Best Way to Help At-Risk Kids?

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Dr. Laura Horvath, Director of Program Development and Global Engagement at Helping Children Worldwide.

​Laura holds a doctorate in education and brings to her role an in-depth knowledge of education, and a deep passion for global child welfare, the care of orphans and vulnerable children, public health, ethical missions, and sustainable community-led development programs. Laura and her husband, David, are members of Floris United Methodist Church and have three children.

HCW has spent the past several years overhauling its mission trip model in order to more meaningfully empower the communities they’re visiting. They began in 2000 as an orphanage in Sierra Leone, but over the past six years, they’ve transitioned away from just rescuing children to also reintegrating children into loving families. As a result, their U.S. short-term mission groups now focus on equipping the permanent residents and families—the real heroes for the country’s vulnerable children.

Dr. Horvath would be happy to share HCW’s transition story and how it’s changed her perspective on the best way to approach international missions. By empowering communities and families rather than just coming in to solve problems “the American way,” she has witnessed how mission groups can help bring about positive, lasting change. Check out her recent op-ed in Religion News Service here, and you can find her bio here.

Are orphanages the best way to help at-risk kids? On #MissionsPulse episode 95, @davidjoannes interviews Dr. Laura Horvath, Director of Program Development and Global Engagement at @HCWtoday.

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The Space Between Memories highlights the last two decades of David Joannes’ missionary travels. From the hullabaloo of Manila to the jam-packed city streets of Kunming to the rural villages of Southwest China, this part memoir, part travelogue shows God’s hand at work among the most unassuming of misfits. It is a testament that if only we would answer his call, his glory can be found, even in the space between memories.

“Moment by moment, story by story, The Space Between Memories is a captivating journey of the victories and trials of life as a missionary in China.” — HEIDI BAKER, Co-Founder of Iris Global

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In The Mind of a Missionary, David Joannes draws upon history, psychology, life experience, and powerful storytelling to reshape your perception of God’s unique plan for your life. Each chapter of this book highlights missionary heroes—historical and modern-day Christians—who challenge us to join God’s redemptive mission. You’ll be inspired by the lives of Jim & Elizabeth Elliot, C. T. Studd, Nikolaus Zinzendorf, Robert Moffat, Jackie Pullinger, David Eubank, Nik & Ruth Ripken, William Carey, Hudson Taylor, Amy Carmichael, Don Richardson, and Heidi Baker.

“A future missions classic.” — NIK RIPKEN, author of The Insanity of God

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In Gospel Privilege, David Joannes shows that Jesus’ life-altering, culture-shaping, world-changing grace message brings unearned spiritual benefits for this life and the life to come. This book is a clarion call for the gospel- privileged to stand in advocacy for and in solidarity with the gospel- deprived; to step beyond our borders, even when it’s risky or uncomfortable, and share the rich privilege of knowing Christ.

“We must not hoard the message we have given to share with those who have not heard. It is our mandate. It is our mission. It is our sacred privilege. Such is the essence of Gospel Privilege by David Joannes.” — THOM S. RAINER, Founder and CEO of Church Answers and former President of LifeWay Christian Resources

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