A partnership is helping orphans in Guatemala

Guatemala (MNN) — It’s a new partnership that could help many orphans in Guatemala. Buckner Orphan Care International from Dallas, Texas and Family Life Today out of Little Rock, Ark. Are teaming up together to reach out to orphans in that Central American nation.

A team from both organizations just returned from their first combined trip to Guatemala. Buckner’s Amy Norton says, “We’re partnering together to serve orphans,” says Norton. She says, “Family Life has just begun a new part of their ministry called ‘Hope For Orphans’ and their goal is to teach churches about starting orphan ministry as well as how members of the congregation can adopt orphan children and that they should look into that.”

They were able to distribute shoes as part of Buckner’s ‘Shoes For Orphan Souls’ program. Norton says that part of the program alone is great for outreach. “The wonderful thing is that taking the saying we have shoes to give to the children automatically opens the doors for us to get into many, especially these government orphanages and even private homes where we haven’t been before.”

Vacation Bibles Schools were held and a there was also a lot of one-on-one interaction to “personally minister to them and tell them about the hope they have in Christ,” says Norton.

Adoptions were on hold in Guatemala while the government tired to change adoption law. Now, “things are moving forward under the old laws,” says Norton. However, there is a huge back log of children needing homes.

Buckner helps facilitate adoptions in that country. Pray that many families will step forward to adopt these needy children.