Boston Children’s Hospital acquired the Franciscan Children’s Hospital to “enhance mental healthcare services” for its patients in Massachusetts. Over 80 children sought or received psychiatric care at Boston Children’s Hospital in one week during October, Boston Globe reports, more than doubling the pre-pandemic peak number.

Mental health experts recently declared a national emergency in children’s mental health, citing fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and existing challenges.

In 2018, suicide was the second leading cause of death for 10- to 24-year olds. Then, the pandemic brought physical isolation, ongoing uncertainty, fear, and grief. Suicide attempts among 12- to 17-year-old girls rose 51-percent in early 2021, compared to the same period in 2019.

In Michigan, Executive Director Dean Vander Mey says parents increasingly turn to Set Free Ministries for help. “Currently, I’m seeing eight different children regularly, ranging from ages five to 15 [years old], and they all have different issues,” Vander Mey says.

“There’s a lot of anxiety; there’s a lot of fear right now.”

Set Free Ministries addresses anxiety, depression, fear, and other common issues from a spiritual health perspective. More about that here.

(Graphic courtesy of Set Free Ministries)

“We are created in God’s image. We’re first spiritual beings, then we’re emotional or psychological, and then we’re physical beings,” Vander Mey says.

“If you don’t deal with the spiritual dimension of who we are, the other two will be negatively affected.”

If a child in your life is struggling, reach out to Set Free Ministries for help.

“Children want to be secure, and whenever there’s change, there’s fear. There’s nothing stable right now; the homes aren’t stable because mom and dad, their jobs are being threatened,” Vander Mey says.

“We are living in very trying times.”

Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of rawpixel.com via Pexels.

In the wake of
Hurricane Ida, three days of national mourning, beginning Tuesday, are underway in El Salvador following the
deaths of over 130 people in floods and landslides.

The areas around the capital, San Salvador, and the central
province were hardest hit. Thousands are homeless and large parts of the
country are without electricity and clean water.

Compassion International has many church partners in the
flooded areas. Kathy Redmond says, "We're looking at 21 of our Child
Development Centers that operate out of the church being damaged by this and
so, we're looking at about 6,000 kids who have been affected." 

The United Nations World Food Program says over 10,000
people will need emergency food assistance over the coming days. Compassion teams are responding. An initial aid package of $20,000 disbursed
to get immediate aid on the ground.

This is where Compassion partnerships through the local
church become essential. They're a
functioning network with an infrastructure. 
They can respond quickly to emergencies. Redmond notes that meeting needs in crisis opens many doors. "People within the community have to go
to the local church to get relief. When they go to the local church to get
relief, the message is already there that, 'We're God's hands. We're doing
God's work.'" 

Pray for wisdom for the church leaders as they respond to the
situation. Redmond says, "When
strangers from the church come along and say, 'We're here to help you and we
want to make sure you have everything you need,' it really goes a long way in
ministering to people. It goes much further, I think, than just being a church
that has services."

You can help. The humanitarian aid response is just
the beginning.  Compassion assessment teams
are still making their way to the disaster zones to find out how heavy damages
are.  

Buckner International began to serve in Honduras just this year but was called into action at the start of the flooding. The First Lady of Honduras specifically asked Buckner to help with this national emergency at the suggestion of a humanitarian aid worker connected with the organization.

"It was just perfect timing because we were just sending a 20 foot container of shoes for the Shoes for Orphans Christmas trip," says Buckner's Leslie Chace. With the knowledge that Hondurans would need more than just shoes, Buckner was able to double the container size and include  more shoes and socks, as well as blankets and food.

It is obvious that Buckner has gained a great deal of trust and credibility in Honduras already, considering the First Lady sought them out almost immediately. The new food and necessities shipment will undoubtedly increase respect for Buckner even more and allow an avenue for the organization to be Christ in the country.

"Humanitarian aid is just a wonderful way that the Lord can use to open up the doors for us to go in and touch people personally–just like Jesus had to first physically heal people and feed them, and then He was able to share the Gospel with them," notes Chace.

Although Buckner International is certainly going above and beyond the call to serve, Honduras remains in great need. There is a huge shortage of food, clothing and blankets, in particular. Buckner is planning to send more relief, specifically for orphans, through their Shoes for Orphan Souls Christmas program. But for now, they are passing along any donations for relief directly to the office of the First Lady.

Chace asks that we pray for Honduran families who've lost their homes. Pray also that Buckner would be given opportunities to be Christ to all they come in contact with during this crisis.

If you would like to help Buckner in their endeavors, click here .