FALL/WINTER 2020 VOLUME 30
Care for today. Hope for tomorrow.
On March 16th, I told the Back2Back International Directors and U.S. Department leaders, “First things first - we must decide what is most important now, so we can sustain meeting those needs the longest.” We decided meeting practical needs, staying connected to children, and keeping everyone healthy and safe would become Back2Back’s “first things first.”
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR
Internationally, we reduced the overall operating budget by almost one million dollars. I proudly would serve under any leader within Back2Back. The leadership teams made tough choices to stay in the fight. Now nearing the end of 2020, we are still fighting. I had the privilege of helping with the first day of Back2Back Cincinnati’s programming for Cincinnati Public Schools. The mountain of challenges children faced to get online, check in for attendance, and participate in a virtual classroom, felt intimidating and overwhelming, even to me. Advocacy is not easy, but is absolutely necessary. We need to stand in the gap. In May, when we were all almost two months into navigating the unknown, I felt God’s prompting to stay in the fight. I shared this with all 300+ Back2Back staff and they are living testimonies to the many ways God has resourced and empowered them. I would put their innovation against any team in the world. Ultimately, the relentless pursuit of vulnerable children and families is in the DNA of the Back2Back staff team, advocates, and volunteers. If you would have asked me six months ago if we would be stronger and better a half a year into this, I might have wavered, but today I can testify: needs are being met, children are connected, and families are safe.
Todd Guckenberger Executive Director of Back2Back Ministries
* Names have been changed in the stories of this publication to protect the children Back2Back serves.
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A Under Call toa Tent Share 23 in aTheir Small Lives Corner of Cincinnati
VISION
We desire for every orphaned and vulnerable child to have the opportunity for success through “Care for today and Hope for tomorrow.� The goal is each child would experience restoration to a life of purpose in which they can become fulfilled and mature Christian adults.
MISSION
Back2Back Ministries is an international Christian non-profit organization dedicated to being a voice for
19 Joy, Uncancelled
orphans. We exist to love and care for orphaned and vulnerable children, by meeting their spiritual, physical,
17 One Small Boy's Big Dream
educational, emotional and social needs so they may overcome their life circumstances and break free from
11 More Than Street Music 25 Making a Home in the Hills of Haiti
TEN WAYS WE ARE
STAYING ININ 2020THE FIGHT by Todd Guckenberger, Executive Director of Back2Back Ministries
In May, I was praying and honestly feeling a little discouraged about how COVID-19 was impacting the ability to directly meet the needs of children and families. During my time in prayer, I felt like God told me, “stay in the fight, even now more than ever.” This is exactly what the Back2Back staff have done. In spite of lockdowns, government restrictions, and quarantines, they have found innovative solutions and creative ideas driven by their commitment to do whatever it takes to stay connected to vulnerable children and families. These are just ten of the many ways we have stayed connected and stayed in the fight. When faced with the challenges of COVID-19, the Back2Back staff did not give up. They stayed in the fight, they used their creativity, and I know for a fact, we won’t stop until every child is known and loved.
3
12345
Prayer
In CANCUN, staff meet virtually each morning to pray for families they serve, and MONTERREY staff gather Friday mornings under the palapa to lift up their city in prayer.
Calls
In INDIA, each child received a tablet and now have weekly video check-ins with staff members, and every children’s home director in HAITI receives a daily call from staff asking how we can help, and reminding them they aren’t alone.
Celebrations NIGERIA couldn’t
celebrate Children’s Day with a traditional party, so instead they received handdelivered videos of their favorite staff members wishing them a happy day. In CANCUN, graduation party kits were delivered to families empowering them to celebrate their graduates at
food Drives
In CINCINNATI, staff delivered over 2,700 food packs filled with meals and snacks for children and teens who typically would have two meals at school. In NIGERIA, our staff fought for special permissions from the government to deliver critical food supplies to partnering children’s homes.
educational support
A Facebook group in CANCUN was created to provide classes and virtual tutoring sessions, and an outdoor, socially distanced summer reading program included 60 children in CINCINNATI.
6 7 8 9 10
connection At home
In MAZATLÁN, caregivers at Rancho de los Niños organized games and activities to keep children engaged and entertained during lockdown. In MONTERREY, staff stepped in to provide respite to house parents by organizing English class, morning workouts, and volleyball tournaments. 5
REallocating Funds
Learning and gRowth
INDIA were in
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC received
When families in
desperate need of clean water, staff members shifted financial resources to meet the most urgent needs. In HAITI,
resources originally planned for connection activities were shifted to cover the increased food costs during the pandemic.
Staff from the
in-depth training with the Strong Families Program, equipping them with knowledge and skills needed to transform communities. In MAZATLÁN, staff members made the most of time at home by reading books on leadership together.
Health and Hygiene Lessons
In MONTERREY, staff used glitter to teach critical lessons about germs and the importance of handwashing. In MAZATLÁN, Back2Back staff shared masks and gloves open-handedly with local hospitals.
Parent Coaching
CINCINNATI
staff visited families and coached parents through the complex process of device pick-ups and remote learning. In NIGERIA, caregivers in the village were coached on how to maintain a routine and teach at home.
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UNTIL EVERY CHILD IS KNOWN AND LOVED
presence matters
In the middle of despairing the cancelled school year, cancelled mission trips, forced reunifications, and a myriad of other unexpected events in 2020, God has been quietly using all this “together-time” to foster deeper connection and propel His mission of healing of vulnerable children and their families forward. by Beth Guckenberger, Co-Executive Director of Back2Back Ministries
Presence matters. It was my Mom who first taught this to me, she said and modeled it (and still does) throughout my life. I inscribed one of my books to her with that phrase, and believe it to be never more relevant than during 2020. As children throughout the world looked to the adults in their lives when things got turned upside down, adults at Back2Back set predictable, safe routines in the lives of children they serve, and it made a difference in how they’ve weathered the storm. We know God uses all things for His good. We see it all throughout the Bible - He takes what the enemy intended for evil and turns it to His advantage. In the middle of despairing the cancelled school year, cancelled mission trips, forced reunifications, and a myriad of other unexpected events in 2020, God quietly has been using all this “together-time” to foster deeper connection and propel His mission of healing of vulnerable children and their families forward. In my own home, I have seen this to be true; Todd and I haven’t had this many consecutive nights together in a decade. In a time when we were making many real-time and problem-solving decisions, the hours we logged walking around our neighborhood provided good sounding board time, and kept us on the same page. Our three college seniors came home for their last semesters. It was not at all what they were anticipating, however, we were able to process and talk about what to do when life doesn’t go how we hoped. This is a priceless lesson I pray they take with them long after this year. Our son, Tyler, whom we adopted at age 12, turned 18 during this season 7
and we had plenty of runway to talk through the transition stage he’s entering, something that might have otherwise snuck up on us. At the Back2Back sites, we’ve seen the children at Rancho de los Niños in Mazatlán have fewer behavioral issues, feeling the stability of the staff who moved into the home, minimizing the risk of exposure. Some of the teens in the Hope Program have opened up about their past for the first time, having had plenty of discretionary time with their house parents over board games and cooking lessons. We’ve seen countries with mandated reunification which has given us a chance to connect with birth families in a way we might not have otherwise. To date, several will permanently stay with someone in their extended family, and that’s a win, as we transition them into a Strong Families model and support their new situation. In Nigeria, the staff are reporting the children at Destiny Children’s Home are experiencing richer and deeper connections with caregivers, as life has simplified and everyone is spending time together. Yes, there is plenty of hard to lament, but there’s lots of details to be grateful for. Some kids have learned new skills, some have caught up to their grade level in reading, some have faced fears and seen victory. We have seen prayers answered and our faith is strengthened. We’ve prayed more, trusted more, and He, as always, is sovereign. He knew this was coming and prepared us all for it. Back2Back has not spent this season hiding out, nor will we in the next. We will rise up and together walk into the good work He’s prepared in this next year for us.
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139
JOS, NIGERIA
It really doesn't matter which game you play or who wins or loses. What matters is the time spent connecting with each other. 10 14
more than street music 11
Jose Luis watched Andres*, slowly withdraw into himself. The usually vibrant, social young man grew quieter over the weeks of mandated quarantine. With each new cancellation of something he loved, Andres grew more despondent. Mazatlán was feeling the effects of the virus sweeping globally, leaving adults unemployed and children and teens idle. For Andres, music classes brought him joy, honed a new skill, and we're a place he could express his feelings. Without music class, Andres struggled. One of the creative ways a group of men in Mazatlán were earning income was by performing Mexican street music. Together, they walked the streets in neighborhoods, playing energetic music for people in their homes and collected tips when they were given. Daily, the men walked and played right by Adres’ house. The first day they came, he rushed to the door, dreaming about playing music himself again. For those brief moments, when the men were loudly playing with abandon, Andres felt alive, and Jose Luis and Reyna, his Hope parents noticed.
For those brief moments, when the men were loudly playing with abandon, Andres felt alive, and Jose Luis and Reyna, his Hope parents noticed. One afternoon, Jose Luis heard the street band in the distance and snuck out of the house to catch the leader. “I wanted to see if Andres would be able to join them in playing one song from our front porch,” explained Jose Luis. He got back home, Andres none the wiser, and waited expectantly alongside the young man for the band to arrive on their street. They stopped in front of the house, and cordially invited Andres to play his drums with the band, on what he now calls “the best day ever.” He played several songs alongside the band, drawing the attention of neighbors who came out on their balconies and cheered him on. It was a day he will never forget. As he reminisced that evening with Jose Luis and Reyna, he confessed he felt tears welling up the entire time he played. “I held them back, though, because grown men don’t cry,” stated Andres. Jose Luis looked at Andres seriously and corrected him, “Actually, Andres, men do cry, because men have feelings, too.” It was an afternoon filled with more than music – it was Andres’ opportunity to express his feelings in his favorite way, remembering God sees him and knows what brings him joy. Andres playing alongside a street band reminded him even when he feels alone, or hopeless, he is fully known and deeply loved.
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COUNTER
CULTURAL
DREAM(ER)
Divia* is a young woman who has lived the entirety of her life in the slums of India. A young woman who has dreams of working and making money to support herself and help her family, Divia has struggled against the cultural expectation of women being solely wives and mothers, never breadwinners. Divia, the second eldest of four children, watched her parents save earnestly to send her older brother to junior college. When he couldn’t complete his courses, she felt the weight of knowing her parents would likely not borrow more money to send her. For years, she has attended Christ for All Feeding Center, a long-time partner of Back2Back, who provides a hot meal each night, along with tutoring and Bible lessons, in the middle of the slum she calls home. As she grew older, and a Back2Back Strong Families Program developed within the small community, Goldie and Kennedy, directors of Christ for All, saw a potential in Divia. Back2Back’s Strong Families Program was designed to help families move from surviving to flourishing through classes and creative workshops addressing their spiritual, physical, educational, emotional, and social needs. The Strong Families Program provides the care they need today, so together they can participate in the hope of a flourishing tomorrow. By creating sustainability within the home, children remain where they truly belong – with their biological families. The staff fostered her learning, ensuring she remained on track, and when the Hope Education Program in India was ready for new students, Goldie and Kennedy had the perfect candidate in mind. Divia is now the newest Hope Program student, and is planning for a future as a banker. She attends online classes while she lives at home with her family, is a part of weekly Bible study lessons, and attends virtual English classes. With the support and guidance of Back2Back staff, Goldie and Kennedy, and the support of her family and sponsors, Divia is breaking a cycle of expectation and seeing a goal come alive in her own life. The investments made in her story from trusted and safe adults have helped Divia get to where she is now - a full-time student, and it will be with the mentorship of those same adults that she will move forward in her education and with her dreams.
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In India,
10%
of children who begin school in first grade will continue to twelfth grade.
An estimated
25 MILLION orphaned children live in India.
In India more than
50 MILLION
young women will neither work professionally nor study, and less than half of India’s children between the ages of six and fourteen will go to school.
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Starting in 1997 in Monterrey, Mexico, Back2Back Ministries is now serving
8
locations around the world including our first domestic site in CINCINNATI, OH.
MEXICO
63
Mexican children are in foster care. Partnering with
15 Children’s Homes 5 providing
areas of holistic care.
265
Hope Program students, since 2002, have changed the trajectory of their stories forever.
315
Back2Back staff around the world.
60 %
INDIA
1,067
15
There are
of Back2Back staff are nationals.
Child Sponsors who are generously sponsoring children at one of Back2Back sites.
There are
49
Since 2016, trauma training has been offered around the world to
certified foster families.
2,500
caregivers from countries
72 impacting over
caregivers from countries
300,000
children.
Since 1997,
30,220
mission guests have traveled to Back2Back sites around the world.
NIGERIA
225
children remaining with their families, being mentored by staff,
impacting communities where they live.
125
families in the Strong Families Program.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
As Back2Back makes plans to pursue orphaned and vulnerable children in 2021, would you consider a financial gift to help children know that, together, we believe in them and will work tirelessly on their behalf...for as long as it takes. Your giving can make a real difference in the life of orphaned and vulnerable children - helping families stay together and breaking the cycle of generational poverty forever. We won’t stop until every child is known and loved.
HAITI Give today at back2back.org/givehope
I want to be an
engineer
when I grow up.
I also want to help make
Haiti’s roads
better and safer.
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One small boy's big dream What started as a typical day for Kelly Aimable and his wife Madame Kelly changed the course of a small boy’s life. While visiting a local village in Haiti, they met a frail boy named Stevenson* with a painfully distended belly. It was soon discovered he was seriously ill and needed urgent medical attention. Kelly told Stevenson’s mother about the children’s home and school he founded and offered assistance. At this children’s home, Stevenson received medical care, proper nutrition, and a warm bed. He was offered a safe place to grow. What very well would have been the end of his story was only the beginning thanks to many people who offered a piece of hope in Stevenson’s story.
God was only getting started calling others to lovingly pursue Stevenson. Two years later, a mission group from Cincinnati visited the children’s home, and Gina Sanders noticed a small boy who wasn’t feeling well. While his friends played and swam happily, she sat with Stevenson and watched over him while he slept under the blazing sun. The next day, he was feeling a little better, and she was able to see his true personality emerge. “He was tiny, but mighty,” she remembers, “at the age of four, a swimsuit meant for
an 18-month-old was a perfect fit.” He wanted nothing to do with the water and preferred to stay close to his new friend. Gina remembers thinking about her own four-year old son at home; the difference in their sizes, their health, and their ability to engage was staggering. It was then she and her family realized they held a unique piece in Stevenson’s story and chose to become his sponsors.
Over the years, the Sanders family has had the privilege of watching him grow, develop, and change. Gina shares, “One thing you need to know about Stevenson is that he can outeat any trucker you meet! Where he puts it is a mystery, but he can pack it away!” Through letters and visits they have seen his personality emerge, always wise beyond his years and dreaming of the future. He has big dreams to become an architect, to fix Haiti’s roads as an engineer, and to become a soldier to protect the country he loves. His letters to the Sanders family are full of stories about thriving in school, tales of tricks he has played on friends, and always conclude with the precious question of how he can pray for Gina and her family.
want to be a good husband and father, like you.” Jimmy and his wife serve regularly at the home, and their piece of the story, as Back2Back staff, is to build into Stevenson and kids like him, to help them grow spiritually, physically, educationally, emotionally, and socially. The children not only see Jimmy as their teacher and spiritual mentor, but as a faithful man who loves his family well.
Several years after their first visit, Gina and her daughter returned to Haiti to visit Stevenson. They had the opportunity to take him on a special trip to the beach and marveled as he fearlessly swam, jumped over waves, and splashed in the surf. What a The aftermath of the 2010 hurricane contrast to their first meeting, when in Haiti left the country with little he was too sick to climb down from infrastructure, making driving and Gina’s lap. Our God, who comes after the Stevenson is now an overcomer, and is on one, sees the widow his way to leading others in beautiful ways and orphan in their through his kind and strong nature. distress, and calls on others to offer pieces of hope in our stories. It is because of walking difficult, and sometimes Him, Stevenson is now an overcomer, dangerous. Stevenson wants to be and is on his way to leading others in a part of making Haiti stronger in beautiful ways through his kind and the future. “I want to be an engineer strong nature. when I grow up, Jimmy,” he shares. “I want to help make Haiti’s roads better and safer, I want less people to be hurt in my country. And I also 18
Joy
uncancelled
This was a big deal to everyone and we wanted to make sure they didn’t go without recognition. Graduation in a bag was born from this desire to not cancel joy, in spite of so much being canceled.
The familiar beat of a popular song filled the walls of a home in Mexico. Mateo*, decked out in a tie, graduation robe, and graduation cap, walked proudly down the hallway leading to his family’s dining room, where his sisters, mom, and dad grinned excitedly for him. He smiled proudly as he walked in front of the wall they decorated for him. It was a day to celebrate his accomplishments – he was a graduate. Usually, graduation celebrations and ceremonies are held at the Community Centers with visiting mission teams and a big party, but 2020 brought many changes with it – requiring new creativity. “We had 24 children in the Strong Families Program graduating from some level of school this year,” explained Amy Kelly, Back2Back staff. “This was a big deal to everyone, including the staff, and we wanted to make sure they didn’t go without recognition.” “Graduation in a Bag” was born from this desire to not cancel joy, in spite of so much being canceled. Each child or teen’s bag contained a diploma, notes and videos of encouragement from the staff, decorations for the family to use in their homes, and materials to make a graduation cap. The families were really encouraged to make the celebrations unique to their child, and the staff looked forward to hearing about each momentous occasion across the communities served. “The families knocked it out of the park!” shared Amy. “They made backdrops out of black trash bags so the kids could have photos taken, and we loved hearing how each family made their time unique.” Mateo’s mom presented him with his diploma for completing the sixth grade and offered him words of encouragement, “I want to see you grow up well, and I pray you are an honest man. May God protect you and give you life; may you have a career and achieve your dreams; I’m very happy you’ve finished elementary school! I can’t believe you are so grown up. Thank you Back2Back for your support.” The families expressed their gratitude, telling staff, because of what they were provided, they celebrated and kept joy at the forefront during this special time. Now each time Mateo sees his diploma hanging on his wall, he remembers just how many people are cheering for him and at the ready to celebrate. When his family was together every day, and rhythms and routines disrupted, the diploma says joy isn’t in short supply.
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Dear Mateo, “I want to see you grow up well, and I pray you are an honest man. May God protect you and give you life. May you have a career and achieve your dreams. I’m very happy you’ve finished elementary school! I can’t believe you are so grown up.
Love, Mom
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I wish we could do a sleepover, swimming lessons, dance class, and let’s go for adventures!
I want to go to the park and go on a field trip.
I want us to visit a garden with flowers, and a swimming pool.
It's the small things in life 17 21
“I wish I could go to the park,” one of the children whispered as he prepared for bed. “Yeah, I wish we could go on a field trip together,” another child mentions. “What did we say we were going to do, when we wish for things?” chimes in Ene Oklo, Back2Back staff. “We write it down and put it in the jar!” both boys answered back, then went to write their wishes down on a piece of paper. The children and captains at a children’s home Back2Back serves in Nigeria, had been spending much more time together under shelter-in-place orders. Normally, captains live separately from the children’s homes and come and go, but to ensure limited visitors and people going in and out, staff stayed at the children’s homes through lockdown orders. It was a busy time making sure the children ate well, completed their household duties, and remained engaged in educational activities, while also having fun. At the beginning of the shelter-in-place mandates, Ene Olko, captain of the home, overheard the children expressing things they wish they could do. She decided to offer a positive spin in the midst of their new day-to-day routine. “The children said they wished they could do this, or they wished they could see someone they love, and I didn’t want them to just dwell on what they couldn’t do, so I told them, ‘every time we wish would could do something, go somewhere, treat ourselves, see someone we love, visit a new place, or invite people
to our home, we will write it down on a small card and put it in a jar,’” explained Ene. “‘Then, when this is all over, and our lives feel normal, again, we will go to our bucket list we made, work our way through the activities, and be more grateful than ever for the small things in life!’” The children caught on to the idea quickly, and enjoyed watching the jar fill up with the magical things they each looked forward to. This summer, I want us to eat fruit, if we can, after every meal. This summer, I want us to visit a garden with flowers, and a swimming pool and have a competition. I wish we could do a sleepover, swimming lessons, economic class, art class, dance class, have a water drinking contest, and let’s go for adventures! While the wishes listed might seem mundane to an outside eye, they are meaningful activities unique to the author who penned them. Once lockdowns were lifted in Nigeria, the children and staff at Destiny enjoyed movie nights with snacks, worship nights, park visits, and a special breakfast together. Even in uncertain times, Back2Back staff offered care for today – providing food, educational assistance, and a culture of fun. They used this unique experience to reflect on what it really means to live as family, in community, trusting in God. Hope was also provided for the tomorrows God would still ordain – planned moments shared with those they loved.
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UNDER A TENT IN A SMALL CORNER IN CINCINNATI For eleven weeks this summer, Back2Back Cincinnati Staff partnered with local elementary schools to provide summer reading options for children who had previously lacked internet access.
The parking lots of local schools had been empty for months. As a pandemic ushered people to their homes, school officials reluctantly closed their doors, scrambled to piece together online learning options, and hoped for the best. Many of these schools became hubs for food distribution, as resource coordinators shifted from educational support to helping families meet basic needs. On June 15th, one vacant parking lot was buzzing with movement. Tents were being raised, intentionally distanced from one another. Yoga mats were being placed in each tent. Small black bins were set out filled with education resources, fidgets, and snacks. On this day, with an empty school as the backdrop, children from the city of Cincinnati showed up, read, and connected with a safe adult in a safe space. For 11 weeks this summer, the Back2Back Cincinnati staff partnered with local elementary schools to provide summer reading options for children who had previously lacked internet access. The pandemic has affected all of us. The economic and educational impact of this unprecedented time
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can be most clearly seen in the city’s most vulnerable families. From food disparities to gaps in access to education, the social parameters set to protect us have also deepened the gap of inequalities between us. They are compounded with the cries of injustice and unrest we experience each day.
community. Both are minorities, growing up in the same neighborhood, but might never have been allies, due to systematic division and scarcity of resources.Yet now, because of the way Jesus refuses to relent in pursuing a Kingdom where everyone belongs, the two are dancing in a parking lot, celebrating sight words together.
However, under a tent, in a small corner of Cincinnati, there is hope. Each child, receiving an individualized education plan, spends his or her time with a safe adult, practicing letters, sight words, reading, and playing (socially distanced) games together. On the first day of this program, an energetic first grader named Sara* shared English was her second language. When tested, she could not identify any sight words in English. By week ten, we watched her tutor dance through the parking lot as he celebrated with her, and the fact she had completed pages of sight words on her own. Sara’s tutor is from this same neighborhood and chose to spend the summer before his freshmen year tutoring children who, like him, haven’t had access to adequate education opportunities.
As the summer reading program came to a close, the resource coordinator from one of the elementary schools stood in a parking lot, overlooking this little tent academy and said, “You know, I was worried at first, partnering with a faith-based organization.This, though... this,” as she pointed toward the tents buzzing with kids, “this is exactly where I think Jesus would be in the middle of a pandemic.” And Jesus was there, protecting us, uniting us, and guiding us.
What deepens the impact of this moment, is Sara and her tutor represent two different ethnicities in the 24
Making a Home in the ONE LOCAL MOTHER'S HEART FOR STRENGTHENING FAMILIES IN HAITI
This is Canaan, Haiti’s third largest city after the 2010 earthquake. It is home to nearly 300,000 Haitians.
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campus. This is where the story really begins.
Hills
She had maintained contact with Sarah and Matt Ellis, Back2Back staff, and reached out and asked to sit down with them. “We didn’t think much of it,” shared Matt. “We’d kept in touch and thought maybe she needed financial help, as she was planning to move.”
Across the road from the Back2Back Haiti campus lies a landscape of hills. Prior to 2010 and the devastating earthquake that displaced more than one million Haitians, the hills were home to four-legged animals grazing on scarce food. Now, the hills are covered in cement-block structures, fully drivable roads, and are home to around 300,000 Haitians. It is known as Canaan – Haiti’s third largest city. When the earthquake displaced 1.5 million Haitians from cities in the southern portion of the country, (vqronline.org, Jacob Kushner) thousands of temporary structures were set up. Over time, more permanent homes and travelable roads have been built, and people have made a life – getting water, food, and employment where they can. However, it still lacks an official governing structure, making full access to resources and daily essentials difficult. When Back2Back Haiti was still searching for land to purchase for the campus, they dreamt of one day leading a Strong Families Program for families who call Canaan home. Dreams began of keeping them united, of educating parents and children on sustainability, and of developing spiritual and physical health. Nadege, a Haitian woman, arrived promptly each morning and prepared food as construction crews gathered to bring blueprints to life for the new Back2Back Campus. She was always on time and made the perfect amount of food for those building the brand new
With the poise and friendliness the Ellises had come to know as trademarks of Nadege’s personality, she sat down with them and asked for a job. “I don’t want you to just hand over money,” she stated clearly. “I want to work for it, and I’d like to work for you at Back2Back.” Nadege, a mother of two and Haitian national, has an accounting background. This, along with her job skills, parenting philosophy, and a desire and commitment to empower families, made her a natural choice for captaining Haiti’s developing Strong Families Program in Canaan. Back2Back’s Strong Families Program was designed to help families move from surviving to growing through classes and creative workshops addressing their spiritual, physical, educational, emotional, and social needs. We provide the care they need today, so together they can participate in the hope of a flourishing tomorrow. By creating sustainability within the home, children remain where they truly belong – with their biological families. Nadege bridges connections between families in Canaan and Back2Back through training. Currently, the program works alongside four groups in Canaan. One connected 70 children with school scholarships, and Back2Back helped with summer camp programs and needed supplies. Several others will help Nadege support families as she ensures they have needed supplies and clean water. Nadege cares for Canaan with the heart of a mother, and leads the charge of deepening relationships while training towards sustainability and health best practices. She is called to see Canaan flourish, and is using her abilities and giftings to build a stronger tomorrow for the residents of Canaan.
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2012
IT BEGAN WITH A QUESTION by Stephani Duff
Ours starts similarly to how any conversation between two strangers begins. What’s your name? How old are you? What’s your favorite color? The only difference - I am in a foreign land, sweating profusely, and I am thinking of questions to interest a 13-year old boy. That was five years ago on my first trip to India, and I remember distinctly the answers to Avi’s* questions. A confident boy even at 13, he was inquisitive, kind, and already had a dream. “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I asked him. This question I’d asked
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many of the children in my first days on Back2Back’s India campus. Unlike the traditional answers, like doctor, engineer, teacher, and nurse, his took me by surprise. “I want to be a pilot, Sister.” His eyes lit up when he shared he wanted his first trip to be to Switzerland. An earnest dream, I admired right away how much thought he had given it. This conversation stirred within me until I knew I wanted to cheer him on. By the end of my first trip to India, I decided to sponsor this young dreamer, thinking I would be part of his life changing. I never could’ve imagined it was my life that would change.
2020 In the last five years, Avi has written and spoken of a dream that has never wavered. I have anticipated his letters and prayed for him through exam weeks and admission tests. I’ve learned the kind and gentle disposition that first struck me represents a character who asks about my own family and life. I know Avi better now, having celebrated birthdays and visited him again. I’ve been to his school, and had the immense fortune of meeting his extended family. I’ve received letters detailing what he’s learning from Jesus and witnessed his growth – spiritually,
physically, educationally, and emotionally. I am watching him grow into a young man, complete with a mustache Avi studied hard, graduating from junior college earlier this year. He still dreams of piloting a plane and is focused toward this goal. He has learned to ask questions when he needs help and pray fervently for guidance. The young boy who’d never been on an airplane sees his goal approaching and has not relented in his pursuit. He’s done it all with determination, grit, and grace. Avi impresses me, but he also encourages me, challenges me, and surprises me. I
hope in the next five years, we’ll continue changing and helping each other grow toward the dreams God plants in each of us, and I hope he continues to change every person he encounters for the better, just as he did me.
If you've ever considered sponsoring a child, there are many children around the world who can't wait to have a sponsor. To read more about child sponsorship, go to back2back.org/sponsor to learn more. 28
THE LORD BLESS YOU AND
KEEP
MAKE HIS FACE
UPON
BE GRACIOUS
THE LORD TURN HIS FACE TOWARD AND
293
GIVE YOU
In the beginning of COVID, a popular song encouraged many within the Church. Written by Kari Jobe, Chris Brown, Stephen Furtick and Cody Carnes, “The Blessing� was played on repeat in many homes and sung by church choirs around the world. Cancun staff member, Juan Suarez, had an idea to coordinate a Back2Back version incorporating all the international sites, as a gift of encouragement.
YOU
SHINE
YOU AND
He reached out to staff with musical gifts, asking them to record their voice or instrument. Juan then compiled all the tracks and surprised the staff on May 19, 2020, at a global all-staff gathering. Around the world, staff sang and praised God together through this song.
TO YOU YOU
PEACE
The lyrics are taken from many blessings throughout Scripture, and everyone was moved by the voices of children, Hope program students, and staff singing these promises together. We encourage you to enjoy the video yourself, and join us in agreeing for these blessings to fall on all our families and the generations to follow.
NUMBERS 6:24-26
To watch this video, go to back2back.org/blessing
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P.O. Box 70 Mason, OH 45040
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What does
It's the smile of a young boy making a goal for the first time and his friends cheering him on. It’s the giggles of girls in new uniforms carrying full backpacks ready for their first day of school. It's the quiet, proud house parent with his arm slung around the shoulder of a young man smiling in a graduation cap. Each scene is full of promise.
You can give hope this season at, back2back.org/givehope