Adapting and Advancing in 2020
By Byron Garmo, President
Twenty years ago, I began working at Mission to Children. At that time, I learned about the ministry’s commitment to Biblical truth, the gospel, and helping impoverished children internationally. And I loved it. Today, together with the Board of Directors, we affirm these commitments with our new mission statement in 2020:
Equipping front-line Christians who spread the gospel in truth and deed to children in poverty.
About 50% of the 1.3 billion people living in multidimensional poverty are children. Children who have little chance of knowing a Christian witness or reading the Bible in their own language. And children often trust in Christ as their Savior between the ages of 4 and 14, according to one survey.
Mission to Children has a 45-year track record of equipping front-line Christians who spread the gospel in under-served parts of the world. This has included Bible-based training; funding outreaches that spread the gospel and feed children internationally; caring for orphans and vulnerable children in India through shelter, food, and clothing; and strengthening families by providing educational assistance to hundreds of children in the lowest caste of Indian society.
And then the global pandemic hit.
Because of the pandemic, we are adapting how we carry out our mission. In India, for example, the children we’ve been supporting at the ministry hub have been sent home by government order. So our field partner is now delivering food rations and hygiene items to the children’s homes. This adaptation meets two critical needs: Feeding the families and checking on the safety and well-being of each child.
And that’s just one example. Given all the changes happening around us, we’re starting with prayer. If you haven’t yet, I hope you’ll join us in seeking the Lord for next steps to spread the gospel in India, a country that’s less than 2.1% Christian. During this unprecedented year of global change, we must remember and rest knowing that God orders our steps—and His plans do not fail (Isaiah 55:11, Psalm 37:23-24, Psalm 46:10).
