by Ronne Rock
Caitlin Moynihan remembers the first time she was told about Orphan Outreach. A freshman in high school, she hadn’t considered serving the vulnerable in a developing country. But a bible study leader she had known since childhood challenged her to prayerfully consider going on a short-term mission trip.
I’m not sure you notice this, but we all have some blind spots in our lives were we overestimate ourselves. The social sciences have developed a theory called Illusory Superiority - a cognitive bias whereby individuals overestimate their own qualities and abilities, relative to others. (Dunning-Kruger). Various studies have been done and the results are very clear – we all have a tendency to overestimate ourselves. For example, 836,000 high school students were asked “are you below or above average in your ability to relate to others,” and 100% said they were above average. In a similar study for professors, they were asked “are you above average or below average as a professor,” and 94% said they were above average. Finally, 100% of drivers put themselves in the top 25% of drivers - even those who had been hospitalized multiple times for driving accidents.
Separated by more than 3,600 miles, time zone differences and two spoken languages, it seems unlikely that a church congregation in Washington State could forge such strong bonds with the people of Santiago and the rural village of Cerro de Oro in the Lake Atitlan area of Guatemala. But that is indeed what has happened, beginning with Orphan Outreach and High Pointe Community Church’s first mission trip to the village in 2009 and continuing to this day. Today, the congregation has helped build more than 20 homes for villagers, provide medical assistance as needed, help strengthen the village’s women ministry, and transform lives - including their own.
Orphan Outreach is celebrating a decade of care for orphans and vulnerable children, and we're inviting our US-based staff to share their thoughts about the ministry and its mission - and we're giving a sneak peek into their lives and loves. Jennifer Burke is a behind-the-scenes dynamo who always has a smile on her face, no matter the event or project. As Marketing and Development Coordinator, caring for donors and partners is her passion - and Orphan Outreach's mission is a perfect purpose.
We love hearing your stories - stories of hope, stories of encouragement, stories of community and care. That's why we ask you to Share Your StOOry with us on Facebook, Instagram, and right here on our website. We're thankful today for Caro lMalson, a faithful friend who has served with us on a short-term mission trip in Latvia. Her story is a reminder that love doesn't end when we return home.
"I'm not trying to change the world."
Mission Trip to Honduras • October 7-14, 2017
10th Anniversary Trip to Russia • October 20-27, 2017