Orphan Outreach

It’s a warm, early morning and Elena is sitting in the bow of a small boat. She’s crossing the lake near her home in Guatemala, preparing to meet up with a team of volunteers on one of Orphan Outreach’s short-term mission trips. This is Elena’s second year serving as a translator for Orphan Outreach (not counting the year...   continue

Our need, or lack, often pushes us to be creative—to find new ways to solve existing problems. If 2020 encouraged Bev Berry to do anything, it was to get creative. Having observed the growing hardship around her, Bev was determined to find a way to help others continue to give, even when their budgets were tight.

“There are...   continue

As the spread of COVID-19 began to take its toll on the United States, Tim and Sharie Martiny braced their ministry in Guatemala for a life-altering lockdown, as well.

Tim and Sharie are the founders of CadaNiño, an Orphan Outreach ministry partner in Guatemala that serves vulnerable children and families in Colonia Santa Fe and...   continue

When Caitlyn Moynihan was just fifteen years old, she was invited to travel abroad on her first-ever mission trip. The experience captivated her, and she has returned nearly every year for the last ten years. Having just returned from her eighth trip to Guatemala, Caitlyn has been reflecting on the ways in which God has shaped her...   continue

It was the summer of 2017 when Julie Treadwell first packed her bags and boarded a plane for Guatemala. “I went with my two daughters who were 13 and 14 at the time,” Julie says.  “We went on a mother daughter trip and we signed up at the last minute primarily for social reasons.  One of my girls was having troubles with...   continue

There is a small classroom lined with shelves in Chimaltenango, Guatemala, each neatly filled with toys and learning tools. Small, wooden tables sit in the center with tiny blue chairs surrounding them. Globes, small enough to be explored by little hands, rest on top of a shelf, next to an overflowing pot of ivy.

This simple...   continue

The sound of water trickles playfully throughout the courtyard at the Community Care Center (CCC) in Chimaltenango, Guatemala. A colorful rock sits quietly at its base, proudly displaying the word “Paz” in a child’s careful print.

Paz means peace. It is a fitting word for the newly transformed space.

What was once a stark...   continue

“Why wait?”

That was the answer that Abbey Van Andel shared when asked why she wanted to start a self-sustaining physical therapy program at the Down Syndrome School in Guatemala.

“A lot of people ask me why I would want to do this at 16 but when God calls you  to something, you respond and leave it up to Him to figure...   continue

Angie Pearson has been leading short-term missions trips to Latin America for twenty-five years, but she hasn’t always been so adventurous. In fact, before 1994, Angie had never been out of the country.

“I know it sound silly, but I’m a bit of a clutz,” explained Angie. “ So, even though my husband, John,  tried many...   continue

They’re called “red zones” in Guatemala: communities plagued by violence, gangs, and extortion. Those living in the neighborhoods receive little support and encouragement, and opportunities are limited. But in Guatemala City’s Colona Santa Fe, elementary and middle school students and their families believe long-term...   continue

It’s five in the morning, and sisters Emily and Hannah Puder are sipping on warm cups of coffee, preparing to shoot the sunrise over Antigua, Guatemala. They are two of the eleven students who were chosen to participate in the first trip of its kind for Regent University and Orphan Outreach. Together, these students and their...   continue

Since the beginning of her career, God was preparing Brenda Rivera for her role as Executive Director of ANIFU (Associación Niñez con Futuro), Orphan Outreach’s partner NGO in Guatemala.

She couldn’t see that while she was living out her profession, but it’s clear to her now.

Rivera worked as an auditor for private...   continue

As soon as Sarah Winfree stepped foot in the Down Syndrome School in Guatemala City, all she could think about was meeting her sponsor child.She had spent a lot of time praying for 6-year-old Franklyn and writing him letters. His pictures hung in her home in Ohio. Even though she hadn’t even met him yet, she loved him like her...   continue

In her home state of Texas, you'll find Dr. Suzanne Odum focusing on cognitive behavioral treatment for children, adolescents, and adults. Today, she shares her Orphan Outreach story - of how a passion for serving others has become a family affair. Suzanne and her family not only travel together on mission trips, but they also...   continue