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But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the Gospel of the grace of God. Acts 20:24
Melinda & David Nelson started Flourish & Thrive Ministries to reach some of the most vulnerable people on the planet. The tagline of our ministry is to “generate foundations that support human flourishing in desperate places.”
This ministry developed when we became aware of a “black hole” in Missions. Though almost everyone, Christian or not, knows it is right to help care for orphans, most picture young children when they think of orphans, and as a result that is where most of the funding and attention goes.
But does one become "un-orphanized" when they turn 17 or 18 and are forced out of their orphanages/children's home due to government regulations? No, in fact it's at this age that ones "orphan status" actually becomes more life-threatening since most are forced out on the streets with zero resources or family support.
We felt compelled by the love of God to dedicate our lives to come alongside these young adult orphans whose lives were otherwise in danger. “Aging-out" orphans have incredibly high suicide rates, and for those who choose life they often are forced to choose crime or prostitution to stay alive. We are moved by their plight, as well as convicted by Proverbs 24:11-12 “Rescue those being led away by death. Don’t just stand back and let them die. Don’t try to disclaim responsibility by saying you knew nothing about it. For God, who knows all hearts, knows yours and He knows you knew.”
We chose to come to Mozambique as at one point it was deemed the poorest country in the world, and as you might imagine, orphans in such an impoverished setting with few social safety nets were literally dying. And even though working with a young adult age group rather than “cuter” younger children seemed “scarier,” we couldn't get away from the fact that this blindspot in Christian missions needed to be addressed. After all, if all we are doing is rescuing children to tell them about Jesus and feed, water and educate them until they are 18 so they can end up with survival choices as prostitutes or criminals, then something is seriously flawed with our vision, not God’s!
Despite the challenges of living in a country where there is Islamic violence up north, corrupt police, malaria, ebola, tuberculosis, cholera, drought, floods, 15% of the population with AID’s, yucky bugs, rats and snakes, high heat and lack of electricity, we consider it a privilege to be a part of what God is doing here. We clearly are not afraid to face risk, and we do understand suffering can come with this territory, but we also know that God does not desire us to be alone in this endeavor or without help.
That is why your financial and prayer support is so crucial, for as Mother Teresa noted, “What you can do, I cannot do. What I can do, you cannot do. But together, you and I can do something beautiful for God.”
Melinda & David Nelson started Flourish & Thrive Ministries to reach some of the most vulnerable people on the planet. The tagline of our ministry is to “generate foundations that support human flourishing in desperate places.”
This ministry developed when we became aware of a “black hole” in Missions. Though almost everyone, Christian or not, knows it is right to help care for orphans, most picture young children when they think of orphans, and as a result that is where most of the funding and attention goes.
But does one become "un-orphanized" when they turn 17 or 18 and are forced out of their orphanages/children's home due to government regulations? No, in fact it's at this age that ones "orphan status" actually becomes more life-threatening since most are forced out on the streets with zero resources or family support.
We felt compelled by the love of God to dedicate our lives to come alongside these young adult orphans whose lives were otherwise in danger. “Aging-out" orphans have incredibly high suicide rates, and for those who choose life they often are forced to choose crime or prostitution to stay alive. We are moved by their plight, as well as convicted by Proverbs 24:11-12 “Rescue those being led away by death. Don’t just stand back and let them die. Don’t try to disclaim responsibility by saying you knew nothing about it. For God, who knows all hearts, knows yours and He knows you knew.”
We chose to come to Mozambique as at one point it was deemed the poorest country in the world, and as you might imagine, orphans in such an impoverished setting with few social safety nets were literally dying. And even though working with a young adult age group rather than “cuter” younger children seemed “scarier,” we couldn't get away from the fact that this blindspot in Christian missions needed to be addressed. After all, if all we are doing is rescuing children to tell them about Jesus and feed, water and educate them until they are 18 so they can end up with survival choices as prostitutes or criminals, then something is seriously flawed with our vision, not God’s!
Despite the challenges of living in a country where there is Islamic violence up north, corrupt police, malaria, ebola, tuberculosis, cholera, drought, floods, 15% of the population with AID’s, yucky bugs, rats and snakes, high heat and lack of electricity, we consider it a privilege to be a part of what God is doing here. We clearly are not afraid to face risk, and we do understand suffering can come with this territory, but we also know that God does not desire us to be alone in this endeavor or without help.
That is why your financial and prayer support is so crucial, for as Mother Teresa noted, “What you can do, I cannot do. What I can do, you cannot do. But together, you and I can do something beautiful for God.”