By Lauren Hines (B.A. ’10)

 

For most people, caring for orphans means sending a check to an organization to help a child in a foreign country.  But that wasn’t enough for Mike Krick (B.A. ’94).

 

In 2006, Krick grew compelled to help take care of widows and orphans, as instructed in James 1:27.

 

“[God] continually brought this passage to mind, as well as others, and it was hard to ignore,” Krick said.  “Widows and orphans are incredibly close to the heart of God, as Scripture clearly demonstrates.”

 

Krick explained that he is compelled to care for orphans simply because God is. 

 

“Christians need to be passionate about the things God is passionate about,” he said.  “Oftentimes we tend to focus on the sins we are committing: lying, stealing, cheating, lusting.  And although these are things we certainly need to stay away from to have a great relationship with a pure and holy God, I am convinced that God will hold us just as accountable for the sins of omission.”

 

Despite this driving passion, there was a time when Krick and his wife were not able to completely devote themselves to the ministry of orphans.

 

“So I began serving widows in our community in Evart, Michigan,” Krick said.  “This was a tremendous blessing.  Ultimately, God continued to tug on my heart to be more involved with orphans as well.”

Eventually, in 2008, Krick decided to visit friends in Guatemala who were serving at an orphanage.

 

“I finally sucked it up, purchased a ticket to go visit them and gain a better understanding of what orphan care was all about,” Krick said. 

 

While he and his wife were there, they met several other individuals serving orphans in Guatemala City.  One of the individuals was the Central American Regional Director for World Orphans.

 

“I didn’t think much of it at the time,” Krick said.  “However, looking back, this was a sovereign appointment.”

 

Six months later, Krick resigned from his job of 11 years at Spring Hill Camp, and began raising support to be a missionary with World Orphans.  He now serves as the Midwest regional director for the organization.

 

“I am responsible for communicating the World Orphans model to Western churches, businesses, foundations and individuals,” Krick said.  “It is a development and relationship building role.  The end goal is to introduce these Western organizations to overseas churches, and help forge a partnership that can make a difference in the lives of orphans, make a difference in the indigenous church, and make a difference in the communities that these churches are in.”

 

Krick is passionate about World Orphans because he believes in the way they rely on indigenous churches. 

 

“We do not follow the traditional sending model of most Western mission organizations,” Krick said. “We operate most of our international work through a network of partnerships that have a 24/7 presence in the country.  I think one of the best things about our model of ministry is that indigenous Christian nationals who know the culture, know the language and have already developed relationships are continuing to do what God has called them to do.  We simply come alongside them and through the help of Western churches, organizations and individual donors help resource projects to care for the orphans in their community.”

 

To read more about World Orphans, visit: www.worldorphans.com.