Julie Schaffer

Children of the Nations has only been in existence for the last 12 years but now cares for up to 8,000 children daily and employs nearly 400 staff members in Africa and the Caribbean.  Many of the children are either part of COTN’s Village Partnership Program (where the child remains living with a family member but many of his needs are met by COTN) or in full-care Children’s Homes.  All these children are cared for physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually.  COTN partners with the nationals in the country to provide the holistic, Christ-centered care for the children that will enable them to create positive and lasting change in their nations.

In the United States, COTN’s strategy is to mobilize a movement of people to care for these children, even from thousands of miles away.  We strive to take the gifts and talents of an individual and use them to serve the children.  Venture Team missions trips, the area of COTN that I coordinate, is one of the approaches that we use to engage people in the mission.  The purpose of the Venture Teams is two-fold.  First, the team is able to serve the people of the country by doing work and interacting with the children while they visit the country.  Secondly, COTN’s hope is that the time will be more than a two-week trip to a third-world country, but that it will be life changing and will mark the beginning of a journey as these individuals seek to follow God’s leading in their lives.  As the Venture Team Coordinator, I’m blessed to help get them to the country and help them find their passion after they return.