One day 15 years ago, Joe Renaud was sitting in church in Florida as usual. That particular day a guest speaker really grabbed Joe’s attention.
“Greg Garrett (Orphan Helpers founder) was speaking about the mission he was on to help forgotten kids. I was thrown back by this guy. I thought he’s got no business in Central America. By the world’s standards, he has no need to go and do this thing that’s a bit dangerous in many respects. But the vigor that he spoke about these kids drew me to the mission,” Joe says.
Joe immediately started giving to the ministry. For more than 10 years, Joe gave faithfully, even when the recession took a toll on his business.
It was not until he took a trip to Central America, though, that Joe gained a deeper understanding of the real need. That trip transformed Joe into an advocate, wanting to do more.
“I was shocked at what I saw. Imagine you’re going into prisons like you’ve never seen prisons anywhere before. No guards. Little kids who are gang members,” Joe says. “It was an emotional roller coaster. One moment you hear a young person sharing his story of how Christ has touched his life. The next moment you look into the blank stare of a 10-year-old boy who has no feelings and no value for human life.”
Joe thought if just one of them could be reached, it all would be worth it.
Upon his return from the trip, Joe revamped his business office with posters promoting Orphan Helpers. He set up a special revenue stream from the business that would go directly to the mission.
Joe took another step recently in devoting his time, treasure, and talents to reaching incarcerated youth. He joined Orphan Helpers as our newest board member!