By Scott Collins
Photography by Russ Dilday

The scars you see will never go away. The ones you don’t see already have.

Rebecca Rosengren was a tiny toddler 20 years ago when a raging house fire consumed not only her home, but 75 percent of her little body, leaving her burned and near death. Heavy doses of antibiotics saved her life, but took her hearing, leaving her deaf. Scars from dozens of surgeries cover her arms, legs and part of her head.

Rebecca’s face was all that was visible the first time Sidney Rosengren, a registered nurse, saw her in 1992. Rebecca was Sidney’s patient in the intensive care unit at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas.

Rebecca spent 192 days in the hospital, surrounded by a jungle of I.V. poles and respirator cables. Tubes snaked out of her nose and mouth. Water saturation had bloated her tiny features.

Sidney remembers looking at the child’s blue eyes and thinking, “That’s the most beautiful face I have ever seen.”

Rebecca’s parents, jobless at the time of the fire, stopped visiting her at the hospital and Sidney poured her heart into Rebecca’s care. Sidney knew she had to adopt Rebecca. “I just started trying to be a mother for her,” Sidney said the first time Rebecca appeared in Buckner Today in 1995.

Sidney asked to be assigned to Rebecca every chance she could. She cuddled and rocked her. She painted her nails. She lugged Rebecca in a wagon, respirator and all, around the hospital room. With each of the 192 days Rebecca was in the hospital, Sidney grew more attached to her.

When the time came for Rebecca to leave the hospital, the severity of her burns required detailed medical care too serious for her to be placed in a regular foster home. There were two choices: assign Rebecca to a nursing home, or place her in a unique Buckner foster group home in Tyler. Buckner got the nod.

Her Buckner foster parents, Judy and Stephen Foster, spent months nursing Rebecca through painful, often gruesome, therapy. That special care and attention allowed her to heal, both inside and out.

When an agreement with the biological family was reached, the Fosters, not the Rosengrens, were asked if they wanted to adopt Rebecca. The Fosters had cared for more than 200 foster children, but they had adopted only one.

“When I prayed to God for a child, he gave me Stephen Jr.,” Judy said. “When I prayed and asked for a daughter, he gave me Rebecca. He just said I couldn’t keep her.”

Sidney and Bret Rosengren became Rebecca’s respite caregivers through Buckner while details of the adoption where finalized. Finally, in November 1994, nearly three years after the accident, the adoption was final. She was Rebecca Rosengren.

Today, Rebecca has graduated from the Oklahoma School for the Deaf. She lives in her own apartment and is surrounded by a large group of friends. She is a vivacious 23-year-old young lady living in Oklahoma City. She loves to read, especially the Harry Potter books and she loves Facebook, shopping, her two cats and Sidney’s dog, Sammy.

Eventually, Rebecca wants to work with children in early childhood education, specializing in helping children with developmental needs.

“I care a lot when I see people with special needs,” Rebecca signs with her hands. “It makes me feel sorry for them because I understand. I know because of what I’ve been through. I know what it’s like.”

Plaques, signs and knick knacks adorn Wanda and Victor Turmes’ home in rural Kountze, Texas. Not too many, but enough to remind visitors that a mother’s touch decorated the house. They also serve as a reminder that while Mom was the decorator, God built the home.

On a wall near the front door hangs this sign: “These are the children God has given me. God has been good to me.” (Genesis 33:5)

And over the fireplace: “Having someplace to go is home. Having someone to love is family. Having both … is a blessing.”

When Brooke Turmes appeared in Buckner Today in the spring of 2001, her parents knew she was the child God had given them. They also knew she was a blessing. But what they didn’t know 11 years ago is that she was the just beginning.

Since adopting Brooke, who is now 13 years old, Wanda and Victor have added five other children to their family through adoption, bringing the household to eight. And if you ask Wanda, they might not be finished yet.

Regardless of the number of children in their home, Wanda and Victor know Brooke will always be special.

Through most of her birthmother’s pregnancy, there were no signs that Brooke’s birth would be anything but normal. Her birthmother decided early to make a plan for adoption. What she didn’t know – what she couldn’t have known – is that the child would be born with Down syndrome.

She had already contacted Buckner about placing the baby for adoption. A family was matched for the adoption and everything was in place. But when the adoptive family discovered the child had Down syndrome, they decided they were not capable of coping with the extra effort a special needs child would require. Everyone involved was left in shock when the diagnosis came.

But the Buckner philosophy of not pressuring anyone involved in the adoption process enabled everyone to take a pause and reassess the situation. That’s when Wanda and Victor entered the picture.

Wanda heard about Brooke from a Buckner adoptive mother at a prayer meeting. “That night, I shared with Victor about Brooke and for me, it was almost immediately that this was the child we had prayed for for two or three years,” Wanda said in Buckner Today in 2001.

Wanda and Victor knew the moment they saw Brooke that she would be their daughter.

“We had prayed for our children so much together and longed for that so much that we knew immediately that Brooke was our daughter,” Wanda said.

On Jan. 6, 1999, just a month after first hearing about Brooke, Wanda and Victor welcomed their new daughter into their home.

And while Brooke was the first, the Turmes didn’t stop. Brooke’s siblings now include Brittany, 17; Nicole, 15; Paige, 14; Devin, 12; and Ty, 11 all adopted by Wanda and Victor. They may be the only couple in America excited about taking defensive driving. “It means we get to have a date,” Wanda said.

“When Victor and I realized we couldn’t have kids, we gave that area of life over to God,” Wanda said. “We surrendered that whole area of children over to the Lord and said, ‘You bring into this home what You want.’ We’ve had three phone calls and we’ve had three adoptions. Out of that, we now have six children. So we’ve never hesitated because that area of our lives was committed to the Lord.”

Today, 11 years after her first appearance in Buckner Today, Brooke is like other 13-year-olds. She likes sleepovers with her friends, plays softball and is involved in cheerleading.

But life is not without challenges faced by anyone with Down syndrome. As a child, Brooke was often sick, suffering with bouts of pneumonia. She was diagnosed with an immunodeficiency disorder. When she started school, she went to regular classes and Wanda says Brooke developed friendships with her peers.

Before long, “we began to realize that the gap developmentally was getting bigger and so we started pulling her out of the regular classroom,” Wanda said.

Even with the changes, Victor said they have worked to keep Brooke involved with friends she developed relationships with. “That was very important to us, that she maintain those friendships.”

While Brooke loves her friends, she also brings out the best in her siblings. “Having her in our home brings a lot of compassion out in everyone else,” Wanda said. “Having her as a sibling or as our daughter requires a lot of compassion, a lot of giving, a lot of sacrifice and a lot of patience.”

At the same time, Brooke gives, too.

“I think she brings you outside of yourself because of what she gives to you,” Victor added. “Out of everybody, I think she’s the only one who really shows total compassion.”

Reflecting on the past 13 years, Victor sees God’s hand in their family and in Brooke’s growth and development.

“God has been in control,” he said. “I mean, you can see His hand in it. It hasn’t been easy, but it’s been good. And I don’t think it would have been this good and these many good things would have happened if God hadn’t been in it.”

Whether it’s Brooke or any of her five brothers and sisters, Wanda and Victor believe their adoptions have taught everyone “that their needs are met in Christ. Their needs are so great because of what they’ve been through,” Wanda said. “When they come through the door with their hurts and feelings of abandonment and insecurities, the uncertainties, not knowing if this home is going to work out or if these parents are really going to be the ones that last forever. That level of need is beyond us. So it’s made us rely on God a whole lot more than I think we would have had we not adopted.”

By Chelsea Quackenbush
Buckner International

HOUSTON – Buckner programs in Southeast Texas received two generous grants from the Houston Endowment and the Beaumont Foundation to be used for local ministries and programs.

The Houston Endowment gave a $225,000 grant to be used at Buckner Family Place in Houston over the next three years. The Beaumont Foundation presented a $66,000 check to Buckner Children and Family Services. Buckner will receive $132,000 total in 2012 from the Beaumont Foundation, a long-time supporter of Buckner ministries and community programs.

“We are humbled the generosity of the Houston Endowment and the Beaumont Foundation,” Buckner Foundation President David Slover said. “The impact the gift will have on single-parent families in Southeast Texas will pay dividends in the future. Not only are the parents’ lives changing, but the children’s are as well.”

The Buckner Family Place Houston program started in July 2011. There are eight families enrolled in the program. Buckner hopes to grow the program to 12 families by the end of 2012. Family Place is a self-sufficiency program that provides housing and supportive services for single-parent families in a safe and secure environment while completing their educational or vocational goals. Families are provided support through the provision of affordable housing, financial assistance and case management services which include referrals to parenting education, budget training, life skills and individual and group counseling.

Buckner Foundation will use the Beaumont Foundation grant exclusively to provide school clothing for children in their care – foster care, group residential/foster care and emergency shelter and assessment programs across the state of Texas. In 2012, Buckner staff anticipates a minimum of 440 children qualifying for the $300 clothing stipend per child.

In the Houston area, Buckner currently provides family programs, such as adoption, foster care and family transitional care; empowerment programs, such as education and vocational training; community programs, like family intervention, youth and child care, family education, retreats and conferences; medical services, client assistance and humanitarian aid.

In 2011, 3,034 lives were impacted through Buckner services and community programs in Southeast Texas.

There are six other Family Place programs throughout Texas including two in southeast Texas – Conroe and Lufkin. In the coming months, Buckner will be opening a Community Transformation Center in Houston where services will include vocational training, family intervention, after-school programs, health services, client assistance and family life/parenting classes. In addition, there are several Houston-area churches that volunteer at the local ministries or travel with Buckner to locations across Texas and internationally.

Thirteen Dallas volunteers led a three-day Bible school for children at the CTC. There were two sessions each day with a program for women sandwiched between. The group led the same program at a second CTC location later in their trip.

Each day, children seemed to come from nowhere, and they kept coming until the space was overflowing. One day, the Bible story was about Jesus feeding the 5,000—an appropriate metaphor.

The team brought costumes to help the children learn and act out a Bible story each day. They also brought craft projects, led in singing, memory verse recitation and recreation. They took photographs of each child —a rarity for poor children—and let the kids decorate their frames.

“The children were thrilled to have a photo to take home,” said trip participant and Buckner staff member Jerilynn Armstrong.

Wilshire Baptist Church helps fund the CTC and other ministries in the Dominican Republic as a signature part of its international missions program. The women volunteers treasured the unique opportunity to work with 35 to 40 women each afternoon.

“As a mom with more material goods than I can ever use, I was truly humbled,” said Abbey Adcox. “The women we met in the Dominican Republic were warm, gracious and filled with joy. Their spirit was a powerful reminder to me to be anxious for nothing and to really examine what my priorities are.”

Christie McFarland and Jerilynn Armstrong taught the women how to knit. Wilshire members donated more than 40 bamboo needles. The volunteers showed them how to make wash cloths.

“At the end of the day, we were not sure if anyone learned how to knit,” Jerilynn said. “But as we drove off, we saw women on their stoops knitting with their friends. On Wednesday, we left all our knitting supplies and instructions for the Buckner staff to continue this project.”

At the end of the trip, Adcox talked about the biggest change she experienced.

“We often refer to experiences as being ‘life-changing,’” she said. “I certainly feel like this experience was ‘spirit-changing’ for me. I have longed to participate in a Wilshire mission trip for years and it exceeded my every expectation in so many ways.”

“All the volunteers from Wilshire Baptist Church led the women and children with smiles on their faces and joy in their hearts,” said Dexton Shores, a regional director of Buckner Latin America ministries. “The impact their Bible studies had on the children is immeasurable. And the knitting skills they taught the women will pay huge dividends – it will help them provide for their families and give them a sense of purpose.”

To learn more about Buckner short-term mission trips, please visit www.itsyourmission.com.

When their drive ended, all five classes took a field trip to the Shoes for Orphan Souls warehouse to see where their shoes would go and to learn how to process shoes for shipment. They learned a lot and had plenty to say about their experience:

What was the most interesting thing you learned when you volunteered at the warehouse?

“The most interesting thing I learned was how many people in our world need shoes. The warehouse was so big and there were LOTS of shoes!” Asher Johnson, Mrs. Taylor’s class

“That so many kids and grownups don’t have clothes.”  Dalai Biju, Mrs. Sumrall’s class

“Some people don’t have enough money to get all the things they need.”  Rakshaa Potaraju, Mrs. Sumrall’s class

Why is it important for kids to wear shoes?

“It is important for kids to wear shoes because when you don’t have shoes your feet will get hurt. When kids have shoes they can go to school and have hope for their future!” Akshita Yadavalli, Mrs. Taylor’s class

“So they can go to school and learn.” Julia Balazy, Mrs. Sumrall’s class

“So they don’t get blisters.”  Jordan Ashby, Mrs. Sumrall’s class

“When kids don’t wear shoes their feet could burn. Their feet will get hurt like a bad cut. That happens because they don’t have any shoes on.” Lillian Tran, Mrs. Taylor’s class

“So they don’t get sick or glass in their feet.” Andrew Schultz, Mrs. Sumrall’s class

How will the kids feel when they get their new shoes?

“They’ll get really, really happy.” Carter Kincaid, Mrs. Sumrall’s class

“They will feel loved.” Luis Badillo, Mrs. Sumrall’s class

“I think kids will feel excited when they get their shoes!” Jia Rosenbaum, Mrs. Taylor’s class

“When the kids get their shoes they will jump up and down and say ‘YEA!’” Brandon Wenzel Mrs. Taylor’s class.

What can kids do when they have their new shoes that they couldn’t do before?

“Go to school.” Rolen Glover, Mrs. Sumrall’s class

“They can play without their feet getting hurt.” Lauren Castle, Mrs. Sumrall’s class

“When kids have shoes on, they can go on bumpy roads, run, walk on sticky places, step on wood chip and not get hurt!” Trinity Hunt, Mrs. Taylor’s class

What did you like most about being a volunteer?

“Putting the rubber bands around the shoes.” Josephine Liew, Mrs. Sumrall’s class

“We got to write notes and put them in the shoes.”  Rakshaa Potaraju, Mrs. Sumrall’s class

“I wrote a note to put in the shoes. My note said ‘I hope you like your shoes!’” Shreenaya Prabu Mrs. Taylor’s class

“The best part about working at the warehouse was wrapping up the shoes in a rubber band—I still remember how to do it!!” Alexander Chaar Mrs. Taylor’s class

Thank you to Mrs. Sumrall’s class, Mrs. Taylor’s class, Mrs. Javier’s class, Mrs. Thorn’s class and Mrs. Johnson’s class for helping bring hope to orphans and vulnerable children around the world!

Editor’s Note: Many of our readers will recognize Juan Pablo from previous stories in the Buckner Today magazine and on our website. Some may have even met him on a Buckner mission trip to Guatemala!

When Juan Pablo was a young child, he suffered an accident that left him badly burned and scarred. John and Emily Wiggins met Juan Pablo in an orphanage on a Shoes for Orphan Souls mission trip to Guatemala in 2006. Three years later, in December 2009, they finalized Juan Pablo’s adoption and he came home. His father, John Wiggins, wrote this reflection and update on Juan Pablo’s life in the U.S.

By John Wiggins 

A little more than two years ago, Juan Pablo left Guatemala and arrived in Indiana with us, his new family and permanent home. We first met him when he was 3 years old and brought him home at age 7. Now he’s 9. His transition to living in a new place with his new family could not have been smoother. Though our adoption process spanned three years, we reflect on how God had shaped and prepared Juan Pablo’s heart to be able to leave what he knew as home to be joined to a new family and environment.

Big brother
Less than three months after coming home, Juan Pablo – now affectionately known as “JP” – welcomed home someone else – his new baby brother, Samuel. JP was thrilled at the thought of being an older sibling. We weren’t concerned about how JP would bond with his younger brother since he was commonly seen caring for the toddlers at the orphanage in Guatemala.

Sam is almost 2 now and his brother is his best friend. We are so amazed how JP commits time to his brother through playing with trains, reading books or wrestling around with their dog, Mala. We regularly hear them laughing together or at one another. In Sam’s eyes, JP is a hero.

Love of learning
The school day for JP takes place at home. Emily is a stay-at-home mom and a licensed teacher who focuses her gifts, experience and energy to educate her son. Once a week, they attend classes through a local homeschool co-op where JP learns with kids his age. Emily teaches Spanish class as part of that group, while other moms teach subjects such as Bible, public speaking, music, history and science. Science is JP’s favorite because he’s building a rocket.

JP is in second grade and has made great progress with his reading and learning English. He also has been playing piano for more than a year and has more recently been learning guitar with me. He has performed at a couple of small recitals and played a song at a local retirement home.

Play ball
If you have ever met JP, you know that he is kind-hearted, funny, a good dancer and quite energetic. With all his energy, we thought that it would be a good idea to use it constructively by playing sports. He loves any kind of sport but thrives in soccer. He has become a leader on the field and contributes a goal nearly every game.

In the spring of 2011, JP and his team won the season-ending tournament, but one of our proudest moments came during a game when the other team’s coach was yelling at his goalie to pick up the ball. The poor little girl didn’t understand what her coach was saying, so JP picked up the ball and gave it to her. He was penalized for his action in that play, but all the parents commented on his sweet heart. His heart always shines through.

After soccer season, JP plays baseball through the summer and has become a good hitter. During his first season and exposure to baseball, he was positioned in the outfield. Most little leaguers kick dirt around and pick up dandelions, but JP was always entertaining the crowd with his dancing during or after plays. He has matured as a player in the past year, during which he played third base and hit his first home run.

With all the activity we have discovered just how dirty boys can get. After telling JP to take a shower after a baseball game, he commented, “I don’t need a shower because my sweat washed all the dirt away.” He is always making us laugh. During the winter, JP participates in Boy Scouts and swims as part of a swim club.

A new smile
When we first met JP, he stole our hearts with his personality and joy despite carrying scars from an accident earlier in his young life. Our eyes were opened to see him just as Jesus sees him – without blemish and beautiful.

During JP’s first year with us in the United States, we visited a number of physicians at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, including a plastic surgeon. He recommended tissue expansion surgery to allow his face to grow as he grows.

In December 2010, JP had skin expanders inserted under his jaw line. Every week for a few months, JP returned to a clinic where the surgeon filled the tissue expanders to expand skin that would be moved halfway up on his cheeks and chin. In March 2011, the procedure was completed to remove the burns and attach the new skin.  We are so happy with the results. The new skin allows JP’s skin to stretch into adulthood as well as grow facial hair.

Shortly after the procedure, JP commented how, unlike before, he had so much more feeling in areas on his face where the new skin was placed. A few months after the surgery, Emily caught JP smiling in the mirror and he commented on how he really likes his new smile. ‘Praise God’ is all we can say.

We have now begun a second expansion process that will wrap up with a surgery this spring. We have been teaching our son how God was with him during his accident and has great plans for him. We also stress that though this operation has helped him, he will always have scars and imperfections. 

This has been a struggle for us. My wife, Emily, shared that one morning during school JP asked if he could have his new scars removed—the scars holding the new and old skin together. Our emphasis to him is to remember his significance in the sight of God his creator and his family who see him just as when we first met him. Emily cried out to God for help as to how to teach this complex concept to a 9-year-old.

Later that evening, we tuned in to the season premiere of “Dancing with the Stars.” The first contestant was J.R. Martinez, a military veteran who had been in a roadside explosion while stationed in Iraq. He was burned on his face and he went through numerous procedures similar to JP. He had a great testimony about being content despite what had happened to him. The women went crazy for him; He was an amazing dancer and ended up winning the show. What a great role model for JP and it was exactly the time we needed it.

God is so faithful. We are not parenting alone and when faced with a difficulty, all we need to do is ask and find that He is there to walk with us through any struggle. Like J.R. Martinez, JP has a great opportunity and platform to share his story to a watching world for the glory and sake of Jesus Christ. As parents, we hope to build up JP to maintain his compassionate heart and share God’s love with confidence to those who will hear him.

By Scott Collins
Buckner International

Ken Hall can barely make it through the story. His eyes grow red as tears well up inside them. His voice is choked. There are pauses – those kinds of stops in the conversation that are almost uncomfortable. He looks down at his clenched hands and crossed feet and shuffles in the chair.

The story is simple in itself. No lightning bolts from the sky. No baritone voices bellowing instructions. In fact, its simplicity is what makes it profound and helps you understand the man telling it.

It was a beautiful fall day. One of those you take a picture of and put on a calendar. Perfect temperature. No wind. Brilliant sunshine. Not a day to spend in an office.

But that’s exactly where Hall had spent his day, poring over financial spreadsheets and trying to extract every ounce of information from the numbers. He was looking for something; he just wasn’t sure what. Finally, exhausted and exasperated, he gave up and went for a walk.

“I got up and walked around the old Dallas children’s home campus,” he recalls. “I remember it very well. It was the fall of 1995 and I just walked around the campus and went to some of the dorms we had where the children lived at that time.”

The stroll took him to the children’s medical building on the campus at the time. “As I was walking into the building, this child was coming out and I began to engage him in a conversation. He had just been told that he was going to be reunified with his family.”

The boy’s excitement and happiness told Hall all he needed to know – about the financial structure of Buckner as well as the philosophy going forward.

“I don’t know the outcome of what happened [with the boy], if it was a successful reunification or not. I don’t know the end result of that. But it was that afternoon – that young man’s excitement about being with a family – that the realization and the conviction in my soul came that I’ll fight for whatever it takes for Buckner to move away from the institutional model of childcare, as well-intentioned as it was, but I would use all of my influence and clout and gather the resources to build a new model that every child could have a family experience; a homelike family experience.”

Maybe it was that experience with the young man that influenced Hall to turn Buckner toward less of an institutional model of care. But his understanding about home and family goes back much further, to his self-described “Beaver Cleaver” upbringing.

“I was so blessed to have grown up with a wonderful, godly family. My parents were very engaged in my life on a personal basis. I mean, Dad was my Little League coach. So my parents were the friends of my friends’ parents. It was a great life. I had a church that loved Jesus and that taught me about missions. You know, I dated the girls who were active in the church.”

And while H.L. and Chloe Hall taught Ken about family, the lessons didn’t end at the family’s front door. Today, reflecting on the “cataclysmic,” turbulent time and place of the 1950s and 60s in Louisiana, Hall knows his mom and dad “taught me the value of people in the midst of the civil rights crisis. My parents were on the right side of that issue and believed in justice for all people and taught me that.”

That influence is like a warm blanket he has gone back to constantly since being elected president and chief executive officer of Buckner in the fall of 1993.

“I think the best way I could describe what my parents did for me is they loved me unconditionally. As a father, a husband, a pastor and president of Buckner, everything I have ever done, I have thought of them; I have thought of my parents.”

It’s not hard to connect the dots between his family’s unconditional love for him and decisions Hall has made that affect Buckner and thousands of children, families and elders served by the organization.

“I think it’s a basic human right that every person deserves to know that they can be loved unconditionally by a family. If you learn that, as I did as a child growing up – that I was loved unconditionally by a mother and a father – that’s how I found Jesus.

“The best way for us to bring people into the kingdom is to give them a home with a godly mom and a godly father if at all possible, so that that child can discover what it means to be loved completely and unconditionally.”

That emphasis on family instead of institutions started taking deep roots in the late 1990s and is still the greatest influence on Buckner a decade and a half later. What it meant then and still today is that the organization would focus more on people than buildings. It’s what Hall now calls is “the most strategic decision we made, which would impact everything we did globally; to make the decision to move away from emphasizing a specific location with specific buildings to realize that we’re a movement for Christ, impacting the lives of children and that it’s not about buildings, it’s not about brick and mortar.”

It’s that line of thought – that Buckner is a movement – that set the ministry on a course beyond the bounds and borders of Texas, where it had resided safely since 1879. Today, every part of the organization has been changed by the decision in 1995-96 to jump into global childcare. It even led to the need for a new name, from the 1960s Buckner Baptist Benevolences, to Buckner International.

Once the toothpaste was out, there was no going back. When Hall and others toured Russia, Romania and Poland for the first time, governments worldwide saw in Buckner a sleeping giant now awake to the needs of children beyond Texas. Everything changed overnight.

Since then, concern for orphans has become almost a cliché for every celebrity and musician, both Christian and secular. New organizations have sprouted in the United States as the cause of the fatherless has become a cause du jour. Advocacy has risen to new heights.

But throughout all the newfound hype, Ken Hall has worked to insure that Buckner utilizes its unique position of actually doing good, not just advocating it. To that end, Buckner has become a major exporter of tools and techniques for countries around the world, enabling and empowering them. Buckner-affiliated NGOs (non-government organizations) don’t just sponsor orphans. They actually find homes for them, from foster families to transition homes. It’s that knowledge of actually having provided childcare for 133 years that piques the local governments where Buckner works.

Now, more than 17 years later, Buckner “International” is almost an afterthought for employees and supporters who know the organization. But when the decision was first made, Hall admits it carried some risks. Was it worth it?

“Yes, absolutely,” he says, “because it’s about the end result of a life being changed in the name of Jesus. And unless you’re willing to sacrifice everything you have for that one life, you’re never going to be able to spend the energy necessary to impact the global perspective. For me, it all goes back to that one experience; that little boy wanted a home.”

The irony of Buckner’s explosion into international childcare has been the growth of the ministry’s retirement side since 1994. Lost in the furor over international work, Buckner Retirement Services has taken a dramatic upward climb, so much so that in 2011, it became the largest non-profit retirement provider in Texas when measured by the number of living units it offers.

It started in Longview within six months of Hall taking over the reins of Buckner. Fulfilling a promise from his days as pastor of First Baptist Church there, Hall and a group stood in the middle of a lot behind the city’s mall and announced the coming of Buckner Westminster Place. Like the plunge into international childcare, the decision to rapidly change and expand Buckner Retirement Services came with risks. But like everything else, it also came with conviction. Himself a Baby Boomer, Hall knew the coming tidal wave of senior adults in America meant Buckner had to start getting ready.

The dirt had barely been bulldozed in Longview when he turned his gaze on Houston, where Buckner Baptist Haven had served the community since 1956. Now, it was an old facility in need of massive changes to maintain the level of care Buckner was committed to providing. By 1998, Buckner had sold the Haven property and moved west to a fast-growing, thriving area of Houston. Parkway Place was born and within 18 months, it was full and stood as the new model for Buckner Retirement Services.

Calder Woods, a smaller brother of Parkway Place, opened in Beaumont and in 2011, Buckner opened a new, modern version of Buckner Villas in Austin. All told, from 1994 through 2011, Buckner has invested more than $150 million in new construction and improvements to senior living communities. Add to that the addition of Baptist Memorials Ministries in San Angelo, a sister agency through the Baptist General Convention of Texas, and BRS has exploded over the past 18 years, now caring for more than two and half times the number of elders.

Ever the visionary, Hall says his dream is that “one day I’ll read about the first Buckner retirement center in another state in the United States. And then my ultimate dream would be to hear about a Buckner retirement community in another country and another place in the world.”

With all the fanfare and feting over his retirement April 30, Hall likes to remind his friends, family and co-workers that he’s not dying – just retiring. But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t thought about his legacy.

“Because of the way I was brought up, because of my understanding of Jesus and how he lived his life, my hope is, just as the founder of Buckner, when he breathed his last breath on earth, all he owned was a cemetery plot and a legacy. That’s what I pray for me – that when God calls me home, I will have spent all of the resources he gave me financially, emotionally, relationally; I will have spent it all to make life better for the people God gave me the privilege to serve.”

Matt Asato, Buckner International’s director of humanitarian aid, said the CTC distribution, held in conjunction with Buckner Guatemala, will provide “health and opportunity” for area children.

Matt Asato, director of humanitarian aid for Buckner, fits a child with a new pair of TOMS shoes.

“This will mean so much for the children of San Jose Pinula,” he said. “New TOMS Shoes will help children maintain their health and pursue the opportunity a new pair of shoes offers them, such as going to school.”

Roberto Tejada, Buckner Guatemala’s CTC director, agreed. “Because Buckner is now a TOMS Giving Partner, this gift of shoes means we have a partner that understands how meeting the physical needs of children is so important to the population we serve. This is not just a distribution of shoes. This is a distribution of hope.”

According to Asato, the San Jose Pinula distribution is part of an initial shipment of shoes by TOMS to Buckner Guatemala, “and the first of an ongoing series of shoe distributions to children served by Buckner Guatemala.

“It’s important to emphasize that TOMS’ commitment to the children in these communities is not a one-time giving opportunity, but a commitment to continue to provide access to shoes as children age up — and out — of their shoes.”

Kids at the Buckner Community Transformation Center in San Jose Pinula, Guatemala, show off their new TOMS shoes.

“Sustainable and responsible giving is integral to TOMS giving philosophy,” said Sebastian Fries, the Chief Giving Officer for TOMS. “We work to establish long-term partnerships with humanitarian organizations, like Buckner, that can provide shoes to children as a critical component of their health, education and community development programs.  This allows TOMS Shoes to have a greater impact on the health and well-being of children and their communities.”

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About the TOMS One for OneTM model: With every pair purchased, TOMS will give a new pair of new shoes to a child in need. To date, TOMS has given more than two million pairs of new shoes to children in need around the world. TOMS’ Giving Partners are made up of humanitarian organizations already established and working in the countries in which TOMS gives. www.toms.com

About Buckner: For more than 133 years, Buckner has been transforming lives through a hands-on approach, serving the most vulnerable from the beginning to the ending of life. Buckner is one of the oldest and most unique faith-based social service organizations of its kind, serving more than 450,000 people each year in the United States and 18 countries worldwide. www.buckner.org

Around mid-May, a team that works at Buckner International headquarters and handles international programs came to Kenya for an operational review. Having not had the opportunity to travel the 7 hours by road to Kitale, Busia and Bungoma in western Kenya before, the team asked me to join them so that I would understand the organization I am volunteering for even better.

It was amazing to see just how hard Buckner works to set up facilities that transform communities in the most rural of areas. All of these locations were in the middle of nowhere, down very rough roads and deep in the countryside. These families have to be so independent in their ways of survival as they have to walk far to fetch water, plant and harvest their own food, and find other ways to cover their basic necessities in life.

At every location we visited, all of the staff seemed devoted to the mission and vision of Buckner. Most considered themselves second parents to the children and the teachers sought ways to make school exciting and fun to look forward to everyday. Many of the schools reported scores amongst the highest in the region.

The teachers showed us the different resources and techniques that they used to make learning enjoyable such as using dried corncobs for building and counting lessons and having students do a celebratory dance when they correctly solved a math problem on the board in front of the class. The kids are bright and very respectful. They stand every time a teacher walks into their room, are very polite, and are eager to learn as they realize that education in this country is considered a privilege by many rural families instead of a right.

At the locations that have clinics, the medical staff see over 1,000 patients a year and are very good at their practice. In the areas that they serve, ailments and hospital visits have drastically declined and things such as family planning, HIV/AIDS awareness and anti-malaria and other common disease prevention awareness have improved the community health and well-being.

And the kids are so cute and sweet! Every place we went, they would all rush up to our vehicle and want nothing more than to hold our hands, hang on us, play with our hair and run around to kick a ball with us on their team. I’m so glad that God has granted me this opportunity to see the incredible work that Buckner is doing in these children’s lives and how he works to strengthen and empower families to rise out of poverty and lead happy, healthy and sustainable lifestyles. God is so good!

The two other trips I took, one to the Masai Mara of Kenya for safari, and one to the north coast of Mombasa to the beach, were awesome in a different way. It is amazing to see what God is doing through people and organizations, but it is also really amazing to see how God has created this land without the intervention of people. All of this beauty, from the hearts and work of people to serve others, to the nature and animals that are on this earth, can only be explained by God’s love.

Kimberly is a long-term volunteer serving for a semester with Buckner in Nairobi, Kenya. She is from San Antonio, Texas.

The expansion is the result of a two-year, $4.75 million fundraising initiative for Family Pathways, Buckner Foster Care and Adoption, and Buckner Crisis Relief and Aid. The Family Pathways portion of the expansion will serve up to 16 single-parent families enrolled in the transition program. The new campus is named for well-known Dallas philanthropist Annette C. Simmons, who provided a lead gift for the construction.

Buckner Foundation President David M. Slover said the event “celebrates the generosity and kindness of Mrs. Simmons and several other families and foundations. For years unseen, this campus will be a refuge and place for families to start over; to reach for a future that would otherwise have been beyond their grasp.”

Slover said the Buckner Family Pathways program provides transitional services designed to strengthen families, encouraging education as a way for single parents to become self-sufficient. The transformational ministry, he added, “impacts two generations by impacting the life of the parent and redirecting the children away from a path of poverty and dependency.”

More than 200 people gathered for the ceremony Friday afternoon. Speakers included Abe Jaquez, administrator of Buckner Children and Family Services in North Texas; Dr. Albert Reyes, president of Buckner International; David Slover, president of the Buckner Foundation and executive vice president of Buckner International; Ken Hall, retired president and CEO of Buckner International; and Dwanna Lumpkin, a Family Pathways program participant.

“Throughout the ages, human beings have lived in search of home,” Reyes said. “For most of us, home is a place where love is unconditional, where acceptance is free and abundant, and where security is unshakable. That is the kind of home I was privileged to grow up in. For most of us, home is the container which stores the treasures of life, the heart’s receptacle for sweeter days and cherished thoughts of childhood. It is those very memories that pull us homeward throughout our lives, no matter where we may be.

“But we are here today to open The Annette C. Simmons Buckner Family Pathways Campus because there are those who have never known the sweet aroma of home; those for whom the idea of “home” is not a pleasant memory. There are single parents living on the edge of life who need only the opportunity. That’s what Family Pathways is all about; it’s about opportunity and hope for a brighter tomorrow.”

Click on the first photo to see a slideshow of pictures from the ribbon cutting.