Proverbs 19:2 (ESV)

“Desire without knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way.”

If you’ve taken our advocacy class recently, you probably recognize this verse.

The first time I read it, I almost jumped out of my seat.

“Yes! This perfectly describes what our first eight years of serving vulnerable children looked like.”

While I wholeheartedly believe God used those early years to accomplish so much good, I also don’t hesitate to admit that we often “missed the way” simply because we didn’t know better.

At the time, we didn’t understand that children grow and heal best in families.

We saw compassionate people pouring out their lives to care for children in orphanages, and naturally, we wanted to support those efforts. We believed that providing food, education, clothing, and shelter was enough.

But over time, we learned something that completely changed our perspective.

As wonderful as those things are, they can never replace what every child needs most—a family.

Not the kind that eats in a cafeteria, but the kind that gathers around a kitchen table.

A friend here in Siguatepeque once shared those words with me after transitioning his orphanage into foster homes, and they’ve stayed with me ever since.

Learning Before Leading

So how did our desire to help vulnerable children end up missing the mark?

Simply put, we rushed in with both feet before fully understanding the problem.

We focused on providing solutions before taking the time to learn which solutions actually led to the best long-term outcomes for children.

Our passion was real.

Our love was genuine.

But passion without knowledge can unintentionally cause harm.

Looking back, I’m incredibly grateful that God faithfully led us into deeper understanding during those first eight years. Because of what He taught us, this second decade of ministry in Honduras has looked very different.

Today, our work centers on family-based care, strengthening vulnerable families, supporting foster families, equipping churches, and helping prevent unnecessary family separation whenever it is safe to do so.

We Never Want to Stop Learning

One question continues to guide us:

How do we avoid repeating the mistakes that happen when desire outruns knowledge?

The answer is surprisingly simple.

We keep learning.

Every year, our team commits to ongoing education through books, research, professional training, and resources developed by experienced Christian leaders and child welfare professionals.

We don’t simply want to offer programs.

We want to offer programs that reflect the best knowledge available while remaining deeply rooted in biblical compassion.

As our understanding grows, we pass that knowledge on to the families, foster parents, churches, and community leaders who partner with us in caring for children.

Because healthy ministry should multiply healthy practices.

Learning Changes All of Us

One of the most beautiful discoveries along this journey is that this knowledge doesn’t only benefit the children we serve.

It changes us, too.

Every one of us carries our own story of brokenness, and every family—including our own—benefits from learning more about healthy attachment, emotional development, trauma, and the way God designed us to grow and heal in relationships.

As we learn, we become better parents.

Better spouses.

Better friends.

Better disciples.

Understanding how God designed our minds, emotions, and relationships helps us love both our own families and those around us with greater wisdom, maturity, and grace.

Wherever God Has Called You to Serve

Maybe you serve children already.

Or maybe God is simply stirring your heart to begin.

Perhaps you’re:

• A Sunday School teacher trying to understand the behavior of a child in foster care.
• A youth leader wondering how to better support teenagers from difficult family situations.
• Someone who wants to come alongside a single mother but isn’t sure where to begin.

Whatever your role may be, our prayer is the same.

That God would equip your desire with the knowledge you need to serve well.

As our Creator, He understands every child, every family, and every circumstance far better than we ever could. He is faithful to provide wisdom, guidance, and the right resources when we seek Him.

Serving well begins with learning well.

We’d Love to Help

If you’re looking for trusted books, training opportunities, or other resources that have shaped Identity Mission’s approach to caring for vulnerable children and strengthening families, I’d be happy to share what’s been most helpful to us.

Feel free to reach out at tara@identitymission.org.

Our prayer is that you would be fully equipped for every good work.

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
— 2 Timothy 3:16–17 (ESV)