Larry and Betty Bartells had a good life. They had six children, a nice home, good jobs. They could have coasted for the rest of their lives, looking forward to getting that last child through school, and enjoying the post-children time of life.

But the Lord wouldn't let them. He planted in their hearts a love for homeless children. He burdened them about the growing multitudes of children for whom each day is a nightmare of hunger and danger.

So at an age when many people are worrying about their investment portfolios and retirement accounts, the Bartells took off for South America to start an orphanage.

In Lima, Peru, are hundreds of children to whom home is a foreign term. Larry and Betty found a house big enough for lots of children and opened their doors. Their parental responsibilities exploded as they took in 20 children and made them part of their family.

We can't all do what the Bartells did. But we can all help. We can support reputable children's ministries financially, promise to pray for them, or get involved in areas closer to home. In so doing, we can scatter abroad our gifts to the poor (2 Cor. 9:9).

Let's help the children.  — Dave Branon