Episode 16 - Wayne Lavender, Executive Director of Foundation for Orphans (F4O)

Wayne Lavender is the Executive Director of The Foundation 4 Orphans (F4O); an international organization dedicated to supporting the emotional, educational, physical and spiritual needs of orphans in some of the world’s most poor and war torn places.

Listen in to hear Wayne discuss how reading books such as Death of a Salesman encouraged him to reflect on the kind of impact he wanted his own life to have in the world. Hear how his calling to the ministry at an early age led to his ordination as a Methodist minister in 1984 and eventually to his first trip to Mozambique, where he experienced extreme poverty first hand. Wayne recalls how seeing the extremely impoverished with his own eyes “captured his heart” and encouraged him to rally the support of those back home to help the most vulnerable among us.

After Mozambique, F4O established a presence in Iraq, where war has left countless thousands of children orphaned. Wayne discusses how he never felt safer than when amongst the Kurdish people who welcomed him – and other Americans – with open arms (and hearts). Next, F4O has its sights on breaking ground in the Democratic Republic of Congo where a new orphanage is “shovel ready.”

At the end of this interview you will hear how passionate Wayne is in his belief that caring for orphans is the highest form of charity on the earth and how it is a means to create a more peaceful world.