Max Armes

Max graduated from Covenant College in Chattanooga, TN with degrees in Sociology and Physical Education.  After graduation, he served for four years in Kenya, East Africa as a missionary assistant and then received a degree in Cross Cultural Studies and Theology from Reformed Presbyterian Seminary in Pittsburgh, PA.  For the next twelve years he was the Director of Activities Therapy at a private psychiatric hospital in Baltimore, MD. Baltimore is also where he met his wife Donna, and for the past twenty three years has worked with a manufacturer’s rep company which designs and sells commercial HVAC systems.

Donna and Max’s first awareness of the plight of Romania orphans came in 1990 via TV documentaries describing the inhumane conditions of orphanages after the fall of communism late in 1989.  Although they wouldn’t be actively involved in this ministry for years to come, this did have a huge impact on their hearts and set the stage for what was to come 22 years later.

“A Romanian orphan choir is stranded and we need homes for them in which to stay for several days.”  This was the email Max and Donna received from Andy Baker in September of 2012. To make a very long story short, they immediately thought back to 1990 and decided what a great opportunity to act on what they had heard about years ago. For several days they housed two beautiful Romanian girls and began a life changing relationship with Andy Baker and RtC.  Soon after, they found themselves packing Christmas shoe boxes into a 40 foot shipping container to send to Romania. While packing the boxes, Andy encouraged Max and Donna to think about traveling to Romania that Christmas to see what it was like on the other end and actually help distribute these Boxes of Hope to the children in Romania. This was an opportunity come true and so within a four month period, they were not only introduced to Andy and RtC, but found themselves in Romania seeing firsthand how God had worked in the lives of so many children in that country.

As a relatively new board member, it’s exciting for Max to see how God has worked through RtC and our strategic partners in Romania to bring hope and encouragement to hundreds of children and families.  Also, although his years in East Africa were spent in Kenya, Remember the Children’s new venture into Tanzania is also near to his heart as there are so many similarities geographically and culturally between these two countries. He looks forward to what God has in store for the future of RtC in Romania and Tanzania.