At 1:15am, a few nights ago, we caught the train. We were tired. It had already been a very long day, and the heat and humidity added to the feeling of fatigue. We finally settled into our bunks for a few hours sleep as the train headed down the tracks. We almost slept through our stop, but fortunately managed to get off in the right place! After a shower and breakfast we were ready to go again. Our destination was one of our supported orphanages which is located in an area which is tough to get to.
We arrived safely. It was hot, very hot, and humid. But we enjoyed the time dedicating a new girl’s dorm and a new kitchen/dining facility that Kidstown had contributed towards. Then, as is often the case, the kids had a little program which included singing songs and quoting Scripture verses.
There was one girl in that group…she was maybe 9 or 10 years old. Come to find out that she is from a very special tribe in that region. Why is her tribe so special? You see, in that specific region, there are 24 distinct tribes. Of these, 14 have been evangelized, while 10 have not. This means that 10 are in complete darkness…they have not heard the name of Christ before nor are there any Christians among them. But this little girl, she is from one of those tribes!
The orphanage leader has a heart of compassion towards these kids. He wants them to have a home, to be loved, and to have a normal childhood. He also desires that each of them know Jesus and that they have a personal relationship with him. At the same time, however, this orphanage leader lifts his eyes and looks beyond the walls of the orphanage. He recognizes that there are still 10 tribes in his area that need to hear about Jesus, and he wants his orphan kids to be the ones to do it!
Do you see the connection here? A leader with missional vision. A child from an unreached tribe. A God who cares for the orphan, desires a personal relationship with her, and who also desires to deploy her in His service in order to reach a whole tribe that is lost in darkness. Wow…that’s cool!
This is what one would call multi-layered ministry! It’s of God’s design, and we have the privilege of joining him through our financial help of these kids, by reaching out to them with friendships, and by praying: both for their salvation and also that God will send them back to their own people one day with the Gospel!
Thanks again to all of you for your prayers and support. We appreciate all of you!
Thanks to our sponsors and donors, we are are able to give children hope. If you’re interested, there are many ways you can support Kidstown!