Letters from Kenya

I came home from Thailand with a desire to dig in and get to work. I knew I’d be home for a while, and wanted to make myself useful. At the time, HarvestChurch was holding “Gatherings”: meetings held during the week, in which there is no formal plan; if you’ve got something to give, you just go up and share it. At one of these meetings I ran into Pastor Ron Ashley; it was good to see him again after so long! For many years of my life he was my pastor. And It was under his shepherdship that I heard the call to missions.

After the service I asked him if he needed any help. He’s been a stone mason for as long as I can remember, and that seemed like a trade I’d like to learn. He gave me a call a couple days later and said yeah, sure, come on. So, off to Hattiesburg we went, where there was a job working on a hotel. I didn’t yet know what a “mud man” was, but I quickly found out!

While working with him, he told me that he was going to Kenya in February 2007. There is an orphanage there, and he was going to build some cabinets for them and do some itenerate preaching. He’s known the folks at this orphanage since 2000, when Pastor Ron met John Garang at the Bungoma Bible School in Kenya.

Well, A couple weeks ago I saw Pastor Ron again. The youth group at our church held a Dinner Theatre to raise funds for summer camp. And since both their sons-in-law and one of their daughters were participating, Pastor Ron and Mrs. Lynn came to the show. We sat at the same table, near the back. A couple of days before, I heard about the fire at the orphanage; it destroyed the entire home. But thank God, no one was hurt. While we were eating, I asked Pastor Ron of the situation. Since there was not enough time to tell the whole story, he got my E-mail address instead. Here’s what he sent.

An E-mail from John Garang to Ron Ashley
Dear Pastor Ron,

We thank God for you pastor and your prayer pastor. We receive the 400 you send to us and we pay all school fees in waymarks pastor. We love you pastor. The cost of fire nobody no pastor. Just we see smoking around the house and the childern say fire, fire. And nothings we can do, because already got power insid the house pastor. The plan we have to trust God for new house for us and childern pastor. We take same of the childern to my mother-in-law pastor. We are praying God for the needs of us. No where we can go now in these situation. We love you and pray for you, we need your prayer and you come and see what happened to us. And now no ways even, to take them back to Sudan pastor as we told you, we give it to God forever. Nothings we can do about it. Let God help us now.

Thank you pastor Ron
We love you
JOHN & TABBY

John and Tabby Garang run an orphanage in their own home for children from the Sudan. These kids are basically refugees from the tremendous turmoil of the land. There’s infighting and civil war rampant, and it’s been that way for many years. The children of the Sudan have known nothing but war their whole lives. And this sweet couple have decided to save as many as they can.

The E-mail and photo I received from Pastor Ron, explaining the situation
Jon

Meet John Garang. John was taken from his village in the Sudan on the Nile River when he was 14. He was told that he would be working on roads. He was inducted into the warfare. The Sudan has been in the middle of civil war for a generation. He fought and killed to survive. He was placed over a troop of lost boys and raised to the rank of Lt. After some years, he stepped on a land mine and was disabled for a period of years. He was sent to Nairobi, which is in Kenya, for further treatment. After his recuperation, he was attached to the Sudanese Embassy and later reinducted as a Liason Officer {procurement of supplies}. While on a mission in Uganda, he passing by a crusade held by Bungoma Bible School in Kenya. He was saved and he left the army and went to Bungoma Bible School. This is where we met in 2000. Our hearts were knit immediately. As I returned recently, the Lord told me that he had an assignemt for me to accomplish. I knew John was a part of it but I did not know the particulars. I spent most of my time there teaching and preaching in the Bungoma area, but on my final two days, they carried me to there area of the country. The Lord has entrusted 30 Sudanese children to John and his wife Tabby. They don’t have material goods but they have faith in God and He is faithful to supply their need. My mission is to raise support for them to accomplish the work that God has given them. They have 30 lives, ranging in age from 6 mo. to 18 yrs. These children represent the future of the Sudan. The Gov’t in their country is Muslim and repressive but they are being given a life apart from the repression. John and Tabby are raising these children with the love of Jesus. They need our help. Please feel free to share this burden with any one who will listen. God bless you in His service.

Ron

We are going to Kenya in November to help this orphanage rebuild. I showed these two letters and the picture to my sister, and she asked the question everybody should have: sure, you’re going in November, but what about tonight? Where are these children going to sleep? What are they going to eat? They need help immediately, and there’s none to be found. If you would like to offer support for this orphanage, shoot me a line and I’ll get you in contact with John Garang. Christian service is more than just praying: sometimes it’s going, and always it’s giving.

~Jonathan

June 10th, 2007 · Back to Top · Tagged: Kenya, Missions

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