In 2008 I was graced with a bigger family. I became “Uncle” to a thousand children in a remote part of Sierra Leone, West Africa. Serving these children in a full time capacity is an incredible gift and I am so thankful both to them for accepting me so generously into their lives, and to those who partner with me to get the job done.
My role as Country Liaison for Sierra Leone involves supporting the ministry of Children of the Nations by facilitating and mediating communication between the International President, who is located in the US, and the Country Director and Country Board, who are located in Sierra Leone. I am there to assist these senior management partners in guiding our ministry today and in planning for tomorrow. It is an incredibly exciting role, but what inspires me most is the fact that I know the children for whom I am working and they know me. Since 2012 I have also been heading up our ministry in the UK and Ireland, sharing the vision of Children of the Nations with partners and supporters there.
Children of the Nations is about partnership and it is about family. It is about taking an orphaned child who is being killed by malnutrition or has lost everything to Ebola or has been abandoned by everyone they know at the moment of their greatest need and offering them a place to belong, a home to grow healthy and strong in. It is about coming alongside families struggling to feed and educate their children and helping them get the sons and daughters they love so much in to classrooms and mentorship groups and feeding programs. It is about a movement of people, each one using what they have in their hand, so that together we can provide holistic, Christ-centered care for orphaned and destitute children, enabling them to create positive and lasting change in their nations.
I have seen these kids grow up and go to university and get jobs and take leadership. Young people like Henry who have grown up as part of the COTN family and are now helping raise the next generation in his role as a school principal. See God work in the lives of children like this is a real priviledge. That is why I am excited to share this ministry with you because I believe that it can be an amazing blessing to you and I believe you can be an amazing blessing to it. In order to keep costs down and ensure that as much money as possible goes to the children, the cost for me working at COTN needs to be raised by people like you giving monthly. These funds can be drawn upon to cover things like living expenses and travel costs. By supporting me through this page you are providing me with the financial means to live and love and serve these children. By extension you are doing the same!
Thank you so much for considering partnering with me. It makes a world of a difference. Welcome to the family!