Waiting for us at the Kisumu airport when we arrived were the Okongo brothers, Samson and David. Samson is the Founder and President of U4A and is an ordained Missionary Pastor. He has served all over the world as a medical missionary and proclaiming the Gospel in war torn countries like Sudan, Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and Iraq to name a few. Before moving to the United States and founding Unite 4 Africa (U4A) which is headquartered in Tucson, AZ, he was a Program Coordinator for Samaritan's Purse in Sudan, served in Kurmuk Hospital there, and also served in Kijabe and Kapsowar Mission Hospitals in Kenya. He is passionate about empowering the least and last around the world through a holistic approach including a church planting movement, practical teachings relevant to community environments and helping leaders to change their own belief systems to embrace the truth that they own their problems and they own the solutions, and perhaps most importantly, they can no longer wait for the government or for well wishers from the west to solve their problems for them. Ferrell Coppedge, Chairman of the Project 82 Board of Directors commented on this approach having witnessed Samson speaking with community leaders.
"I was blown away by the depth of wisdom emerging from Samson's words as he very candidly, yet with great love and humility, told the leaders of a Maasai village that money was not their problem and that the team he brought with him was not the answer. He lovingly told them that we were there because Jesus led us there and our hearts were burdened by the suffering we witnessed. He then led a discussion prompting them to identify what they perceived their weaknesses to be. I was humbled as I listened to the honesty of their answers. They did not turn their weaknesses into a list of needs. Instead they confessed mistakes they knew they had made and even acknowledged that in some cases, while they could see the mistake, they did not know how to do things differently and were earnestly seeking the knowledge and training to help them change. I will not soon forget, maybe never, the dialog amongst those leaders that day."
Okongo Samson and the entire Unite 4 Africa team have taught all of us at Project 82 much this week. You may be wondering why I am writing so much about a community transformation ministry when P82 is an orphan ministry. The short answer is this... We have learned that the old adage, "It takes an entire village to raise a child" is true indeed and the sheer number of orphans in these villages is overwhelming. We believe that we can make a far greater impact in the lives of orphans and vulnerable children when we direct the gifts and resources available to us for these children toward healthy communities. Working alongside U4A allows us to focus on the health and future of the children while they focus on the health and future of the whole community. We are praying for wisdom as our time with U4A comes to an end this week and we define the way forward. We came here to explore the possibility of partnership. God has spoken boldly to our hearts and minds. I can't wait to share more with you!
