I was hungry and you fed me
You can help Joshua Ogaro bring hope to the helpless.
My name is Joshua Ogaro. I am from Sengera in Kisii county, Kenya. When I was five years old, my father got tuberculosis and my mother suffered from malaria. After my parents passed away, I met Jesus. With these words from Psalm 10, God touched me: “The Lord hears the cries of the helpless and comforts them! He will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed, so mere people can no longer terrify them.”
Freely I received
I grew up in the care of relatives and started going to a local church. All my brothers and sisters left school because they could not pay the school fees, but my church helped me through primary school and secondary school. The church cared for both my physical and spiritual needs, because James chapter 1 says, “the religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress.”
The support I received from the church touched my heart. I wanted to give back to the community. I decided to give a home and education to the children of poor families and orphans, like me. My wife, Jane, and I are now caring for 14 children. They help with the gardening and cleaning. They like playing soccer.
Jane and I met in secondary school. She is the one who cooks for the children and helps them work on the assignments they are given at school. She gives them life advice. She sings with them. She is a great singer.
Freely I give
Providing food, shelter, clothing and school fees for the children is challenging. Fortunately, God has given me encouraging friends. I also always find encouragement in Psalm 41: “Happy are those who are concerned for the poor; the Lord will help them when they are in trouble.” God’s word encourages me and gives me joy in my work.
In 2017 I started a small Christian fellowship. Now we are a big fellowship! Reading helps me look after my congregation. I use books to know the word of God better. Books help me to preach in my church, encourage my fellow pastors and serve our community. I also use online sermons and devotions. A recent devotion from 1 John reminded me that God’s love comes first, and then comes our response to him. “We love him because he first loved us.”
What does the Lord require of you?
I like each member of our church to have their own Bible. With their own Bible at home they can study the passages I preach on, and reach out to neighbours who have not received the gospel.
Please pray that we will love the lost as much as Jesus loves his church. Thank you for blessing us with books and Bibles. May God bless you abundantly.
Joshua Ogaro pastors the Christ Fellowship Church and Orphanage in Sengera, Gucha, Kisii, Kenya.