A Letter FRom Our President
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I am Chris Robertson, president of The Light of the World Ministries. A couple of years ago, I went on a trip to Sierra Leone and I witnessed firsthand the impact that this ministry has on the people of this small country in West Africa. The first thing we set out to do as a board of directors and staff was to find exactly what we, as an organization, were obligated to fund. Then we proceeded to designate priorities because we had, (and have,) a very limited budget.
The Lord has done a vast amount of goodwill endeavors through our ministries, but we wanted to streamline our priorities and maximize our impact. It was quickly determined that our Ebola orphan homes were priority number one and that we have an obligation to ensure the safety, health, education, love, and support of these children that lost so much during the Ebola plague.
When I became the president of this organization, we immediately put a moratorium on all new activities until our orphans were fully funded. I am happy to say that we met that obligation. That is until there became an obvious hurdle that stood in our path. We have 20 children between our three homes that are now in senior high school, and none of the schools offered any STEM, (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics,) courses.
We want our care for these children to be as good as we can offer, so we decided that we would open a fourth home where our senior high school students can live and be able to attend one of the top schools in the country. That decision was one that was not taken lightly, as it has many ramifications. We have realized the cost of housing 20 children in the city instead of in the provinces is much higher than anticipated. So, we need increased monthly support.
The cost per child per month in the villages was around $130. The cost in the city and with a higher level of education is nearly $200 per month. That is an added expense of $1,400 per month for this new home to operate without the children experiencing significant setbacks. Right now, we are renting space that is inadequate for the number of children that we have in the home and the cost of keeping the lights on at night is significant. The textbooks and uniforms are more expensive, as are food and basic needs in the city.
We are currently looking at land that may be available for us to purchase that would be in proximity to the school. The other option is to buy land outside of the city and hire the STEM teachers to come and teach at our school. The reality there is that we would be taking away from the local children in the community by doing this.
Join us in prayer as we wrestle with solving this issue for our dear orphans whom we love so much. If you are willing to help us with a tax-deductible gift of any amount, please consider supporting this wonderful work in West Africa. When you give to support TLOWM you are a part of making a significant difference in the world!
Needs:
- $1,400 per month to meet the current care needs for our senior high orphans
- Capital need of $15,000 to purchase adequate land and build a new home. This could take up to seven months.
The capital project would eventually house a guest home for missionaries traveling to Sierra Leone for teaching and other missions projects. We hope to have a base of operations where our orphans feel safe and well received every time they enter through the gates. No matter how old they are, we want The Light of the World Ministries to feel like home to them and eventually their own families that they will raise and support.
If you attend a church and would like to schedule me for a presentation sharing about the great work that the Lord is doing in Sierra Leone through The Light of the World Ministries and our ministry partners, please email me at chris@tlowm.org or text or call me, Chris Robertson, at 503-508-4380.
Caring for Ebola Orphans- Our three homes house 87 children that lost their families due to Ebola.
Caring for Widows- Our widows have founded two Widows Vocational Training Centers in Sierra Leone.
Training Pastors- We have 14 pastors who are ministering all over the nation.
Education- We have 22 schools educating thousands of students across the nation and each one is recognized by the government and supported by the local communities.
Chaplaincy Training- The Light of the World Ministries is the official chaplaincy training organization for all of the Sierra Leone military, fire force, police, (both federal and local,) as well as all 19 prisons across the country.
We partner with The Evangelical School of Theology to support students and faculty.
National Board of Directors- We have leaders working together to form the national board of directors in Sierra Leone and they assist our executive director, Ben Margai, in making decisions that further God’s Kingdom in Sierra Leone.
USA Board of Directors- We are a group of people from Utah, Oregon, and Canada working together to help this organization provide resources, vision, and education to further the Kingdom of Christ across the globe. Our hope is to expand our reach beyond the borders of Sierra Leone in 2023. Please help us proclaim the message of Jesus around the globe by supporting and joining The Light of the World Ministries.
May God richly bless you,
Chris Robertson
President, The Light of the World Ministries