An “Awana Kid” is Changing Lives as a Missionary

Kenya

“By discipling these children we are changing the world. It’s not just about reading and memorizing Scripture week after week. It’s about the transformation of life. It’s about the future of a boy. It’s about the future of a girl. Awana played a key role in shaping the person that I am today.” Richard, Awana leader, Kenya

If you ask Richard, an Awana leader and missionary in Kenya, to recall his own introduction to Awana, he’ll share in vivid detail: children’s laughter; a teacher tossing her high heels aside to run and play with the kids; the same teacher praying over him when he was sick, telling him about a future so bright no sickness or hardship can ever dim it.

Those experiences inspired Richard to nurture and mentor children in the same way through a lifetime of ministry in some of the hardest areas to reach. He’s brought Awana programming to children in refugee camps, families living in the streets, and people in markets and villages across Kenya. In the process, he’s not just reaching the needy. He’s giving Awana kids the chance to serve through outreach while they learn God’s Word.

And God continues to work through Richard and Awana to bring the love and hope of Jesus to an increasingly neglected generation of children and youth. So many children are starved for the most basic everyday necessities — love included — but they find belonging and care through a simple game of soccer, a handful of loving, caring adults and a church that’s just for them.

With your support, Awana leaders around the world are helping kids rise up, step into their worth as children of God and share His hope just like it was shared with them. That’s the power of child discipleship. Thank you for your partnership.