I Was A Sponsored Child
You Might Also Enjoy:
This remarkable man was once a sponsored child. Did the family that sent Julius monthly support have a sense that this boy would one day impact thousands?
If you’ve been around Kensington awhile, you may have heard of Julius Murgor. His life work is to bring the love of Jesus and meet basic needs among his people – the Pokot of western Kenya. He is a longtime, personal friend of Kensington Lead Pastor, Steve Andrews, and he was Kensington’s first link to the Pokot people. He was that key person who bridged our cultures and catalyzed the remarkable and enduring friendship between our community and the Pokot. It is for the Pokot, that people walk, run, and cycle with Hope Water Project (kensingtonchurch.org/hwp). And, our own sponsorship program, NoChild (nochild.org), supports children from Nepal, India, and Kenya; Kenyan children are from the three orphan homes run by Julius’s organization, which cares for the spiritual, emotional, and physical needs of more than 800 children.
Here is his story:
My hardship growing up was going without food many times. When I got hungry during the day while looking after the cows, I would wish that when I got home in the evening I would find that my mom had found food for me to eat. Somedays, yes. Somedays, no.
The other hardship I faced was thirst and lack of water in a very hot place day in and out as I tended my father’s cows. Malaria took me down from time to time. When I became sick, I suffered intensely because there were no hospitals or any way to relieve the pain. I also suffered from pneumonia because I did not have any clothes on my back.
Sponsorship changed everything for me. The impact of my sponsorship was that it gave me hope to be in school and learn. It affirmed God’s love for me and I felt that my sponsor cared about me. I became very happy and began to have hope about the future. I began to dream about high school and college. My mind was decided on education, so I concentrated on my studies.
My sponsorship impacted more than just my own life. Because of the sponsorship I received as a small boy, I have helped plant hundreds of churches in Pokot, Uganda, and South Sudan. With my team, I have brought thousands of people to Christ and baptized over 50,000 of them. We have equipped about 300 men and women to spread the gospel through POM (Pokot Outreach Ministry) and Harvesters. We also have helped over 900 children get sponsored. Our ministry has drilled over 200 boreholes that provide clean water and have improved life for the people we serve. We have provided basic medical care to people that otherwise do not get it, and have confronted the Pokot tradition of female circumcising and forcefully marrying young girls, which denies them life, education, and the freedom to chose a life partner.
God is using NoChild to:
- – Expose the orphans to the word of God.
- – Give them love and care through the program.
- – Give them hope for the future through education.
- – Encourage the children to explore their God-given potential.
- – Raise up trained people for ministry in the Pokot community.
It is important for the children to be educated for their own benefit. Education increases opportunities for jobs. Nobody gives jobs to the uneducated Pokots. Education is also important for the good of the community and the nation as a whole. These orphans are agents of hope and change for the Pokot tribe.
Consider all that God has done through Julius because of his sponsorship! Can you imagine how God will raise up future leaders in Kenya, India, and Nepal from the children Kensington is now sponsoring? Visit nochild.org to find a child waiting for the love of a sponsor. Thank you for being a community that has opened your hands and hearts to the Pokot people.
– Julius Murgor | Founder/Director of Pokot Outreach Ministry, Harvesters International Kenya
