Pastor Francis Rogers is the founder and director of the Karen Baird Children's Home in Moriba Town, Sierra Leone. Established in 2009 with 26 kids, the home more than doubled after the construction of a second hostel in 2010. Pastor Francis asks we pray for Godly leadership under a God-sized vision for the future, including reaching more children who will disciple many others in the country and beyond!
NHI: Where do you think the ministry would be without New Hope's partnership?
Pastor Francis: The orphan ministry would not have materialized apart from NHI. No other organization ever expressed interest in partnering with us. NHI picked the project from the beginning in 2009 and has consistently funded everything and brought a change that makes the children's home a shining example of Christ-like love; admired by our government through the ministry of social welfare, children and gender affairs. God choose NHI and we are grateful.
NHI: Explain your greatest challenge in Life?
Pastor Francis: The challenge of running a conscious soul winning ministry in a bedeviled, fetish nation with different satanic traditions with a highly illiterate populace. A culture where child abuse is rife, where the lives of missionaries are under constant threat, where child marriage is celebrated and many suffering children abound mounting pressure on us to care for more which we cant do because of limited resources. The challenge of hopeless children fending for themselves in the dust bin while some end up as child prostitutes.
NHI: What is the greatest success NHI has been part of?
Pastor Francis: The entire construction of the orphanage facility was done by NHI to accommodate homeless and hopeless orphan kids, while providing much needed food, clothing, medical and educational needs. Twelve years on, some of these once hopeless orphan kids have emerged as college graduates, communication engineers, welders and other relevant figures in the community. Some of them from deep muslim backgrounds have emerged as carriers of the Gospel to their villages of origin. These once hostile communities to the gospel have now allowed churches to be planted there because of the success of their once hopeless kids. NHI intervention here brought success with more to come.
NHI: How can NHI improve things?
Pastor Francis: Privatize the school, recruit qualified teachers and raise the standard of the school for the greater benefit of our children and community children who will meet the cost. Also, to engage the services of qualified solar engineers to solve our energy problem so that we can divert money been spent on fuel to other much needed areas.
NHI: What is your greatest success in life?
Pastor Francis: My greatest success in life is seeing once hopeless children become useful instruments for God in their communities. Homeless children that now have a home, once occults priests now live in Christ. This all I have ever wanted and all I am living for.