Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep

(Rom. 12:15)

It has been a difficult season at Jonathan's House with the passing of one of our most faithful team members, Papa Guy. This man came to Jonathan's House in 2017 and was our maintenance man, our encourager, our wise confidant, and Papa to our older boys. 

Papa Guy was doing what he normally did--serving. He was helping a widow hang solar panels on her home when he fell off the ladder. While he had no serious external injuries, our medical team noted that his hemoglobin continued to decrease. He was rushed to the hospital in Bangui, three-and-a-half hours away. In a land like Central Africa, entering the hospital is a very dangerous proposition. While we waited, we hoped and prayed that God would spare him. But in God's wisdom and grace, He chose to heal Papa Guy into Heaven instead.

Our community has been devastated by the loss. Even the Muslim community came out to mourn the passing of this man of God. He was a friend to all and made a huge impact for the Kingdom. 

Despite our grief, we have seen God working. Our president, Bob Bixby, was visiting when Guy passed. He was able to comfort and guide our team. In addition, Bob was able to preach at his funeral, which lasted several hours. This was a great opportunity to share the truth of the Gospel to the community-at-large! 

We are still reeling from this unexpected loss, and the children have been devastated at the passing of their beloved papa. Along with the natural sorrow that comes from losing someone so beloved, we are also battling the superstitions of the Central African culture that says every death is a result of witchcraft. We are addressing this false idea with our children and striving to teach our neighbors as well that death does not mean there is no hope.

Will you please pray for us as we "do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places" (Eph. 6:12)? Pray that more men like Papa Guy will rise up to be a light in this darkness. And especially pray for the boys who are processing the death of their papa. May they understand the love of their Heavenly Father and, in this time of grief, grow closer to Him.  

Vehicle Fund Update

We are excited to inform you that we have raised enough funds to purchase a new truck! This vehicle is much needed, as the roads in CAR create quite a bit of wear and tear. Recently, we drove our current truck to rescue a baby several hours away. At one point, the truck was stuck in the mud for over six hours. But that's life in Central Africa, which is why it's so important that we have multiple vehicles that can handle the rough terrain. Stalled vehicles can mean the difference between life and death here. 

We are still waiting for the government paperwork granting us tax exemption status. When we purchased our current truck in 2023, it meant the difference of thousands of dollars. Please pray for the paperwork to come through for us!

We are excited to add this 4x4 truck to our ministry and trust that the Lord will provide both the ambulance and the minibus in His perfect timing. Please pray with us for the Lord's provision.  Vehicle donations can be made here.

We Need Your Support

After much prayer and deliberation, we recently announced a temporary closure of our medical clinic in CAR, which desperately needs restructuring of systems and refurbishing of the building. This decision has devastated the community around us. Our medical clinic is well-known as a place of hope and healing for many. We will continue offering maternity services and meeting the medical needs of the orphans in our care. We are determined that this is a temporary shutdown, and we anticipate restructuring and reopening as soon as we possibly can.

As the summer comes to an end, we are wrapping up our Summer Vibes fundraiser. Summer donations tend to slow down, but the needs of our orphans do not! In addition, rescues can be costly and demanding. So THANK YOU to everyone who has given to our Summer Vibes fundraiser. We have sent out YETI tumblers with the Jonathan House logo on them to those who have donated to this fundraiser. If you want to find out how to get your YETI, please click on the image to find out more. There are only a few tumblers left, so don't delay!

If you are already part of our child sponsorship program, thank you! New photos of each child were just taken, and we are working with leadership on the ground to organize sending information about each child to our sponsors regularly. Child sponsorship helps supply the regular monthly needs of our orphan care ministry. Please pray for us as we build a robust sponsorship program. If you are interested in this program, email us at sponsorship@jonathanshouse.org. 

The General Fund keeps our campus open--from security to maintenance and wood for our cooking fires to gas for our vehicles. If you would like to give to our General Fund, please go here.   

Thank You

Thank you for your continued support of Jonathan's House. Despite the loss of Papa Guy and the shutdown of our medical clinic, we continue to see God working in the lives of the most vulnerable children who are under our care. We have seen sickly children close to death now thriving and abounding with life. We have watched our girls beat the odds and pass their exams to proceed into high school. We have seen God provide the funds for a new vehicle, so we can continue rescuing children. And we can continue serving in CAR because of your prayers and donations.