JOHN K. SUMO Servant of God

John was born in 1963 in, Lofa County, Liberia, West Africa

One of 2 brothers and 4 sisters, John dreamed of becoming someone.

John attended Sumo Kota Elementary & Junior High School eventually deciding to serve his people as a pastor of the Lutheran Church in Liberia.

After graduating from Gbarnga School of theology John began serving at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Logan Town where he was tutored by senior pastors

In 2008, John married Rebecca, a midwife who became his partner in service to others. They have 2 children.

John’s first church was Good Shepherd Lutheran Parish where he served a parish of some 850 members.

John was assigned in a rural parish of the LCL in Fissebu, Lofa County, where he and Rebecca gave hope to the people.

John held regular weekly Sunday services in over 4 congregations in the Fissebu Parish and doubled the size of communing members in three years.

John prayed with his people, performed weddings and baptisms, counseled individuals and visited the sick.

TRAFFIC ACCIDENT! On June 3, 2010, on his way home on a motorbike after visiting the sick at Curran Lutheran Hospital, John was hit by a passing car from the rear. His left leg was shattered!

John was rushed back to Curran where staff and equipment at the simple rural hospital, could not deal adequately with John’s bone-crushing injury

John was transferred the same day to Phebe (Lutheran) Hospital, Gbanga, Bong County. Doctors at Phebe also did not have the capability of treating John’s injuries and sent him by ambulance to the JFK Memorial Hospital in Monrovia.

4 surgeries at JFK Hospital, Monrovia John has been in & out of hospital for a total of 8 months. 2 ½ years later, John is still not able to walk let alone return to his ministry to the people of Liberia.

Today John’s tibia is still not healed and the gap in the bone needs sophisticated surgery not available in Liberia.

John’s leg is held together by a steel pin on the outside of his damaged leg.

John is unable to walk or perform his duties to his parish.

A surgeon in Chicago has offered to do the surgery to correct the problem.

But, there are other expenses to John’s recovery. Until help comes, John can only pray for his people.

The Lutheran Church in Liberia does not have the resources to help John. CAN YOU HELP? Needed: -Round trip airfare = $3,000 -Hospital: Surgery, Medication and Rehabilitation are estimated at around $175,000.00

John is hopeful and needs your help to be able to walk alone and again serve God’s people.