Where I grew up as a missionary kid Where my great-grandpa lived as missionary California Philippines

My grandpa’s sister (the baby) and my great-grandparents in Congo

Joseph-a, the boy evangelist He had been sold as a slave in Africa, kind of like the Joseph we know in the book of Genesis He was crippled, and had physical disability He could not speak very well But God’s sovereign grace overcame his sinful spiritual inability to do anything for himself and God used Joseph-a to spread the gospel of sovereign grace to helpless sinners through the Congo (Bolenge) starting in the year 1902 He had to be carried to meetings where he would speak, but God used him for a revival!

God’s sovereign grace brought a tribe from afar to hear the gospel!

God’s sovereign grace was saving former cannibals and former witch doctors!

Left: Young girls bought by sinful Cannibal tribe Right: Christian women redeemed (bought back) by Christ to become a part of His bride (church)!

64 converts baptized on same day after being catechized (instructed) and demonstrating evidence of true faith over time

Soon Christian converts from Congo became missionaries to their own people, supported by their own people (which should be the goal of foreign missions)

Close-ups of native Congolese missionaries (note Mark on right was saved from witch-doctor family)

My family is adopting a baby boy born in Congo We gave him the same middle name “Joseph” as the boy evangelist my great- grandpa knew and God used in great ways His first name will be Mark (also name of the evangelist in last picture we learned later!) His Congo name is “Waleza” (“of God”) Lord-willing I will get to go in August or September to bring him back as my son!!

Mark Joseph Waleza Layton Born

Pastor Didier and wife Annie bringing Mark to the orphanage

In Lubumbashi, there is no electricity or paved roads. Life is hard, work is hard to find, clean water is hard to get there and many have to carry it for miles

Through giving of our church and others they now have a well for the orphanage (building in background)

Closer view of orphanage (later completed early this year)

The children waving hi to us! From right to left: Jordan, Brandon, Kara, Jamie (also in process of adoption in our area this year!) and Zephanie (far left, pray she will be adopted!)

The children from the orphanage playing

A Congo church 100 years ago

A Congo church today Note the short-term missionaries in front who helped with building projects (God can use people who aren’t preachers as missionaries, short-term or long-term, He can use you)

In 1902 ten boys in Bolenge brought a piece of paper with their names on it to the missionaries going back to the States asking the white people to pray for them. Later that year was when salvations began taking place among those very peoples. Are we praying for unreached peoples? Let’s pray like Paul does in Romans 10!

Please pray for the church in Congo and around the world and this orphanage and others around the world, and think of ways you can support your brothers and sisters in Christ around the world. If God can use people like them and crippled boys like Joseph, he can use boys and girls like you in His sovereign plans of grace. Pray and be willing for God to use you to tell others here or in other countries about the grace of Jesus in the gospel