The need for “war orphans” after the 14-year-long Liberian civil war was astonishing.  Betty and Anthony Jonah, a pastor, and his wife from Camp Four, Liberia answered the call with what they had.  In their 70s and with no resources they stepped out in faith and started an Orphanage and began to house, educate and show the love of Jesus to many of the area’s orphans.

Today, the Betty Jonah Orphanage has roughly 30 children and has been in operation since 2008.  Camp Four, which was once operated by a steel company, is now a place where those who do not work at the mine, have settled.  The poverty is great and many of the area children don’t attend school because of the lack of school fees.  Beyond the Bricks constructed a playground and basketball court next to the Betty Jonah Orphanage and School in Camp Four.  The site for the playground and the basketball court were located outside of the campus to give access to the whole community.  A team from the Betty Jonah Orphanage and School, and the nearby church, was assembled and trained in how to use the facility for outreach and discipleship for the community.

How exciting it was to watch children from all over the community swarm the playground after completion.  Their laughter was a joy to my heart.  The even greater joy is the hope that this facility will draw many to a place where they can hear about Jesus’s offer of forgiveness and abundant life.