In his own words … “My name is Charlie Thornton but my grandchildren call me Papa Charlie, even the ones in Africa. I just celebrated my 70th birthday and I am about to return to Africa for my third time within a year. Until last year, I had never traveled outside the U.S. I had never really wanted to. All that changed with one little question … “Dad, will you go to Africa and plant a garden?”
A Life Changing Question.
Two years ago while my oldest daughter, Jenny was visiting from California, she shared the story of her friend who had gone to Africa to volunteer at an orphanage. Overcome with emotion, Jenny read us an email from her friend. The children were starving. They would die if they didn’t get food. Jenny asked me if I would go to Africa. I had grown up on a farm and I’ve planted many gardens in my lifetime. I immediately said yes – never once believing I would ever go.
A Life Changing Hurricane.
Then later that year, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Everything changed. Volunteers were desperately needed, especially anyone with a commercial driver’s license. I had one. I am a retired UPS driver. I went to work driving a truck load of supplies to the coast every day for 8 weeks. I met people who had lost everything but hope. That hurricane changed me. By volunteering, I realized one person can make a big difference in the life of another. My concern and compassion began to grow for those who had nothing ... it reached all the way to Africa.
A Life Changing Story.
My daughter continued to send me information about the orphanage in Africa. She never doubted I would go. I flew out to her home in San Francisco to meet the couple from Africa who started the orphanage, Messiah Ministries. I wasn’t prepared for their story. James & Judith Gutinyu surrendered everything they had – their jobs, their home, their money, even their children to do the work they believed that God had called them to do – to take care of God’s children, the orphan children in Zambia, Africa. They do not have a salary or a savings account. They truly live by faith. I had never heard a story like theirs. Most people would probably say that I am a good golfer, a good handball player, maybe even a good dad but all that paled in comparison to what could be said about these people and what they had committed their life to. Suddenly I wanted my life to matter. Suddenly I wanted to go to Africa. But first God had to work on my heart.
A Life Changing Trip.
While He was working on me, I contacted everyone I knew and asked for their help. If we were going to plant a garden we were going to need a tractor. We raised over $35,0000 to buy and ship a tractor from the United States to Africa. A group of young people from California went with me and we planted the garden at the orphanage, gave them the tractor and installed a water tower, built a chicken coop and planted over 100 banana plants. I came home after 6 weeks knowing I would go back. I had to go back. I fell in love with Africa and the orphan children. I went to impact their lives but they impacted mine more.
I tell my story wherever I go. I tell everyone I meet about the forgotten, hurting children in Africa and how one person can make a huge difference in their lives. I have been amazed at how generous people are. Many people have supported my work financially. Without their help, I could not have accomplished so much in so little of time. One of my favorite projects was providing Christmas gifts for over 20 children at the orphanage last December. They had never received presents. We discovered that the children walk two miles each way to school daily. They never got to go to church on Sundays because they didn’t have a large enough vehicle to carry them. That broke my heart. So we raised the money to buy them a bus.
On my last trip to Africa, I went to Tanzania. I took my wife Janey on this trip. We went to hospitals and prayed for the sick to see many healed. We handed out bibles to people of all different religions. We encouraged young African pastors in their church planting. Janey and I even preached. I helped a young boy set up a chicken business so he could buy his uniform to go to school. I installed a generator at a school so they could have lights and hot water. I hugged and held kids that had no one to love them. I became their grandfather and I fell in love all over again.
A Life Changed.
The Lord has now put on my heart water wells. The African tribes out in the bush of Tanzania have to walk 4 to 5 miles to get fresh drinking water. I’m going back to Tanzania to see how I can help. God has taught me so much this past year. I now live by the direction of His Holy Spirit – by faith, not by sight. My life, my priorities, my choices have all changed. As long as I am able, I will keep returning to Africa to do whatever work the Lord has for me. I now know my life has a purpose. I now know my life matters.”