About Us

Thank you for taking the time to learn about us and how we got started. My name is Samantha Jewell and in 2017, my husband John and I, along with our 3 boys,  Jonah , Andy and Ben moved to Malawi, Africa, after twenty years of mission work in other places, including Brazil and southern Florida. We were invited by friends who had lived there for fifteen years, digging boreholes for rural villages. Other companies had since moved in with more efficient drilling machines, so they felt it was time to redirect the nongovernmental organization (NGO) they had established. That’s where we came in. They asked us to visit and consider taking over their position. We immediately felt called to work with the children of the villages in some way, so we all agreed to pray together toward that end. Because we weren’t members of a church in the United States at the time, it didn’t seem likely to find a sponsor to send us. We were running a rec center, much like the YMCA, and had chosen to use Sundays to do Bible studies and devotionals with our gym members instead of attending a traditional church. We also had our hand in a homeschool sports program, where one family heard about our dilemma and invited us to meet their congregation. It’s an understatement to say we hit it off. Surprisingly, that church had been praying specifically for missionaries to Malawi. Their founding minister had done mission work there many years ago, and they wanted to get involved again. It was clear that God was putting us together, and in a matter of weeks, they agreed to sponsor our move.

One of the first things John did, when we arrived in Africa, was to start a Bible study with Snoden, the gardener of the property we assumed with the NGO. He was remarkably receptive and shared what he learned with his wife, Susan. They both invited us to come to their village to teach their neighbors, and that turned into a weekly meeting where we taught the Bible, English and literacy, and health and hygiene. Before long they had constructed a tent and had built a baptismal. It seemed we had a legitimate church in the village, where members served each other and grew together. But then Snoden’s house came down, quite literally. There was heavy rain that caused it to collapse. Instead of the members of the church banding together to help clear the rubble and rebuild, they were nowhere to be found. However, the children were there to lend a hand. They lined up to move debris and deliver materials to the workers who rebuilt the house. 

Snoden and Susan were disappointed in the adults but extremely encouraged by the children. From that point on, we collectively decided to primarily invest in the children. Snoden and Susan took some of the bricks that were cut and baked from the ground in their yard and built a schoolhouse for them. Because there were so many kids without supervision during the day, they created a free daycare. They recognized the many needs these kids had and their ability to meet some of those needs, so they asked if we could help them turn their efforts into a proper school. They also needed financial help to provide food and medical care for them. There were about forty kids in all. We began to fundraise, which was immediately successful. We were able to buy land and build separate classrooms for different age groups. God was clearly blessing our efforts. 

Now we own six acres of farmland, where we grow food to offset the cost of feeding the kids in the program as well as to help care for their families. We also own two acres in town, where we have built three classrooms and a house for Snoden’s family. We offer Kindergarten through second grade and hope to add one grade each year. Our curriculum is Bible-based and we are developing a vocational training program to equip the kids for work as soon as they graduate. Our dream is to one day complete our K-12 campus and begin the construction of a University for higher education. We believe this trajectory will pull the next generation out of poverty and allow them to begin caring for themselves and those around them. All praise and thanks are due to God, who has brought us this far and will surely see this plan through.

Thank you for taking the time to read our story and to be a part of it as it unfolds.