Village Bible Church || Aurora | Indian Creek | Sugar Grove | IL

Crystal took her first short-term missions trip to Uganda during the summer of 2000 - between high school and college.  She left with a passion to return to Uganda as soon as she was done with college. The Lord had given her a heart of unquenchable compassion for orphans in Uganda.

Meanwhile, in 2001 Matt prayed that God would give him an opportunity to go to Africa to be a laborer for Christ's harvest.  God immediately answered that prayer and over the next few years he would serve in Uganda of four trips.

Crystal had been attending and serving at Village during college.  As she neared graduation, she came to church one day sharing that the summer trip to Uganda was probably not going to happen because she hadn't been able to raise the support she needed - and the trip was leaving in three days.  The need ended up being shared with the church family that morning and all of her support was raised before she went back to school that day!  Little did we know that Crystal and Matt would both be serving on that trip... (2004)

Six months later, they married (February 2005) and knew God was leading back to Uganda.  They spent a year working and raising support to go back.

In 2006, they had raised their needed support and returned to Uganda to serve with Juna Amagara Ministries - a ministry that cares for orphans in communities destroyed by the HIV/AIDS epidemic, poverty and war.  JAM serves over 250 orphaned children throughout Uganda by operating 3 schools, leading 3 skills training programs, and caring for 40 precious children in an orphanage.

Matt felt called to begin a ministry that would focus on equipping and discipling the high school graduates of Juna Amagara Ministries. In the summer of 2008 he began the ABIDE ministry to do just this thing.

Additionally, as Matt and Crystal served and cared for children, God developed a passion and dream to care for babies born with HIV/AIDS. Through a number of devastating circumstances babies are abandoned before they are even given the chance to live. In July of 2008, that dream became a reality as they welcomed their first abandoned baby into their home – and named him Stephen Twinomujuni.  (They have since legally adopted Stephen.) Then on January 1, 2010, they welcomed their second abandoned baby into their family. A precious baby girl, abandoned at 2 months and HIV+. They named her Jerusalem Amy Kehn. After beginning the adoption process, they were excited to have three beautiful children in their family. But sadly within one week, her health deteriorated and they lost her...  Their burden continues to be caring for more precious infants in need. 

Blog #1: Their journey to marriage and to Uganda

Blog #2: Memoir of Jerusalem

Your Opportunity:

So how does Matt & Crystal's story provide opportunity for you to care for orphans?  

1. Send some love in a box to a child - send a care package to a child that Matt & Crystal serve.
2. Send a care package to Matt & Crystal - something fun like cheesecake (Click Here)
3. GO - travel to Uganda for a week or a month to care for children being helped by their ministry.
4. PRAY for their ministry.  Click Here for their most current praises and requests.
5. Learn More: Attend the 2010 Juna Amagara Celebration Banquet on March 7th at the in Oak Brook. Ben Tumuheirwe, the founder of JAM and the person who convinced Matt to take his first short-term trip to Uganda, will be speaking.  Click Here to RSVP.