Heddwyn Williams
Experience:
20 YearsEmail:
heddwyn@kenyachildrenofhope.orgPhone:
+44 7798453765How I
I was born again, which is the Bible description of what happens when one becomes a Christian, while in College in Liverpool in February 1972. A year later, I was travelling on a bus in downtown Liverpool. We passed an old, broken-down building filled with all kinds of rubble. There in the midst of the mess were small children playing. I discovered that my heart is deep inside my abdomen. I felt a deep passion like I had never experienced before. I knew immediately that the burden laid on my heart was God’s call on my life!
This was the first of 2 major incidents which gave me the burden and call to needy children.
The second occurred about 7 years later. I was working at the time as an Accountant with a Christian relief and development organisation seeking to make a difference to the Southern Sudanese people. At the time I was based in Juba, the capital of South Sudan. I had travelled to Kenya to have a break. This particular day, I was in the city centre of the capital of Kenya, Nairobi. It was around midday. I was in the city centre. The sun was blazing down. Hundreds of people were walking about. In the middle of the pavement, I noticed a bundle of rags. however as I drew nearer, I noticed that it was a small child sleeping there alone on the pavement under the hot sun with hundreds of people passing by. At that time I didn’t know anyone in Nairobi. I was the only European around amongst hundreds of Kenyans. I realised that there was nothing I could do. But I made a vow: I will be back and while there is a child living on the streets, I will do what I can to rescue them from there to a secure place.
Little did I know that it would take another 20 years before the first child was rescued. There was a preparation time for me to go through.
I met Lydiah when I was relocated to Nairobi, who also had a burden for needy children. We married in 1986. In 1989 we relocated to Swansea, Wales. Towards the end of 1995 we visited Kenya for a few weeks. During that visit we visited the SoS Children’s village located in a suburb of Nairobi. That visit touched Lydiah’s heart deeply and I have a picture of the moment that I believe that she was ready to step out to pursue together our life’s calling to needy children. On our return to Swansea, we agreed that it was time to pursue our call from God.
We formed a UK registered Charity – Children of Hope (Tumaini Kwa Watoto) in 1996, relocating to Kenya in August 1998. At that time, we only had 40% of our personal needs pledged (and we hadn’t asked for any of that!). And for the work of Children of Hope, just £140 a month had been pledged. If we had waited for our needs to be met we may well be still in Swansea today.
Over the next few months, on our Founders page. I intend to share the many adventures that we have had and the amazing things that have happened as a result of being willing to step out to trust Jesus Christ to provide and protect us. And how by today we can identify over 4,000 children rescued from street life and reintegrated with their families.
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