God set this last year aside to allow Komeo as an organization to restore and rebuild. From the beginning, we were called to form an organization to step in and help address an immediate need, and there was never enough time between needs to catch up. We were constantly chasing the needs of these incredible orphans – outcasts in the poorest nation in the world! Those of us who stepped up didn't do so because we were prepared; we stepped up because no one else would. But God doesn't call the equipped. He equips the called.

Things operate very differently in Sierra Leone, and this presents a very unique challenge. There was no other choice than to learn on the job. Despite (and partly because of) the constant aggressive attacks from the enemy, one thing was always crystal clear: this orphanage is very important to God, and—contrary to all common sense—He wasn't going to let us give up. The miracles and the unbelievable response from donors shocked us all. We grew much faster than we were able to manage, which made communication nearly impossible.

Almost a year ago, six years after Komeo was formed, God called Komeo and the Crawfords to a year of rest and restoration. Jerome and Shanna were especially burned out from the unbelievable problems and trials they faced the last few years and needed to heal. It was also an opportunity to catch up as an organization and restructure its foundation in order manage the amount of donors we have and allow us almost unlimited growing potential. Big, exciting things lie ahead!

But you can't take a year of rest without there being serious consequences. Needs continued to compound and the number of children in the orphanage grew, while our sponsorships didn't. Fortunately, God had a plan. What follows is the incredible story of how God used a major tragedy during the April trip to show His sovereignty and restore everything!