Our Story

Starts with God’s calling to serve as a missionary in Kenya, Africa

Man distributing food packages to elderly women in an outdoor setting with a canopy, surrounded by seated children and other individuals.
A group of six children outdoors in a field, posing around a tree stump under a partly cloudy sky.

The Agwanda family
Michael Agwanda with wife Lolla and sons Michael Jr., Jonathan, Gabriel and daughter Ruby

Michael Agwanda, the founder of Life for Children Ministries (LCM), was born and raised in Kenya.

A group of people standing outdoors with goats on leashes, in a grassy area near a building and trees.
A man in a blue T-shirt and gray gloves holding a clump of dried mud beside a wall made of mud bricks, standing outdoors in a rural setting.
A man wearing a yellow striped polo shirt is smiling and holding his hand under a stream of water coming from a pipe, with muddy ground around him.

In the fall of 2004 Michael came to the United States on what was to be a full scholarship to attend an Indiana Bible college, pursuing his calling to pastoral ministry. When the scholarship unexpectedly fell through at the last moment, Michael found himself stranded in the U.S.

He traveled to Atlanta to stay temporarily with a friend and began attending North Springs United Methodist Church. There, he met with the church’s former pastor, Rev. Gil McGennis, to share his vision and calling.

These conversations led Michael to participate in the North Georgia Conference’s annual Lay Missionary Training Program.

As part of the program, participants were asked to identify a mission and develop an implementation plan. Michael focused on the HIV/AIDS orphans in his native Kenya. “As an orphan myself, I realized my calling was to return to Kenya and help,” he shared.

In February 2006, with very limited resources, Michael returned to Kenya, established a local Kenya Board, and officially founded Life for Children Ministries. With the Board’s support, the first ten orphans were placed into foster homes. At the time, funding extended only to meeting their most immediate needs.

Through God’s faithfulness and the generosity of many supporters, Life for Children Ministries has continued to grow and now has a lasting impact on thousands of lives.