Ronald and LouDell Posein write, Don’t Call Me Mohammed, My Name is Musa (Moses), telling of their amazing journey into the impossible as missionaries from Canada called by God to care for the orphans of Tanzania. Their book describes each stage of renovating and caring for the children of the orphanage, now known as the Starehe Children’s Home. Affiliated with the Assembly’s of God Church in Canada, God’s calling required a tremendous amount of faith, tenacity, perseverance, patience, and the love of God. Their story is a testament to the absolute goodness of God in all His ways. Don’t Call me Mohammed, My Name is Musa is their miraculous journey of faith into an unknown and foreign country becoming Bibi “grandmother” and Babu “grandfather to these little ones.
From meager beginnings the run-down orphanage needed a new name and identity. As the author states, “The Kiswahili word, Starehe (pronounced – staa ray’ hay) encapsulated our philosophy. It is a word with the deep meaning of being at total peace/ease/having no worries. It carries such a depth of meaning that it is rarely used, and then only in a few special cases. It also aptly described our prayer for the children who would eventually call Starehe home.” (p. 40)
Upon arrival to tour the old orphanage, Ronald and LouDell were shocked at the state of the orphanage. The orphanage was in danger of being shut down by the Tanzanian Social Services. Filled with curious eyes, the children remained aloof as onlookers to the strange white couple entering their orphanage. The state of the orphanage was in shambles and the children, including the babies, were all malnourished and sickly. Accommodations were poor for the children and unclean. Ronald and LouDell left baffled, wondering how in the world could they take on such an impossible task?
Beginning with only 20 children, there are over 128 children that call Starehe home. The orphanage is now known as the best in the country. At Starehe children are brought back from the brink of death, shown the love of God, and given the care and education they need to become successful in life. Readers will be in awe of great miracles of God that took place in this orphanage, certainly the mighty hand of God was upon these orphans that were left completely alone with no known living relatives.
The lives of Ronald and LouDell Posein reveal Scripture as written in the book of James 1:27, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”
A Must-Read and an unforgettable journey into the heart of God.
