More From Ron Wasson

I was born in Ogbomosho, Nigeria, the son of missionaries. My father was the pharmacist at the mission hospital there, and my mother was one of the mission hostesses and taught kindergarten through fourth grade for the missionary kids.

My parents spent the next full term (three years) as house parents at the boarding school for missionary kids (MKs) located in Osogbo. After returning from furlough in the United States, my family was stationed back in Ogbomosho where my father resumed the duties as the hospital pharmacist and my mother resumed her duties as mission hostess and school teacher for the handful of MKs that were too young to attend the boarding school.

In 2007 I, along with other MKs, was blessed to attend the 100th anniversary of the hospital where my father worked in Ogbomosho. It was great to see the many people that worked with him at the hospital and other friends that my family knew while living there. Being able to walk through the house where I grew up and see the other places of my childhood was perhaps the most emotional experience of all.

Many wonderful memories, in fact most of my childhood memories, are from Ogbomosho, the home of my childhood. Like many MKs, I have a personal interest in wanting to help my original homeland. Nigeria had an enormous impact on my childhood, so when an opportunity came my way to help the people of Nigeria, I took it.

In 2006 I accepted a position on the council of a charitable organization that is actively involved in providing life-sustaining projects to the Nigerian people. The organization acts as a network and helps connect people in Nigeria to work on various projects, including health, construction, and water projects. And 100% of donations to the organization go toward supporting such projects. Being able to help with this organization is a real blessing for me. It makes me feel that the mission work of my parents continues even today.