Ministry: Chad

Sending Church: Emmanuel Baptist Church—Moncton, New Brunswick

Children: Israel (14), Jemuel (12), Suzanne (10), Reuben (7)

Poorly clothed and malnourished, the street children of Koumra, Chad, are a problem easier to ignore than address. Few people in Chad have resources to help them. But Obed could not ignore these young lives in his hometown. The son of a pastor, Obed is gifted with a heart of compassion for those who are forgotten.

Thousands of miles away in Canada, another pastor’s child, Lacy, felt drawn to Africa through missionary biographies. At 16, she made her first mission trip, and the Lord led her to Chad. Meeting Obed there, she found that the Lord had given them the same thought: “I want you to serve right here in Koumra.” Four years later, when Lacy returned for short-term missions service, she and Obed sensed a new leading from God: “This is the life partner I have for you.” They married the following year, 2008, and moved to Canada to finish their training.

In 2018, Obed and Lacy formed a nonprofit organization in Koumra called Centre Kemnda, which means “Kindness Center” in the local language. In 2021 their whole family was able to return to Chad for six months. They relished working with street children, who affectionately call Obed “Papa Obed.” During this time, Obed and Lacy’s eyes were opened to the needs of orphaned infants, and the center began taking in these vulnerable children.

The center is currently operated in the BMM mission house in Koumra and is managed by Obed’s family and hired workers while the Berasngars raise support. Obed and Lacy’s goal is to take in both orphaned babies and street kids, giving them a home and an education. With a BMM-planted church just three minutes away (First Baptist Church of Koumra), they will give the kids not just a physical home but a spiritual home as well.

Obed and Lacy’s guiding verse is Matthew 6:33, and they follow the example of George Mueller, who wanted his work to show that God is real and that He answers prayers. Every time the Berasngars have stepped out in faith and said, “Yes” to what God has asked them to do, God has provided. Through their ministry, God is building His future church in Chad, even among “the least of these” (Mt. 25:40).