Toilets and Jesus... The Story of Ian Thomson

When Was It Written
In October 2006, Trace Crossing was blessed to have Ian Thomson from Bringing Good News missions organization visit with us.  To say "organization" is a bit of a stretch. Basically, Ian spends a great deal of his personal time in nations like Ukraine, Zambia, and Kazakhstan caring at close range for orphans and prisoners. Our pastor Kevin Wood has traveled on multiple trips with Ian and has been moved many times by Ian's heart for the poor.  This article is a just our way of saying "Good Job" to Ian. 

Who Wrote It
Kevin Wood, Pastor


TOILETS AND JESUS (a story about my friend Ian Thomson)
Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. James 1:27

He is one of the most remarkable men I have ever met, and yet he is one of the most humble as well. He shies away from cameras and he always deflects attention whenever someone tries to give him praise for the work he does. He refuses to be called a missionary, but he is the best missionary I know. He says he is simply a businessman who is doing what God has called him to do. And what God has called him to do is to care for the poor of the world, primarily orphans and prisoners and people forgotten by their governments in the tiny villages around the world.

Ian Thomson of Southampton, England is a genuine hero of the faith, but you will never find his name in papers or his face on the cover of a Christian magazine. I have seen the joy on a hundred dirty faces when this determined but tender man from England walks into an underfunded, overcrowded orphanage in Ukraine and comes to share two of his favorite things: the love and gospel of Jesus Christ, and clean toilets for children living in filth.

You see, Ian is known in parts of Ukraine as the man who brings toilets and Jesus to children who need both. The orphanages in Eastern Europe were built decades ago by the Communists during the days of the Soviet Union. They were substandard when they were built in the 1940s, 1950s, or 1960s. If they were in America, they would be condemned buildings for their lead paint, leaking sewage pipes, and lack of heating and cooling. In Ukraine, they are packed wall to wall with kids discarded by parents and kids disregarded by their government. Ian is the man God has sent to take care of them. And so he does. First by raising money to fix their toilets, shower stalls, and other bathroom facilities. Second, by sharing the gospel simply yet powerfully. His first gift is to free them from filth. His second gift is to free them in faith, the kind of faith that is birthed out of trusting Christ. And to the thousands of orphans, Ian gives perhaps the greatest gift any orphan could ever want – a relationship with a loving Father, who will never abandon and never abuse.

Thank you Ian for the way you love the orphans… and the Father,

Kevin