A former Alberta pastor’s commitment to helping orphans has him mounting up and riding from Deadhorse, Alaska to Guadalajara, Mexico.
Pastor Len Crow took a one year leave from his Baptist church in Orillia, Ontario to embark on a fundraising initiative in the hopes of collecting $1,000,000 to improve existing orphanages his church built in Mexico, Cambodia, Guatemala and the Philippines, and to build a new orphanage in India.
Crow has been dedicated to helping children living in desperate conditions for years and a heartbreaking interaction with a Cambodian girl continues to motivate his efforts.
“I had been there on a surveying trip to see if we might start an orphanage in Cambodia, Vietnam or Thailand,” explains Crow. “This little girl had no hands, she had crooked feet, and she weighed about 35 pounds. I surmised she might be seven years old. Turned out she was sixteen and starving to death.”
“God broke my heart for Cambodia.”
Len’s 11,000 kilometre fundraising trek is the sixth, and longest, installment in his ‘Pony Express for Orphans’ rides. To date, this year’s ride, which began in May, has raised more than $80,000 but the total does not include fundraising initiatives which are currently underway.
Nancy Crow, Len’s wife, says her husband has a gift for motivating people to help the greater good.
“He is a leader and he does have vision,” said Nancy. “(He has) such passion for these kids.”
According to Nancy, her husband’s firsthand experience at the orphanages provides great insight in explaining the day-to-day struggles of the children to potential donors.
"He can show them, tell people exactly what life is like there, because he's been there.”
Paul Von Huene, a rancher in the Cyprus Hills, learned of Len Crow's ride while reading an article in a horse magazine. Inspired by the piece, Paul went online and found one of Len’s sermons about orphans which he had preached to a congregation in Alaska.
“It just really hit home to me the plight that these kids are facing.” said Paul. “I brought it to our church in Medicine Hat and the church got behind it.”
On Sunday, Len Crow will address the parishioners at Little Plume Church in Medicine Hat.
The Alberta leg of Crow’s ride, which included summer heat, snow storm, an encounter with a 700 lb. grizzly bear and a dislocated shoulder, is coming to an end, but the trip has yet to reach the halfway point. Len is scheduled to arrive in Guadalajara, Mexico in May of 2015.
For his lengthy attempt to raise awareness and funds for orphans around the globe, Pastor Len Crow is this week’s Inspiring (temporary) Albertan.
For updated progress on Crow's ride, visit Ride For Missions VI
With files from CTV's Darrel Janz
