“I Didn’t Get Here by Myself!”

John came to live at the City of Hope (COH) in Tanzania when he was nine years old. City of Hope had just opened and he and another sibling were privileged to be in the first group of kids to live there! He learned so much at COH and enjoyed it when Mission Teams would visit and interact with the kids. It was special getting to meet people from all over the US, and he was also able to practice speaking English!

Right before entering 7th Grade, he came to the US with several other students from HopeCo to continue his education at Mountain Mission School in Virginia (because HopeCo did not have a secondary school at that time). He was initially enrolled in 7th grade and then bumped up to 8th grade in the second half of the school year.

After graduating from high school, he enrolled at Milligan University in Tennessee and majored in graphic design/interactive media design. He was on the Dean’s List all four years and graduated in May of 2024. John is currently doing a year-long internship in his field of education. Please pray for God’s next steps after he completes his internship.

To encourage the kids back at City of Hope, he would say, “Give God another chance. He brought you this far – he’s not just going to leave you here. He’s still not done with you.”

A couple of John’s favorite scriptures are John 17:3, “And this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Christ Jesus whom you have sent.” And Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

“I want to express my gratitude to all the people who have brought me this far. I didn’t get here by myself.” 

– John Mogaya, 2024 B.A. Graphic Design/Interactive Media Design, Milligan University, TN

Give the gift of advanced education and fulfill a child’s dream. Go to JoinHopeCo.com/college to learn more.