Our Vision

There is no limit to the impact of people helping people. When we respond to God’s plan of helping those who cannot help themselves, great things begin to happen. This simple belief is how Victory 1:27 began, and is central to our story. 

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The Beginning of the Journey

Victory 1:27 began as a direct result of the study of God’s Word. I was leading a group of women through the book of James in the fall of 2012, and we had just finished chapter 1. I was meditating on James 1:27, “True religion that God the Father accepts as pure and faultless is this, to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” I was focused on the last part of this verse when I felt compelled to consider the first part of the verse. What, Lord? What does this verse mean for me? When I looked at my life, I wasn’t really doing anything for any orphans or widows, and I concluded that if it’s that important to God, then it needed to be more important to me. I continued to pray and meditate on that verse throughout the weekend.

It just so happened that Pastor Herbert Buyondo, our dear friend and faithful minister from Uganda, was visiting us in Virginia for a few days.  My husband, Tom, told Herbert that I would be leaving for the weekend to attend a women’s conference with a group of ladies from the MVC family. Herbert said he wanted to attend! We tried to talk him out of it (“Herbert…It will be 10,000 women & you!), but Herbert said that he had a church full of women and he might learn something that he could bring back to them. How could we argue with that?

It was a great conference with dynamic speakers and a compelling presentation by Compassion International.  As we were driving home late Saturday night, I asked Herbert what he thought of Compassion.  He said he thought it was a great organization, but he had never been able to get them to consider any of his orphans.  My head and my heart jumped to full alert. “What orphans?” I said, “I didn’t know you were caring for any orphans.”  He went on to tell me that they had been trying to care for about 24 children through their ministry, Victory Covenant Church.  Some were sleeping at the church, some had a mother but not enough money for food, and not one of them had enough money for school. The only hope for these children to break the cycle of poverty, was to get an education. Herbert and his congregation of mostly single women were doing all they could to help these children, but they desperately needed help themselves. I’ll  never forget the moment he looked at me with those piercing brown eyes and asked “How can I get help for these children?”

Alarm bells were going off in my head and my heart because of the Scripture I had been meditating on all weekend. Herbert went on to tell me that for about $35 a month, he could get a child into school where they would receive food, shelter, and an education. For those who had nowhere to live, we could pursue boarding school. My mind was whirling.

The next morning Herbert spoke in the morning service at MVC.  It was a great service, but he did not mention anything about these children.  At the conclusion, my heart was beating out of my chest, and I knew that I had no choice but to stand and speak.  I asked for 5 minutes.  I shared with our MVC family about James 1:27 and how I had been meditating on that verse all weekend and praying that God would show me what he wanted me to do. I also shared about my conversation with Herbert the night before.  I didn’t know what it all meant, but I knew that God was working. I asked our church family to pray with me and ask God for wisdom. I asked them to pray for these precious children and for those in Uganda who were trying to rescue them.

Our leadership team shared my passion for these children and Herbert’s heart to help them. Meetings happened and plans were made while Herbert was still in the states. As much as we trusted Herbert, we knew that we couldn’t proceed unless someone went to Uganda to verify everything Herbert had told us. So in Feb 2013, Tom Crouthamel and Philip Morris traveled to Uganda on a fact-finding mission to meet and photograph all of these children. I’ll never forget the first message I received from Tom in Uganda.

“Jan, I’ve seen and talked to all of these children. The need is overwhelming. We have to do something.”

So in March 2013, Victory 1:27 was launched by a small group of believers in Central Virginia. “Victory” because this would be a very specific partnership with Victory Covenant Ministries in Uganda, and “1:27” because of the verse in James that compelled us to get involved. We started by sharing the need and looking for sponsors for those 24 children. By May, we were overjoyed that God had provided sponsors for them all! I asked Herbert “Do you have more children who need our help?” (I’m sure he was amused at that question!) He quickly told me that there are 2 million orphans in Uganda, (an orphan in Uganda is defined as a child who has lost one or both parents) due to the brutal dictatorship of Idi Amin, the civil wars, and the AIDS epidemic. We decided that we would just trust God to bring us the neediest of the needy, the ones who most needed our help, in small groups that would keep it manageable both here and there. We had no idea where the sponsors would come from, but God has been so faithful to provide amazing people to invest in the life of every child that he has brought to us.

It was such a honor to recently travel to Uganda and share with these children that God loves them so much that He asked a small group of people, 8000 miles away, to be a part of His rescue plan for their lives. What a loving and faithful God we serve, and what a privilege to be a part of His work!

Jan Crouthamel

Our Leadership Team

These team members embrace the responsibility of being stewards of God’s ministry. They typically meet on the third Tuesday of each month to pray, manage, promote, and perpetuate the impact of Victory 1:27. These volunteers are deeply devoted to the mission of helping needy children and families.

Jan Crouthamel

Tim Duggins

Leeta Louk

Luke Crouthamel

Bobby Berrey

We are so thankful for our V127 Family!

We have sponsors and partners across the world, and we are so thankful for each and every one! The map below provides a visual of the diverse locations of our V127 family of sponsors, church partners, and other contributors. We’re so excited to see this continue to grow!