Duane Dutka, whose grandfather immigrated to the US from Ternopil, Ukraine, went with Jerry Morgan to Kremenchuck, Ukraine. While there, Dutka met Vetta Dutka, an orphan at one of the orphanages. (Photo supplied)
The year 2006 represented 50 years of preaching for Jerry Max Morgan. Retirement would be on the mind of most folks who’d done anything for 50 years.
Not Jerry Morgan.
Morgan, who was born and raised in the Piggott area—Nimmons to be more specific—has preached in Kentucky, Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee, and, of course, Arkansas.
Morgan said most people would remember his grandfather, who ran a bus line before many people had cars. Morgan graduated from PHS in 1962, and he said Piggott has always been his home.
Morgan is also a mission-minded man. His first mission trip was in 1976. Since then, he’s been to 55 different countries in the last 30 years.
“I make four to six trips yearly,” said Morgan, “carrying the money for the orphan’s food, shelter, clothing, medical care, love, protection and Christian nurturing. But most of all, hope.”
Morgan, who was in Piggott packing supplies to take to Ukraine for his next mission trip, said that he sends a 53’ container to orphanages once a year. The containers carry medical supplies, clothing and toys. The one Morgan is busy preparing in Piggott will contain 25 new children’s wheel chairs, chairs which cannot be found in Ukraine.
The container is scheduled to ship to Kremenchuk, Ukraine in the middle of January and will carry a total value of more than $250,000 worth of goods. Morgan and his wife will be in Ukraine when the container arrives and will oversee the distribution of goods. It is the fourth such container sent to Kremenchuk with a total value of over one million dollars.
“I was in Kremenchuk in the late 90s,” said Morgan, “teaching at a Bible College when one of my students asked if I would go to the local orphanage and entertain the children with my magic show.”
“At the end of the show,” Morgan continued, “a four year old girl whose parents had tried to drown her asked me, ‘Will you take me to America and let me be your little girl?’ I promised her that I would take care of her and the other children in the Kremenchuk orphanages.”
Morgan said the number of orphanages has grown from one to eight. He also said there are more than 2.5 million orphans in the former Soviet Union, and that number is more than there were at the end of World War II.
On his last trip to Ukraine, Morgan was joined by Duane Dutka. Dutka, whose family came to the United States just before the communist revolution of 1918, became interested because Morgan had met some children with the last name of Dutka. Morgan and Dutka hosted Christmas parties at each orphanage and carried an entertainment troupe. Computers were also purchased for each of the orphanages.
Morgan said he learned a valuable lesson on his first trip to Russia. When the first shipment arrived in Russia, the Russian mafia took nearly half of the goods intended for the orphanages. Through advice from Russian friends, Morgan now simply pays them off and they allow the entire shipment to be delivered to the orphanages.
Morgan’s work is overseen by the South Thornton Street Church of Christ, and the Church of Christ in Harville, Mo., about 20 members strong, pays Morgan’s expenses for everthing.
