The Koskys are from northwestern Montana, where Kelly ran his own CPA firm and Kathy was the county’s public health nurse. As they grew in their relationship with the Lord, their family grew as well. They served in many capacities at their local church, and they spoke at Christian conferences.
During a ministry trip in the West Indies, Kelly saw countless people who were helpless and hopeless without the Lord. Knowing that so many millions were still unreached, Kelly and Kathy felt that they were no longer able to be content continuing their comfortable lifestyle in Montana. After a great deal of prayer, they decided to give away everything that they had and commit the next 40 years of their lives to reaching the lost.
Their desire to go where no one else wanted to go and to help people no one else wanted to reach ultimately led them to the Xhosa people of southern Africa. So, in the mid-80s, Kelly and Kathy and their five children left everything—their friends, family, and home—and moved to the Republic of Transkei, the homelands of the Xhosa tribe.
Transkei Victory Christian Ministries
The absence of paved roads, electricity, running water, and telephone service, combined with their initial inability to communicate in the Xhosa language, made living in this remote region very difficult. But with the Lord’s help, the Koskys established their first mission station in a remote village called Gatyana. From this outpost, they began to reach the tens of thousands of unreached Xhosa villages. The original mission to the remote tribal villages was named Transkei Victory Christian Ministries.
Gatyana Bible College
Hundreds of churches were established in the first years of the mission. But the Koskys realized that evangelism and church planting were not enough. They saw the need to disciple the thousands of new Xhosa Christians in their own language and culture. That vision led the Koskys to start the Gatyana Bible College in the Transkei.
African New Life Ministries
The Koskys were overjoyed seeing the Lord plant so many new churches in the rural villages. But they became concerned about the fact that there were so few men. Young Xhosa men typically travel to South Africa to work in the white-owned mines and factories in the hopes of earning enough money to eventually buy a wife. Because of this, a decision was made that the mission would expand into the black “townships” (shantytowns or squatter camps) of South Africa. African New Life Ministries was then established to reach to reach the more westernized Xhosa men who live in these squatter camps.
Southern Cross Ministries
The Koskys were working day and night to reach as many Xhosa as possible with the Gospel. But as a result of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, people were dying at an alarming rate. Funerals became the primary social activity. The Kosky team prayed ceaselessly, but the situation seemed to be getting worse, and nothing of significance was being done on a local or national level to help with real solutions. After several more years of prayer, the Koskys felt called by God to establish a medical facility to minister to those afflicted with HIV/AIDS. This new ministry is called Southern Cross Ministries, which helps over 78,000 people annually.
Grace Children’s Center
As a result of the AIDS pandemic, almost half of the children in this country are without parents. It is not unusual to see a family of five, in which the oldest member of the family is under 14 years old. The children are victimized, exploited, and unprotected. Alone, they have to forage for themselves to simply stay alive. Dr. Mandlenkosi Sebe, the mission’s senior leader, and Noxolo, his wife, have always had a vision to care for abandon children. In 2008, their prayers became a reality: Grace Children’s Center (GCC) was established in Msobomvu, Transkei. Children are fed, clothed, and taught basic life skills, including proper hygiene and reading, as well as Word of God. GCC soon expanded to reach the remote clusters of children who live hidden in villages and garbage dumps. More shelters are being established to feed, care for, and protect this little ones.