The Hester Family

In 1994 the Hesters started Lamplighter as a means of teaching and encouraging people to live life from a Heart of Worship. They knew that emphasizing worship & prayer was vital to helping believers grow deeper in their relationship to God. They also saw many needs of single moms & kids within the churches as modern-day widows & fatherless. In December of 1994, Jim went on his 1st Missions trip to Mexico.  1994 began with a focused vision on the small town of Auburn, AL, by the end of that year their eyes were set on the nations. This has been a journey of trying to help those in need from our local city to the nations. The needs have ranged from feeding the hungry, to building churches & homes, to pastoral discipleship. Over the past 23 years, Jim & members of the Hester family have been able to minister in Mexico, Uganda, Iraq, and multiple nations in Europe, Asia, & the Middle East. The need for workers to go is great, we invite you to come join their amazing journey.

A heart of worship 

We started Lamplighter with a desire to encourage and teach people the value of living a lifestyle of worship before God.  Living with a Heart of Worship is living a life filled with thanksgiving and gratitude.  As we began to minister across the nations, we discovered that people who are in extreme poverty need a helping hand first. People have ears to hear when their basic necessities in life are met. These are a few photos of our journey.                                             

Missions & Building 

Our first mission building project started with building the Oasis in the Desert Church in Reynosa, MX.  This little church of 70-100 people now has a membership of over 500.  Over the last 23 years we have constructed many houses and buildings for the needy in Mexico and Africa.  We serve a mighty God who does what He says He will do. We are thankful for each team that helped us with every mission building project for the past 23 years. God is a great architect.                                                             

the House of prayer

In 2009 our oldest son joined the staff of  the International House of Prayer Kansas City (IHOPKC).  On Christmas Day 2010, our family came to Kansas City for a two-month sabbatical from Mexico, where we were serving as missionaries.  Six years later, we are still here. Little did we know IHOPKC would be where the Lord would have us base our Lamplighter Ministries. The Lord has expanded our vision for the nations even more since moving to Kansas City and IHOPKC.