About the Author

William Blake Gibbs was born in Pasadena, CA and grew up in neighboring Arcadia. He graduated from of Arcadia High School. He received his Bachelor’s Degree from Claremont Men’s College (now Claremont McKenna College).

After serving in the US Army in Viet Nam, Blake began a more than forty-year career in a variety of business fields, including banking, management education, manufacturing, management consulting, and construction.

He married Esther Landrus in 1965. During their lives together, they have travelled extensively in Africa, Asia, and Europe. When Blake turned sixty, he and Esther felt the Lord was calling them to become missionaries with Agape Children’s Ministry. Agape rescues street children and other at-risk children in Kenya. The ministry’s focus is to share the Gospel with the children and, after preparation and counseling, to reintegrate them back with their family or extended family. Blake and Esther retired from Agape in 2019.

Blake’s experiences as a missionary, both traveling and living for extended periods in Africa; his visit with Harold and Ella while they were still ministering at New Hope Town; and his life with Esther learning the details of the Landrus family’s experiences in Liberia, place him in a unique position to understand and communicate the remarkable story of the Landrus family and their lives and ministry in Africa.