Our Adventure in Kenya

We made it to Kenya!! But we had a misunderstanding that caused us to miss our last flight to Zimbabwe. Since that happened we waited in the airport 5 hours until the Kenya airline transported us to a 5 star hotel where we got a hot meal and shower that we really needed. It is 2:00am now we will leave the hotel at 5am and head back to the airport and fly to harare where will then head to doma where the orphanage is.

Hayley Weston

Who Are We?

You will be hearing from various people throughout our time in Zimbabwe. Here is a bit of who we are:

Benjamin Anderson is our trip leader. He has been on several missions already to work with Eden Children's Village and has been the lead point person for what we are doing. Ben has recently moved from Ashland as the CEO of Ashland Health Center to Lakin, KS for a comparable position. 

Dr. John Birky and his wife, Lisa are the second coordinators of our mission. Dr. Birky has been on several medical missions and he and Lisa lived in Zimbabwe for a time. Their three children Jude, Lily, and Eva are joining us as well. The Birky's will be heading to a clinic for half of the trip. 

A different dynamic of this mission for the usual mission trip from Ashland is that there are college students joining. Rev. Ashlee Alley from Southwestern College is going and will help in some administrative ways on the trip. Three Southwestern students, Justine Anthony, Robbi Lee, and Hayley Weston are going as well. Each girl is going to be a senior next semester. Hayley is excited to be on her second international mission trip and will be tutoring as well is helping us tell our story through words and pictures. Justine is responding to an exciting call by God on this mission and will be helping with the Birky kiddos and with some tutoring. Robbi has been counting down and anticipating what God is going to do through the mission. She will be leading a sports clinic at Eden. Jaimie Dungan is a pre-med student at Newman University and is going to be a senior. She is excited to have this international medicine experience and will will assist Dr. Birky with dental training at the Eden Clinic and a variety of surgeries at Karanda Mission Hospital. Maddy Martin is an early childhood major at Washburn University and will be tutoring children. She is excited about seeing her field of study in this context. 

Savannah Jenkins, from North Carolina, is our lone high school student. She had travelled abroad before, but never for a mission quite like this. She will be serving in lots of areas and is so excited about this opportunity. 

Joy Haggard comes to us from Ashland. She is a school records clerk and is on the board of the local thrift store ministry. She loves holistic living and is excited to experience the self-sustaining lifestyle of Eden. 

Jerry and Nancy Voorhies are joining the trip as well. They have sponsored a set of twins from Eden for the last several years and are experiencing a life-long dream by serving in this way. Jerry is a cattle rancher and they live half of the year in Washington state and the other half in Kansas. 

JT Vickers is a trained X-ray tech and owns a roofing company in Georgetown, TX. He has built a prototype of bench that we will be replicating for the orphan cottages and will oversee that project.

Melissa Bender is a NICU nurse in Florida. She will be joining the Birky's on the medical portion of the trip and will be training the clinic staff and area midwives on neonatal resussitation. 

Kate Dibberen is a track coach at Garden City Community College. She designed some great art for the trip for tshirts and will be working with the sports clinic among other things. 

Tim Walter is the final member of the team. He met Benjamin through a providential experience and has joined the team. He is a professional photographer and is also being able to share in a dream as he has been open to an opportunity for God to use him in a humanitarian photography assignment. He will be sharing a few pictures along the way, but mostly we will get to see his pictures upon return home. 

We come from 6 states, 5 different decades, 15 churches and will be taking 4 flights (each way). We will cover thousands of miles and we've been supported by tens of thousands of dollars in support and countless prayers. And we serve a God who knows each detail and loves each of us and those with whom we will partner in ministry. We look forward to sharing the journey with you! 

At the Airport

Our team is loaded up and is ready to go to Zimbabwe. Three members of our group are meeting is in Chicago (and one in Paris) and the rest are flying out of Wichita. We are ready. We are seeing God's provision in so many ways right now. Please pray for safety in travel and also, smooth transitions in airports and at customs. We've got a lot of people and a lot of stuff. Thanks so much for all of the support. 

Psalms 71:8 "But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more."

Well our time in Zimbabwe at Eden Children's Village has come to a swift end. I could capsillate this adventure with one word: HOPE. From stories of how the orphanage all began with the faith and prayers of Kevin and Susan Fry who had fostered 150 high-risk children in the US before they were in their 30's to survivals of their orphans here in Zimbabwe found in garbage bags, shoe boxes, and pit toilets. One word comes to mind: HOPE. When I have had the pleasure to be guest in all the homes in The Village and seen jubilant dancing, singing, and laughing throughout the night by children who have lost their parents to AIDS or were deserted as infants, I could only express HOPE. After eating the staple meal (They eat it 3 times a day, 7 days a week...) of the Shona people-sadza (think grits without water) always combined with collard greens accompanied by worms (you heard me!) or raw fish the size of sardines or butternut squash or beef (if they're lucky) without hearing complaints I can only say: this is HOPE! After interacting one on one with young gentlemen and young ladies with special emotional needs due to severe abuse and/or neglect, and they say time after time "I only want to help people", I have to believe, there is HOPE! No, not just wishful thinking, not just a gutsy pulling oneself by the bootstraps. No, not a sprint to the finish line, but a victorious march-with a limp! By the way, it's victorious because though they limp they appear to be leaning on-God! In fact one young man was insightful and tranparent enought to say: "I want God because I know He's real-I just don't always trust Him because so many people who loved me have died." Pure honesty! Here again-HOPE! Here I was able to share from my own life's losses and Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord, plans not to harm you but to prosper you: plans to give you HOPE and a future." There are no quick answers, no easy solutions, no one-step remedies-only HOPE! And the days I have spent here make it abundantly clear, no matter how troubling life can become, there is always HOPE!               

Blessed

Every once in a long while, we experience a defining moment, usually accompanied by a lesson we'll remember forever.

During our first morning in Doma, Kevin Fry, one of the founders of Eden Children's Village toured us through the property, showing us the clothing bank, farming operation, herbal garden, health clinic, school, and orphan cottages.  It was during my tour that day I had such a moment.

ECV uses Accelerated Christian Education (ACE) curriculum in its school system, which allows each child to work at his or her own pace.  This differs greatly from the American standardized public education system.  In fact, it has proven to yield significantly better results in cases involving special needs children.  I wondered how and why.  Kevin explained that every child comes to Eden with unique issues and academic challenges.  Most or all of their orphans are behind in at least some core subjects.  It was when he described the circumstances that led to those discrepancies that I was almost forced to sit down.

Kevin told us about one of the ECV orphans who was found as a newborn in the bottom of a pit toilet (what we would call a port-a-potty).  Her umbilical cord was still attached and he estimates the baby had been in there for several hours.  The fact that she was still alive was a miracle. 

Another child, Jimmy, was born in the hospital where his mother was a long-term psychiatric patient.  He roamed the halls of that hospital until he was two years old, at which point he was moved to Eden Children’s Village; he was born HIV positive and his body is now rejecting the anti-viral drugs that should be sustaining his immune system. 

A third child, Blessed (pronounced “Bless-ed”) was found as a newborn in a sewer ditch in Harare when a security guard noticed a trash bag moving.  He ripped the bag open to find her laying there, just hours old with her umbilical cord still attached.

Two nights ago, I had dinner in one of the orphan cottages.  After a hearty meal of sadsa (thick corn meal), rape (their equivalent of our spinach greens), and 1 inch-long fishes that look at you while you eat them, we sat down and sang with the kids.  Their passion and joy were contagious.  Pauline, the child Kaila and I sponsor led a devotion based in Matthew 10:31-32:

"But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.  Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

She stressed that each person in the room was created by God for a special purpose, and that our numbered days were not to be wasted.  Perhaps the remarkable wisdom of this 17 year old woman stems partly from the fact that she memorized the entire book of Proverbs word for word.

While she was talking, I spotted a beautiful, soft-spoken, elementary-aged girl.  She had a captivating innocence about her.  After the study was over, I asked Pauline for her name. 

“Oh, that’s Blessed,” she replied.  For a second, I was speechless.  Six years ago, some series of circumstances resulted in this beautiful, vulnerable child being left for dead in a closed trash bag in a sewage ditch.  With her permission, I took this picture with her. 

If God knew every hair on the head of young Blessed, how would he allow this to happen?  In the midst of these thoughts, I was reminded of a sermon I heard from Samson Latchison nearly ten years ago.  He was speaking to a group of high school students about the controversial subject of abortion.  At the climax of his talk, he simply stated, “Every baby that the earth drops, heaven catches.”  This isn’t specifically stated anywhere in Scripture, but Romans 6:23 reads:

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

As a newborn in that sewer ditch, Blessed had never even been given a chance to sin and therefore repent and follow Jesus, so if she had passed, I believe God would have been merciful.  It would have been likely that she would have died in that ditch.  She was so vulnerable. 

But she didn’t.  She moved.  And that security guard saw that movement from a across a busy street in Zimbabwe’s capital city of three million people and found her there and brought her to safety. 

At the end of our tour of the schools, Kevin Fry emphasized that every ECV child is taught that he or she was created for an important purpose in God’s Kingdom and his or her existence is proof of such a commission.  These children were chosen by God to be raised by His people.  It will be interesting to see that purpose unfold in the life of a little girl named Blessed as we return to this orphanage in the future. 

Hi Everyone,

  Words cannot express the overload one’s senses experience when arriving here in Doma in Eden village. New fragrances, sights, sounds and tastes...mostly all good. The nights are cold probably in the low 40s and it does feel colder than that in our tent! Our host Kevin Fry always has hot coffee and a roaring fire going when we “surface”at 6:00AM each morning for devotions.The daytime weather is very pleasant..70s to low 80s, wonderful for our guys who are building the tables and benches, I do wish i had brought warmer clothes though...quite chilly in the shade.

 As you will see in some of the photos we are in a very scenic area,  flowers, mts. and  a beautiful lake with Crocs!! No swimming for me!They did have a cobra last week but he won’t be visiting again, they made sure of that.

 The food where we are staying this week has been nothing short of FABULOUS, Susan Fry makes the BEST real ‘ole American breakfast, dinners  and suppers!

My morning was spent sorting the many ,many pair of Crocs we brought. Their clothing ware house is immaculate and all itemized by computer.. amazing.

  There are so many new experiences each day I will have to share more later. Just a beautiful country and these Zimbabwean people and children are that as well.

  We miss you , love you and will be writing again at a later date,

           Hugs Moni M

Mission has legs!!

Another great day here in Doma. We almost have all the legs cut and assembled for all fifteen tables and the four benches that go along with the tables. Thanks to some very helpful local guys(4) that are willing to pitch in a help us. We have an assembly line working, one guys measures then the next guys cuts followed by me putting them together all 5 pieces, finally one guy that puts bolts in them that finishes the legs off. We are waiting on one last load of timber that will arrive in the morning. This last load consists of the 2x8's that will be the tops of the tables. Last night we made a trip over to the village that is about 1.5 miles away from the orphanage. They sang to us and fed us a great local meal that consisted of beans, vegetables and sadza (grits made of maze). While we were there to eat with children and their house mothers, I was able to look at the current tables that are in each of the 5 huts. And to say the least they are falling apart if not already completely broken. Yet the attitudes of the children and their house mothers are super positive and warming. I am looking forward to the time when we are able to take the tables to the children and show them their new place to eat, since they had to eat on the floor when they have lunch and dinner. Time seems to be flying by here, I miss home and all the friends and family. Thanks again for the support and help getting us here. I know the children and most of all the staff here at Eden's appreciate the hard work that went into this trip. Until next blog take care and God bless. Praise Yeshua!


Chance