Today we went out to ELWA (a place about half an hour away) and visited an orphanage. Some of our friends here, who are medical students visiting from the States, told us about it and invited us to come with them. There were about 30 kids that came out to play with us once we arrived. We all got into a huge circle and played duck duck goose, sang some fun songs, and then played sharks and minnows. Then we separated into two groups. Us boys played soccer, and the girls played kick-ball. Oh yeah, and you have to watch where you stand because there are ant hills all over and they sting like crazy when they bite you!
Lawrence
The kickball game was fun! We had two teams and the girls were really good at it. After about an hour of playing this, the med-students said that it was story time. They usually read a scripture story to the kids and then have a prayer. This was neat to see.
After that we taught the little kids how to play some hand games and they loved those. We blew some bubbles and the kids loved to pop them. We also gave out peppermint candies; once that happened almost every other minute the little kids constantly dug through our pockets for more. We got some pretty cute pictures. *MC*
During our last hour at the orphanage the guys started having contests on who was stronger. Matt, our American friend, would do some crazy push ups and pull ups, and the Liberian boys would try to outdo him. It was quite humorous to watch. It was getting close to dinner time so we said our good-byes and left. We all walked back to the house that the med-students were staying in, near ELWA hospital, and changed into our bathing suits. All of us kids got to swim in the ocean for about an hour with Jared, Matt, and Elizabeth. We had fun passing the volleyball and football around, well, whenever we weren't being knocked over by the big waves. It was a blast! They all leave on Sunday to get back to school. We will definitely miss them and the friendship we have formed with them!-G.G.
Our trip to the ELWA orphanage was a great experience. This facility first started out as a Sunday School, evolved into a school, and then from that the director and his wife saw the need to open an orphanage. Jefferson (the director) and his wife Hellena are both very dedicated to the running of this operation. They get very little government support, which is the case for all the other orphanages here in Liberia. I think the government's money is just spread way too thin with all that they are doing to rebuild after 14 years of war. The school is still in operation at this orphanage, with over 300 children in attendance. The small tuition that the students' families pay to go to school, helps fund salaries for the teacher's, care takers, and the cook's. It doesn't quite cover the cost for food, but Jefferson said that they have been blessed at different times by organizations such as Samaritan's Purse and missionaries from different churches offering food supplies or beds for the children. One really neat feature about this facility was a well that some missionaries put into place on the property. This well is operated by a merry-go-round that the children play on.
The water gets pumped to a big holding tank that is located at the top of a tower. This provides the water pressure that is needed for the plumbing so that the children can take showers. I was quite impressed by this. Something else that was noteworthy about this orphanage and school was the big woodworking shop on the property. It was built by some missionaries from the USA who obviously had a fondness for Jefferson and Hellena's orphanage. The workshop was in two portions - a large covered outbuilding that was open on 4 sides, and a large cargo container that housed the generator, power tools, a nice plywood saw and many hand tools. The vision was to provide a technical training opportunity to young men and interested girls, where they could learn furniture making, woodworking and production of doors. One of the older boys was placed in the position of manager of the shop, and another was in charge of marketing. Pretty cool concept and vision in that it provided job skills before leaving school and the orphanage.
Kim :)
I just wrote and thanked Kim for her blog since we are well acquainted with the ministry of the Suzie Guenter Orphanage. Our adult children have gone on several trips there and set up the water tower, the merry go round pump with David Parker from Wheaton Bible Church. Great to see it all functioning well and serving the community.
ReplyDeleteBetty Thompson, 27 yr. veteran missionary from ELWA Radio.
We were very close friends of Suzie and Abe Guenter of Baptist Mid Missions. In fact, Abe
ReplyDeleteflew us to their mission station in the interior on our very first vacation almost fifty years ago.
I now stay in contact with their daughter, Suzanne Bertness up in Canada through email.
Betty
I can't tell you how pleased I am to hear Pastor Abe and Suzy are still remembered.I first met Pastor Abe and Suzy in 1967 when my parents and I moved to Liberia.My dad(RIchard Bedell) was a Bush Pilot as well who worked for Datco Airlines.I logged many flight hours flying over the bush with both my dad as well as pastor Abe.I did many things with Pastor Abe including working on his planes(mostly the old one that crashed-it wasn't my fault-really)and had the distinct and wonderful privalige of going to a village near the border which up until I arrived had only seen six white people-all above the age of seventeen-.I was voluntered by Pastor Abe to be the worship leader for the service.I was eleven and had no clue but I led them in the most resounding renditions of Amazing Grace,Onward Christian Soldiers,and Rock of Ages the West African Jungle had ever heard and all went well with the exception of the curse of a thousand Cobra's the local warlord/witch Doctor laid on us.To give a detailed discription of landing and taking off in this place would take to long but to see Pastor Abe's cheeks flapping from the G-Force of sitting in one spot with both of us pushing on the brakes,full throttle,counting to three,letting go and going virtually virtical-with an ear to ear grin is a picture I remember often.Not only is Pastor Abe an amazing man of God but he's also the biggest adeneline junky I've ever met.If you're still out there flying Keith Henderson is still ready to do it again.My dad was executed in 1980 during the Samuel Doe resigme take over and Pastor Abe and Suzy were the ones who identified his body and made sure it was properly taken care of.When we heard Elwa had been overrun by Doe and his troops we thought all God's hardwork and been for not.I spent many hours swiming at the beach there and it really tore me up to think all that wonderful work was gone.I was pleased to go on google earth and find that it's back to the way it was and that even the parking lot where we used to park next to the river was still there.No matter what happens when God is on your side you kinda know that in the end your going to win,AMEN.The task God has given you is huge looking at the pictures on the net of post war LIberia the first thought that came to mind is things are such a mess and people are so bitter just trying to figure out where to start may take a while.Thankyou on behalf of those of us who have gone before you and those who will come after for not letting God's dream die.
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