Posts Tagged ‘Orphans’

In January of 2007 I had the privilege of traveling with my pastor, Bill Pevlor, to Liberia. While he conducted the “Training Trainers Conference” for local pastors, I focused my time on the children of the orphanage by taking pictures and gathering information about them; information that I could use to share the plight of these children with the world.

Although I knew my job was rather simple and straightforward I wasn’t prepared for how much of an impact it would have on me and how it would change my life forever. Of course I wanted the basic information such as name, age, and grade in school, but I also wanted to get some personal information. I wanted to learn the reasons they were at the orphanage, what their likes and dislikes were and the things that make each child unique and different from the rest.

A number of days after first being introduced to the children I sat down with the administrator of the orphanage, Pastor Linus, and another caretaker to gather the information. Going into this job I knew that this would, at times, be a rather depressing task. These were, after-all, orphans in an extremely poor, war-ravaged country. I sat and listened to stories of parents being killed in the war, teenage mothers unable to care for their children, a parent with tuberculosis, a mother whose new husband did not want a child around and kids brought to the orphanage instead of being put on the street to beg.

Most commonly, the story I heard was a single parent or relative too poor to care for a child. I knew that while these stories were sad, these kids were the fortunate ones, to be at a home that cared for them and provided for them. Countless other children were going hungry, begging on streets, in numerous bad situations, taking care of themselves, seemingly without anybody who loved them or cared for them.

It wasn’t all bad though. I was also told of kids who loved to play soccer, eat, sing gospel songs, pray, write and draw. One child, I was told, loved to cook and would often cry when not in the kitchen. Another child loved to read the Bible and would lead the morning devotion for the other children.

As I sat and learned about each of these children they became real to me. A week earlier they were just poor orphans a world away around the globe and a world away from my world; not much different than many I had seen on TV or in a brochure. A couple of days earlier they became orphans that I could touch and play with and look into their eyes. But now they had become orphans who were real to me, who had personalities with likes and dislikes and who had a story of how they got to this point in their life.

They had become a part of my life that could not be forgotten. It’s easy to forget a commercial about helping orphans in a third world country or even forget meeting somebody, but these children had penetrated a place in my heart and mind where I knew that they could never leave. I also knew that I would not be the same for having met them and hearing their stories. I got more then I bargained for on that trip. I knew I would have the opportunity to help some orphans, but I didn’t know that I would end up being the one who was really changed.

If you are interested in positively impacting the life of an orphan in Liberia and having your heart touched also, please browse The Children page and consider sponsoring an Esther’s Hope child. You can also help today by clicking the Donate button to easily make a donation using your credit/debit card.

[This story continues: Liberia's Children Touched My Life - Part 2]

I spoke with Pastor Andrew in Monrovia, Liberia by phone this morning. All is well with the children and the Refuge Home.

When I called, he was sitting in a cyber cafe trying to send me photos of the children at Christmas. You will see his email message and several photos that I received shortly after our conversation.

After I asked about the children of Esther’s Hope I asked him how his wife (Swennah) and children were.  He told me his children are not doing well. They will be taking his children to the hospital tomorrow because they are all suffering from malaria, running fevers. Pastor Andrew has recently battled a bout with malaria, himself. Please remember them in your prayers.

Here’s the text of his message….

Dear Rev. Pevlor,

We wish you, your family, friends, and all those who are contributing to the hope of these children a happy and blessed new year.

My new year is wonderful this year because I spent it with my family, last year my family was under the attack of the enemy, but praise God for the victory through Christ Jesus.

Esther's Hope kids playing with new toys.

The funds you sent for the children’s Christmas went towards: clothes, shoes, hair bough, eye shades for kids, decorations for Christmas, cosmetics, special dish, Christmas party, and balloons.

Celebrating Christmas in Liberia

The funds you sent for Dec. I used all to purchase 7 bags of rice which could carry us for three plus weeks because the price of rice on the market varies as much as the USD rate.

Praise God that things are going in God’s direction by the grace of God. It will soon get bigger and better in Jesus name.

I was on the net when you called so I had to cut our conversation short because my time on the net was running out. To send attachments of such volume cost much because the computers are very slow and the customers pay the price instead of the cafe’ management. But that’ what it is now, though it will not continue that way forever by the grace of God.

Blessings,

Andrew

It sure would help our efforts if Pastor Andrew had easily accessible and affordable internet access.  Hmmmm…now there’s something to think and pray about.

Liberia holds the dubious distinction of being one of the poorest countries in the world.  In fact, only one country ranks below Liberia.

According the the United Nations, any country with a gross domestic product (GDP) of less than $765 per month is defined as a low income or “poor” country.  Liberia falls well below that line.

According to the report seen on hotnettz.com…

Republic of Liberia (GDP – per capita: $500)

Republic of Liberia on the west coast of Africa is one of the ten poorest economies across the globe. A decline in the export of commodities, the flight of many investors from the country, the unjust exploitation of the country’s diamond resource, looting and war profiteering during the civil war in 1990 brought the economy of the country to its knees. External debt of the country is more than its GDP.

Here’s one list you don’t want to be on.  The ten poorest nations and their per capita GDP…

10. Ethiopia (GDP – $700)

09. Niger (GDP – $700)

08. Central African Republic (GDP – $700)

07. Guinea-Bissau (GDP – $600)

06. Union of the Comoros (GDP – $600)

05. Republic of Somalia (GDP – $600)

04. The Solomon Islands (GDP – $600)

03. Republic of Zimbabwe (GDP – $500)

02. Republic of Liberia (GDP –  $500)

01. Republic of the Congo (GDP – $300)

(Read the details…here.)

Esther’s Hope is dedicated to  helping the neediest of the needy – the children of the Victorious Faith Refuge Home in Monrovia, Liberia.  We need more child sponsors.  Please visit our Sponsorship page and consider joining us in the fight against poverty in the world’s second poorest country. Donations can made online easily and safely with your credit/debit card or PayPal account by clicking on our Donate button.

When people learn about our efforts to help the children of Esther’s Hope they often ask how I became involved.  How does a small town pastor in Algoma, WI make the connection to desperately needy orphans half a world away?

I usually give them the short answers; the easy answers.  I tell them how it started with my friend, Pastor Andrew Gombay, the founder of Victorious Faith Refuge Home in Monrovia, Liberia. I tell them about the two trips I’ve made to West Africa, about Liberia’s recent civil war, about the resulting poverty and deplorable living conditions most of the nation endures.  Before long, I’m simply telling them all about the children.

I’ve rarely shared the true beginning of Esther’s Hope. Only my wife and a hand full of others know the inside story of how this organization,  dedicated to “Providing hope and other essentials for life to the children of Liberia,” was born.  After reading this, you’ll be a part of that select group that knows Esther’s Hope was conceived through a night of weeping.  Here’s how it came about.

Pastor Andrew and I had been long-distance friends for years.  He’s the pastor of Victorious Faith Ministries in Monrovia.  He had been asking me to come to Liberia to lead a conference for Pastors and church leaders for some time before I agreed.  In November of 2005 we held the “Church on Fire” conference in Monrovia, Liberia.  Another church member, Jeff Lawrence, traveled with me.

It was the first time either of us had been out of the United States. What an adventure! The three day conference was a huge success.  We originally planned for 500 participants but ended up with more than 1,000 attendees. The people loved us and we loved them. However, it wasn’t all sunshine and roses.  Conditions were harsh due to the overwhelming destruction left in the wake of the previous conflicts – no running water, no public electricity, no sewer systems, etc. – and this is in the nation’s capitol, Monrovia. The UN had mobilized their largest peace-keeping force ever to guard Liberia’s tenuous peace.  There was even a tank parked in front of our hotel and soldiers with AK-47s stationed at the gate and on each floor of our hotel.

Our first opportunity to meet the children came on a Sunday morning at a church service (not part of the conference).  Several children recited memorized bible verses (video) and a group of them presented a skit. We enjoyed meeting the children after the service.  From the youngest to the oldest, they were extremely well behaved and respectful.  And, oh my, were they adorable.  You just wanted to scoop them up and take them home.

Before we returned to our hotel, Pastor Andrew took us on a tour of the Refuge Home, which at that time was connected to the church.  Everything was neat and clean, but we were stunned by what we saw.

Pastor Andrew and I had often talked about the Refuge Home.  He had started taking in children about a year before our visit. Of course, as a church, we had helped him financially, when we could, and provided most of the money needed to build the home. We were aware of the struggle of living  in Liberia – or, at least, we thought we were. Personal experience, again, proved to be a remarkable teacher.

There were 30 children living in the home.  The home consisted of two rooms about 12×15 feet.  One room was for the boys and one for the girls. As I said, everything was orderly and clean. Along one of the walls were some shoes and clothes organized on crude shelving.  It was difficult to imagine that what little was there would be adequate for 30 little ones.  Any American home would have that much and more for just one or two children. One room had two thin mattress on the floor and the other had one mattress.  They were fitted with clean sheets.  That was it. The tour took no more than a couple of minutes.

We returned to our hotel where we had a meeting with a local ministerial association.  After our meeting Jeff and I went to our room and discussed the events of the day and settled down to sleep.  It took awhile for the “adventure” to die down and sleep to come.  When it did come it didn’t last long for me. I woke up thinking about those children. I laid there thinking…and thinking…and thinking…  I finally got up and just paced the small room, praying in the dark.

As I prayed for the children, my mind was filled with images of those precious little ones, all thirty of them, trying to find a place on one of thin mattress on the floor, about how happy and sweet they were in the midst of such tremendous lack…and the tears would flow.  I don’t know how many hours I spent that night, pacing back and forth, praying and weeping for the children.

That was the night Esther’s Hope was conceived. It would be awhile for the organization you know today to be born, but that was it’s beginning.

I knew Pastor Andrew was doing all he could, making tremendous personal sacrifices to provide food and the little shelter he could for the children.  We had heard testimony from others how Pastor Andrew and his wife would go without meals, themselves, to see that the children had food. I was determined, with God’s leading, we would do more.  We couldn’t allow this to go on.  We immediately increased our aid to the home.

Our small church continued to send as much as we could for the children.  Though it was a considerable increase, we weren’t able to send funds monthly and it still wasn’t much. More than a year later, we established Esther’s Hope with a goal of recruiting supporters who would join us by sponsoring one of our children. Faithful sponsors enable us to send a  consistent and (we hope) growing amount every month.

With the help of Esther’s Hope the Victorious Faith Refuge Home has relocated to a larger facility and nearly every aspect of their lives is improved. Even so, there is so much more that needs to be done and a majority of our children still need sponsors. And, Lord knows, there are many more orphans in Liberia that need the kind of help and home we strive to provide.

For just $30 a month, anyone can become an Esther’s Hope Child Sponsor and make a dramatic difference in the lives of these precious children. Contributions are tax-deductible and because the church covers all administrative costs, every penny we receive for Esther’s Hope is sent to Liberia for the care of the children.

I’m confident, without Esther’s Hope, some of these children would have died. Browse through the children’s photos on the Children page and look at the faces of children who are very much alive and now have real hope for their future.  And then consider the loss if even one was not there.

It all began with a night of weeping.

By the way, the weeping wasn’t confined to one night. And it wasn’t just me.  More than once on that trip I would wake to the sound of quiet sniffling and see Jeff pacing the floor in the dark, praying and weeping for the children, as I had.  Even today, I easily get choked up and teary-eyed when I tell others about the children of Esther’s Hope.

One of the things that impressed us about the children of the Victorious Faith Refuge Home was their joy.  Despite living in the very difficult conditions of post-war Liberia (no electricity, no running water, lack of quality medical care, food shortages, etc.) they seemed happy and content.  You see this clearly expressed in their singing. 

Visitors to the Refuge Home are usually treated to a few songs.  The children eagerly group up and begin clapping and singing with Matilda leading. This video gives you a good view of all the children of Esther's Hope. (Esther is the little one in the pink dress front and center.)

We have several songs we recorded on our last visit.  This is a song we believe is called "Jehovah Do It."  The children are singing in English, but because of their Liberian accent it is difficult to understand all the words.  Even so, it's all music to our ears. Feel free to offer your own assessment in "comments."