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Jamaica 2013: Little Blue Houses and Beaming for Buckets

Little Blue Houses

Little 10'x14' houses dotting the landscape of Steertown, Jamaica.  Painted a brilliant blue.  Providing a permanent home for those living under piles of scrap material, out in the open, in old chicken coops (let that one sink in for a minute).  This has been the mission of Colonial Hills Church through IsleGO Missions for the better part of the last seven years or so.  Teams from our church have built over 40 houses during that time, but teams from around the U.S. have joined in the effort so that the number of "little blue houses" in Steertown is an estimated 94 by the end of the year.

A team of 33 from CHC spent last week in Jamaica, where they joined forces with a team of 16 from Sherman, Texas, to build four more little blue houses.  You can click on the CHC Missions Facebook page to see some little blue houses from start to finish. 

More Than Little Blue Houses

I first mentioned our church's involvement with St. Christopher's School for the deaf in a post entitled "The Numbers DO Lie."   While many teams that go to Jamaica build little blue houses, not many visit St. Christopher's.  I invite you to visit the school today through the eyes of Andrea Jackson.  She and her husband were among the first-timers on this year's Jamaica trip:

Brad and I had a fabulous time in Jamaica. The deaf school is one of the main reason we WILL be going back next year.

From the moment we arrived at the school, I was amazed at the children that recognized the CHC faces from last year.  They asked about people who were there last year who were unable to make this years trip.  They were excited beyond belief to see that our group had not forgotten about them and was back to see them once again.  It was as if they have waited all year just for the moment our group returned. This was more than just a visit from strangers for them.  These were their friends coming back to see and love on them.  From what I understand, we are the only group that comes to visit these precious children.  Many of their parents are unable to even come visit because of the lack of funds.  Unfortunately, we (Brad and I) were not a familiar face to them, but they instantly began to hug and love on us and we on them.

Beaming for Buckets

On the second day we were there, we passed out buckets for each child.  It was Christmas in June for these children.  Each child received their own children's Bible in honor of Julie, Brad's sister that passed.  The boys also got dinosaurs, capes, masks, race cars, kites, etc., in their buckets, and the girls each got their own baby doll, lip gloss, hair bows, bracelets, etc.  I saw one little boy go sit down on the lawn with his bucket, and his legs just bounced off the ground the entire time he sat going thru his bucket.  The smiles, oh, the smiles of these children, were unreal. They beamed!! Their poor mouths had to almost be sore.  They were all so grateful.

See the beautiful smiling faces of all 43 of the children at St. Christopher's here.

I must admit I wondered how many children I could cram in my suitcase and bring home with me.  I never knew I could love children not my own SO much and SO fast.  I could go on all day about the things I took away from this portion of the trip.  I will end with this: I was most in awe that despite the communication barriers, we all understood the common language of love.  No matter the age, color, or county of origin, we all need the love of Christ and the love of one another.  Can't wait for Jamaica 2014 :)

Andrea Jackson

Nothing beats the look of joy on a child's face.  Or the look of hope.  Thanks, Andrea, for taking us there.

Thanks for reading.

4theVoiceless,
Al

SHOUT OUT to my friends Jeff and Brandy Witt, whose goal is for all of their CHC small group to go to Jamaica on mission.  This year, they had enough group members (including Brad & Andrea Jackson) to actually have a couple of small group meetings in Jamaica -- now that's "discipleship together"!

That's Not Fair!

Photo courtesy of Pink Sherbert Photography

 

A Little "That's Not Fair" Experiment

During my 13 years as a high school teacher and coach, there was a particular phrase that I heard fairly often from my students: "That's not fair."  Sometimes it was mumbled under a student's breath as test papers were returned.  Other times it was more vocal when one student was given an opportunity that another desired.  I decided to confront all the high drama, gross unfairness that occurred in my classroom with a different kind of lesson.  (If you have taught middle and high school students, you know that this was at the risk of valuable instructional time; kids have a way of using the least little distraction to carve out large chunks of "unproductiveness.")

The last eight years of my teaching career were spent at a Christian school where most students had their Bibles handy for my little experiment.  When a student would play the "that's not fair" card, I would instruct him or (usually) her turn to 3 Hezekiah 3:4 "where God tells us that life is fair."  Usually, after some thumbing through the Bible and a quick trip to the table of contents just to be sure, the object of my unfairness would announce, "There is no 3 Hezekiah 3:4!"  To which I would calmly respond, "That's right. And life is not fair."  And class would proceed.

Your "That's Not Fair" Button

What rouses your inner "that's not fair" button?  How much does it take for your inner sense of justice to kick in?  In thinking back over the last 13 months of my writing this blog, that sense of inequitable fairness has fueled a number of posts of varying topics and degrees of righteous indignation:

Tornadoes and school shootings

Being the last to be chosen in kickball

 Rejection as a foster family

The Boston bombing and a lost baby

The grisly story of Kermit Gosnell

And so many more throughout the months.  You don't have to look far in this world to realize that things are grossly unfair.

Flipping "That's Not Fair"

Have you ever noticed that we rarely take into account that life is sometimes not fair in our favor?  I can think of several ways just off the top of my head in which my life is not fair:

• I was born into the top 2% of the world's wealth simply by being born in America?  How is that fair to the other 98%?  
• I have clean water, abundant food supply, and expensive but available medical care.  How is that fair to the kids walking several miles each way every day to fill up a nasty plastic container with filthy water that may ultimately kill them?
• I was born to loving parents who will have been married to one another for 48 years this July, who brought me home to a house (albeit with several additions) where they still live?  How is that kind of stable foundation fair to kids who have grown up with no parents, one parent, abusive parents, etc.?
• I have been part of a great body of believers at Colonial Hills Church for almost 23 years; I have learned the Word of God and how to apply it to my life and take it to others around the world?  How is that fair to those who live in places unreached and/or unengaged with the gospel?

I could go on and on with what I have that I don't deserve: a steady income; three healthy, fairly well-balanced children; four fairly reliable vehicles; and so many other blessings that I would lose you if I tried to list them all.  Though your examples my be different from mine, I'm sure that you can think of many ways in which the scales of justice in this world tip in your favor, too.

The Truth Behind "That's Not Fair"

Here's the truth behind this whole train of thought: Life is incredibly unfair.  But unfairness, by its very nature, is determined by comparison.  We think circumstances are unfair based on our predetermined yet ever-changing ideas of "how it ought to be."  If you want to complain about how unfair any part of life is, though, consider this:  "He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21, HCSB).  

Jesus, perfection in the flesh, suffered a brutal death on the cross; yes, that was horribly unfair, the false accusation and resulting punishment from the Jews and, ultimately, the Romans.  Consider, however, the greater injustice: the cup of God's wrath for all the sins of all the people of all time was poured out on the innocent Christ, who willingly took it on our behalf.  Why?  Because "God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16, HCSB).  

Terribly unfair.  On our behalf.  Remind me of that next time I play the "that's not fair" card, would you?

Thanks for reading.

4theVoiceless,
Al

Two Fathers and Learning to Be a Son

The Father's Day That Was

God in His holy dwelling is
a father of the fatherless
and a champion of widows.
Psalm 68:5 (HCSB)

Father's Day.  Two days ago.  A day when fathers were celebrated.  A day many pastors and orphan care advocates used to point to God as our Heavenly Father.  

It was also a day when bitterness welled up in many who resent their fathers, many of whom really were not in their lives at all.  It was a day -- along with its reminders -- that couldn't pass quickly enough.

Not Me

Many people who advocate for a particular cause do so because of some type of negative experience or suffering that they don't want others to go through.  It's the principle of 2 Corinthians 1:3-4: "Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort.  He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God." 

Not me, though.  I advocate for the orphan because of what I do have in my life.  I do have a strong father who taught me right from wrong, taught me the value of simply being there, taught me how to walk on my own two feet.  Our view of God as our Heavenly Father begins with our view of our own fathers.  I can see why so many people that I talk to about God have such a hard time believing He is who He claims to be.  I, on the other hand, had a terrific head start.

Just hanging out on the back porch with with dad.

 Not a day goes by that I don't think of my dad.  Oftentimes, it's one of those sayings that is unique to him (or his father before him), including my all-time favorite, "You thought like Parker's dog."  (Ask me sometime; I'll explain it to you.)  

Sometimes, it's something he did or is in the process of doing, like when I'm working in my really small garden and thinking of his working in his much bigger garden.  

My favorite photo: 3 generations & a mess of fish!

Every once and a while, not nearly as often as I would like, I will just sit down on the couch and peacefully doze off, like my dad can do like a champ.  I think of him then, too.

Transferring What I've Learned

Not a day goes by that I don't think of my Heavenly Father, either.  Oftentimes, it's one of those sayings that is unique to Him, something in His Word or in a Scripture that I have heard so often that I know it by heart.  Something like James 1:17: "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change."  Or Psalm 67:7: "God shall bless us; let all the ends of the earth fear him!" 

Welcome to one of my conversations with God -- always better when He does most of the speaking.

Sometimes, it's what He's doing or in the process of doing.  Like conforming me into the image of His Son.  Like allowing me to come alongside others while they do the same.  Like causing my heart to melt over 13 Haitian children and the ones who are spending their lives caring for them.

Sometimes, it's just in the quiet, peaceful moments that I get to spend with my Heavenly Father.  Moments when He doesn't have to say or do anything, just be there.

I'd say I got quite a head start knowing and loving God, my Heavenly Father, because of the example of my earthly father.  Thanks, Dad.  You have not only prepared me to be a father but a son to my Heavenly Father, as well.  As far as I'm concerned, every day is Father's Day.

Thanks for reading.

4theVoiceless,
Al

Exciting Photos from Haiti

This first-time Saturday post is the result of some exciting new photos from Haiti, courtesy of Dusty Cooper. The new House of Abraham needs about $2,000 more to complete this first phase. Enjoy the photos. 

I will post more updates as I get them. Thanks for reading. 

4theVoiceless,

Al

Friday Little Bits: Around the World in 3 Minutes

4theVoiceless is spanning the globe today in four quick updates:

Orphan Sunday

Orphan Sunday is the first Sunday in November each year, November 3 this year.  This is a time for churches worldwide to focus on some aspect of orphan care in response to the consistent commands of God in His Word to care for orphans.  Orphan Sunday originated in a small church in Zambia, Africa,  and has grown exponentially in the years afterward.

I am one of a couple of the Christian Alliance for Orphans' (CAFO) Orphan Sunday coordinators in Mississippi.  The coordinators were introduced to some of the resources that we have available for this year at the Summit conference in Nashville last month, and more resources are being made available as we move closer to November.  If you would like any information about Orphan Sunday for your church (no matter the denomination), please contact me; you do not have to have a full-fledged orphan care ministry to do something for Orphan Sunday.

Click here to read how I spent an unforgettable Orphan Sunday in 2012.

House of Abraham

One of the new HoA bedrooms as I last saw it in March.

I communicated back and forth with Fenel last week, and they are about a week now from moving out of the current home of House of Abraham.  The new house is not completely ready, but he is trying to get a couple of the rooms completed and the security wall finished so that move-in can begin.  Please make it a matter of prayer over the coming days that the new house will be prepared (enough) and that the transition from the old house would go smoothly.

And speaking of Haiti . . .

These kids would love to meet you or see you again!

Haiti 2014

Colonial Hills Church will be headed back to Jacmel, Haiti, to serve the House of Abraham and various other discipleship programs in early 2014.  The dates are either February 7-14 or 8-15, depending on the cost of airline tickets.  This team will be limited to a maximum of 24 people.  We will be planning a meeting on both CHC campuses in the next couple of months to give you more information on this mission trip, but if you are interested in being part of this team, contact me and I will get your name on the list of those who have already let me know they wanted to go.   If you do not attend CHC but would like to go on the trip with us, you can contact me, as well.

And finally . . .

Jamaica 2013

 

 

 

A past "little blue house" dedication.

The CHC Jamaica team leaves tomorrow morning.  There are 33 from our church who will meet up with 16 more from Fairview Baptist Church in Sherman, Texas, to build four houses as a continuing part of our "Little Blue House Project" and to also serve at the deaf school there.  This is where two of our teams built a playground last year.  Pray for our team as they build houses and relationships in Jamaica this week.

Jeff Witt & a child from the deaf school.

Check out the CHC Missions Facebook page to know how to pray for the team and also for updates throughout the trip.

 There you have it: Africa, Nashville, Haiti, Mississippi, Texas, and Jamaica -- around at least a considerable part of the world in three minutes or so.  Thanks for reading.

4theVoiceless,

Al

A Month in the Big Apple

The purpose of this blog is mainly to advocate for the orphan, it is not my style to do that by constantly railing on things that are broken and need to be fixed or wrong and need to be made right.  Though there is certainly a place for that, I find that many people will wake up and do something about the needs that exist all around them by bringing to light those things that they take for granted.  That is the purpose of today’s post.

Gone to the Big Apple

My wife and daughter have been away in New York City for about a month now.  Okay, four days.  Four days with just me and the boys.  And when Mom’s away, the guys will play.  Oh yeah!

When Loretta – along with her mother and aunt – left on Friday to take Ashton on her senior trip to the Big Apple, she didn’t seem too worried about our being able to take care of ourselves.  That was unusual, but I had taken a couple of days off, and Loretta seemed to be content that I could handle it. 

She didn’t remind me of things over and over again or hand me the dreaded list.  She just told me we were out of stamps and asked me to mail a couple of letters. I had to check on driver education for Garrett and take Ashton's car to the shop.  That's all.  No list.

She didn’t cook and freeze a bunch of food and give us instructions on how to prepare it.  She knew there was a lot of deer meat in the freezer from Garrett’s first kill last year, meat that needed to be eaten by anyone else but her.  As a matter of fact, she just let me know where she had left an envelope of cash in case we needed any groceries and that was it.  Sweet!

She didn’t tell me to get the boys in bed by a particular time or remind me when to get them up for church or remind me of anywhere they had to be.  This was going to be a good long weekend.

So How’d We Do?

Well, I had the letters mailed by noon on Friday – and that’s after the boys and I spent some quality time at Holiday Deli.  Well, actually, I wrote Friday’s blog post (great place to blog), Garrett enjoyed their super-fast wifi, and Drew doctored his coffee to try to get it right.  School was checked on, and Ashton's car was in the shop, to be repaired and home by that afternoon.

The food has been outstanding, if I do say so myself.  I’m not usually one to post photos of my food – mostly because I rarely cook – but here are a few of my culinary masterpieces.  Oh, and there was the spaghetti from Friday night that somehow escaped being digitally captured, but it was gooood!

Deer steak, rice, peas, cajun cheese toast -- a well-balanced, delicious meal.

Crock pot deer roast, potatoes, and carrots -- filling and nutritious but could have used a bit more salt.

Bacon!!! Okay, I confess that the biscuits came from KFC.

My friend Jerry had the audacity to question our survival capabilities Sunday morning at church (where we all arrived on time).  He asked how we had been making it with the girls gone, and I pulled out my phone to show him the photo of the steak dinner from Friday night.  He immediately responded, "Wow! Who invited y'all over to eat?!?"  Ouch.  No, Jerry, we are doing just fine.

Actually, we were doing better than fine.  There have been a couple of projects that I have been meaning to do, but I haven't had time.  With a couple of days off and both boys home to help, though, we have cleaned out and weeded the flower beds, made an additional raised bed for the garden, gotten the back of the place weedeaten, and even cleaned out the garage.

But then...

I have written on a number of occasions (See links below.) about God's design for children in a family -- a mom and a dad who are married to each other and raising their children by the principles that the Lord has given us -- and the fallout when anything less than that becomes a reality.  It's always harder when there is just one parent raising children and exponentially harder when both parents are disengaged or not present for whatever reason.  

During this last month (er, four days), I have actually been getting a crash course in Wife Appreciation 101.  A couple of those days, the boys just almost refused to get along; nothing seemed to work, but at least by bedtime, they were spending the night in one another's rooms.  I'm not sure how trainable they are about picking up after themselves, either, but it's not because I haven't tried.

I have done well about not watching too much TV.  Not so much because I am so self-disciplined but because I don't have time -- too many dishes to wash after supper.  And picking up after the stupid dog who is trying to chew up everything in sight. 

But I was keeping up okay, holding my own.  Then, yesterday afternoon, as I was cooking supper (while Garrett went to Wal-Mart for grits and to KFC for biscuits), it occurred to me that I had not checked the mail in three days.  That opened up a whole new avenue of what Loretta does -- paying bills mostly on time -- that I take for granted.  

I felt pretty good about remembering the mail.  Then -- seemingly out of the blue -- another thought struck me: "Oh crap, the little fella has baseball camp tomorrow morning!"  (Sorry for the crude language, but that's how I thought it.)  I could have easily forgotten, and it certainly wasn't on Drew's radar either.  I'm writing now as he is enjoying camp, having been successfully transported to and checked in by Garrett and me.  I can be pretty hard on Loretta for all the stuff she forgets, but I'm beginning to understand . . .

I haven't even touched washing clothes, vacuuming, cleaning the filthy back door (Dog digs, then presses nose on door, wanting in -- repeatedly.), preparing a grocery list yet, or chores like that yet.  And those are just the things I can think of.  There's no telling how many chores that need to be done that haven't even come to mind yet.

I know one thing: I'm glad Loretta is getting home tonight.  A month in New York is enough!

(Disclaimer: I love my wife for much more than just what she does around the house -- she's awesome!  And I'm glad she got to go and have a great time, letting others do the cooking and cleaning for a few days.)

Thanks for reading.  Show your appreciation today for something you normally take for granted.  There are many more than you would imagine in this world who don't even have one person to care for them.  Appreciation for what you have is a step toward those who don't.

4theVoiceless,

Al

Other similar posts:

"Making the Most of Moore and Newtown"

"Mother's Day, Roger Staubach, and 10th Birthday Parties"

"Ain't Nobody Got Time for That"

"What Do You Celebrate About Your Family?"

 

Interviews With Ashton: That's a Wrap

Today, I will wrap up my interview with my daughter Ashton about her recent trip to Russia to minister to orphans there alongside Russian college students with a few random questions and answers that I didn't want you to miss:

A happy little boy -- at least for the moment.

On the Angry Little Boy from yesterday's post:
"I would have adopted that little boy in a heartbeat if I could."

On the type of kids that she was most often attracted to at the orphanages and transition homes:
"It was a little boy that was angry with the world -- every time.  I connected with them -- every time." 

What a cool playground

Nina's ukulele -- a big hit!

On the orphans in general:
"It was hard to see some of the hurt in their eyes." 

On the relationship between the caregivers and the orphans in their care:
"It wasn't personal between the kids and the workers at all.  For the ones (team members) who could talk to the kids, the kids would open up to them in a heartbeat."

On imagining what it's like to go through life when there is no one to listen:
"That's what was killing me; I wanted to listen, but I couldn't.  I hated that.  That was the worst part."  (Loretta and I gave Ashton a Russian language program for her graduation present.  She has said she wants to start learning Russian as soon as she can.  If you know her, ask her how that's going when you see her.)

On worship in the church where the team visited:
"It was the WAY they worshiped.  There was this one guy -- all he had was a tambourine.  If he had been the only one on stage, he could have led the whole congregation in worship.  He just worshiped, and he didn't care who was watching.  He was all-out, and he just had a tambourine.  He wasn't singing -- nothing -- he just had a tambourine.  The whole band was like that.  So when I looked out over the congregation, the whole congregation was worshiping.  That's a huge thing."

I hope you have enjoyed joining my dialogue with Ashton.  I have certainly enjoyed bringing you glimpses of one 18-year-old young lady's first first big step into James 1:27.  Into Proverbs 31:8 -- for the voiceless. 

Thanks for reading.  And thanks for over 10,000 page views over the last 13 months!

4theVoiceless,
Al

Previous conversations:
"To Russian With . . . Hesitation?"
"Interviews With Ashton: Russia Meets Father of the Bride"
"Interviews With Ashton: Graduation & I'm Going To Be a Millionaire"
"Interviews With Ashton: An Angry Little Boy"

Interviews With Ashton: An Angry Little Boy

 Previous posts regarding my daughter's mission trip to Russia with Allies in Youth Development:

"To Russian With . . . Hesitation?"
"Interviews With Ashton: Russia Meets Father of the Bride"
"Interviews With Ashton: Graduation & I'm Going To Be a Millionaire"

Kids in the Corners

Before Ashton left for Russia, Loretta and I urged her to find the kids in the corners, the ones that who might have felt even more rejected than the other orphans.  (Kids like Stephen Ucembe, whom I wrote about in "Remembering Kickball and Picking Teams.")  This was not new for Ashton; she has been noticing and including kids on the edges since she was a little girl.  But when you only have a couple of hours in an orphanage, you have to be intentional about finding the kids who are not as cute, as bubbly, as engaging.

This One Place

Ashton had several summations of what she observed in the various orphanages and transitional homes.  But she remembered one this one place, a place where Allies in Youth Development had not gone before, that affected the whole mission team, Americans and Russians alike.

Orphanage conditions?  

Closed-off, not really like homes.  Typically, rows of twin beds with each kid's belongings in a pile underneath or beside the beds. 

In this one place, the home to about 30 or so Russian orphans of varying ages, living conditions were not good.  "It was a very sad, sad place.  The place smelled weird."  This place was hard on the whole team and even strong, Russian university students broke down and cried over what they witnessed.

Caregivers? 

Mostly downcast but very closed-off at this place.

Kids?

The level of warmth from the kids in the orphanages and transition homes usually mirrored the amount of time the university students had spent there in the past. 

At this one transitional home, the kids had bruises in "unusual places" and "missing patches of hair" and "unusually scratched-up knees." The older girls were very depressed and downcast.  Ashton noticed that in the midst of this setting, there was one little boy who was positive, always smiling and trying to encourage the other kids.  And then there was . . .

The Angry Little Boy

Ashton learned pretty soon after arriving at this place that there was one little boy who never spoke and who was angry all the time.  She moved toward him and gained some degree of favor with him, though he would not let her touch him or even come very close to him.  Though he would not join in with the games that the group was using to break the ice with the kids, he came closer to stand by Ashton's side.

She drew him further in by first taking out her phone to take photos of him (He actually smiled for the photo you see at the top of this post.) and then by sitting down with him and letting him play a game on her phone.  (As she told me this, I groaned out of recognition of where this was going.)  Sure enough, other kids began to come around, first to see what this little boy was doing, and then for a turn at the game.

To avoid the rapidly approaching chaos, Ashton took her phone back and put it up.  The little boy began to scream hysterically, and one of the caregivers (with whom Ashton was helpless to communicate what had just happened) came and snatched the little boy away. 

For the rest of their time together, Ashton tried to regain the angry little boy's favor.  During some of the later activities, he would not let her hold him, but he came near.  When it came time to say good-bye, he waved to her.  "I was glad he didn't hate me."

 

Just Someone to Listen

How many of these kids are holding on to anger like this little fella?  When the caregivers are concerned with the practical aspects of caring for the orphans and not the nurturing aspects (like showing affection and listening), it allows pent-up sorrow and loss to fester into anger.  I have read that, many times, caregivers don't know whether they should try to relate to the orphans in a personal way.  Bravo to AiYD and the university students with whom they partner for not only providing at least a little personal connection with the kids but for providing an example for those who care for the kids daily. 

Offer a prayer that these caregivers take a moment to listen, even in the busyness of their daily routine.  Offer a prayer that these kids find their way to a Father who already knows the sorrow and pain that they feel and loves them beyond what they can imagine.

Thanks for reading.

4theVoiceless,
Al

Interviews with Ashton: Graduation & "I'm Going to Be a Millionaire"

This is the 3rd in a series of posts about by daughter's recent mission trip to Russia to serve orphans there alongside Russian college students.  Allies in Youth Development is the ministry through which they served.  AiYD's place in the orphan care world is to provide transitional assistance to orphans through a big brother/big sister type of mentorship.  American partners not only provide basic items for children in a growing number of Russian orphanages and transitional homes, but they also send teams that provide physical support two-three times per year.

Previous Posts:

"To Russian With . . . Hesitation?"

"Interviews With Ashton: Russia Meets Father of the Bride"

The Numbers Reveal the Need

According the the AiYD site, the statistics reveal a tremendous need for children in orphanages and transitional homes to have positive connections established before aging out of the system.  (Aging out simply means that the orphans have reached an age when they will no longer be cared for by the system that has provided for their physical needs, as well as their education.)

Of the 15,000+ orphans aging out of the 2176+ state run institutions each year...

10% commit suicide
20% are expected to be incarcerated
33% are unemployed
40% have been involved in crime
40% are involved with drugs
40% are homeless

Does Mentorship Work?

Ashton's graduation party: Gift from us: a Russian language program!

My question to Ashton was this: Did you see evidence that the partnership with Russian college students, AiYD, and orphans is working?  Not cold, hard statistics but what she actually saw.  Her answer was an emphatic "Yes!"

Her team was privileged to be a part of a graduation ceremony at one of the orphanages.  From this particular orphanage, of the 18-20 that were aging out, almost two-thirds of them intended to go to college to study to be social workers.  On the day before her own graduation celebration, she described with great joy what she experienced at the Russian graduation.

About a year prior to this particular graduation, a conference was held with the soon-to-be graduates.  These young people, most of whom had been in the system since about sixth grade, each discussed there future plans.  One young man, who later had much to say during an emotional graduation ceremony, stated emphatically, "I'm going to be a millionaire!"  Those who knew him said they did not doubt that he would reach his goal.  (Note: Ashton did not know whether this young man's dream of being a millionaire was in dollars or rubles; with an exchange rate of about 30/1, a little more that $33,000 would make him a millionaire . . . in rubles.  We think he aspires much higher than that!)

During the graduation ceremony, each of the graduates had several bouquets of flowers that they presented to teachers and caregivers who had meant much to them.  What a fascinating idea!

Ashton said the ceremony was neat to watch, but she was surprised at the emotion of the event.  "It was interesting because every single one of the guys was in tears.  One of them -- all he could say was 'thank you.'  They were all bawling.  Absolutely none of the girls were crying, not one of them broke.  Here it's normally the opposite."

The Difference

To Ashton, graduation wasn't a big, emotional event.  Having homeschooled through all of her studies, she neither had nor wanted a formal ceremony.  As per her wishes, we had a simple come-and-go celebration.  She will not "age out" of our home, and even after she leaves, she will have a family to spend Sunday lunches with and a place to celebrate holidays.  A place called home.

Perhaps that is why she witnessed so much emotion -- at least from the boys -- during the Russian graduation ceremony.  While her own graduation was a significant step into adulthood, the transition will be much slower than if she were aging out of our home, never to be allowed to return, even for holidays.  Can you imagine your high school graduation doubling as your invitation to leave home and not come back?

That's why Allies in Youth Development exists, to smooth this transition and to give orphans connections and hope beyond aging out.  I'm so glad Ashton has begun to invest her time and relational gifts in these students.  Have I mentioned how proud of her I am?

Photos of Ashton and the team with some of the older students at one of the orphanages:

Thanks for reading.  More from my interview with Ashton later this week.

4theVoiceless,
Al