NEW DAY ORPHANAGE

Our trip to New Day Friday evening required another trip on the wild ride that is Macha road. With a new twist, this trip was done in a very African safari looking range rover jeep with all 8 of us squished together in the back, the bags thrown on top, and George once again behind the wheel flashing his big smile as always. It was our first time on the road in the day time, so we had the opportunity to see what was beyond the hospital grounds (while also periodically screening for rogue luggage after bumps into the road). Many people walk Macha road and would readily wave to passing cars. Along the road there were various shapes and sizes of living quarters made out of all sorts of materials- the sturdiest being brick and cement. More common housing was composed of grass covered huts with branches, mud or bricks making up the walls. Chickens, cows, goats and quail-looking things that we dont know the name of strolled around people's land and in the roads as well. After getting to cuddle with each other in the back of the rover for about 40 minutes, we saw the gates for the New Day Orphanage campus.

Once we were ushered in by a security guard and a cute dog, George took us right up to our bunkhouse for the weekend. We didn't realize that there was a group of kiddos waiting to greet us on the other end of the road, so we walked over and heard the cutest group of kiddos singing to welcome us. Then, the sweetest little faces walked up and each shook each of our hands to greet us- which is the custom in their culture (you can’t just greet a whole group at once, each person greets everyone). After the wonderfully warm welcome, we settled in at the bunkhouse and got ourselves cleaned up in our first real showers of the journey. I think I speak for everyone when I say that getting to shower, wash our hands with running water, and use flushing toilets was a much-needed refreshment!! You dont realize how dirty you are until you get a real washin'. The refreshing continued when we were offered a wonderful meal and a cold beverage. I'm not sure if it was the fact that the coke was so tasty in that moment or the fact that it was carbonated, but my eyes watered a little bit.

The next morning, we explored the grounds of the orphanage with a tour from Wes himself. The orphanage is set up to where his house and the teachers live at one end while the children and their house mothers live at the other end in different houses. In between the two is where the school buildings are situated. We toured a computer lab, the library, the cafeteria and peeked in a few classrooms. Each building was vibrantly painted within, giving each room a welcoming atmosphere. The grounds also included a playground next to the children's houses, a basketball court, a volleyball net, and a soccer field (which we quickly took advantage of when the tour was over). As far as the way the school is run, Wes and Lori have designed the campus to keep the children in their own culture and have designed the education to make sure they know English and their native language (Tonga) to be as successful as possible. At the heart of their school is biblical education that gives the children the opportunity to choose to accept Jesus as their savior and live their life for Him. Spending any amount of time with the children showed evidence of God's presence and love. It was an honor to hear Wes and Lori's testimony of how God has used them to spread so much hope and love to a community in need.

When we reached the playground at the end of the tour, we played with some of the younger children. I had the pleasure to meet little Laston who enjoyed anything truck-related- especially drawing them in the dirt! Then while I was kneeling to observe the truck drawing, a little boy came over and sat on my knee and snuggled up. Talk about absolutely melting your heart. It was the sweetest 20 minute snuggle I had ever gotten- the little guy put his little cheek right in the crook of my neck and didn’t move a muscle besides the little hand I felt periodically tugging on my braid. The very social Laston informed me that the little boy's name was Bleston. The rest of the group found snuggles of their own, and we were all in love with our new friends!

To get some quality time with the older children, Kailyn challenged them to a soccer game. No one knew what we were getting ourselves into when we saw who we were playing. Thinking our size and life experience would help us, we confidently took the field- only to see ourselves down 8-0 at the first water break. Soccer is a big part of the culture in Zambia, which was very evident in the skills the children displayed. 14 year old Mesheck and his buddies Joseph and Emanuel were some of the boys that stood out as great players. Disappointed with the lack of competition, the kids decided to lend us a couple of their players to make the game worth their time (it was only at this point that we scored 2 goals). After getting slaughtered in soccer, we decided to try some Volleyball. I am happy to report that once the rule was made that they could not kick the volleyball like a soccer ball, we were able to scrape up a win after losing the first set. Although our dignity took a beating, we seriously enjoyed getting to spend time with the older kids of the orphanage!

Later in the evening, we had the chance to play with the little ones again before their dinner and got them all riled up and hyper! The newest adopted child at the orphanage was a little guy named Luke who would throw his arms out and run up to everyone and anyone who would hold him. He had big dimples and adorable chubby cheeks and adored the slide. I could go on and on about each of the kiddos we met, but I realize this blog is already out of hand as it is… so you can go to the website about new day orphanage where you can donate or become a sponsor of a child to get them to school and help provide for their care. Wes and his wife run off of donations and would love to answer any questions with the contact info on the website!

The next morning we experienced the New Day church. We carried our chairs from the bunkhouse to the church and got to see all the children attending. There were multiple speakers, with some church discussion over scripture. Multiple members would pray, and different people would read scripture for the pastors. Everyone seemed so involved and passionate. In the middle of the service, different groups of women danced up to the front of the church in a line while worshipping, then they would sing a couple songs and dance back to the back of the church. Their music was beautiful, and their dancing made the whole experience mesmerizing! The best part for me was when one of the orphanage residents, Steven, snuck away from his house mom and came and sat on my lap for a little while during the service. He didn’t say anything, but just let me snuggle him for a little while and then got down and walked back where he was supposed to be. There’s nothing like a precious little person wanting some snuggles in church, and it made my day. Once church was over, we had the privilege to be cheerleaders at the baptisms of some the orphanage residents! Watching Wes baptize children that God had enabled him to help save was a special moment for everyone to see the fruit of God’s work in the orphanage. It was a meaningful send off to put things into perspective before we headed back to Macha for the remainder of our clinic time.

-Hannah