I have attended several mission trips with Chowan University Campus Ministry Team, however, this was my third international trip. I have thoroughly enjoyed the times spent and hard work required of each respective trip, however, there was something about this trip that stood out among the other trips. Not exactly sure why this is, however, I do believe our unique and effective CU team and the gracious and open hearts of the Door of Hope staff most certainly played enormous roles. While it is difficult to choose just one memorable moment from this experience, having to choose just one I would choose the background of the Door of Hope ministry told by Richard and David Allen, as well as our brief interactions with some of the babies that currently reside at the various baby houses. Let me further explain the correlation… After listening to Richard and David about how their mother started the Door of Hope and they have sacrificed their own personal and family lives to uphold the family ministry, I felt immediately humbled and appreciative. I was very heart broken listening to some of their abandoned baby stories, that included babies being left places such as: sewer pipes, toilets, garbage cans, etc… It was also very disheartening to learn that many waste management employees in that area often receive counseling because of their occasional gruesome findings (deceased babies). We were granted permission to see and interact with some of the babies that currently occupy the baby houses. After listening to Richard and David and then interacting with the beautiful and innocent babies of the baby house; it was and is still hard for me to fathom how someone could abandoned such a precious life. These stories and brief interaction were all the motivation needed to fulfill our very difficult and daunting tasks that were asked of us. Many, if not all of us, had no prior experience with mixing gravel, sand, concrete, and water and placing them in molds to create bricks (that will ultimately be used to build more baby/toddler houses for Door of Hope). Our team battled illnesses, cramps, headaches, back spasms, etc. while completing these daunting tasks, however, not once did any member of the team lose focus on the bigger picture the babies that will occupy these living spaces that we made. This was very inspiring to see our students and staff overcome some of these ailments to accomplish our task.
My appreciation for Door of Hope goes beyond a few words on sheet of paper. From the moment, we landed in the Johannesburg airport, we were welcomed with open arms. They truly made us feel like family, and gave us such a rich appreciation for what they are doing in their community and the sacrifices and faith that goes into their mission. For these reasons, I will be forever grateful and appreciative of Door of Hope and the experiences they allowed our team to have.
My appreciation for Door of Hope goes beyond a few words on sheet of paper. From the moment, we landed in the Johannesburg airport, we were welcomed with open arms. They truly made us feel like family, and gave us such a rich appreciation for what they are doing in their community and the sacrifices and faith that goes into their mission. For these reasons, I will be forever grateful and appreciative of Door of Hope and the experiences they allowed our team to have.