Malawi team pushes toward June trip

A team of six Indiana Wesleyan University students, led by Director of Student Activities Council Jessica Lamphier, will be traveling to Malawi in June. The team will be an all-female group working with Circle of Hope International on various service projects.

According to Lamphier, Malawi is one of the poorest, most densely populated countries in Africa. The country is poverty-stricken and “definitely a challenge,” she said; nevertheless, the team members are excited to see what the trip will bring.

Circle of Hope “believe[s] that hope comes through people working together to bring change in the lives of desperately poor children, women and families,” according to the organization’s Web site.

The team will be working on various projects with COH such as running a field day and a purity retreat, painting and decorating a new orphan home called Timothy’s Home and teaching women how to sew at the textile center.

The students are not sure exactly what they will be doing but are willing to work where they are needed.

“If we show up and they need us to dig ditches the entire time we’re there, then we will do it, because it’s not about us,” Lamphier said.

Carli Motsenbacker (jr) is excited to see her world in a new way. As an education major, she is eager to work with the kids and see what education looks like in that environment. The young women will spend time sorting and cataloguing in a new library in Malawi. Motsenbacker hopes the library will allow the children of the community to see the world in a new way.

As the team has begun planning the field day, Motsenbacker said it has been interesting to see the differences between the resources available in the States and the resources accessible in Malawi. She is looking forward to being creative with what resources team members have to make the day fun for the kids who come.

“[I want to show them] the fun and joy in life, but also God’s love,” said Motsenbacker.

“I hope to learn to appreciate what I have through the trip,” Motsenbacker said.

The field day the team is planning is “World Cup-themed, ironically,” remarked Lamphier. The FIFA World Cup will be held in South Africa around the same time the team will be traveling to Malawi, and air travel has become a challenge.

“It’s a supply and demand thing,” said Lamphier. “Because soccer is a big deal, well, everywhere except the United States.”

Although some are worried because flight costs have risen recently, Lamphier said that challenges are a part of traveling.

“I’m hoping God takes care of it,” said Becca Coffey (fr), another member of the small team. “I know He will,” she smiled and added quickly, “We’re praying.”

She also said the team has some fundraisers planned that she thought would bring in money for the trip. Coffey said this is a “rougher trip” than other trips she has taken in the past but is excited to see “what it will bring out in myself.”

Consider these Related Articles:

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 1st, 2010 at 8:00 AM and is filed under News.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.