Reflection from Dorene Miller

     A few days ago, I called Maman Chantale, my dearest friend in Zambia.  She was the cook, and “house mother” for the girls at the Sunflower Orphanage, who spoiled our team with her amazing cooking, made sure I had heated water for bathing, and enveloped me in her love and prayers at a time when I needed that nurturing. I’m so excited to know that I will see her again!  Now, it’s my time to spoil her.  She’s so appreciative of the gifts I send.  I loved buying her a dress for church, a beautiful floral print blouse, and a warm coat and sweaters for the cold nights of winter on the African savannah.  I’d like to bring her to the USA for a visit.  She’d never be able to afford this on her own, and I’d love to surround her with my friends and supporters, to listen to her stories, to understand her strength and sacrifices.  She gives me the motivation to keep going to make a better life for these people.  Above all, she is an example of incredible faith, and an inspiration to all who meet her.

Reflection from Dorene Miller

     Today started off with a problem, but as with any mission work, you have to be patient, and know the solution will become apparent.  So it was with this.  Working half way around the world many nights  from my dining room table, and during lunch time from my high school classroom is a challenge, but I believe in Mission Possible A to Z’s potential, and I’ve seen how lives have improved from the work our teams have done.  I’ve also learned to put my trust in God to solve the problems, while I do the things that I can do.

      Being an Intervention Specialist  helps me think out of the box.  Marketing our sale of paper bricks to the students has been a challenge worth taking on.  These represent the bricks we will use to build the food pantry, and each purchase puts this project closer to reality.  As of today, we’ve sold 3,895 out of the 5,000 of our goal.  With all the negative we hear about kids not caring, I’ve seen this amazing outpouring of support. Not all of the bricks have been from our students and staff, but they have gotten out and spread the word in the community.   The “brick walls” we’ve built around the building are a testament to goodness.  The inspirational sayings, drawings, and more on the bricks, has stirred the hearts of all who have visited our building.  Kids are stopping to read them, and one boy was heard saying, “I wish I had the money to buy a whole wall of bricks.”  I had tears. 

Reflection from Lauren Baird

     I am not part of the team, but I have been helping Mission Possible A to Z by hanging paper bricks for the fundraiser at our high school I feel good about helping because it is a great cause.  I got into helping out because my friend, Meredith is a team captain for the fundraiser, and we have been making, selling, and hanging the bricks.  Even though I am not officially part of the team, I am happy to help out.  Knowing that I am doing something good for children in Zambia who have so much less than me, makes me feel good, and inspires me to find more ways to be charitable.

Reflection from Dorene Miller

     After the successful completion of the tilapia pond at the Sunflower Family Orphanage in Zambia last year, we're excited to be going back to Zambia in June. Our fish should be ready to harvest next month, and I’m anxious to hear the reaction of our orphans to this new item in their diet. We’re preparing to move on to the next project; planting 100 moringa trees. These "miracle" trees grow to maturity in 1 year, and research shows that the leaves are a nutritional powerhouse of protein, calcium, vitamins and minerals. We will pilot these plants which will feed the 103 children at the orphanage (moringa can be put into soups, made into tea, or eaten as a green salad would be eaten), and the excess will be fed to the livestock. Feeding the livestock will save a tremendous amount of money now spent on animal feed. I can’t wait to see the results of healthy children and animals!

     I'm very excited about these plants, and have closely followed the research, and visited a Zambian operation that is using these trees to feed all their animals, and wow, they looked amazing! I can't wait to come up with some recipes to make this a daily addition to the diet of the children, especially since the girls are so calcium deficient.  Once our pilot shows sustainable success, we will pursue a grant to establish the “Sunflower Family Moringa Tree Farm”.  

     Along with the moringa project, we will be building an 18'x40' food pantry/storage building. Right now, Fr. Pierre has to send someone to the nearest town each week for supplies, because there is no storage at the orphanage, and the cash flow will not support “stocking up” (I feel guilty looking into my 2 upright freezers, and my large kitchen pantry). The town is a 2 hour drive in the old truck down a nasty rut-filled road that pushes my prescription motion sickness patch to its limit!  By building this, the wear and tear on the old truck will be minimized, the exorbitant amount of money for fuel ($7 per liter)will be cut, and additional supplies readily available will make life easier in general…and I’ll sleep better knowing that an emergency with that truck won’t result in starving children and dying animals. They bake 20 loaves of bread each day, so they go through lots of flour, and with 105 mouths to feed, the amount of nshima used for all meals is huge! It will also allow space to store the moringa farm tools, and for donated humanitarian goods, such as clothing and medicine.

The Sunflower Orphanage

     When I overheard my dad, David Lohnes, talking to Dorene Miller about making a trip to Zambia to visit his newly sponsored son I quickly blurted out, "I am going too!" without thinking too much about it.  Two weeks after that I found myself sitting down at the Miller's dining room table with my dad purchasing tickets to fly to Zambia this June.  To be completely honest, I had a lot of doubts.  I was doubting how we could possibly raise all of the money we needed to complete our envisioned projects.  I was doubting how we could get anything done with so little preparation time beforehand.  I was doubting how the small group of us (four at the time) would be able to accomplish any of the goals that we had for the trip.  Good thing God likes to frequently prove me wrong.

     A lot of things have changed since we found ourselves purchasing those plane tickets and I am continually in awe of how God is bringing everything together.  Our team has expanded to seven people, giving us some much needed manpower to complete the tasks that stand before us.  We have been richly blessed by the donations of others at St. Mary Church, Wooster High School, and the community...so much so that we have already sent money over to Fr. Pierre at the Sunflower Orphanage so they can get started on some of our projects before we arrive.  We have set realistic goals for projects that we would like to complete during our time there and I am confident that we will be able to complete them.  I sure am glad that God has proved my doubts wrong, He is faithful.

     Our team leaves June 10th for Zambia where we will work to complete the following projects:

• Finish building and then stock the food pantry.
• Plant Moringa trees.
• Harvest the tilapia from the pond and teach the children how to dry them. 
• Fix the pond liner.
• Send a small group to Ndola for training on bee keeping.
• Meet with the local school administrators about electricity.
• Seeds of Hope training for biosand filters.
• Meet with villagers and the Cooperative.

     Over the past few weeks I have been talking to my 2nd-4th grade students about my trip and the people of Zambia.  We have read a lot of books together and have come up with numerous questions to ask the children of the orphanage in our pen pal letters.  I would like to think that because I am the teacher and have done more research, I know the answers to a lot of my students' questions.  I am excited to be proved wrong.  I am excited to finally experience a continent and a culture that I have only read about.  I am excited to meet my new brother, Dube.  I am excited to travel with my father.  I am excited to bring back pen pal letters from the children of the orphanage and share my adventures with my students.  I am excited to work hard to complete our projects.  I am excited to see how God will continue to prove my doubt wrong and show that He is faithful.

Led By the Spirit (Reflection from David Lohnes)

Eight years ago I remember Dorene Miller, the whirlwind behind Mission Possible A to Z, inviting me to go to Zambia on their first mission trip. She told me I would be a gift to the orphans that lived at the orphanage. However, I said no. I was scared. Scared of how the experience would change my life. Scared of a broken heart when I would leave the orphans and go home. Scared of not being able to afford the trip. 

After eight years of spiritual growth, making an active investment into an orphan, Dube, and the adventuring spirit of my daughter, Marjorie, my heart has changed and led me to jokingly ask Dorene, "When are we going to Zambia?" She had just made a trip the year before and I figured there was no way we could plan, raise funds and make a trip in just 4 short months. Little did I know that she was looking for a sign from God if she should make a trip in 2014. God used me as his sign and when Marjorie immediately responded with "I'm going too!", Dorene said she knew she was going to make a mission trip this year. 

Thankfully I was open and allowed the Holy Spirit to use me to speak to Dorene, because I'm so excited to visit the Sunflower Orphanage! 

• Excited to meet, hug, and learn about my new son, Dube! 
• Excited to twist balloon hats, animals, and toys for 105 children! 
• Excited to see the children's faces when I show them the wonders of God's creation through science experiments and demonstrations! 
• Excited to celebrate Mass with so many children! 
• Excited to help young men and women learn skills to help them support themselves!
• Excited to travel with my daughter! 
• Excited to have my heart broken!

This WILL BE a life changing trip. Please pray that our hearts will be open to receive the gifts that God is showering down upon us.

30 days and counting!