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.