December 2009 Real Life
In August of this year, a mission team of over twenty members from First Baptist Church of Springdale and The Church at Pinnacle Hills traveled to Malawi, Africa, with the primary objectives of planting a church, engaging in village evangelism, conducting a Vacation Bible School for village children, and taking part in the construction and launch of Esther’s House orphanage.
Most of the team spent approximately seven days in-country while members of the Kennedy and Copher families, along with cameraman D.J. Judd, remained for a total of fifty-four. No matter the length of their stay, all members of the 2009 Malawi mission trip came face to face with a people and a country in desperate need of hope.
Josh and Kristin Copher, members of The Church at Pinnacle Hills, have partnered with both church campuses through the Bigger Than Life Christian Foundation to launch and support Esther’s House. Josh shares a brief glimpse of the cruel realities of Malawi. “Life is very hard in most sub-Saharan countries, especially in Malawi. In this one small country, two thirds the size of Arkansas, there are now over one million orphans, most fending for themselves without food, shelter, or hope that anyone even cares. With the average life expectancy of 37, most children don’t get the opportunity to even know their parents….”
While living among the Malawian people for nearly two months, Josh and Kristin found themselves up close and personal with the statistics. “I know that we have all heard [of the hardships] before, and it’s easy to move the information to the back shelf of our minds. But when you witness it first-hand…. When you carry a widow dying of malaria to the hospital, pray with a single mother infected with HIV, or feed a starving child who has lost every person they know, it changes your life.”
The realties of the country quickly hit home with the Kennedy family as well during their stay in-country. Parents to four children of their own and sharing their three-bedroom Malawi home with a total of nine people, Zach and Erin Kennedy agreed to take in a two-month old, orphaned baby girl named Anna for three days and two nights a week.
Erin Kennedy told of Anna’s story. “When Anna’s mother went into labor, she was forced to walk ten miles alone to the regional hospital. She made it but just barely. She delivered Anna and a little boy, Anna’s twin’s brother, but the baby boy didn’t make it. Anna’s mother needed a blood transfusion, but the policy of the local hospital requires that someone from the family must first donate blood before blood from the reserve can be given. Because Anna’s mother had no one to donate for her, she couldn’t receive the transfusion and died. A completely needless death. But somehow, Baby Anna survived.”
For children like Anna, Esther’s House provides security and stability that, otherwise, is simply not available. Josh Copher explains, “The vision for Esther’s House is to share Christ’s love by creating a comprehensive model that addresses the spiritual and developmental needs of the village and engages the community to help lift themselves out of their current circumstances. Many people hear of Esther’s House and think it’s just an orphanage. It’s much more than that. Esther’s House is a platform for ministry and sustainable development in the country of Malawi….” And while the purpose of Esther’s House reaches “far beyond the scope of caring for the kids within its walls,” to five-year-old twins, Isaac and Precious, Esther’s House is simply home.
Zach Kennedy explained how the twins had lost both parents to malaria and had been living in a nearby village, bouncing from home to home. The boys were finally taken in by their grandmother, but because she was already caring for six other orphaned children, she did not have the means to properly care for the twins. As a result, the two boys were placed at Esther’s House. Erin Kennedy remembers that when she first met Isaac and Precious, they were extremely cautious of people. Erin recalls, “We used my children as examples and literally had to teach them how to give hugs and be hugged. At first, they weren’t so sure about it, but not long after, they would come running up to us with arms open wide.”
Zach remembers how the mission team members did their best to interact with the twins, though the language barrier made it difficult. “Some of the men got creative,” Zach said. “They came up with other ways to show the boys that they cared.” Mission team member, Roland Weber, made the boys a beanbag toss game and also supplied them with matchbox cars. Team member, Sammy Kirkendall, then fashioned and painted a homemade ramp made from scrap plywood. “No other kids in the village had toys like that,” Zach explains. “But very few children in Malawi also receive the quality treatment and care Esther’s House provides. Esther’s House children just have a better shot at life.”
Josh Copher adds, “To me, Esther’s House is a perfect example of what “church” is all about. We are not called just to preach the good news. We are commanded to go and be the good news. The Bible tells us that if we claim to live in Him, we are to walk as He did. It’s not about building buildings or about elevating our work in this impoverished country. It’s not about ‘fixing’ people or their culture. It’s about pouring ourselves into selfless acts of love and compassion as He did. It’s about meeting physical and spiritual needs as He did and sharing the hope and good news that we all have to look forward to.”
But one million orphans? Is it even possible to make a difference in the midst of such a monumental crisis?
Zach answers, “If you focus on the millions, you’ll be paralyzed with inaction. But when you look into the eyes of one, you begin to believe you can do something to make a difference. You hear the ‘dollar a day’ statistic all the time. In Malawi, most people earn a salary around that amount, if they are one of the 60% who are employed. Being in Malawi brings new perspective to the statistics. Numbers turn to faces. Faces become friends. I used to think that when Jesus said, ‘To whom much is given, much is required,’ He was talking about people like Bill Gates—the top 1% of the richest people in the world. Then, you move to Malawi, and suddenly it is hauntingly clear. We have been given much. And much is required of us.”
Josh Copher responds to the question, ‘Can people really make a difference in Malawi?’ with an unequivocal ‘yes!’ Josh adds, “Just ask any of the team members that have traveled to Malawi over the past eight years. Thousands have come to know Christ; many new churches have been planted…. Thousands of kids now have a meal to eat every day, the foundation for a scalable model is being implemented, Christian leaders are being developed, widows are being cared for, a reality television show is being produced, and our great God is being glorified! The impact on lives here and there continues to grow, and His favor is ever increasing.”
On the Kennedy family blog, Zach and Erin tell the story of meeting their night watchman in Malawi, a man named Crispen. The Kennedys explain, “Every night we would take him a meal and share the leftovers with his family. One night [we] realized that we had always expected him to eat outside and never invited him in. I told him to come in and pulled up a chair at our table. Shocked that we would invite him in to eat, he bowed down to his knees at our table to thank us. He thanked us repeatedly, and I began to wonder how long he would stay on his knees. The humility of Crispen challenged my pride and my understanding of caring for the poor. If charity only involves handouts, then humanity is only surviving and not being restored. We could have taken Crispen a meal each night and he would have continued to feel like he wasn’t worthy to sit at our table. Our work should be one of restoring humanity. Helping people understand their worth in God’s kingdom restores a piece of humanity stolen away by sin. It is these moments that we, too, are humbled to realize our worthlessness without a Savior.”
The truth is, we can make a difference in Malawi. Josh Copher makes clear, “The effort is not a single or even once a year commitment. It’s a year-round, ongoing ministry of this church that relies on our continued prayer and support. Future plans call for a medical training center, school, and guesthouse for teams to stay, all of which need leadership and funding. Our prayer is that the Lord will continue to impress on the hearts of our congregation the desire to personally get involved…. There are multiple opportunities available to plug in with Esther’s House at whatever level you are able, and one thing is certain, you will be blessed.”
In October, Zach Kennedy’s parents, Russell and Karen Kennedy, flew to Malawi to spend a week with their son and his family. While there, Russell and Karen spent time painting scripture from Psalm 139 in Esther’s House over the wall where the orphanage’s babies will sleep. It reads, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are your works, and that my soul knows well.” While the babies’ little lives may begin in heartbreak and tragedy, Esther’s House is a beam of hope in the darkness of despair, reminding the children and the world that they belong to a loving God. And as Erin Kennedy asks, “Who knows what the effect might be of making a difference for just one? You never know the impact just one of those little ones might have on their world.”
A reality television show documenting the Kennedy family’s two-month stay in Malawi is in the works and is set to air early next year. If you have questions about how to give to Esther’s House or want more information on our church’s mission opportunities, please contact our Global Missions Ministry by calling 479-756-7151.