Arise Home Fun Interviews
This blog post was written by our intern in Zambia, Morgan Casteel.
A huge blessing in Arise Africa are our children in full time care. The Arise Homes began when we saw that some of the children in the schools we worked with needed more help than we could provide during the day. We encountered children who had either lost or been abandoned by their parents. Arise felt compelled to do more and with the help of Kershaw’s Challenge, the first Arise Home was built in December of 2012. Since then, we have added children in need of a loving home and full time care. We now have 14 wonderful kids (8 girls and 6 boys) living in 2 Arise Homes now! God has been faithful to us through Kershaw’s Challenge.
With the opening of the 2nd home, and calculating how much teenagers eat and need extra tutoring for school, we are in need of a few more sponsors for some of our kids!
I’ve been interviewing the kids so that you all can learn a little more about them! It was fun for me to see how each of them answer the questions differently. I wish I could sponsor all of them. Lucky for you, I can’t, but you can! Read more about Enny, Lovemore, Alliness, and Armon.
Enny is the epitome of gracefulness. She is kind, nurturing, and thoughtful. After only knowing her for a short time, it’s evident that she loves to care for others. Something interesting about Enny is that she has the biggest desire to travel out of all our kids. It seems like every week she’s picked a new country where she wants to go to college. A week before this interview, the place to be was Spain. She is now currently undecided. One time, she and I sat on google looking up photos of popular travel destinations and had a great time dreaming together. Enny is also the biggest dancer in the home, though everyone loves to jump in and dance with her.
What is your dream job?
I have three options right now. (Enny loves to explore her options and change her mind often)
· Journalist so I can to travel to lots of countries
· Lawyer because I have been inspired by some of the lawyers on TV, like in the movie God’s Not Dead
· Doctor because I want to help people who don’t have money to buy medicine and give them what they need
If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you like to travel?
America to see my sponsors, as well as Germany because I have a sponsor there too
Where do you want to go to university?
Not sure. (For a long time she wanted to go to Spain, now she has decided she wants to go somewhere new but hasn’t decided where yet.)
Does your name have special meaning?
Yes, I was named after my grandmother who I lived next door to before coming here
What has been one of your favorite moments since moving into the Arise Home?
When we went for paintball with Alissa and Uncle Asher and Faith. It was my first time and it was nice. When they shot me, I started hiding. When I tried to shoot them, I hid right away so I wouldn’t get shot. When I ran out of bullets, I held up my gun to let everyone know I was out and so they wouldn’t shoot me.
Would you rather fly or be invisible?
Fly, because I can go to a lot of places (She has a bad case of wanderlust)
If you could be a character from any movie, which movie character would you like to be?
Batman, because he has got a lot of powers, like flying
Which Bible character inspires you the most?
Esther because she was courageous
If you had three wishes what would you wish for?
· That I could go with Aunty Megan to see her family (Our country director, Megan, is headed to Chicago this week to see family and take a break after a crazy couple of months in Zambia)
· That I could go visit all my sponsors
· That my 2 other brothers could come and live with me
What 2 things would you say you are very good at?
Running and English
What 2 things do you wish you were better at?
Math and Art
Would you rather live under water and swim with fish or be able to travel through space and touch the stars?
Travel through space because I’d like to see how big the stars are
Want to keep up with Enny long term?
Consider sponsoring her at $50 or more a month to start to receive her updates and write her letters!
Lovemore (along with his brother, Muyunda) is the newest boy in the home. I’ve known him since he moved into the home around 3 months ago. He’s shy around new people and is still learning English. Still, I have watched as he has come out of his shell over the last 3 months. He loves his big brothers and has jumped in helping with the younger ones as well. He and Muyunda love to play with their newest best friend, Daniel, who lives at the complex. Anytime I run to the home, I take Daniel with me. I’ve never seen a 7 year old put on shoes and hop in the car so fast! The three of them are inseparable. Lovemore is opening up quickly and is loving being at the Arise Home where he can go to school, ride bikes, and just be an 8 year old boy!
What is your favorite animal?
Tiger – because I like the way they run
What is your favorite cartoon?
Tom and Jerry
What are 2 things you’re good at?
Bike riding and puzzles (he had never even been on a bike two months ago and now loves it!)
Would you rather have an elephant trunk or a giraffe neck?
Giraffe neck… just cause (gotta love 8 year old logic)
What is your favorite thing at school?
Friends and learning. My best friend is Humphrey and we like to play soccer together.
What is your favorite thing about living in the Arise Home?
Zedupad, bikes, and soccer (he fired off these three answers immediately!)
Would you rather fight a shark or wrestle a lion?
Wrestle a lion (the boys love the thought of fighting dangerous animals)
If you had two wishes, what would you wish for?
I’d wish to be superman and a soldier
Want to keep up with Lovemore long term?
Consider sponsoring him at $50 or more a month to start to receive updates and write him letters!
Alliness is the first one to run up and give you a hug! She loves people and is always reminding those close to her of how much she loves them. She is spunky, outgoing, and unafraid to be herself and try new things. She is sassy and respectful all in the same moment. Most of all, this girl LOVES to laugh. She is a pure ray of sunshine and it’s been a blast spending time with her. She always manages to get me out of my own shell and doing something goofy. Last week, we practiced our cartwheels, and did relay races. We’re talking donkey kicks, crab walks, and one they taught me called the caterpillar. To do a proper caterpillar, you start by standing tall, then you bend at the waist and drop your hands to the floor a little ways in front of you. Then you slowly shuffle your feet toward your hands until they are touching. You stand tall and do it all again. I’m always learning something new from these guys!
What is your dream job?
To race country horses (we aren’t sure she has ever seen a horse!)
What are three words that describe you?
Short, lovely, and beautiful (I am all about these kids and their high self-esteem!)
What is one goal you wish to accomplish in your lifetime?
To be educated and graduate university
If you had 3 wishes, what would you wish for?
· to be adopted by my sponsor
· to pass my exams
· to live with Aunty Morgan someday (that’s one of my wishes too! Can’t wait to see these girls in the U.S. in the future!)
If you could be a movie character, which character would you want to be?
Grace from God’s Not Dead because she had incredible faith in God no matter how people discouraged her
If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go first?
Australia because it looks nice
If you could go back in time and live a period in history, what time period would you want to live?
I would want to be Jesus’ mother
Which Bible character inspires you the most?
Jesus because he suffered a lot and died for our sins, which is inspiring because through Jesus’ death we are alive!
What are 2 things you are good at?
Laughing and running
If you were president of Zambia, what would you do first?
Build more schools, so that I can help the people who can’t go to school so that they can also be educated (insert mic drop here)
What is your favorite thing about the Arise Home?
I get to learn new things and I’m loved by many people
Want to keep up with Alliness long term?
Consider sponsoring her at $50 or more a month to start to receive her updates and write her letters!
Armon is one of the quieter boys in the home. Despite his quiet nature, I feel like I’ve gotten to know Armon fairly well in my few months here. Because he is normally soft spoken and a man of few words, it surprises me when he comes out of his shell and I get to see some of his other personality traits. For one, he LOVES to sing. Whenever he is moving around the house, you’ll find him singing (louder than his normal speaking voice!). He loves to laugh and has the sweetest giggle I’ve ever heard! Lastly, I was surprised at how social he is. He’s quiet, but he isn’t afraid to ask questions. He is always the first one to ask me to sit with him and go through his homework. Armon is a special boy with a soft heart, precious laugh, and a desire to learn. I can’t wait to see how the Lord works in his heart and the ways the Lord will use him. Keep up with Armon by sponsoring her for $50 or more a month.
If you could be any cartoon character, who would you be?
Tom from Tom and Jerry, because I love them
If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go?
I’d visit the U.S. to go to school at Texas A&M (WHOOP!)
If you could witness any event in history, which event would you want to see?
When Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead
Which Bible character inspires you most?
Moses because he obeyed God and he set the Israelites free
What is your favorite worship song?
I have too many… My top two are
· Aliwa Mayeso (translation: Jesus is Good)
· You are Great
What’s one thing you are really good at?
Basketball
If you were president of Zambia, what changes would you make?
I would develop Zambia and make sure that everyone has enough food to eat and pay rent for those who can’t afford it
What is your favorite thing about living in the Arise Home?
I have the chance to go to school
Want to keep up with Armon long term?
Consider sponsoring him at $50 or more a month to start to receive updates and write him letters!
Hope you enjoyed learning a little more about these precious kids! Please prayerfully consider joining us in providing them with a home full of people who love them, a good education, and fun stuff too like bikes and trips to the movies! It’s been a joy to watch them enjoy their childhood and be trained up as Godly men and women who will impact their nation and grow the kingdom of God!
God bless,
Morgan