Decisions and Responsibility

This blog is a class paper written by Arise Africa summer mission tripper, Carson Reichert, age 13.

“Do the decisions you make carry with

 them the responsibility for your choices”

“He says his mom and dad ran away from them, they just left them on the side of the road alone.” Two kids that I met this summer on a mission trip, Muyanda and Lovemore, were on the streets by themselves with no home. These kids now live in the Arise Home which is a home in Zambia. This is a home that is run by an organization, Arise Africa, that takes the responsibility of kids by caring for children like Muyanda and Lovemore who can’t be taken care of by their parents or their parents left them. Muyanda and his brother, Lovemore, were added to this home in July, about a week before we arrived in Africa for a mission trip. These two boys are now in the full time custody of Arise Africa because their parents neglected their responsibility of taking care of their two kids.

So I say “yes.” The decisions you make carry with them the responsibility of your choices. When Lovemore and Muyanda’s parents neglected their children, their choice changed their lives forever. They could have chosen to do things in a more responsible way. They could have tried to find an orphanage or another family member to help them. The decision to leave would change Muyanda and Lovemore. Lovemore would have to be the leader to his brother for an extended period of time with no home.

Arise Africa is a non-profit organization that helps kids who can’t be taken care of by their parents. They take the kids in the organization and get appointed legal guardians by promising to take the responsibility of their health, school and housing. Arise has offered for people to sponsor kids or partially sponsor kids so that the children they care for will always be healthy, fed, go to private school, and live in the Arise home under the responsibility of the house moms that work there. In this home, there are fourteen kids, most of whom are fully sponsored including one of the newest members Muyanda. Lovemore is still in need of sponsors to join his team. One of the 14 kids is named Hope who is fully sponsored by the Kershaws, Ellen and Clayton Kershaw. The Kershaws made the decision to donate money so that Arise can pay for Hope’s needs and food.

This summer my family got the privilege to go with a group of people to Lusaka, Zambia for a mission trip with Arise Africa. We each had a group of kids for one week in a Vacation Bible School even I taught at age thirteen with these kids. I had the responsibility of helping them, teaching them and telling them different stories of God. I had also told them how to be saved through Jesus Christ. Once you get to know these kids you really ask yourself how would anyone want to leave a fun kid like this just on the streets? These kids are the happiest kids on earth and our family making the decision to go on this trip was a decision that did carry the responsibility we had to have in Africa this summer.

My trip to Africa really makes things seem so clear, like how children are made of the happiness of God. Also, how such loving people will take on the responsibility of helping kids by giving them a home, an education and food just like that. Arise Africa helped, the Kershaw’s helped, we helped and many others have too. Finally, I do say “yes.” The decisions you make will carry with them the responsibility of your choices and it’s shown in many ways.