Check out a story from our Taking Shape STAR Leader, Savanah Wozny
Meet Davidson and Evanston! These twelve year old boys love to show off and are quite the acrobats! They are two of the orphans that live at Lephare Orphanage in Port au Prince, Haiti and attend our Taking Shape leadership and performing arts camps. Both times that I have been teaching our mission camps to these children I have been truly amazed at their raw talent. Some of the things they can do are things I have been training years for! They flip, walk on their hands, and can headstand all day long; on dirt and rock, mind you! There are no mats in the streets of Haiti!
I really became attached to these two boys as I saw how they loved to perform and how much strength they have. I seriously can’t believe how naturally talented these kids are! Both of these boys are always wanting to play and jump around. There is never a time that these two boys didn’t want to kick a soccer ball around for hours, or flip their bodies around the orphanages concrete or gravel floors. They just love being active and love having an audience.
I especially love these boys because both of them are never phased by the cool technology (our phones and iPads) we bring to the children to play with after a long day of camp. Because the kids never get the chance to play with technology, they are amazed with our electronics. Davidson and Evanston, however, could care less about the electronics; they just want to play even after a long day of camp! I have never seen these two boys with my iPad or phone in their hands. They are constantly wanting to play soccer, tag or they simply just want to be held and given attention to. It makes my heart grow a little bit bigger when I see these two boys because they value our worth and they personally love us, not what we bring for entertainment.
In December, I will travel back to Haiti to teach my fourth leadership camp with these kids. We started with just a team of 3 people; myself, my mom and my cousin Sam. Now, we are taking a team of 18, with the majority of us being college students. How awesome is that! I can’t wait to show the new mission campers what these kids have to offer. The love they share, the gratitude they show, and the trust they have in me and in Taking Shape, is so inspiring. I can’t wait to see how Haiti affects the other campers on this trip and how their lives will change.
Usually people ask me, “How was your trip to Haiti?” Most of the time my answer is, “It’s just something I can’t even explain, you just have to go and experience it yourself.” It’s incredible how you go into a mission trip like this thinking you’re going to help these kids, but in reality every time I leave, I discover that these kids help me. They have made me a stronger leader, they have taught me how to be grateful for what I have and to understand what is in important in life. These kids are more like siblings to me, and there is no greater feeling than being loved by them and their solid gold souls. We certainly learn from each other. ♥️
Savanah Wozny- Taking Shape STAR Leader
If you feel moved to give click here we would love to hit our goal this #givingtuesday to help our December mission trip!
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