Posted: 9/4/02

A mission of faith, love

Jessica Foster
Staff Writer

As a freshman student at the University of Iowa, Emily Carlson has a lot to tell her fellow classmates about how she spent her summer vacation.

Carlson, a 2002 graduate of Forest Lake High School, and the daughter of Debbie Wagamon and Marty Carlson, helped organize a two week mission trip to Kisii, Kenya, outside of Nairobi, Africa.

It was a journey made by 14 youth and adults from the Forest Lake area August 1-17.

They went to Africa to help, to begin construction of a three-story vocational school building.

While they went to help and to share their talents, those who went on the trip say they came away with so much more than they went with.

ìHow blessed I am from God, I saw people that had nothing and their faith is just undescribable,î Carlson said. ìI just wish some people in America had half of that.î

Service

A participant in the Urban Leadership Academy, it was Carlsonís responsibility to develop a service project.

That brought her to Dan Charpentier, youth minister at Elim Lutheran Church and adviser for Young Life, a non-denominational Christian youth group for senior high students which Carlson had participated. Charpentier and his family are friends with Rev. Israel Oyaro.

Oyaro spends time in the United States as a graduate seminary student and has served as a staff person at Bible camps here including Luther Point Bible Camp in Grantsburg, WI, where he met Charpentier.

Oyaro had been looking for a group to make the journey of making a difference.

It was a dying request of Oyaroís father that Oyaro and his brothers build a church and school for the people of Kisii.

In Kenya, school is only free through eighth grade and there is a high unemployment rate. Oyaroís father dreamed of a better future for his countryís children.

Carlson, and the 13 other participants helped bring that dream to a reality.

Planning

The trip took one year to plan. A sign up sheet at Elim Lutheran Church and word of mouth would bring together a dozen youth and two adults committed to make the journey.

To raise money for the trip, Carlson turned her yard into a parking lot for Haydays last September and raised about $2000. A booth at Taco Daze in Scandia also brought in cash.

The biggest fundraiser, support letters sent out to family and friends brought in $42,000 bringing the total to $45,000 for all fundraising efforts.

Challenges

It was the first trip to Africa for all who went.

They werenít prepared for the road conditions and propensity to get at least one flat tire per trip. The 32 kilometer trip to town for supplies took a minimum of 45 minutes each wayóor a maximum of 2‡ hours.

In digging trenches for the schoolís foundation, the group did not have bobcats, levels, chalk lines or even shovels. Instead, they worked with wheelbarrows, spades, forks and pick axes.

In addition to work on the school, the workers installed piping, water pumps and a tank to carry water from a spring 800 feet below.

For years, the women and children of Kisii have been carrying water on their heads up the 800 foot hill. (Men do not carry water.)

Enriching experience

After nearly three weeks of backbreaking work, the same meals each day and sleeping on the floor, Carlson does not complain about the accommodations. Instead, the 18-year-old religion and social work major said she looks forward to a return trip.

ìI want to go back, it was very eye opening to travel there,î she said.

Too, Carlson said she wants to continue work on the vocational school.

Planned as a three-story school, the group accomplished little more than the foundation during their August trip.

She encourages others to make the journey as well.

ìTake that opportunity and go for itóbecause it will change your life,î Carlson said.

Charpentier and his family also plan to make the journey again citing the spiritual growth and the work left to do.

ìThe people there have so much faith and hope in God because they have to,î Charpentier said. ìBack home you can live your whole life without having faith and hope in God because everything is here for you.î

The good book

When Charpentier makes the next journey he plans to pack some Bibles.

ìTheir appreciation for Bibleóthey donít use them as dust collectors,î Amy Charpentier said.

While they gave out Bibles in last monthís journey, more are needed. After all of the books were distributed, there were others still wanting.

The Charpentiers tell of the common site of one person reading the Bible while 20 others gather around to hear the Word.

The group

Those who journeyed to Africa include Emily Carlson, Dan Charpentier, Paul Charpentier, Martha Charpentier, Amy Charpentier, Betsy Garritsen, Stacy Jackson, Lorreta Thorson, Josh Docken, Cassandra Robertson, Laura Walcker, Micah Thorson, Anna Hallberg and Katy Hallberg.

It is a group of individuals forever connected by the trip and the stories which are hard to tell and only truly understood by those who went.

ìThe group totally bonded,î Carlson said. ìIt was just neat to get to know where they were on their walk with God.î

To help

Individuals who are interested in helping continue the work started this August can do so via financial support or planning a similar mission. Elim Lutheran Church is setting up an account to wire money direct to Kenya via Western Union. Contact Dan Charpentier at 651-433-2723 for more information.

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