Sunday, December 19, 2010

Next Chapter: Kpeletayama school

The Next Chapter: Kpeletayama School

Bringing life and hope to a “village with nothing

Mark and Peggy Halvorsen hoped to adopt two brothers from Liberia, West Africa when their hearts were broken. In June 2009, Habakkuk, then 2 ½, died of cholera, a disease acquired from drinking contaminated water.

A clean water well was installed at Kpeletayama Village in April, 2010. Members of Global Orphan Outreach traveled to Liberia to celebrate with the village and dedicate the well to Habakkuk's memory.

Today we can rejoice that Kpeletayama village has clean safe drinking water. The impact was immediate: the high rate of typhoid, cholera, and diarrhea dropped quickly.

The Next Chapter: Kpeletayama School

During the visit to dedicate the well, we discovered that there is no education in Kpeletayama village because there is no suitable housing to offer a teacher.

Plans are being finalized to build a small home similar to the picture below to accommodate a school teacher. Books and school supplies will also be needed for the children.

The students will be taught the "old fashioned African way" meeting under a large open hut. Education cannot wait for a school building. Please join us as we bring education to Kpeletayama village.

Costs for Kpeletayama village school:

Teacher Housing: $3,580
Accredited school teacher plus an assistant ($200 a month for 10 months): $2,000
Books, chalk, chalkboard, stationery, first aid kits: $570
Administrative costs: $600

Total cost of project: $6,750

Pastor George Sackie is a pastor and teacher, and will be the teacher at this new school. He and his wife, a nurse, are committed to serving Kpeletayama and surrounding community

A Message from Pastor Peter Flomo
Establishing the Kpeletayama Village School is a project we call "Light in Darkness." It is a drive to change the future of children born and unborn. It will tap the potential of a people who have been forgotten for generations.


Kpeletayama is a village in Liberia. It contains about eighteen huts, and is surrounded by over ten villages with similar conditions. It is a ‘village with nothing’ where the people are without basic life necessities.


Education will make our young people less vulnerable to the generational cycle of rebellion and violence in our nation. It will create hope of self- sustainability and independence in our kids and families, and our nation will be touched when girls of this village are educated.


For those with hearts for humanity, I invite your investment in this village. It is a project worth the investment and will have an eternal dividend.


- By Pastor Peter Flomo, son of the village

Please consider making a donation to bring hope through education to Kpeletayama village

To donate online using PayPal:

Go to www.globalorphanoutreach.org and click Adopt Kpeletayama Village.

To donate by mail:

Simply send your check made out to Global Orphan Outreach with “Village school” on the memo to:

Global Orphan Outreach

Attn: Kpeletayama School

P.O. Box 331

Delavan, WI 53115

Global Orphan Outreach is a 501(c)3 organization.

Your donation is tax deductible.

www.globalorphanoutreach.org . 715- 415-4401

Thank you for partnering with us to make Kpeletayama School a reality for the people of Kpeletayama Village and Suakoko District!

Saturday, December 4, 2010

I want to be a Star Thrower

The Starfish Story
adapted from The Star Thrower
by Loren Eiseley
1907 - 1977


Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.

He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"

The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."

"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man.

To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"

At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "I made a difference to that one!"


Few stories have gained internet popularity the way "The Star Thrower" has. Most often it's sighted as "author unknown," but it is actually a classic from 1979 written by Loren Eiseley, who has been hailed as a modern day Henry David Thoreau.

Loren Eiseley was both a scientist and a poet, and to this day his writing is the subject of much discussion and inspiration. In this story he is the "wise man" touched by the innocence and determination of another soul.

"The Star Thrower" is a classic story of the power within each one of us to make a difference in the lives of others. And though it has appeared in many forms (sometimes it's a native american man who is throwing the starfish into the sea, sometimes it's a grandfather, or a young girl or boy) it is none the less a powerful reminder that we should be here for each other, and to seek to help, even in small ways, whenever we can.

In such turbulent times as these, when we may feel alone and small and unable to make any lasting changes we may find ourselves asking "What can I do that will make a difference?" or "What can one small person like me do?"

In reality we don't have to be rich, talented or even particularly intelligent to make a difference in the life of another. We just need to remember that we ARE here for a purpose, and that making small changes in the world eventually add up to something bigger in the life of another.

When we become throwers of the stars, we too, have the power to change the world