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From Missionary Pamela Barksdale: OCMC 2019 Home of Hope Team Report
The Orthodox Children’s Home of Hope hosted their 10th Annual OCMC Team Summer Camp from June 21 to 1 July 2019. Six volunteers, ages 18 to 73 years from various Orthodox Church donated their time and talents to provide a summer camp for the children in the Home and a Reunion Beach Party for 15 of the former residents. The theme of the camp this year was “Faith, Hope and Love, but the greatest of these is Love. The team offered Bible studies, discussion groups, English classes, art, music and games during the morning and the evening were spent playing games, having a campfire, and talent show.
The team members were Fr. Dennis Rhodes, retired priest from the Albanian Orthodox Church in America, Teresa Duro , Jacob Sparks, a young student of theology and mathematics, Esther Ruhle, 18 and newly graduated from high school, Kristina Koutsouris (21) and Juliana Leondis (18), from Boca Raton, FL both of whom want to study to become nurses. The team won the hearts of the children with their kindness, gentle spirits and loving hearts and so we named them “Team Dashurie”.
We were able to intersperse fun activities in between our studies and made excursions to Shtati Rinise (Youth Village) beach, use of a beautiful swimming pool at the Tropical Resort donated free for the children and team, an excursion to Tirana for the Ordination of Fr. Emanuel Lapanxa who will be their full-time priest at the Shen Vlash Monastery. Afterwards, there was time for ice skating at the Ring Center. Again, special thanks for the great discount given to the children and the team.
On Saturday, 29th after the liturgy at Shen Vlash, the Reunion Party began with a special breakfast of Baked Choco-creme and Banana French Toast and Crepes with eggs, bacon and cheese. 15 of the former members gave such beautiful testimony of how the Home of Hope had helped them, stating it will always be “Home” to them. Later we went to Gjeri Lagli Beach and had a great time swimming, playing volleyball and eating a delicious fried chicken picnic lunch. We all vowed to stay in touch and to help the Home of Hope continue to help children and families in need.
The team left on Monday with full hearts and tears in their eyes, hoping to come back and continue to be part of this wonderful and important ministry of Our Church.
Anastasia Pamela Barksdale, M.Div.
OCMC Missionary Liaison to the Home of Hope
Executive Director of the Fondacioni “Fryma e Dashurise”
The Orthodox Children’s Home of Hope hosted their 10th Annual OCMC Team Summer Camp from June 21 to 1 July 2019. Six volunteers, ages 18 to 73 years from various Orthodox Church donated their time and talents to provide a summer camp for the children in the Home and a Reunion Beach Party for 15 of the former residents. The theme of the camp this year was “Faith, Hope and Love, but the greatest of these is Love. The team offered Bible studies, discussion groups, English classes, art, music and games during the morning and the evening were spent playing games, having a campfire, and talent show.
The team members were Fr. Dennis Rhodes, retired priest from the Albanian Orthodox Church in America, Teresa Duro , Jacob Sparks, a young student of theology and mathematics, Esther Ruhle, 18 and newly graduated from high school, Kristina Koutsouris (21) and Juliana Leondis (18), from Boca Raton, FL both of whom want to study to become nurses. The team won the hearts of the children with their kindness, gentle spirits and loving hearts and so we named them “Team Dashurie”.
We were able to intersperse fun activities in between our studies and made excursions to Shtati Rinise (Youth Village) beach, use of a beautiful swimming pool at the Tropical Resort donated free for the children and team, an excursion to Tirana for the Ordination of Fr. Emanuel Lapanxa who will be their full-time priest at the Shen Vlash Monastery. Afterwards, there was time for ice skating at the Ring Center. Again, special thanks for the great discount given to the children and the team.
On Saturday, 29th after the liturgy at Shen Vlash, the Reunion Party began with a special breakfast of Baked Choco-creme and Banana French Toast and Crepes with eggs, bacon and cheese. 15 of the former members gave such beautiful testimony of how the Home of Hope had helped them, stating it will always be “Home” to them. Later we went to Gjeri Lagli Beach and had a great time swimming, playing volleyball and eating a delicious fried chicken picnic lunch. We all vowed to stay in touch and to help the Home of Hope continue to help children and families in need.
The team left on Monday with full hearts and tears in their eyes, hoping to come back and continue to be part of this wonderful and important ministry of Our Church.
Anastasia Pamela Barksdale, M.Div.
OCMC Missionary Liaison to the Home of Hope
Executive Director of the Fondacioni “Fryma e Dashurise”
Video below is from our Parishioner Teresa Duro's Trip to Bucharest, Romania in 2017.
Teresa Duro's Moldova Trip in 2015