Jars of peanut butter and jelly and lots of wet naps are not the usual items that get thrown into a suitcase when packing for a vacation.
But then again, travelling to Zambia, Africa is not your usual trip and for Natasha Clutton and Natasha Telford, this is definitely not a vacation.
The two Natashas, both 15 years old, have much more in common than just their first name and their age.
They both share the Christian faith, have an adventurous spirit, very big hearts and are preparing for the trip of a lifetime.
On July 10 the girls are leaving Peterborough and everything familiar behind and flying to Texas for three days of intensive training before arriving in the Republic of Zambia, Africa, where they will spend three weeks volunteering with Teen Mania Ministries’ Global Expeditions. Since 1987, Global Expeditions has sent 62,321 missionaries to share their faith in 80 countries around the world. The girls will be part of a team of just five Canadians and 65 Americans, mostly teenagers, who will act almost as camp counsellors to children who have been orphaned by AIDS and will help build homes and dig trenches for water.
“They said if you really like working with children it is a good place to be,” says Natasha T., who has volunteered at Hope Valley Day Camp in Peterborough for two years.
Zambia, which is about the size of Texas, has one of the world’s most devastating HIV and AIDS epidemics with one in seven adults living with HIV.
“I still can’t believe that we’re actually going,” says Natasha T.
“It’s just now hitting me. It’s like, wow, Africa!” adds Natasha C.
This trip is not only taking the girls halfway across the world, but way out of their comfort zone.
The farthest Natasha C. has travelled is Alberta, while Natasha T. admits she has never been out of Ontario and never been on a plane.
But the girls have lots of experience camping and are prepared for three weeks of roughing it to the max. We’re talking not being able to shower for three weeks, which is where the wet naps fit in. Although Natasha C, mentions they will get to wash their hair once a week by using a bucket filled with water.
And while the girls will be cooking over a fire, they can bring some food, which explains the peanut butter and jelly. Natasha C. chims in that the ministry provides the bread.
While the girls never blinked an eyelash at the thought of cooking over a fire for three weeks, living with no electricity and being surrounded by armed guards 24 hours a day, their biggest challenge has been trying to raise $6,000 each for the trip.
“That was one of the main things I was worried about the most, was raising the money,” says Natasha T.
But through various fundraisers, such as chili dinners and yard sales, along with individual contributions the girls have nearly reached their goal.
And now with all of their vaccinations in order and their passports ready to go, all they have left to do is pack their bags, with means bringing lots of supplies, such as toothbrushes, for the children they are visiting.
“I’m really excited for them. It’s an incredible opportunity,” says Brenda Telford, Natasha’s mother.
“Who at 15 gets to spend three weeks in Africa? I just think it’s a fantastic way of showing who they are to the world.”
And when asked whether the moms are worried about their girls heading to Africa, Marilyn Clutton, Natasha C.’s mom, replies, “I would sooner them do this than hang out at the mall.” When the two girls leave Zambia, they’ve already decided all they are bringing home is the clothes on their backs, their camera, their passports and some awesome memories. Everything else they will leave behind for the children.
[mykawartha.com]
