Missions Week chapel a success
photo by Mackenzie Borden
The second chapel gathering of Missions Week 2016 started off in a unique way, bridging together the different cultures represented in the Conn Center.
Rume Ekong, a student from Nigeria, followed worship with scripture reading in his native language and Brina Lovelace prayed in Spanish to begin the service.
Dr. Carolyn Dirksen, a Lee University professor who supports and promotes world missions, is responsible for bringing the Phebe Grey orphanage to Missions Week.
The orphanage is located in Monrovia, Liberia and houses 102 children.
“Phebe Grey is home to children who have come to them because of warfare, abuse or abandonment,” according to the Serving Orphans Worldwide website. “They run a veritable school for the children of the home and surrounding community and provide tremendous care to the children who live there.”
Dirksen spoke on the success of last year’s campaign and the impact made by students and faculty, the reason the university adopted the orphanage for a second year.
Through the contributions of Missions Week 2015 the orphanage was given solar packages for electricity, a computer lab, a library of 700 books, paint for the exterior of the buildings, mosquito nets and sheets.
Other specific items were given to the school such as maps for the geography teacher, novels for the English teacher, paper and pencils for the art teacher and a broom for the janitor. These items are simple but necessary for the students to receive their education.
Lee University’s Department of Education faculty also filmed 10 videos to train and give ideas for learning and classroom management.
“I appreciate the fact that we as a university continue to work with Phebe Grey. It would be easy to move on to another mission, but Lee stays until God says to move,” senior Maggie Glover said.
Dirksen concluded by thanking students for their past and future contributions to Phebe Grey Orphanage.
“I love you and appreciate you not only for your money but your prayers and the intellectual capital you are investing in this project,” Dirksen said.
