Rev. Dr. Robert Mbinda tells the story of how he started an orphanage in Tanzania. (Photo by Don Watkins)
Warmth of quilt project felt by orphanage
By Alex Hursky
Posted 11/13/08
"We called it the Tanzanian Concert," she said. "I directed the children singing. One of the songs they sang, 'We Are Marching In The Light of God' in Swahili. ... The children were leading adults to the fellowship hall. The phrase 'a little child shall lead them' was very appropriate."
The concert had been organized by church members to help raise funds for the Good Samaritan Orphanage in Mbeya, Tanzania. Last week, Robert Mbinda, the founder and director of the orphanage, visited for the first time with the congregation of St John's.
During an evening youth service Nov. 5, Mbinda was presented with a gift of 81 quilts, designed by children of the church as a gift to the children of the orphanage. The colorful, simple textiles, were draped over the back of each of the church's wooden pews, adding a festive note to the sanctuary's quietly lit interior.
A chance meeting in 2006 at a spiritual retreat in Woodstock first brought Ellicott City resident Karen Heist in contact with Mbinda.
"The minute I met Robert, it was one of those moments that it just was meant to be. I knew he was the person immediately," she said.
As executive administrator at St John's, Heist was privy to the desire of the church's leadership to be something more than just another anonymous donor to a worthy cause. They wanted to forge an ongoing, personal relationship with someone in need.
"Our congregation had been praying, seeking an overseas mission to build a relationship with. We needed that as much as the people on the other end needed our help," Heist noted.
Mbinda, an Episcopal priest, began the Good Samaritan Orphanage in 1996, when he and his wife Mariam invited eight orphaned children into their own home to live. The orphanage has increased steadily in size and scope, taking inside its doors children whose parents have died from AIDS. It is now home to 120 orphans.
In large part due to the donations raised by the St. John parish, which has contributed more than $75,000 to the project, two new dormitories have already been built on the grounds and a dining hall and kitchen are currently under construction.
Mbinda's vision for the orphanage is manifold. He is focused not just on housing and educating his charges, but also on shaping future leadership in the community.
"Part of what was really exciting for us is our shared goals. How do we develop really healthy leaders for the future? And that is something that we share with Robert. ... Children that grow up caring about other people, that they are not inward, but outward focused, serving other people," Heist said.
Bricks and mortar are a vital priority at present, however, because the orphanage has neither running water nor electricity.
"Can you imagine cooking for that many children everyday? Without water or electricity?" Heist asked.
During the question and answer portion of the Wednesday evening service, Mbinda said that in order for the inhabitants of the orphanage to have drinkable water, it must be fetched from a source three miles away. The older children take turns riding daily to the well and returning with heavy containers filled with water carefully balanced on either side of their bicycles.
Other questions posed by the congregation's young members ranged from the mundane to the profound. What sort of food do the children eat? What is the weather like in Tanzania? How do you choose which children can come into the orphanage?
The circumstances the orphans live under are vastly different from those of the children of the congregation, and Thompson added that this gives them pause to think about a life that is not as privileged as their own.
"They're surprised when they see the pictures, of how dry it is there. ... They're surprised that there was no running water or electricity. One asked, 'Where do they plug in their Nintendos?'" Thompson said, with a laugh.
Thompson, who lives in Ellicott City, is certain that a connection is being forged. When she asked participants of the church's vacation Bible school to design quilt squares, they responded with enthusiasm.
"We told them that this was to give the children at the orphanage a hug and the kids were so excited to know that something that they were involved with was going to do something good for a child that didn't have a mother or a dad," she said.
Seeing the handmade quilts for the first time, Mbinda was touched by the outpouring of goodwill and support.
"It was such a great surprise," he said. "An answer comes from where you do not know. These blankets are needed. ... In tears. I was left in tears."
For more information on the Good Samaritan Orphanage and St John Evangelical Lutheran Church visit www.stjohnmd.org or call 410-799-8888.
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