There are People.........
There are people in the world that do amazing things for others. There are people in this COUNTRY that do amazing things, for others. There are people in this CITY that do amazing things, for others. People that shy away from cameras, lights and action. People that silently go about changing lives in ways often not seen by the media.
A couple months ago I reconnected with an old school friend. An amazing woman by the name of Marchelle Hendricks. Marchelle has the incredible gift of connecting people. People who are change makers in their own right. After a number of phone conversations she decided to me to a man by the name Greg Havenga. The branches of this tree has sprouted in so many directions in a very short space of time, so much so that I have had so many perspective changing moments that go beyond my feeble understanding.
For example.
Saturday past Greg, his daughter
Ilsa, a friend Ricardo and I went to a place hidden away in the heart of
Westridge, Mitchells Plane. A very special place may I add.
Hanna’s Place of Safety is the two
story home of Dion and Janine Fabe and their children. The family live
upstairs. Down below, on what one may call the ground floor is where the
miracle happens. This is where you find the sanctuary for abandoned and
unwanted babies. Babies from age zero are taken there and they spend the first
year of life in this haven of love until they are able to be placed with
adoptive parents.
The story of Hanna’s Place below as it is recorded on their website in the words of Janine Fabe.
“After working in the fashion industry for over 17 years, the tug in my
heart to make a difference in the lives of children grew too strong to
ignore. Working full time, traveling internationally for business,
married with five kids, my hands were full. Yet the urging to take care
of abandoned, orphaned and abused children continued to increase. To care
for unwanted, unloved and unprotected kids had always been a desire of my
heart. It started with my father. He was an orphan from 7 years old
to 18 years of age. I saw the struggles he faced even as an adult
resulting from never having anyone truly love him as he grew up in the
orphanage. Once he pointed to me the old orphanage building called Bonny
Town. It never left me.
About 12 years ago, I volunteered with the local Orphanage Christine
Revell. It is where we met and later adopted our youngest daughter.
The children I served at the Revell facility further solidified my desire to
help hurting children. In 2015, I resigned my management position and in
2016 Dion and I launched Hannah’s Place of Safety”.
Greg had collected clothes from another group of amazing people, an NPO called Rachel’s Wishes, run by another amazing lady, Christine Adcock. I need to mention that this was just one more connection that was facilitated by Marchelle Hendricks. Our mission was to deliver the clothes to Hannah’s. The house was very quiet. Two little bundles of joy were on the floor in cribs watching Cartoon Network. In the boardroom next door, in three perfectly aligned cots, three more, all soundly asleep. Shortly after we arrived we were joined by Santana. She passionately related to us the story behind Hannah’s Place of Safety. The guided tour took us into one of the nurseries. There is a Tree of Life painted across the wall. Dozens of “names” dot the tree. Names of little ones that came into Hannah’s with very little, some even clinging onto a vestige of life and a glimmer of hope. Each and every name is known to Santana. She relates each of their stories with a tinge of emotion. Some are just beyond belief. Some stir a lump in the throat. Yet each and every name is a success story. All of them are now with a mom and dad, in a family where they are loved and cared for.
Over the last few months, and
through my interactions with Marchelle Hendricks, Greg Havenga and many others
in this network, I have encountered so much love and care from people who do “acts
of kindness” for others. Moments that have taken my breath away and left me feeling
overwhelmed. It is abundantly clear to me that the moment one steps out of
that comfort zone, the moment one puts religious affiliation aside, the moment
one looks beyond the politics and the need to impress, amazing things can be
achieved. Hannah’s Place of Safety changes lives, little lives. It is awe inspiring to see and experience.
Amazing people doing incredible things.
Comments
Post a Comment