A few years ago, Brandon Adams, a graphic designer with Garden Spot Village (GSV), felt a calling. "The Lord was prompting me to do something in the New Holland area with Missions of Hope International (MOHI)," recalled Adams, who had taken mission trips and spent two months working with the organization in Kenya. "I went to chaplain Chet Yoder (to consult him about the matter)."

The result is a partnership between MOHI and GSV, which includes sponsoring children in the Mathare Valley, Nairobi, Kenya, and a two-week Travel with Purpose mission trip to the region in February 2022, which will be led by Adams and GSV chaplain Karyn Nancarvis. The 12 members of that team will host a Hunger Experience for area residents in the GSV Chapel on Saturday, Nov. 6, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. "It's an educational experience," explained Nancarvis. The experience is free, but seating is limited. Those wishing to attend should preregister by Tuesday, Oct. 26, by searching for "Hunger Experience" at http://www.eventbrite.com. Masks will be required at the event.

During the Hunger Experience, participants will be assigned an identity and encouraged to roleplay that person in an interactive setting. Food that will be involved in the event will reflect what the person each participant was assigned may have had to eat that day. "The food participants will receive will help teach the reality of how people around the world in different classes eat," explained Adams. The goal is for participants to gain a better understanding of food distribution and poverty by understanding the realities of worldwide food access.

The Travel with Purpose team is made up of GSV staff members and residents ranging in age from 39 to their early 80s. Adams explained that MOHI specifically works with people in need in the urban slums of the Mathare Valley. On the trip, the group will visit the children's homes and school and hold a two-day vacation Bible school for the fourth-grade class. Team members in addition to Adams and Nancarvis are Jeannine Perry, Vanessa Moore, Robin Heinrich, Nancy Heckman, Judy Rettew, Edna Jean Homsher, Tony der Kinderen, Arlene der Kinderen, Evie Hershey, and Jodi Lefever.

GSV residents and staff members have sponsored 16 of the children the team will meet. "For those (sponsors) who can't go, we plan to meet their kids and bring them love from their sponsors," said Adams. "That's the purpose of the trip and to bless the staff and missionaries."

One team member is a GSV resident who has been blind from birth and who lives an independent life. When the team members approached her about joining them on the trip, she responded positively. "(MOHI) has a special needs program for children. She is anxious to meet them," said Nancarvis.

Nancarvis noted that the team is working with GSV's infection control officer, who is a team member, to complete the trip safely. "We are being very careful," she said. "So far we have a green light."