When she was a student at Manheim Central High School, Rose Kidd took her first mission trip. She visited an orphanage in Mexico, and her love for travel and helping others was born.

Kidd, now 67 and a Mount Joy resident, took a mission trip to Uganda and Kenya in July and August of this past summer, helping at Gem Village near Kampala and at Jesus Hobbs House of Hope School and Children's Home near Nairobi. The experience left her with a renewed appreciation for creature comforts, a revitalized love for service and a strong desire to do it all again.

"Everyone should travel to a Third-World country," Kidd said. "It really puts things in perspective."

Kidd learned about Gem Village through a friend. "I thought, 'This is such an amazing place,'" she recalled of the organization that provides a home for disabled and special needs children. "Their vision is inspiring."

She traveled to the 88-acre village and spent time with the children, who range in age from preschoolers through high-schoolers. "I mostly fed the children and played with the kids," she said. The organization provides housing, school and opportunities for worship. Plans are in the works to expand the assisted living programming to children who age out of care at age 18 and to bring a doctor to work at the on-site clinic, which will also be open to members of the surrounding community.

Kidd also traveled to Jesus Hobbs House of Hope after learning about the organization through a former pastor at her church, Grace Community Fellowship in Manheim. The organization offers a home to 17 children who have been orphaned or who have been sent to the home by social services. As she did at her first stop, Kidd spent time playing with the children and learning about the organization's mission.

Although the circumstances surrounding the lives of the residents of both locations may be grim, Kidd emphasized that joy was abundant. "You could tell the children in both places were loved," she said. "You could tell that they had experienced the love of God."

Some of her fondest memories of the trip were teaching the children to play Dutch Blitz, which she brought with her, and helping them fly a kite. When the fabric kite ripped after it got stuck in a tree, Kidd found a sewing kit and repaired it. Soon, she was approached by child after child requesting repairs for various items of clothing.

Kidd wants to return to both organizations, and she was so moved by her experience in Uganda, she'd like to apply for a three-month internship with Gem Village. She's ready to go, she said, if she can find someone to care for her cat while she's away.

Although her background includes years of working with children through the IU 13 and child care facilities, Kidd is quick to point out that anyone can serve those who need it most.

"If you feel called to help, I say go for it," she stated. "You never know what you're capable of until you take that first step and do it."

Kidd is willing to answer questions about the organizations or give presentations to groups. For more information, contact her at mountjoyrose@gmail.com.