America’s eyes have been locked in on St. Louis, Minnesota, and Dallas these past weeks – and rightly so. We cannot turn a blind eye to all that has taken place. This does not mean, however, that we must ignore the good and the beautiful taking place around us. Something incredibly good and beautiful happened Saturday July 9 in Waleska, Georgia.Movie Rings (2017)
The Mandela Washington Fellows (MWF) program was founded by President Obama in 2014. This year, MWF selected 200 young African leaders age 25-35 to come and learn at American universities for six weeks. They will then spend three days in Washington D.C. – including a town hall meeting with the Obamas. 25 of these young leaders are studying at Georgia State University, and on Saturday July 9, they visited Goshen Valley Boys Ranch.
The Goshen Valley Foundation is ranked as Georgia’s top child caring institution. Goshen Valley Boys Ranch (the Ranch) houses 46 boys in foster care. A few individuals leading the MWF group in Atlanta, namely Dr. Sharon Hill, long time advocate of Goshen Valley and previous Deputy Director of the Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS), reached out to Goshen Valley about hosting the Atlanta MWF group for a day. We accepted with great pleasure.
Our day began with an informational meeting. Our Founder, John Blend, as well as two of our directors, Stacy Cooper and Giselle Espinal-Francis, shared about our history, stories, practices, and financial details. The MWF participants were equipped with data, audits, and resources to improve orphan care and other non-profit industries in their home countries.
The informational meeting led to a true southern lunch provided by Bub-Ba-Q. We then took a hayride tour of the Ranch and visited two homes on our property. Then began one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen.
There exists a plethora of pictures featuring white Americans playing with African kids during a mission trip. Saturday at Goshen Valley I saw the roles reversed. A group of African leaders came to Waleska, GA and played soccer with our kids in foster care.
During their time together I witnessed some beautiful interactions. I saw children who, rather than being focused on our differences, were filled with curiosity about our guests. They did not want to debate; they just wanted to be friends and show off their clean rooms and soccer skills. They asked our guests questions such as “What is it like to travel to a different country?” and, “What has surprised you about America?” and, “You’re from Madagascar? Have you seen the movie?”
Maybe this country would be better off if we were all a bit more like children. Maybe we need to prioritize what we have in common rather than letting our differences separate us. Maybe I need to ask more questions instead of giving better answers. Maybe we need to play more soccer and have fewer arguments.
And maybe I need to watch Madagascar and see what that country is all about.
– Evan Ingram, Residential Life, Goshen Valley Boys Ranch
“Goshen Valley has reminded me of the love that can heal broken souls and strengthened my resolve to make a change back home in Nigeria.” – Dr. Matilda Kerry Osazuwa, Founder – George Kerry Life Foundation
“I was talking to one of the fellows about his experience. He said, ‘In much of our time here, Americans seem very individualistic and isolated. Visiting Goshen Valley has been the best part of our visit. You aren’t like that here. This place feels like a family.’” – Anthony Hall, Life Coach, reflecting on a personal conversation
Click for information on the Young African Leaders Institute.