I took a team of the interns to Morocco last week after they completed their first term at the G42 Leadership Academy. Our primary mission was to make contact with some new “friends” that are living and working inside Morocco to bring peace, hope, and love to this nation caught between Islam and the West.
Morocco is interesting in that it sits on the Straight of Gibraltar, just an hour-long ferry ride from Spain and Europe. Because of that it is one of the more ‘progressive’ Muslim nations, trying to hold on to the rituals and rules of Islam while at the same time, embracing and befriending the West. I was struck by the true “Clash of Civilizations” going on in this nation. On one hand, it is truly an Islamic nation, with tight controls on behavior, dress, and religious practice. On the other, the younger generations listen to American pop music, dress in trendy European styles, and enjoy practicing their English. And here we were, American (i.e. Christian) tourists who were continually the object of attention for most locals.
Since our goal was to make contact with as many future partners as possible, we traveled around quite a bit. We were based in Meknes, which was a medium-sized city that was central to many of the places we wanted to travel. So we did, by taxi (7 people jammed in one taxi for 2 hours–fun!) and train, and by foot. We got to trek into villages and speak to locals with a mix of Spanish, French, and Arabic; we got to wander in old medinas full of colors (and smells :^P ); and we got to visit and play with orphans at the Village of Hope orphanage in Ain Leuh, Morocco.
The Village of Hope isn’t really an orphanage, it’s more of a children’s home. And it was nothing like we expected–it wasn’t rows upon rows of dirty beds, bored children, and dusty grounds. It was an oasis of family, community, life, and love!
A bit of background–in a Muslim society, sex out of marriage simply “doesn’t happen.” If somehow a girl does get pregnant, she is shuttled off to the city to have an abortion or off to the country to have her baby, leave it at an orphanage, and then return to her life. In fact, we were told that Muslims believe that orphans are born without a soul, therefore it is okay to kill them. So orphans in Morocco really don’t have a chance to ever re-integrate into Moroccan society. BUT, at the Village of Hope, each orphan is actually adopted by a family that commits to raising that child as their own until they are 18 years old. There are currently 4-5 families with 8-10 “children” (natural and adopted) each that live at Village of Hope. They live in community, and their children attend school on the grounds, provided by Moroccan teachers, in Arabic. The parents come from South Africa, Holland, America, the UK, and around the world. So these kids get to grow up learning multiple languages, in a family that loves and cares for them. It’s an amazing concept!
And the Village of Hope reaches out to the community as well: children from local villages attend the school, they are currently building a clinic that will not only care for the families on-site, but will care for villages as well, and they bring in local tradesmen and farmers to teach the children to be workers and leaders. They are truly building a generation of Moroccans who will re-enter society, no longer stigmatized, but who will be a light to their fellow citizens!
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That is just one place that interns and graduates may be involved in the future… I will try and write more soon. Just as an update, the June term starts Monday 15 June, with four new students in addition to the five already attending. We are growing quickly and we are hopign to move into a larger, more modern facility by September! Please be in prayer that a property opens up that will be perfect for us. Other than ongoing classes, this is my highest priority right now, to find a place that will have the sleeping capacity, classroom space, and a large kitchen to accomodate all of the students we are planning on having.
Thank you to everyone who is following us and praying for us on this journey…. and thanks to Michelle for letting me use her photos…!
