A Mountain Moving Experience

by Rita Langeland

The Baldwin family of Plano, Texas had no idea what they were getting themselves into when they signed up to do a “Charity Climb” up Mt. Kilimanjaro to benefit the Treasures of Africa Children’s Home. They love kids and they love hiking so the opportunity seemed to be a match made in heaven. But it would end up challenging them to the depths of their hearts, souls and bodies!
Steve and Karen Baldwin have raised their kids to love God and care about others and going to Tanzania to bless the TOA orphanage in Tanzania sounded like a great family vacation. Their 15 year old daughter, Caroline, had been a student of TOA Director Lydia Schaeffer years before when they lived in Southern California. She was excited to visit her former teacher and see the orphanage, so Caroline planned to spend the week playing with the kids while her parents and brother Michael climbed the mountain.

Caroline shared her experience at TOA with great enthusiasm: “Well, my first impression was nothing like what I had expected it to be. I was expecting a building that looked somewhat used and run down. But the orphanage looked SO BEAUTIFUL. The colors of the building, the landscape, and the playground were just so orderly and neat. I could tell that a lot of work had been put into it. And over all, everything was tidy and very clean from the bathrooms to the outdoors.”

“I had an AMAZING time playing with all of the children who are so full of Jesus that you could see it in their smiles. What was also SO GREAT, was to see my fifth grade teacher, Miss Schaeffer, again!!! I am so impressed by all that she is doing now and so proud of her too! It’s just such a cool thing to see a woman who was called to God’s work and then to catch up with her later in life to find that she’s doing His work, and then some... half way around the world! aaahhhhh she is so cool!!!! I can’t wait to visit her again!”

“The most special moment I experienced at TOA had to be one of the times I got to play soccer with the kids. They’re so hilarious and always happy. It kind of made me take a step back and realize how pathetic my own life was. I’m spoiled with all of the teen luxuries back home in Texas and yet I’m still bored most of the time. Being with them just playing the simple sport of soccer made me legitimately happy and changed some of the views I had about my source of joy. Of all the kids that touched my heart at TOA, I would have to say that I’m never going to forget the face of Innocent. I had heard his story about how he used to be a trouble maker and then surrendered his life to Christ and I was very impressed. And then meeting him was just like icing on the cake. It’s so amazing how a boy who is younger than I am and doesn’t even speak English can be such an example for me.”

While Caroline was enjoying meeting and playing with the children at Treasures of Africa, her 14 year old brother Michael was having a far different experience climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro. Michael describes his amazing trek in his own words:“When you ask someone what it was like to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, you can’t expect to get an answer because its hard to explain. It’s hard to explain your first time in a cloud, or being that high up in the air, or the relationships that form on the mountain. I’m sure that if you asked some people they would say it was really cold or it was the hardest thing they’ve ever done, and these are all good answers but they’re so general. When someone asks me what it was like, I have to realize that I hiked up 19,340 FEET IN THE AIR. When I put it that way, it really puts it in perspective for me.”

“The rainforest was like a whole other world. The trees created a canopy and the exotic plants made it look like we in some sort of strange dimension. Almost as soon as the rainforest began, it ended, and we moved on to a place that had strange bush-like plants. We hiked in this climate for about two days where we came into a new climate. This was very strange because I had never even thought that the life I saw up there existed. The plants were rare and exotic, almost like those of a dream. There were (surprisingly) birds up there too, which benefited from these plants. The way these plants were structured was amazing also. At night they would fold up to protect themselves from the cold, and in the morning, they would fold out to receive the sunlight. From there we hiked to a world where there was barely any life at all. There was only dust and jar - like rocks. This was the desert of Mt. Kilimanjaro. The rest of the hike was mostly like this. On the fifth night we camped at Barafu which was about 15,000 ft. up. That was by far the coldest night on the mountain. But I had a great view of the sky below me from my tent. The next morning we awoke at 5:00 A.M. to attempt to climb to the summit.”

“I cannot begin to tell you how tired I was that morning. But I somehow managed to muster up some strength to get ready. We ate breakfast and then we were off. This was definitely the hardest part of the climb. It was sandy and extremely steep. There was also very little oxygen which made it even harder. On that day, two of our porters carried our day packs and made it a whole lot easier. THAT DAY WAS THE HARDEST THING I HAVE EVER DONE IN MY LIFE! My guides, Genesis and Chaban, wouldn’t let me give up. They kept giving me water and kept shoving glucose in my mouth. When we reached Stellar point at 18,800 ft., I thought that was the summit. You cannot imagine the disappointment I had when I found out we still had 540 ft. to go. That was the hardest 540 ft. I have ever climbed. When I reached the top I almost cried (My mom was sobbing right next to me) but I’m a dude and dudes don’t cry.....unless their favorite football team loses the playoffs. But anyway, the feeling when I reached the summit I can’t even explain. It was extremely delicious. It was like when you finally got that Red Rider rifle for Christmas. I had a great feeling of pride and accomplishment. So after some pictures and videos, we headed back to camp. This also was a very long and hard hike down. The next day we climbed all the way down the mountain and back to the hotel.”

The whole family spent time together at the orphanage before and after the climb. Karen has done a considerable amount of children’s ministry at churches, so the language barrier was no barrier at all for her. She jumped right in teaching the children songs and games for hours on end in the heat. She describes some of her favorite moments: “I especially loved forming a TOA cheerleading squad with the older girls, and teaching them their first cheer - “JAMBO”! (The Swahili word for hello) We all had a million laughs with that! I also will never forget leading the kids in worship under the prayer hut....The Lord met us there.....each of their sweet voices ushered to the King of Kings....I know He was smiling down on us!! Their favorite song was “NOTHIN’” - absolutely nothing can separate us from the love of God through Jesus Christ!! Even the babies were singing and doing the motions to that song!! Someday we will all be worshiping around His throne in heaven together... what a glorious day that will be!!”

“My overall impression of the orphanage was amazement. I was impressed from the beginning, but I was even more impressed after I toured other parts of Moshi and Arusha, and visited some of the local tribes. After seeing the local lifestyles and the hardships that even the smallest of children face on a daily basis, these children truly have been rescued and given abundant hope through loving caretakers and awesome opportunities in receiving a Biblical worldview education!! I can hardly wait to see all that will become of their lives and the mighty testimonies that will be told as they mature in their faith as well as their stature! To God be the Glory GREAT things He has done!!”

Steve Baldwin has spent his entire adult life working hard in the business arena. His trip to Tanzania and Treasures of Africa impacted him profoundly and he shared his thoughts with us. “The special moment for me came when I was watching the kids run up and down the soccer field with big smiles on their faces. When I think about what some of the children would have faced without the Treasures of Africa Orphanage, I feel a profound sense of gratitude for how wellcared for the children are. I cannot adequately express how impressed I was with the orphanage. Against the backdrop of East African poverty and a system that is struggling to care for children, TOA literally radiates with love. With all the challenged infrastructure in Tanzania, I could not believe how pristine TOA is... so clean and well maintained, it really is a hidden gem. If more people could just see what you have accomplished, you would be flooded with support.”

“I find it so strange and intriguing that there is this whole life going on over in Africa -- the animals, the color and shape of the land, and all of the people. There’s this slow rhythmic cadence to life that is so different than what I live every day. It is not an exaggeration, as I sit here in Texas, to say that I can sense this far away drumbeat from Africa. It’s an awareness that I didn’t have before. I know that there is a pride of lions doing their best to sneak up on a water buffalo, and the impalas are out there too, separated by only a few hundred yards from the cheetah that wants to run them down and eat them. In the towns there is a dignified desperation of needs and wants. And in the orphanage, Lydia is holding Momo by the swing set while she pushes Justina on the swing. Raymond and Innocent battle it out on the soccer field. Really, how strange to think that all of this is going on right now as I sit here worried about silly things that don’t matter. What does matter is the work that is being done at TOA, and I thank God for this orphanage. TOA has proven themselves as excellent stewards of the trust and money that people have donated. I wholeheartedly endorse this orphanage and the work being done there.”