My forearms were burning and as the blood rushed to my head I knew two things for sure; I was not going to make it to tree three AND wearing shorts under my skirt was the best choice I had made that morning.
Down the path from the water hole lies this group of trees that form a circle. The boys call it an obstacle course. As they swing from branch to branch and swiftly maneuver between the trees as though it is flat land I thought, “I’m in. How hard can this really be?”
Don’t ask. I’m not sure how it even happened; all I know is I was facing the dirt and couldn’t complete the course.
As the boys laughed at us amateurs slowly moving between the branches only to land on a branch that couldn’t hold our weight, I thought this is truly a boy’s dream land.
John started Kedesh almost two decades ago after a YWAM orphanage closed. He is one of the most hospitable and intelligent men I have ever met. Kedesh currently houses 24 orphaned boys ranging in age from 8 to 21 years old.
Opening the gate to Kedesh unleashes you into a Swiss Family Robinson like paradise. There is a volleyball court, disc golf, a water hole to go swimming, fields to run in and play baseball, and board games galore. The boys cook, clean, wash their own clothes, and have built every building on the property.
They are a family and make you feel a part the second you step foot on the property. John’s philosophy is to equip these young men with necessary life skills, even the ones they deem as a woman’s job, and responsibility while learning about life hands on. He’s not afraid to take on a mess and let the boys get dirty which is good since boys will be boys. His philosophy may be contradictory to the typical African way of running orphanages where children are to be seen and not heard, but that is what makes Kedesh a home.
They even have regular movie nights with popcorn drenched in butter so you know I fit right in!
