Blessing the New Land in the Ivory Coast

I've been sitting on this video for a few months, hoping to share it sooner than later, but I needed to get some English subtitles on it first. I have finally gotten the subtitles on it, and I'm stoked to finally get to share it!

One of our friends at our Ivorian partner orphanage took this video to capture two special moments. Now you get to enjoy these moments, too.

Ever since Mama Auguy started the orphanage in 2006, they've rented a property for the kids' home. And it's been a turbulent ride, with not having the space they need, needing to make large monthly payments for rent, and feeling the threat of homelessness as their landlady pressures them to leave so that she can sell the property to the hotel next door. 

This is why we started The Avenir Project—to help them become stable, and ultimately sustainable. To help them build a new home that each child can count on, so that they can feel safe, heal, and thrive. And then to pursue other orphanage families who need and desire the same thing (and there's a lot of need and a lot of desire!). 

Last June, while we were visiting, we took a Sunday to picnic at the new land the orphanage has just received as a gift from a local pastor, Pastor Bernadin. After our picnic, we blessed the land that will become their new home. I was asked to give a speech on behalf of our Avenir Project family, which is captured here in this video, and then we ceremoniously laid the first stone of their new home, also captured in this video. 

It was an honor. And it was all the more an honor to represent our Avenir Project family.

This video isn't super short (it's like 7 minutes), but it's historical, and I hope you'll get to savor at least some of it. It's surreal that we get to be a part of this moment. 5:35 is when we lay the first stone!