A team of 13 from the U.S. and 3 South Africans are in South Africa celebrating Christmas with thousands… Here they sit after their third party of the day in Beaufort West.

happy faces at the Sunset party in Beaufort West, South Africa

What a great time the team had celebrating with about 150 kids at Little Baghdad in Beaufort West, South Africa.

Extreme Response would like to thank CCA&B, publishers of Elf on the Shelf and Light in the Night, for helping us bring the joy of Christmas to thousands of children in Africa, Asia and Latin America through their donation of plus toys.

A little bit of Christmas cheer

Music artist Jordan Anderson is preparing for a fourth trip to Ecuador, where he’ll lead music for volunteers and help with all the Christmas celebrations. He shares how the first three trips have shaped his world view.

Growing up you see a lot of pictures of poverty, images of kids who are hungry. But the first time I went to Quito was the first time I’ve seen it in person. It really impacts your heart when you go and see people who are hungry and don’t have much, and yet they somehow still have joy in their lives.

Last year we went with our daughter Lorelei. Having a child changes your perspective on other children. It’s interesting. There’s no difference between babies when they are born. It just happens that they are born where they are born into different circumstances. That creates a lot of thankfulness on our parts, but also we more clearly see the needs of children who don’t have much and probably never will. So anything small thing we can do for them, we want to do.

The thing that always touches me is visiting the children’s day care at the Zambiza Dump. I probably get more out of it than the kids do. They are so willing to jump in your arms and be loved on. I think it’s cool when you see people on your team who are more reserved, who keep to themselves, and during the course of the week you see them slowly start to reach out to other people.

I always enjoy going to Remanso de Amor (Haven of Love) and the school there. Having taught before, it draws me in. On one hand you have families, kids, broken homes, and poverty. But around them is incredible scenery. It’s like two different worlds. You have the poor with beautiful mountains in the background.

While these Christmas celebrations are going on, a lot of people forget about the situation they are in, whether that’s a job situation or their family life, or just not having anything. In America, we might try to get away from people with such needs. But they keep getting in lines at the parties because they know we’re there to help them. As much we’re there for them, it’s a huge impact on me personally, being able to serve them. Running a game for two or three hours straight is difficult physically, but the joy far outweighs it.

The first year we went to Quito, I spotted an American volunteer who was kneeling down next to a young girl he had befriended. He had spent a lot of the day with this girl, helping her play the games. She had gone through the food line and he was meeting her as she was walking out. For some reason I felt what he was feeling. And then he just started crying and he hugged her. He looked at me out of corner of his eye. He saw me looking at him and I started tearing up. He looked at me knowing that I saw what just happened, and that moment has always defined what I feel for these kids - to be willing to spend time with them and love on them. You can’t stay with them, but they have a special place in your heart.

I love seeing ER’s partnerships with other people around the world. ER’s mission is to team up with partners as long as the partner needs. And when that partner is sustainable, ER will step away without asking for any honor or glory from it. That’s the way it should be.

To listen to Jordan Anderson’s music, visit www.facebook.com/jandersonmusic.

As music artist Jessa Anderson prepares for a fourth trip to Ecuador, she shares the highlights of her first three trips.

My first trip to Ecuador was a great experience - it had been several years since I’d been on an overseas trip, and it was the first time Jordan and I went as a family. It was refreshing to be reminded of how things are in the rest of the world, versus the small world I live in.

That first trip really renewed my passion to be involved in global work. Throughout the three trips, we’ve been impacted in different ways as we’ve interacted with the families we serve. Last year we had our four-month-old daughter with us, and I felt like I experienced the week differently than the previous years. My heart had totally changed for all those mothers and children we worked with. I felt so connected to them; it really drove home the point that we are equally valuable, no matter what our circumstances.

For me, the biggest impact overall has been the reaction of the kids. They are so excited to get a small portion of food or a tiny gift. To see the joy on their faces for what they receive is almost heartbreaking because of how happy it makes them. When you compare that with our lifestyle, you realize how much we have we don’t even need. I love to do all this because of the impact we’re making in the children’s lives.

I love to spend time at (partner site) Pan de Vida. It’s located downtown, so the people are from the city. It’s been very powerful to see them come and stand in line, often in the rain, and then cram into a very small space to participate in the Christmas party.

The Zambiza Dump party is always amazing - the sheer number of people who come from every direction. They stand outside with their entire families, and you realize just how important these parties are to them. And then the food lines are always so long, but they line up an hour or more early just to make sure they are in line for their food. It touches your heart to see how important it is for them to take home a bag of basic staples.

I feel really privileged to know a lot of the key staff members of Extreme Response. When you come and work with people for a week, you get the benefit of seeing what they are doing first-hand, but sitting down one-to-one and getting to know them has been so affirming. Over the years I’ve gotten to know the founders and see the kind of people they are - genuine and passionate. What gets them up in the morning is Extreme Response because it is making a huge impact on the world.

To listen to Jessa’s new CD, Not Myself Anymore, visit www.jessaanderson.com

Inspired by Love at Manta Orphanage

When Cindy Haviland heard about a team going to serve at an orphanage in Manta, Ecuador, she knew it was something she had to do. The orphanage has become an important partner to Extreme Response International, and especially to Extreme Response Canada.

Each year, teams go to Manta to throw Christmas parties and help with light maintenance and distributing gift and food bags. Cindy, who lives in the small town of Waterford, ON, Canada, has volunteered on three trips. The teams also have helped with even larger parties in several impoverished areas of Quito, Ecuador.

The mother of four leads an active life, volunteering at school, helping lead Bible studies, assisting her self-employed husband, and sewing, knitting and quilting items to be donated to missions. Yet the trips to Ecuador have allowed her to serve in a whole new way.

“I’ve always had a heart for kids, but most of the trips I knew about focused on construction,” she said. “But when this trip to Manta came up and I heard what previous teams were saying, I felt I should go.”

Cindy has been inspired by the way young lives are being transformed.

“The orphanage at Manta is run by the Por Amor Foundation,” she said. “The way the orphanage is set up, national couples live in each house. The kids call them mom and dad. A lot of these kids have never had their own bed or a home.

“The love for the kids is phenomenal. Every kid has their own story, but they found a home at the orphanage.

“We’re helping by showing love to the people. The trips give us a chance to meet them in their own setting and come along side them.

“I want to share what ER is doing, how it is working with its partners, and the passion those partners have for their people. It’s not about us.”

by Tim Fausch

Child Sponsors Find Their Next Step in Ecuador

Kristen and Mark Ghesquiere, MD, run a medical practice in Simcoe, Canada. They have been sponsoring children in poor countries for 20 years.

While the sponsorships have helped meet the couple’s desire to help others, they found themselves seeking the next step. So along with their teenage daughter Madi, they joined a team from Canada headed to Ecuador to help throw Christmas parties in community centers located in impoverished sections of Quito and at the Zambiza Dump.

“When Mark started his practice, we dedicated funds for World Vision kids and have increased the number of children we sponsor over the years,” said Kristen Ghesquiere.

“We felt we were being called to extend ourselves a bit more,” Mark said. “We were looking for an organization to become involved with when we heard about Extreme Response and decided to do a little reconnaissance.

“We wanted to come and see what Extreme Response is about,” Mark added. “We really liked the fact that ER is a streamlined organization and the staff demonstrates humility.”

“I’ve been so impressed by Jose Jimenez and his work in the dump,” Kristen said. “In Canada, the government takes care of the needs of the poor. There’s none of that in Ecuador. Jose takes responsibility for the dump families and makes things happen.”

The Ghesquieres also have been inspired by the willingness of nationals to step up and support the work and partnerships of Extreme Response.

“I was working alongside an Ecuadorian volunteer at the dump and she shared her personal situation with me,” Kristen said. “She’s a single mom with three kids. She chose to be a volunteer at the dump instead of a victim.”

By Tim Fausch

True Grit: Extreme Needs Impact Joe and Julie Wendel

Like many people, Joe and Julie Wendel statistically comprehended the humanitarian needs in other countries. However, the Noblesville, Indiana, couple was busy raising two sons, running a successful business, and enjoying many fulfilling relationships with friends.

They were happy to help support people like Ruth Arteaga, a friend of Julie’s for 25 years, who is on staff with Extreme Response (ER) in Quito, Ecuador. The Wendels also knew Paul and Susan Fernane, who serve in Ecuador through ER.

Then Julie agreed to join a volunteer team headed to Ecuador to help throw Christmas parties in some impoverished areas of Quito.

The stories of Ruth, Paul and Susan became more than just stories. They became personal and very real. They had their concepts of overseas volunteer trips turned upside down. Julie has returned to Ecuador twice more to volunteer.

“Prior to going on my first ER Christmas team trip, I had a lot of preconceived ideas on what it meant to help people, such as digging wells and building buildings,” Julie Wendel said.

“Volunteering through Extreme Response was the perfect first volunteer trip. There is so much interaction with the people you are helping. You see the grit of their lives. The trip makes it more personal and impacts your perspective.

“Christmas at home in Indiana has not been the same,” she added. “Our involvement with Extreme Response gives us a different view of our stuff. We’ve been challenged to live and give sacrificially.

“We have focused our giving on needs-based ministries that focus upon orphans, widows and children who are marginalized in societies throughout the world. ER is a critical and trusted partner in these efforts. We are on a giving journey with real goals that we are challenged and burdened to reach.

“Leader Mundial (ER’s leadership training arm) has been one of the most influential things in our lives. Joe has been impacted deeply by the chance to pour into leaders in other parts of the world. He Skypes regularly with Gabriel Kpodi, who leads a school for refugees in Ivory Coast.

“One of the things we love about Extreme Response is that it is small enough to know everyone and, as a result, there is a naturally higher level of accountability. From a donor perspective, it’s exciting to be part of an organization filled with people we love caring for people we want to help. At the same time we are provided opportunities to get to meet those we want to help and love them with more than just money.”

by Tim Fausch

Ana Pallikan Discovers Silent Killer

Ana Pallikan never dreamed of going to Ecuador. But her friends kept talking about their positive experiences there, so she agreed to join a team of volunteers to help throw Christmas parties in several impoverished areas of Quito.

“Julie Wendel is a forced to be reckoned with,” Ana said, referring to her friend and trip recruiter. Ana and Julie attend the same church in Fishers, IN, so there was little chance of escaping the invitation.

Ana’s team from Indiana joined a large international team in Quito. The volunteers proceeded to put on seven Christmas parties in five days at community centers, a retirement home, and the Zambiza Dump.

The team spent many hours preparing crafts, assembling gift bags for children, and preparing food for distribution. The parties were high-energy, with games, face and nail painting, and family photos.

Ana said she the trip was eye-opening.

“I really noticed the immense needs,” she said. “I don’t know how much food the people have, but the gratitude they show is tremendous. What we would consider a little, they consider a lot.

“I was surprised how people can find joy in joyless situations,” she added. “It speaks to how we let materialism in the U.S. blind us.

“This trip was a reality check. Our wealth is a silent killer.”

by Tim Fausch

Retiree Ruthie Mattox Celebrates Christmas in Nepal with Street Kids

At 67-year-old, Ruthie Mattox could have stayed comfortable and warm in her Shoreview, MN, home in December 2010. Instead, she traveled half-way around the world to Nepal and India to reach out to street kids.

The retired nurse had to deal with Minnesota-like weather in Nepal. The team she joined worked in buildings with no heat and 30-degree temperatures. Ruthie was up for the challenge.

“A big obstacle was how to pack winter clothes for Nepal and summer clothes for India. I ended up wearing layers of clothing on the plane and in Nepal while sleeping, working and using the outhouse,” Ruthie said. “It was all good. We found many ways to keep warm.”

Ruthie had previously participated in Vision Trips with HCJB and a work team in Ecuador with Extreme Response. The trip to Nepal and India was her first to that part of the world.

She said the Christmas parties her team helped throw in Pokhara, Nepal, impacted her dramatically.

“Fifty street kids were rounded up and brought to a city park by bus. They ranged in age from five to 18. These kids have been thrown out of their homes, abandoned, and literally survive by living on the streets. Many sniff glue, beg, steal and gather recyclables in order to buy food.

“The kids arrived cheering and poured out of the bus, jumping off the roof and doing cartwheels. They were ragged, dirty, scantily dressed, and yet all smiles,” Ruthie said. “We were in the mountains of Nepal, where it is very cold at night.  Somehow, they survive the frigid weather.

“Our Christmas program began with singing, guitars and drums.  Kids were keeping beat and clapping.

“We began painting faces with hearts and rainbows. Many kids wanted crosses. They loved the puppet show and our clown. They laughed hysterically.

“When it was time to eat, they were beside themselves. Tiny kids consumed two or three huge platefuls of rice, peas in gravy, and meat. The place abounded with smiles.

“The kids were so excited to receive gifts and warm wool caps.  As they prepared to board the bus, each picked up their gunny sack which they use all day to pick up recyclables.  They sleep piled up in clusters, or inside their bags in door fronts on the street.

“The Extreme Response staff and the Napali YWAM team did a tremendous job of organizing the party and the program.  What a joy it was to be in there and experience this. I’ll be praying for these children who fight daily to survive on the streets of Pokhara.”

Ruthie (left) with Barb Cline

by Tim Fausch