The Friday Flyer • September 8, 2017

CANYON LAKE’S NEWSPAPER • SEPTEMBER 8, 2017
Ty Herndon, Lance Allen to perform Saturday at lodge Pg. A4
Santa Rosa Academy lends helping hand to hurricane victims Pg. A8
Community invited to annual Pancake Breakfast Pg. A9
Janelle Basham, center, poses with the mis- sion team from Elevation and the children who live at the orphanage in Zambia.
Trip to Zambia leads to journey of the heart for Canyon Lakers
When Canyon Lake resident Janelle Basham used to think of Africa, she would picture safaris and exotic ani- mals, but after spending time this sum- mer at the Breath of Heaven orphanage in Zambia, all she can picture now when she closes her eyes is the faces of smil- ing children radiating with hope for their futures.
Janelle and her twenty-one-year-old daughter Jocelyn (Canyon Lake Youth of the Year 2014) were part of the 16 members of the Elevation Church in Menifee to travel on a mission trip to an orphanage, The Breath of Heaven Chil- dren Ministries, in Zambia, Africa. This village was created by Pastor Ted Lawl- er who was a local pastor at Emmanuel Christian Fellowship in Temecula and Wildomar. Pastor Ted now finds himself on the other side of the world with his wife Judy. “In 2007, this precious couple was obedient to what they felt was their ‘calling’ to start the Breath of Heaven,” said Janelle.
Pastor Ted and Judy were drawn to this ministry because of the HIV/AIDS induced orphan epidemic in Zambia. The growing number of Zambian or-
phans, by some estimates, has surpassed one million. Thousands of children are living in the streets of its capital, Lu- saka, giving Zambia one of the highest populations of street children per capita in the world.
It was 2014 when Janelle first heard about the Breath of Heaven. The kids had heard at youth group that Eleva- tion was putting together a team to visit an orphanage in Africa. When Janelle’s daughter Kaitlyn was 14 years old, she felt a stirring in her heart to serve there. “She was very disheartened when I told her there was no way she was going to Africa. I told her she was too young and it was too dangerous,” said Janelle.
When Kaitlyn’s older sister Jocelyn saw the video at church the following Sunday, they both had made up their minds that it would be a “sisters mis- sion trip”. Janelle said, I immediately let them know again that although I loved their hearts, there was no way they were going to Africa.” Jocelyn remind- ed Janelle that she would be 18, a legal adult, when the trip would take place.
During this same period of time, Janelle’s husband John was spending
a lot of time flying in South Africa. He told the girls that he was willing to check out the village and make sure they would be safe. John flew from Belgium with enough Belgium waffles for every orphan at the village. From the moment he stepped on the property, he knew immediately it was a wonderful op- portunity for their daughters and
one they would never forget. “John gave his blessing and before I knew it, we were renewing pass- ports and getting immuniza- tions,” said Janelle.
In July, Kaitlyn and Jocelyn
headed to the other side of the
globe to the Breath of Heaven orphanage where they spent
two weeks at the village. The
trip was a life changing ex-
perience for both. “Breath
of Heaven became part of
their hearts,” said Janelle.
Each of their stories they shared upon their return was so inspiring to Janelle that she promised herself she would one day make the same journey and visit the children that have overcome unimagi-
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Jocelyn Basham holds a young child who lives at the orphanage she visited in Zambia.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY JANELLE BASHAM PHOTO PROVIDED BY JANELLE BASHAM