On June 30, Julia Ellifritt and her son Nate will travel to Antananarivo, Madagascar for two weeks of basketball and soccer camps. Julia, one of the co-founders of Ancient Path and long-time board member, has carried the children of Madagascar in her heart since her first trip there in 1999. Some years later, she adopted her then-7-year-old son, Nantenaina, from a Malagasy orphanage. For years, Nate has been thriving in America and, along the way, has learned to love and play the game of basketball. Now he wants to go back to Madagascar, sharing those skills with the friends he left behind – and make a difference in his homeland.
Joining Julia and Nate will be other seasoned Africa travelers, Tom and Mary Breslin and their sons, Daniel and Shawn. Tom and Mary have similar hearts for Madagascar and have traveled several times to this nation, working both in the capital city as well as the remote Mikea forest region.
A great team, an exciting mission – and here’s how you can help!
Julie writes:
Our desire is to bring the gospel to life by loving, encouraging and providing for the students we work with.
Our goal is for every child/teen that participates in the sports camp to leave with his/her very own basketball or soccer ball, and athletic shoes. Can you imagine being on a high school basketball team and not even owning your very own ball? Unfathomable in this country ~ a reality in third-world nations. We aim to change that for some high school kids in Madagascar! This is where we need your help. Our trip expenses are covered, but we are looking for donations of the following things to take with us:
- Basketballs (we will deflate them prior to packing)
- Small hand pumps (available at Dicks sporting goods)
- Referee whistles
- Two hoops (no backboards) and extra nets
- Money to purchase the cement, metal pole to hold the backboard, and paint, once we are in country
- Shin guards (in all sizes) for the soccer players
- Travel size soap (the kind you get in hotels. If you travel, please get extras from the hotel)
- Crayons (when you visit restaurants with kids, and get crayons with your menu, those are thrown away when you leave. Please donate those to us!)
- Medical supplies (bandages, aspirin, etc)
- Candy (non-chocolate, individually wrapped, for the kids)
- We will be staying with the Bishop of Madagascar, in the Rectory. If you would like to make a donation to their ministries, we will gladly take that as well!
If you’d like to contribute, you can either donate the requested goods or the funds to purchase these goods. To donate online click here and simply write Madagascar Sports Camp in the memo line. Or you can write a check to Ancient Path P.O. Box 38045, Olmsted Falls, Ohio 44138 – and specify Madagascar Sports Camp. Material goods and supplies can be dropped off at the Ancient Path office at 3389 Fulton Road, Cleveland, Ohio. If you have any questions, please contact us at info@ancientpath.com and we will make sure your email reaches Julia.
We will pray for this team as their departure date gets closer, but please pray for them now as they prepare to travel – and pray for Madagascar!
One last note for those of you who have been inquiring about child sponsorships from Madagascar: Julia and Mary will be visiting children and gathering necessary information and photos while they are there. They return mid-July so they should have news for you later this summer or early fall. Stay posted!
