Lincoln's Grateful Birthday

One day before Lincoln's birthday, we went to an orphanage in Batam to celebrate his early birthday party.  This year, I and my wife thought that we should let him celebrate his birthday by sharing his joy with those who are less fortunate.  We want him and Lindsay to learn to be more grateful and cultivate a compassionate spirit, to help others who are in need. 

On this occasion, the lady boss of Little Nyonya Batik and her hubby went along with us to make the event merrier.  I also had a lot of help from my father's staff in making the arrangements.  We decided to celebrate Lincoln's birthday in an orphanage called Yayasan Samaria Fao Kasih.  The orphanage is located near the Hang Nadim airport.  There are 22 children in the orphanage, the youngest is a 5 year old boy while the oldest is an 18 year old girl.  

Yayasan Samaria Fao Kasih - A7R3 + FE 16-35mm F2.8GM

Upon arrival, we were greeted by the eager children who were already waiting for us.  They were very enthusiastic despite the hot weather.  As soon as we alighted and brought the party stuffs down, the children lined up and shook our hands.  

The Kids Lining Up to Greet Us - A7R3 + FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM

The children then waited patiently as we arranged the cake and presents for them.  We brought along the usual party snacks, school bags, toiletries, rice, instant noodles and some used goods which we thought are still useworthy, including toys, English and Chinese books.   

The Kids Patiently Waiting For Us to Arrange The Goodies - A7R3 + Fe 16-35mm F2.8 GM

Lincoln and Lindsay Waiting While We Were Still Working With The Party Goodies - A7R3 + FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM

As soon as we were done, they started Lincoln's birthday celebration with Christian songs and prayers.  Samaria Fao Kasih is a Christian orphanage, as such they celebrated Lincoln's birthday in the manner they know best.  As far as we are concerned, we are only more than grateful that Lincoln could receive their best wishes.    

The Children and Their Caretakers Praying and Blessing Lincoln - A7R3 + FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM

Followed by Heartwarming Songs - A7R3 + FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM

And after that brief songs and prayer numbers, it was time to cut the cake for everybody.  

My Missus Cutting The Cake For Everyone - A7R3 + FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM

A Little Girl Eagerly Waiting For Her Cake - A7R3 + FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM

As my wife cut the cake, I helped to distribute them to everyone.  At the same time, the lady boss of Little Nyonya Batik and her hubby were busy distributing the goodie bags.   

Distributing Goodie Bags - A7R3 + FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM

Lincoln and Lindsay also got into action helping to distribute the packed lunch boxes to everyone there with my father's staff's help.  

Linc & Lind Distributing Packed Lunch Boxes - A7R3 + FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM

It was a heartwarming sight seeing everyone work together to bring some joy, which although may be insignificant, would hopefully bring an out of the blue experience for the kids.  

We had a chat with Mr Faozanolo and Ms Samaria, the caretaker of the children.  I was very curious as to what made them start this orphanage to take care of these displaced children.  Both Mr Fao (short of "Faozanolo") & Ms Samaria are from the island of Nias, west of Medan.  Some 5-6 years ago, Mr Fao ended up with 4 displaced children from Nias through friends from the island.  He was searching around for orphanages in Batam that would take in the children.  Unfortunately, most turned his request down as they were already having a hard time coping on their own.  As his search turned futile, the children lived with him & his wife long enough till they considered Mr Fao and Ms Samaria as their parents.  It was at that point when he and his wife finally decided that perhaps it would just be best to take them in.  As fate would have it, more people from their hometown turned to them for help to take care of more displaced children which resulted in he and his wife ending up with 22 children altogether.  These children lost their parents through sickness, death during childbirth or bad divorces.  Some were living with their grandparents until they could no longer cope due to old age and poor health.  Although Nias boasts beautiful beaches and island scenery, the island is still under developed in terms of health care as such, mortality rate is still quite high.   

Vision & Mission Statement - A7R3 + FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM

Mr Fao and Ms Samaria detailed how they had been moving around in the past few years as landlords kept on increasing the rental fee of their house.  The current house they're staying in only has 3 bedrooms.  The girls sleep in 2 rooms, Mr Fao, Ms Samaria, Mr Fao's grandmother and their son sleep together in one room while the boys sleep on the kitchen floor.  I really couldn't help but be concerned at their current living conditions although Mr Fao stressed that the children know they always have each other and that's all that matters.  Yayasan Samaria Fao Kasih can certainly benefit from donations of basic necessities such as food and cash.  

I really admire Mr Fao & Ms Samaria's compassion and determination.  Although it is a big burden for them, still they decided to do their best to take care of these children to ensure that they will have a proper and hopefully brighter future.  I sincerely hope that more people will come forward to support Mr Fao and Ms Samaria in their effort to raise the children.  

Soon, it was time to leave as the party ended.  Here's a closing shot for this grateful entry: 

Just a Parting Shot - A7R3 + FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM

~ Photos taken with Sony A7RMk3 + FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM ~