A six-week missions trip to Uganda sparked Sorensen’s interest in July 2007.  Even though she was surrounded by poverty, disease and war, Sorensen described the experience like being in “a cloud of joy” during her first trip to Africa.  She developed a great passion for the Ugandan people and culture, which increased her desire to help them.

During her travels, Sorensen saw that one of the greatest needs in Uganda was education.  When she returned to Nashville, she started her work by posting an ad on craigslist, asking for school supplies for the children of Uganda.

“I was really surprised by the response. People kept giving me things and I didn’t know where to put it–the stuff wouldn’t fit in my garage anymore,” said Sorensen.  Soon after, the missions pastor at her church asked her to lead a team back to Africa.  Sorensen was thrilled to have the opportunity, but also nervous, as she was young and had never led a mission trip before.  Sorensen smiled as she said, “I knew it would be alright.  The Lord does not call the equipped but equips those who are called.”

In May 2008, Sorensen’s team packed all of their personal items in their carry-on bags and brought 15 suitcases filled with provisions to Uganda.  After three weeks, the team left and Sorensen stayed on to train at a mission school in Mozambique for three months.  During this time, Sorensen felt she heard God’s calling.  She believed that it was laid on her heart to “bring [God’s] lost children home.”  After this, Sorensen knew what she needed to do: she needed to provide homes for the orphaned children of Uganda.

Upon returning to the United States in October of 2008, Sorensen researched everything she could about non-profits, mission work and orphanages. It was then that her dream started to take shape.

Her plan is to create an alternative to institutionalized orphanages in the structure of a children’s village, consisting of a school, a church, a medical center and homes for the children.  Each house would accommodate eight to ten children and two parents. This model is named Watoto, which is Swahili for children.

The first part of Sorensen’s vision was fulfilled on Feb. 9, 2009, as she and her friends opened the Royal Hope Academy for orphaned children in Kampala, Uganda. In the same month, Sorensen officially put a name and face to her dream in the form of an organization called “My Father’s House Ministries.”

As a former member of Belmont’s student-led gospel and worship choir, Chadasha, Sorensen was able to travel on the choir’s tour of Texas in May.  At each concert, Sorensen shared about her ministry and led Chadasha in an African song of praise.  The donations she received from the tour led to the opening of the first children’s home by My Father’s House Ministries in July.

Giving orphans homes is helping heal Sorensen’s own childhood wounds.  Growing up, she experienced continual rejection and abandonment from her father. “The loss was traumatic for me.  I suffered from an orphaned heart,” she said. Sorensen credits her faith in God for helping her during these times and is using her story to restore hope for others.

(Starting this non-profit has not been easy.) “It’s been hard and challenging,” Sorensen said.  “It’s a sacrifice, but God always provides.”

(When asked what advice she would give to college students about helping a need or making a difference Sorensen replied, “My advice is to pray to God, ask what he would have you do.  The first step is scary, but commit and follow each step of the way.”)

Rebecca Sorensen was scheduled to perform at Belmont’s Curb Café with Blessing Offor Oct. 29 to help raise awareness for her ministry.

Students all across campus participate in organizations and are members of groups that bring awareness to issues that not only reach nationally, but touch the entire world on an international level.

One such student, Robert Kelly, has found his own way to make a difference in the lives of people around the world through his passion for music and his passion for the children of the world.

On Tuesday, March 3, Kelly and his band performed a benefit show in the Curb Cafe that helped raise awareness of and funding for an upcoming trip to Africa this summer. They will travel to Congo, Rwanda, and Kenya to work with music-playing kids for two months.

“In these countries, we’ll be working with a choir and an accompanying band, as well as working in ‘Internationally Displaced Persons’ camps with children and families who have been displaced from their homes by war, thus unable to create income and living in terrible conditions,” Kelly said. “Part of our fund-raising is for buying things such as soccer balls and food for a lot of people in these camps.”

Senior Ben Whalen attended  Kelly’s show at the Curb to support his friend and to support his trip to Africa. “I think it is a commendable thing Robert is doing,” he said. “He has been to Africa before and fell in love with it and I’m happy he is going back to show love to the forgotten.”

Kelly’s first trip to Africa was to Kenya in 2008 with a summer camp in Texas, his home state, called Sky Ranch.

“We were there for a month, and put on a summer camp for 80 kids each week,” Kelly said. “Most of the kids were from a tribe called the Maasai.”

On his trip, Kelly painted and played relay games and football – what we know here as soccer – with the kids, and he talked about the love of Christ with the people he encountered.

“On this trip, we thought our mission was to go and teach the kids about Jesus, and it turns out they taught us a whole lot more than we could have imagined.”

On one of the first days Kelly was in Kenya, a high school student asked him to play a song when they saw his guitar.

“I scrambled for something to play, but I couldn’t think of anything, and wound up making up a song with a few Swahili words I had learned,” he said. “As we all jumped and sang this song, I saw that I was in the presence of a beautiful people who were truly alive, and full of an abounding love, joy, and hospitality that I had never witnessed in the United States.”

Members of Kelly’s band include David Supica, bass guitar and Adam Bokesch, percussion. “They’re amazingly talented guys,” Kelly said.

Kelly’s show involved great crowd participation and energy on the part of the band. Bokesch was on the floor playing various instruments during the set, and did not limit himself to just the drums.

“The band really wanted an African feel to the show, so they had Bokesch playing various types of African instruments,” Whalen said.

A crowd favorite was a cover of Bob Marley’s “One Love.”

“The whole cafe was singing by the end of the song,” Whalen said. “And the show was intimate and fun for all those who attended.”

The band will play shows in Nashville, Texas, Los Angeles, and Alabama, to name a few, in the coming months to benefit their trip.

“We’re about to start raising money by sending out tons of support letters,” Kelly said. “However, I really enjoy getting to play shows to raise money, as it’s just beautiful for the two things I’m passionate about to support each other.”

Donations and support from family and friends will allow Kelly and his band to make the trip this summer and will allow the love of music and Christ to be shared with children in Africa who might not otherwise get to experience it.

“It’s not hard to put money in a little cardboard box and send it to help a person you know nothing about, but it is hard to pack up your things for a few months and live over in Africa while trying to make an impact on individuals,” Whalen said. “Robert is putting his words and love into action, and we really must applaud that and respect him for what he will do this summer.”

And for Kelly,  “The opportunity to empower musicians who can make a difference in their society is the greatest honor to me. I think we can change the world through love and music, if we want it bad enough.”