DEB MACKIE writes of her experiences at a Bali orphanage…
Frankie and Marinka Portier
“Marinka and her husband Frankie have dedicated their lives to caring for homeless children. They established the orphanage three years ago. They were living in Holland and felt a strong calling from God to go and live in Bali and set up an orphanage for the homeless children in Singaraja.”
Singaraja, the original capital city of Bali is located on the northern coast of the island. Its harbour has been the key to local development. A bustling centre of local commerce, its people are noisy, open and friendly, and reflect their local climate. Unfortunately, unemployment and crime have increased over the last 10 years due to many factors including the Bali bombings. This has resulted, in turn, in the break-up of families, leaving many children homeless. Some are even resorting to prostitution and crime as a means of getting money.
The Singaraja Orphanage (Indonesian for Lion King) has been a bright shining light nestled among the poverty-stricken communities. The source of this bright light is of course from God. If anyone has ever seen Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, you may remember the words spoken at the end of the movie: “And so shines a light in a weary world”. These words are surely true for the Lion King Orphanage.
I had the privilege of being able to visit and stay at the Lion King orphanage in May, 2003. At that time the humble dwelling housed 22 Balinese children with two live-in carers along with overseers Frankie and Marinka Portier. When I first arrived I was overcome with a peace and love I have never experienced before. Then humour overtook me and I found myself wishing that the rest of my family could see the two boys aged about seven or eight who were standing side-by-side on the verandah doing their ironing (a chore I hate doing!) The first words I spoke were “Yes, I’ve really got to bring (my husband) Rich and the kids here for a visit!”
Children of the Lion King
Marinka and her husband Frankie have dedicated their lives to caring for homeless children. They established the orphanage three years ago. They were living in Holland and felt a strong calling from God to go and live in Bali and set up an orphanage for the homeless children in Singaraja. When talking to both of them, you can’t help thinking that “Wow, is this what real angels look like?” They are a perfect example of Jesus’ love. The children love them so much and Marinka and Frankie love them as if they were their own flesh and blood.
Ayu, an Indonesian girl, is a mother-figure for many of the children and has a heart of gold. She still likes to consider herself as a child and is proud to admit that she never wanted to grow up. She adores playing with the kids and, of course, they adore playing with her. She cooks, cleans, shops, oversees the children and their commitments and responsibilities, counsels, helps with school work and, most importantly, mentors all the children in their walk with the Lord. Her job description could go on forever! This girl needs more than a medal!
Recently Frankie and Marinka were able (after much prayer and God’s amazing provision) to purchase the Lion King Orphanage building, renovate it and make it a lot more comfortable for the children. They now have 25 children and hope that when some of the renovations are finished they’ll be able to bring in a couple more children who are on the waiting list.
Their budget is tight but, as difficult as it is to feed, educate and support the children plus cover their renovation costs, they still manage to help many homeless people in their district. Once a week the children go out in groups and hand out food parcels to the people in their community who are less fortunate than they are. This is one of many ways they reach out. Frankie and Marinka are currently looking into setting up places to care for the elderly also.
I was blessed by the time I spent at the orphanage. I feel like I’ve experienced a little taste of heaven. The orphanage seems to be alive 24 hours a day with worship flowing from the hearts of those awesome, dear little children. I noticed that every hour of the day that there was always someone awake and they were either humming or singing praise songs, praying, dancing, cuddling or just laughing. (Even tip-toeing to the toilet in the night, they still have to hum and sing!) Recently a church group involved with “Colour 4 Kids” visited them and painted a huge mural of the Lion King on the renovated section of the orphanage. The children were so excited with this.
The Lion King orphanage is well worth a visit. They happily accommodate mission groups. Anyone interested in making donations of money, presents, clothing or schooling supplies or thinking about visiting the orphanage alone or with a mission group, please send an email to [email protected] and we’ll forward on your information.
