Los Angeles Dodgers Pitcher Clayton Kershaw Starts 'Kershaw's Challenge' To Raise Funds For An Orphanage In Zambia

By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries
LOS ANGELES, CA (ANS) -- Clayton Kershaw, (born March 19, 1988 in Dallas, Texas) is used to the limelight and adulation of the crowd, for he is the superstar left-handed pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Clayton Kershaw pitching for the Dodgers

Kershaw stands 6' 3" and weighs 210 lbs. and, on December 4, 2010, he married his longtime girlfriend of seven years, Ellen Melson.Now this dedicated Christian couple has joined together for what is called "Kershaw's Challenge" and Clayton explained how it came about.
"Traveling to Zambia this past off-season was the greatest and most life-changing experience I have ever had," he said. "For years, my wife Ellen would tell me about her passion for the orphans in Zambia and share stories from her trips over there. Our worlds finally collided when we arrived together in Africa.
"Partnering with Arise Africa, a Christian missions organization based in Dallas, we had the opportunity to go during the baseball off-season. It was perfect timing and I knew that we had to jump at the chance. The only thing that I was hesitant about was getting my workouts in and making sure I didn't miss a beat in getting ready for the coming season.
"My mind was put to ease as we rolled a big blue pitching mat into a trunk and shipped it over to Zambia. The hope was to find a local welder in Lusaka to build a frame for it to stand up."
He went on to say, "While in Zambia, Ellen and I spent a few days building a school for children to attend in an impoverished neighborhood. We worked alongside a family who had taken in over 50 orphans as their own. Previously, this family was trying to provide a good education for all of their children under the shade of a tree. It was incredible to offer them something more. I spent most days mixing cement and nailing chalkboards to walls, taking frequent breaks to play with the lingering kids.

Ellen and Clayton with Hope

"Some of my favorite moments centered around watching my passion collide with Ellen's. Every evening, I would spend several hours with local kids from the communities, teaching them how to throw a baseball on a dirt road as the sun set over Lusaka. It was a natural way for me to connect with the kids and love on them in a unique way."The last few days of our trip, we journeyed into the remote villages of Lusaka to visit young girls whom Ellen knew from past summer trips. Ellen once told me something that I'll never forget. She said, 'The first time you hold a Zambian orphan, your life will be changed.' She was right. From the moment I picked up a child, I knew what she was talking about. I was captivated by their joy, and overwhelmed by their humble living conditions. One girl in particular captured our hearts-Hope.
"Ellen befriended Hope during the summer of 2010. She is an eleven-year-old girl, without a family to provide for her. And she is HIV-positive. Hope and Ellen became inseparable that summer. I was so excited to finally meet her. Together, we became determined to find a stable, safe, and loving home for Hope."
Clayton said that Hope is his inspiration for "Kershaw's Challenge- Strikeout to Serve."
"We have a dream of building an orphanage called 'Hope's Home' in Lusaka, Zambia for children who need a place to go," he said. "We long for them to be loved, fed, and protected. Together, we share a new passion, believing that children like Hope are some of God's greatest gifts, even though they are seen as outcasts in their culture. These children need a place to call home.
"Back in the states, our efforts began on the pitching mound. Ellen and I have pledged $100 for every strikeout that I make this season. We are hopeful to think that by encouraging Dodger fans and believers to come on board with us, together we can reach our goal of raising $100,000 to build an orphanage in Lusaka, Zambia. We look forward to providing for the vulnerable children who need to experience Christ's unconditional love. It is our dream that by next off-season, Hope will be living in 'Hope's Home.'
"Join us in making a lasting impact in the lives of these children. The Lord's work has taken me from the dirt of the pitching mound to the dirt of Zambia. We can't wait to see the far-reaching effects of His grace in Africa through 'Kershaw's Challenge.'"

To learn more about this challenge and to make donations, please visit this website: www.kershawschallenge.com. Also, you can pre-order his new book, Arise by Clayton & Ellen Kershaw, on www.Amazon.com. It will be on bookshelves January 2012.
Now here is a short excerpt from the book:
"People come in and out of our lives on a daily basis. Some come and stay for only a season, but others remain part of our lives forever. It is rare when you meet people for the first time and feel like you have already known them for a lifetime. Years and distance don't seem to make a difference at all. There is a shared heartbeat and the connection is undeniable. That is how I felt the first time I met Hope. This is just the beginning of our story, but she has already changed my life."

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Dan Wooding, 70, is an award winning British journalist now living in Southern California with his wife Norma, to whom he has been married for 48 years. They have two sons, Andrew and Peter, and six grandchildren who all live in the UK. He is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS) and was, for ten years, a commentator, on the UPI Radio Network in Washington, DC. He now hosts the weekly "Front Page Radio" show on KWVE in Southern California which is also carried throughout the United States. The program is also aired in Great Britain on Calvary Chapel Radio UK and also in Belize and South Africa. Besides this, Wooding is a host for His Channel Live, which is carried via the Internet to some 200 countries. You can follow Dan on Facebook under his name there or at ASSIST News Service. He is the author of some 44 books. Two of the latest include his autobiography, "From Tabloid to Truth", which is published by Theatron Books. To order a copy, press this link. Wooding, who was born in Nigeria of British missionary parents, has also recently released his first novel "Red Dagger" which is available this link.