As fund-raiser for a friend’s orphanage in India, Youth and Young Adult Worship Leader at Christ the King church, Evan Profant held a four band concert at Christ the King Nov. 9 called ‘November to Remember.?
‘I was really excited, the show turned out exactly how I pictured it and how I wanted it,? Profant said. ‘I wanted it to be a really community based event with a lot of high school attendance and an eclectic mix of bands.?
The bands included ‘The Deals,? a classic rock band, Matt Moore band, acoustic rock, and A King at Heart, which is a hard-core/metal band. Another hard-core/metal band called ‘Whose Manatee is Drowning? was the headliner band.
‘They definitely got people got pumped up,? added Profant. ‘It was fun because that’s (hard-core/metal) not music I listen too, but I wanted to do it for all the kids because I know there is a big following for all of that.?
Though he was hoping for a crowd of a 100 or more, Profant said he was still really happy with the turnout.
‘Though there weren’t 100 people there it made it feel like that with the energy,? he said.
Almost $320 in proceeds went to help his longtime friend Molly Bruner’s orphanage.
‘She definitely has an awesome heart for India,? Profant said.
Bruner said she was glad to see such a good crowd and was touched that the bands were willing to play for free.
‘Anytime someone wants to help with my orphanage or anything involving it I always just feel so humbled and honored that someone cares for kids across the ocean like I do,? she said.
Bruner, who graduated Oxford High School in 2010 and is currently a junior and voice performance major at Oakland University, said she felt called to go on a missions trip to India this past summer with Angel House Rescue Orphanage based out of Rochester.
‘It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done and the best thing I’ve ever done,? Bruner said. ‘I was not prepared for the amount of poverty that I saw and just the amount of needy children.?
At the beginning of the trip she said she had gotten sick from some of the food and being in a new place with new creatures and environment took some getting used to, but after a couple of days Bruner said she ‘got over? herself and came to grips with her surroundings.
I realized ‘poor me? I have a home to go back too,? she said. ‘This is a trip for me, but the poverty and devastation I feel around me that’s a reality for many, many people.?
Bruner said when people found out they were Americans, the people became desperate to want to leave with them to come to America.
While it was hard seeing entire families? malnourished sitting on the side of the road, Bruner was touched by the children as she visited the different orphanages.
‘Just seeing the kids faces light up,? she said. ‘It was just really cool to just hold the kids, some of them getting hugs for the first time and telling them that ‘I love you? and ‘Jesus loves you.??
Many of the kids were kind of cold and standoffish first she said because they had never been told that they were loved or showered with love and attention.
A lot of the kids she said were came from situations where their parents died of disease, starvation or even aids. Others just got separated from their family or kidnapped and dropped off to one of the orphanages. She also said the population of men far outweighed the amount of women due to infanticide of little girls.
Bruner went down with a team of 118 people and said they were able to open up 13 orphanages called ‘Angel houses.?
‘When kids do go to angel house they get not only just a home, but a set of house parents that live there that love them,? she said. ‘They get three meals a day, all the medical care they need, but they also get to school which a lot of times is the first time they’ve ever gone to school and they’re really, really excited.?
As she was getting ready to come home on her last day and thinking about all that she had seen, Bruner wanted to do more to help than just what she had done on her trip, which is why she decided to sponsor a 12 child home in northeastern India.
‘I think it’s just really important for people to know you don’t find yourself by making yourself into something or by trying to create a facade,? she said. ‘If you want to find yourself go help others.?
Bruner will be traveling to India again in 2014 to see the unveiling and ribbon cutting of the orphanage she has sponsored as well as visit other orphanages while she there.
For more information, check out her Facebook page entitled ‘Let’s Change India 2014.?