Our Last Day

I cannot beleive that today is our last day here in Zambia. These two weeks have been just a blessing. Today I spent time working on the property. Unfortunately I was unable to do as must as I would have liked. The paint that is used on the homes is very strong and was not something I could be around due to my asthma. It was in my best interest not participate with that. A lot has been completed though; tile has been placed in the kitchen and bathroom and two rooms and the kitchen has been painted. The roof on the third home will be finished this weekend. All together the mission house, and three childrens homes are standing. It truely is an amazing sight. Last time I was here there was only the property, now there are homes that will forever change the lives of the orphan children. Bishop Peter told me today that all the children came to school with big smiles on their faces with their backpacks filled with all of their goodies. That would have been a great sight to see. He also shared with us how some of the teachers from the conference were sharing their experiences from the week with tears of happiness and greatfulness in their eyes. I am very sad to go. My heart has been touched by the amazing children and teachers of this struggling country. I know my work here it not finished and I look forward to coming again. I pray that the villiage will soon be finished so we can move the children into a safe and loving environment. I thank all of you for your support and prayers and I look forward to sharing more with you.

Last day at Avila Orphanage

Today was our last and most emotional day at Avila Orphanage. We all have created such amazing relationships with these children and saying goodbye was very difficult. We have been blessed by the continous strength, faith and love that these children display and the ability tocontinue to press on through their difficult and often suffering daily lives. We can not begin to imagine what each of these children go through each and every day. I do know however that God called me to do an important job here in Africa and I am truely blessed to have been chosen. I have seen God do some amazing things here in Zambia, and I look forward to seeing what God has planned next. I ask form the bottom of my heart to continue to pray for these children. I have been forever touched and my heart will continue to cry out until these children find their safe haven.

4 Day Teachers Conference

Today we celebrated our final day of the Teachers Conference. The conference was a huge success. There were 108 teachers that attended, up from 78 last year. The theme for the conference was "Pressing On" Phil 3:12. The teachers of Zambia have a heart for learning that is like no other. It was such a blessing to be among individuals who have so much faith in the Lord and are so greatful for the very few things that God has provided for them. Some teachers were sharing with me yesterday how they have 60 children in their classroom from 7am-4pm. There classrooms have no paper, no pencils, no desks, just the teacher. This is why we are here. Knowledge is Power!!! There has been amazing things happening in Zambia and I have been blessed to be a small part of it. I pray that God will continue to move in this country and that these children will have a promising future.

Sunday, July 6, 2008

It's been a very busy and long three days. Friday we spent the day at Avila orphanage. The children had an amazing time. I presented a teaching on Noah’s Ark. It is amazing how quickly they retain the information presented to them every day. They love to color and had a great time making animal puppets. The puppets were made out of paper bags, construction paper, and pipe cleaner. They have such a great imagination and put so much hard work into everything that they do. In just these two days the children have really opened up to us and strong loving relationships have began to develop with each of them. Although we have a heart for each and every one of these children we all have been drawn to a young boy named Robino. Robino has been at the Avila for the past few years but he has recently developed some medical problems with his back over the last three months. It seems that his spine has begun to curve, making walking very, very difficult. While we were outside doing an activity Micah witnessed his legs completely give out from under him and he collapsed straight down. It was very hard to see him helpless on the ground looking up at us with pain and embarrassment in his eyes. He asked us to just leave him there and he would get up shortly. Rabino has touched all of our hearts and are prayers cry out for healing in this young man who is suffering from an enormous amount of pain. Please keep him in your prayers.
Saturday was a very exciting day for the children at Avila. For the first time we took the children on a field trip to the local Zambian Zoo. From the moment we picked the children up they sang songs of worship from the time they got on the bus until we reached the zoo (about 45 minutes). The children were able to see lions, zebras, baboons, and warthogs. They were also able to spend part of their day at the playground. It was a blessing to see the children smiling and laughing and just enjoying their time with us. God has sent us on a mission to bless these children and in return we are blessed by each and every one of them.
Today Micah, Sue and I went out to a church in one of the poorest compounds in Lusaka called Chieeza. I was able to visit this church in 2006 and Micah has had the opportunity to speak here for the past three years. Chieeza is a small church with an amazing presence e of God. The worship is something you have never heard before and usually lasts for about an hour prior to the teaching of the word. Micah was able to share with them the importance of marriage and the importance of placing God in the center of one’s marriage in order for the marriage to be successful. After church we went back to Bishop Peters church where we at lunch with the rest of the team. The Zambian people are so appreciative and treat us with a lot of respect. It has been such an amazing experience and a privilege to be here in Zambia. The next four days will be spent at the teacher’s conference. We had anticipated for 100 teachers but today the Bishop told us to expect more. So we will except more, and see what God will do.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Today we began our Vacation Bible School at the Avila Orphanage where our church sponsors all 36 children. We have been preparing for the VBS for weeks so last night when a someone spoke of the possiblity of having communication problems due to langugae barriers came up the team as a whole began to worry. Previous team members shared with us that had experienced some difficuly last year. Once that was discussed we all felt a little discouraged, but planned for a variety of changes that we could make if needed. When arriving at the orphanage we became engulfed by greetings of hugs and hello's. They were all very excited to see us as were we excited to see each of them. Some of the team members sponsored these children every month, so seeing them was amazing. Micah and I sponsor two brothers, Joseph and Osward, so we had been eagerly waiting our visit to Avila. When getting out of the bus I was greeted by Osward. I gave him a big hug and told him that I was the person whom he had sent a letter to thanking me for my sponsorship. I told him how excited I was to see him and that I pray for him all the time. As we hugged, tear drops feel from his eyes. It was throught these tears that confirmed why I do what this team does. We are their answered prayers. God has sent us to help care for these children and for that I am forever blessed. We then went into the orphanage and began our teachings. Although we had all worried throughout the night about being unsure about was was to happen during the VBS, it was a huge success. There were no language barriers at all. Judy began teaching on forming a relationship with God and Kareen spoke and led worship about Praise. Once we had shared with them the songs that we sing, we asked if they would share with us. At first there was a moment of silence and then out of nowhere Josephia began to sing. The moment she began singing I completely lost it, and began to cry. Her voice was something I had never heard before and she was singing not just to sing but was singing her heart out to God. It was truly amazing. After worship Sue did a teaching on "Our Village" which is an ongoing project that the children will but together as a group about their own village in Zambia. This project will then be able to be published into a book. That would be a great accomplishment for these children. The VBS was followed by dinner at Bishop Peter's house. An authentic Zambian dinner was prepared for us; rice, potatoes, green beans/carrots, shima, beef, potato salad, eggplant and chicken. It was delicious!!! Tomorrow we will continue teaching at the VBS. I am starting off the day teaching the story of Noah. I am excited to see what tomorrow brings.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

First off, we have all arrived safe and sound from our 30 hour travel adventure, everything was very smooth. On arriving to Lusaka I witnessed the most amazing sun rise I have ever seen. The darkness of night came alive as the African horizon lit up to a flourecent orange. It was absolutley beautiful. This country has such an amazing beauty and the people an amazing heart, I am excited to see what plans God has for us this next two weeks.

Our first day consisted of settling into our house at the Mulugushi Village and traveling to the local supermarket to purchase some much needed items. Although most of the team was able to sleep on the plane, including me for the first time ever, we were all very tired from the travel. Once we settled in we all took a must needed nap.

Today we were able to visit the property......it was breathtaking. The last time I was here, 2006, only a cement foundation exsisted. As of today, there is a Mission House, where future teams will stay, 2 childrens homes and one in the works as I speak. It is amazing to see the vision actually come alive and that I am here to be part of Gods bigger plan. Children will soon have a place to call home and for that we are all truley blessed. God is Good!!! Please continue to pray for each of us and for team members who be traveling here today. Until tomorrow.......

The Day Before Departure

It's about 12:50am on Saturday night and I have just finished packing for what will be an amazing two weeks. I am truley excited to see what great things are to happen and to be able to then share my experiences with all of you. My flight will be leaving tomorrow at 3:50pm where 10 hours later I will land in London. Once arriving in London, I will have a 10 hour lay over and then travel 10 more hours until my final stop, Lusaka Zambia. I ask all of you to pray for safe travel and for God to use every team member to glorify his name. I thank everyone for their support and prayers and look forward to updating everyone with what great things are happening.

Lots of Love and Goodnight!!!