"for I helped the poor in their need and the orphans who had no one to help them. I helped those who had lost hope. And they blessed me." Job 29 :12-13
my layover in london was fun. it was great to get to walk around such a beautiful place, however i was exhausted. jet lag. after walking around for most of the morning and afternoon, i headed back to heathrow and walked around terminal five. with a lot of excitement and peace i got on the plane to jo-burg and then onto lusaka.
once i arrived in lusaka, i was met by susan at the airport. getting my visa was pretty easy and i was so thankful to be there. the reunion with hallie was priceless. i cried a little and laughed at how we were finally in africa and about to begin the greatest week of our lives.
monday morning we woke up and began week 7 of camp life. i have never seen anything like the kids jumping off the bus, it was beautiful and fun. they were so excited to be there. surrendering my expectations, fears, and excitement to what the week held can be summarized best by what St. Augustine once said, "love, then do what you please." God had greater things in store than anything I could have imagined.
day one: overwhelming, but wonderful. Phoinia was my Zambian co-counselor and we were given a group of 13 precious little girls ranging from age 4-9. the language barrier was a little difficult, but i quickly learned that the girls could have cared less whether we spoke the same language or not. they just welcomed love with open arms. monday's lesson was explaining to the kiddos how the Lord is their Shepherd. i have a new found love for psalm 23. He is a our protector and provider. that afternoon i had my first blessing time with a sweet little girl named angela. she has endured immense physical abuse by her uncle. my heart broke for what she has lived through and i was angry about the innocence that she lost without any fault of her own. after talking with holly about the conversation, she encouraged me to pray and believe what i prayed. more about that lesson later. but in the anger and hurt for what sweet angela has lived through i came to understand that i had to trust the Lord with her story and know that He would be faithful. beauty for ashes quickly became my cry for these girls. feeling the weight of what these children live through brings me to tears and that day was only the beginning. i am overwhelmed with love for the children and thankful for the hope of redemption.
day two: though i didn't know it was possible i grew to love my girls more. we continued to learn more about psalm 23 and i continued to learn their stories. one of the lessons i learned is the importance of believing what i pray. for years i have believed that God can do things, but I didn't always believed that God would. But He is faithful. not only can God do what we think, ask or imagine, but He will. Lord, I believe you, but help me in my unbelief.
the last four days in Zambia run together. it was a small world to get to work in Zambia with two fellow Kanakuk counselors, one of the girls being Stephanie who is from Conway. the joy of being able to serve with Hallie is something i cannot fully explain. many times i thought how just three short years ago, we met at k-west and now she is such a precious friend. life on life ministry is what it's all about it. Hallie taught me many things last week, not only do we both love sarcasm, but we both love Jesus and are seeking to figure out how to love Him more with our lives. another blessing, was being with Hallie's mom, (mrs.linda). she has quickly become a hero to me and someone that i am forever in debted to for loving me and allowing me the opportunity to go to zambia.
learning about the effect of AIDS in africa was heart wrenching, but necessary. ignorance is not bliss when it comes to what that disease is doing to this country.
we had the opportunity to give every child a new pair of shoes, fleece jacket, tote bag, pencil, cup, and a few other things. you would have thought that we had given them a million dollars. the gratitude that overflowed from their hearts was contagious. i was humbled.
one of the hardest yet most impactful parts of the trip was visiting their homes. Kanyama is the darkest place i have ever been. i still think about walking through the ashes, filth, and dirt with my girls trying to comprehend how they live there. it was a literal picture of ashes and i prayed to be able to see beauty in these kids lives. the last day of camp life was so difficult. i did not want to say goodbye, but yet i knew that i had to trust that God would indeed be their Shepherd. thankfully after the kids were on the bus we were taken to the tree of life which is the new site for camp life. it was the beauty for ashes that i prayed for. i encourage you to visit the website and read Lahema's story. i cried with joy at the hope for Zambia and thankful to leave this country knowing that greater things are still to come in this city.
all of my girls need sponsors, if you feel led to be involved in their lives, let me know and i can give you information on how to make that happen. thank you, thank you, thank you for your prayers for this trip. from the fullness of His grace I received one blessing after another.
He gave me His kids for a week, I had never seen their faces but He had always seen them. He always knew them and He knew me. He allowed our lives to intertwine. In the midst of life He called me to Zambia. The Lord is my Shepherd, they heard, they understood, and they spoke his truth. He restores. Surely goodness and mercy will follow these kids.
love, then do what you please. I give these children back to the Lord trusting Him with their stories. they changed my life and i love them with my life. i cannot wait to see them again.
No comments:
Post a Comment