Help Send Us to School

 

Amber, Samatha and Salome had the opportunity to have these beautiful girls in their group two weeks ago during camp.  Their story is like many in the compounds of Lusaka, they eat little food about once a day.  Their caretakers are not able to buy clothes or the basic things that we find necessary to live with the little money they earn from selling at the local markets.  They go day by day trying to survive on the small amount of money earn which cannot pay for more than one meal let alone school fees. 

 

Would you please help us send them to school?  Such an opportunity will allow them to learn English and get a better job than their parents.  It would allow them to break the mold of poverty in their lives.  It would allow them to become the next 50 years of Zambia. 

 

This is Esther, please pray that her family gets enough money for food.  Would you consider sponsoring her to go to school?

 

This is Christine.  Please consider sponsoring her to go to school.

 

This is Natasha. Please pray she gets enough clothes to wear.  Would you help us send her to school?

 

 

Sponsorship for any of these girls is only $44 a month.  If you are interested in sending any of them to school, please contact us directly via facebook message or email.  Please continue to pray for Zambia, the median age is about 16 years of age.  Without an education many of these children will face the same future their parents did.  One that brought poverty, sickness and eventually death.  Would you prayerfully consider joining us as we help build the next fifty years of Zambia, one child at a time.



Amber, Salome, and Samantha at the Photo Station.

CAMPLIFE 2014

The experience we had this past week was incredible.  The theme for this year is “Faith that can move mountains.”  It takes nothing but faith to wake up every morning and face the day.  It takes nothing but faith to look into the faces of the children that come to camp and believe that every situation they face will somehow, someway, someday turn out for their good.  It takes nothing but faith to listen to their stories and be still until God Himself moves their mountains.  Faith kept us from doing things in our own recharged us to believe that the crazy cycle of poverty and no education will someday end and we will see a better Zambia.  Faith makes us believe that the children we saw this week and will see in the next six weeks will be the future Zambia. Not a future like their parents faced where they could not get a good job because they never went to school.  They cannot go to school because they do not have the money for the school fees.  This cycle of “no money-no school-no school-no job- no job- no money... and on and on it goes.  But with faith we can believe that it will end in Jesus’ name.

 

 

 

Simeon and  I had the privilege of working with a group of sponsored children.  It was great to hear them speak proper English and know that God is their provider and that He is their father.  Genesis and Amber each had group of girls that were not all sponsored for school.  They shared their groups with friends and they all had a wonderful week.  They came back excited once again for the work we are involved in.  They also are praying and believing God for the little girls they met at camp.  They played with them, talked with them.  They brought their hoola hoop and nail polish and allowed them to experience something different than they are used to.  They had fun!

Resurrection Day!

An amazing day to remember that our Jesus died, but most importantly, He rose! 

Jesus said, "I am the Resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies. And whoever lives and believes will never die. Do you believe this?" John 11:26,26 NIV

We went to Tree of Life(TOL) church as it was Warren's turn to preach. As we stood there and sang and worshipped it was amazing to see the freedom the children had as the worshipped and danced. Easter took on a new meaning to me. You see, as the verse above states whoever believes in Him, even though he dies, he will live. There were about three hundred children plus Moms who had seen death and are now alive. They have known death in their families, as they had bury a mother, father, grandmother, or other close relative. The have experienced death in their childhood when they were abused, physically, emotionally or mentally. The have experienced death to any dream about their future because education had been denied. Death was indeed all around but God showed up and they believed and because it was His plan from the beginning of time that whoever died will live, they are now alive. 

Jesus came and spoke life into their brokenness and pain and they now rejoice. They led in worship and sang songs of heaven and going to a home where there will be no pain or dying. It was an amazing day to celebrate Jesus' resurrection because we see it now it in so many lives. 

What a mighty God we serve! I can't wait for CampLife to see even more freedom and resurrection! 

Low tide, high tide

We arrive in Zanzibar and the beach is beautiful. The children are having a great time swimming and playing and searching for sea treasures. We notice that as the morning progresses, the water is getting lower and the sand is becoming more visible. Before we know it, the water is literally about two miles out into the sea. Low Tide. This will last for about four hours and the the tide will come back in. High tide.

As I was meditating on the scriptures, God spoke to me and said that our lives are like that. There are seasons were troubles and circumstances overwhelm us and there is a dryness all around. Although it seems impossible to fathom that there was once water, which in this case signifies abundance or peace around us, we have to remember that there is a time and season for everything under heaven. The dryness, problems, trials or situations that are around us at times will not be there forever. The tide does comes in again, abundance, peace and joy do come in again. God is faithful and just and He will see us thru the good days as well as the bad days. This amazing trip is showing me that as I remember days not long ago that trials wanted to overwhelm my thoughts, God in His mercy and goodness was and remains faithful.

The Word of God is Alive and Active

"For the Word of  God is alive and powerful. It is sharpest than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermonst thoughts and desires." Hebrews 4:12 NLT

I have read over and over again but I was challenged to study it this week and God brought something to my attention, an observation. The verse says that the Word of God is alive and active. Good, but how. As I thought of it another verse came to mind, John 1:1

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

There it is, "the Word was God," the Word is God who made everything in the beginning and is alive today piercing thru every thought of evil and fleshly motive I have. Jesus, is the Word, He is is alive and active. He conquered the grave and is piercing through the darkness I face everyday.

Another thought, came to me as I was meditating in this passage. You know how, every time we are low, at least for me, I usually go to the Word. I either read a passage in Psalms or Isaiah, without fail, my countenance changes. Why? Because the Word is alive and active! 

Anytime, my children need discipline, I have a Wise Words for Moms booklet and app that helps me bring them back on track. All it is is scripture that helps them see God as the boss and not me. It always helps, why? Because the Word is alive, Jesus is alive and active. He cuts through the sin that besets us.

Every time I pick up my Bible, I am in essence "picking up" Jesus. Now, that is something! It brings my Bible reading to a whole new level! I will no longer be reading to fulfill some Bible reading plan. I will now be reading because it is my devotion to my God. I will be embracing Jesus, beholding Jesus. What an amazing thought! What a wonderful Savior! He really thought of everything! I am so challenged and provoked.  I pray you are too.

So much to say, so little time!

So much has happened since we joined Family Legacy this past August. I will do my best to catch you guys up. It will take a few posts so keep checking the blog.  

Family Legacy is a ministry that reaches to the vulnerable and orphaned children in Lusaka. There are many facets to the ministry such as CAMP life, Father's Heart which includes the Lifeway Christian Academies and Father's Family. Warren is the Father's Family program manager,  which is the residential program, Tree of Life Children's Village is the biggest of these facility. There are over 400 children in this program. We are so excited and humbled that God would see fit to have us serve His dearly beloved children. One of the things the Family Legacy team does for these children is run a week long camp called DREAM Camp. During this time, the children at Tree of Life are able to identify their non-conventional skills.  Since August, we've been able to see the faces of so many of these children dream of what they will become because of the opportunity that God has granted them in taking them out of their vulnerable places.

 My mom and sister were visiting this past December and were able to enjoy the children as we visited them during DREAM Camp.

Here is my sister with her new friend, George. He is one of the many that God has redeemed and is changing his future. 

Talking about a new future, one of the aspects of the ministry is that people get together and raise funds to build these little ones a new home. There are 35 homes each housing 12 boys or girls at the village right now. So many are able to put together their few loaves and fish and watch as God multiplies it. It just takes an obedient heart and an able Father in heaven.

Here is the President of Family Legacy, Greer Kendall praying over the new girls who were joining the village at the opening of "Rapha House". I love the names picked for these homes, names such as Hallelujah House and Freedom House and Glory House. Names that speak of a new beginning. Names that never speak of the past and the failures.  A new home signifying a new beginning is built where these beautiful children can DREAM...

MORE TO COME...

Gratitude changes Attitude

The bible tells us to “…enter His gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise.  Be grateful to him and praise his name…” Psalms 100

Many times I have forced myself to do this very thing on Sundays when my attitude is not right or I’ve had a bad week.  And to my amazement it always works. It never fails, when I come face to face with my King and my God, everything else fades. 

Sometimes, it is not a church day and I have nowhere to go.  I am learning that just because I have nowhere to go does not mean I cannot enter His gates with thanksgiving.  Wherever I am, I can welcome the Holy Spirit and I am there in His courts. Change comes when praise is lifted. In the presence of God, everything fades.

Little things have been happening over the past weeks to steal my joy. No electricity, no car, losing things, once a day, once a week.  Little foxes that want to destroy the vine.  I have decided to come into his presence with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise and my attitude changes. In prayer, God showed that my focus had shifted like Peter. When Peter came to Jesus by walking on the sea, everything was fine until Peter’s focus shifted from the master to the wind. Peter cried out and Jesus with stretched out hands saved him. I like the fact that it doesn’t say that the winds stop, instead Jesus reached out and took him out of the water. The wind was still there.  Many times, the circumstances in our lives will not change, the answers will not come yet He will still reach out His hand and draw us close to Him. Intimacy sometimes is all we will need.  In His presence there is fullness of joy and when we enter His courts with praise, that’s His place of intimacy. 

I also recently learned that obedience sometimes does not guarantee a specific outcome.  Sometimes all God wants is our obedience.  He says do this and we do it period.  Even when things seem to blow up in your face and doubt wants to creep in, we have to be certain obeying is better than sacrifice.  When we have that certainty, thanksgiving will be a lot easier.

Like the song says, “No matter what you’re going thru, God is only using you for His glory.” Be encouraged, God is with you and will never leave you.