Africa

First off, I want to say thank you for your thoughts, prayers and support for this mission trip to Zambia! This was our second year to go with Family Legacy and minister as camp counselors to the orphaned and vulnerable kids there (read about last year). It was such an incredible privilege for us to each meet a new group of kids this year and share the love of God with them!

Each day of camp we got to teach the kids the Word of God, play games, sing songs and hug them (some of which had NEVER been hugged before!). Throughout the week we spent time with each kid in our groups individually to give them a chance to open up and for us to really get to know them and pray for them.

I had a group of eleven girls, aged 12 – 15 years old. Each one of them was absolutely precious! They all have hardships in their lives that we can’t even imagine. Four of them were not in school because their caretakers could not afford to send them (we’re talking cut-rate schools that cost less than $10/month!). They all desperately want to go to school because they know that an education is vital for their future. One of my girls, Christine, walks an hour each way to school everyday!

On Thursday, we got to go out into the communities where our kids are from and share the Gospel of Christ with others. It’s really neat to see God work through them and in them as they share. Amazingly, I saw several of the girls from my group last year that had been sponsored (pic below).  They were all in a Lifeway Christian Academy (that Family Legacy owns and operates) and their English was much improved and they were all doing so well! It was incredible to see what a difference it can make when a child is sponsored! 

My partners were the best! Most of the girls in my group spoke a small bit of English but not enough to have a real conversation so these ladies were invaluable to me in communicating with the kids.

I cannot wait until Jack is old enough to come with us in a few years! I definitely hope we get to continue to go each summer, it is absolutely the highlight of my year (I can't imagine how much more so it is for the kids!). Zambia is incredibly beautiful and it was nice to escape the heat here (the highs are in the 70s this time of year). If you are interested in sponsoring any of my kids you can do so here. Again, THANK YOU all for your support!