Home Sweet Home

I want to post about all of the amazing things the Lord did while on our trip to Zambia. The stories of the beautiful orphan children, the sweet widowed women, and all the people who received Christ. There is so much to say I don't even know where to start. I got home on saturday and I was so glad to finally be back in the US. It was such a bitter sweet moment because I loved africa and did not want to leave the family I had made on project. I was really nervous about coming home and being lazy about my faith. On project its so easy to live a life fully dedicated to the Lord. We had assigned quiet times, service times, and gospel sharing times. But at home I actually have to put effort into it. I am having a really hard time processing everything. Im still jet lagged and adjusting to the time difference but five days later it all seems like a dream. The Lord taught me so many unbelievable things in africa and im trying to figure out what to do with all of it. But I have already noticed the smaller things such as a hot shower. I have showered every day since I have been back and that may seem normal but its such a HUGE BLESSING! We don't technically need showers that often, trust me I know. Six days without showering. Sweating in the african heat and covered in dust. Praise the Lord for wet ones! And I have a toilet seat! For some unknown reason, Zambia does not have toilet seats everywhere you go. And every new hostel we stayed at I always got the room with no toilet seat. The Lord definitely broke me of my diva-ness on this trip. Like I said earlier, there are so many stories to tell but I want to start with our stats:

254 people received Christ

127 people rededicated their lives to Christ

743 people were shown gospel media presentations

1,642 people heard the gospel

Praise the Lord for his greatness! These numbers are unbelievable and I still cant believe how powerful our God is. One of the staff members confessed he had hoped for 50 people to receive christ because that was a pretty good number. But God had different plans and revealed himself to be unfathomable once again. I am so grateful I got to be apart of 254 more people entering into the kingdom!

The first day we went to Zambia Hope was a day ill never forget. I previously blogged about this day before but I want to tell a little more about this amazing place. Zambia Hope is an orphanagethat is located in the slums of Lusaka. As we walked down the dirt road everything was exactly as I had imagined it. There was trash everywhere and the houses were smaller than my bathroom at home. As soon as we arrived we started playing with the children and singing songs. I was taken back by their joy and excitement to play a simple game. They were all so beautiful, covered in dirt, smelly, and runny noses. I saw the cutest little baby so I immediately picked him up and he peed on me. I just laughed and wiped off with a wet one because he was so cute I couldn't even be grossed out. As i talked with the children and women, I realized these people aren't super heroes who are trying to save the world. They just Love God. And not once did I hear anyone complain. It was odd to me because if we would of been in America all we would hear is complaining. The living conditions would not be suitable to any of us here. I will be the first to admit what a complainer I am. I always knew i grumbled too much about meaningless things but the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to something I wasn't quite ready for. I feel as if he opened the flood gates and revealed many of my sins. One of the main ones being complaining. As I stood there watching the children run around with smiling faces, I thought I would be pretty upset if I didn't have any shoes, if I had to sleep on the floor, or I had huge holes in my clothes. But no one said anything. The children and keepers of the orphanage reminded me of this verse Always be joyful.-1 Thessalonians 5:16. I have read this verse many times and thought I understood it but these people actually live it out. They understand their true home is in heaven and not on this earth. I was truly blown away by their love for the Lord and their joy.

Some of the children sang us a few songs and they brought tears to my eyes. Shekiwe is the lead singer and here is a video of one song

Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to care fororphans and widows in their misfortune and to keep oneself unstained by the world.- James 1:27

He is a father to the fatherless and an advocate for widows. God rules from his holy palace.-Psalm 68:5

Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys." Luke 12:33

'He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?" declares the LORD." Jeremiah 22:16

The Lord tells us many, many times throughout his word to care for those who are in need. I do believe the Lord calls us to different services but caring for the poor and needy is not a calling. It is a command. Even if the Lord has not called us to children ministry we are still expected to care for those as he does. If we believe this verse in Genesis, So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. How could we ever look at any human being and not love them?

This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.-1 John 15:12

I am praying that God will continue to move my heart as yours as well. This link is for the Zambia Hope website. You can read the story behind them, look at the children, and receive updates on how to pray for them. I would encourage everyone to look at the children and their stories and pray about what organization the Lord wants you to partner with through prayer or financially. http://zambiahope.com/