Let me just begin by saying that this has been one heck of a week! It’s just been an overall challenging seven days and we’ve definitely gone through lots of ups and downs as a summer staff. Satan has been attacking us hard, as a team and as individuals, so we’ve all really had to rely on the Lord for endurance, grace, energy, and guidance (or at least I have). I try to remind myself often that Satan attacks hardest when he feels threatened, so God must really be doing some awesome things through this ministry if Satan is coming on so strong. And regardless of this being such a hard week for myself and many others, the Good News is being spread and hundreds of kids’ lives are being changed, and the rest doesn’t matter. As long as these kids learn and understand that there is a God in heaven who loves them as a Father, and that He sent His son to die on a cross because He wanted to spend forever with them in heaven, I will gladly dodge all of the curve balls that Satan tries to throw my way. I know that I have Jesus fighting for me and that He has already claimed victory, so I know that I can make it through anything.
Week 3 is over and we have officially begun Week 4! Excitingggg! I can’t believe that after this week is over, we’ll officially be halfway through the summer! What?! The days are long, but the time is flying by somehow! Funny how that works! Praying that Week 4 will be a week of God’s power and working in the lives of these kids and the Americans that come over!
Today, I led a Father’s Heart trip to Chainda where we got to deliver food to a few specific kids in that community. When we made an emergency stop to get more supplies at the LCA (an LCA is a Lifeway Christian Academy, which is a school built by Family Legacy within the community), I walked through the gate and saw a huge crowd of street kids and orphans just standing around. This wasn’t out of the ordinary, because any time that “muzungus” (white people) are in the community, they draw a large number of spectators. What happened next is what really hit me, literally: the crowd of 30 or 40 random kids burst into a sprint toward me as I entered the school grounds and proceeded to tackle me with hugs and laughter! In four years of coming to Zambia, that has NEVER happened to me! I don’t know why they came running to me since I didn’t know any of them, but all I can think of is that the Lord wanted to bless me in this way today. As I was walking home from another villa last night, I prayed that God would give me His joy and energy this week and that I would stay focused on my purpose here. I think this was His was of giving it to me for today. The joy that these kids attacked me with was contagious and beautiful, unexpected and not of this world. Not only was my joy renewed and restored, but through those little kids, God reminded me of the core reason that I am here. Behind all of the smiles, those kids have next to nothing and live in such darkness. I know I am in Zambia this summer to love the unloved, to be God’s mouthpiece to tell these kids that they have a Father in Heaven who loves them, and to be God’s arms to embrace these kids and give them the affection that they so desperately seek and need. What a privilege and a blessing. My prayer now is that the Lord would use me to full capacity to make this happen this summer. I know He’s called me to love these orphans this summer, so I’m praying that He would help me to love them beyond my own ability, because it’s that kind of love that they need.
So those are my thoughts and ramblings from the past couple of days! Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers!
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