The Door of Love
The World Race is now done for ministry, and we are heading into our Final Debrief today. For our final ministry moment yesterday, we were so blessed to join Doreen, a Missionary through YWAM, whom is a native Zambian, at a girl’s home. She and 2 Americans, started a counseling ministry her in Zambia a few years ago, it reaches out to so many populations within this country, I was so excited to join her for even one segment of their ministry! They go to the villages every other week to counsel women, whom were forced into marriages starting at the age of 12, and trying to understand their lives now. She goes to the local prison, and disciples the men there, she is an advocate for them, and counsels them in their addictions to drugs or alcohol. She also has an addictive behavior counseling program, where she is working on establishing a half- way home for the guys she has been working with to progress back into society safely following detox. She has big dreams of what she wants for counseling for Zambia, and for Livingstone in the near future, it was a joy to come alongside of her and do therapy with her for 3 weeks! For 3 Wednesday’s our team went to a girls home through joint ministries called Love’s Door and African Shade.
This girls home, is for girl whom are orphaned, abused, or abandoned, to have a safe place to live while they are in school. There are about 10 girls, whom are so beautiful, and they are currently living in a home in the middle of Livingstone, Zambia, they have a house mother named Mama Katherine, she is a warmed hearted woman! This woman is such a beautiful example of whom Jesus is, and what He did for these girls so they can grow in their personal walks with the Lord. Doreen, her 2 co-workers from America, and their Swedish interns come each week on Wednesday to do group therapy, and Thursday to do one on one counseling. During this month, I took over the group therapy, with Doreen, not knowing she had a Recreation Therapist in the group, or really even what that meant, but she asked our team to share a testimony and do an activity. From the identity of the girls, and their back ground, my team and I thought it would be good if I shared my testimony, because it is of being sexually abused as a child and my parent’s divorce during my childhood, and how God used those really hard moments to bring my life back to Him, and now my story brings Him glory and honor. I also did an activity with the girls that I learned from my college mentor Jennifer Bow, where they wrote down their fears and lies that the enemy fills them with, then after sometime, I spoke a list of truths and promises found in scripture over them, like: you are fearfully and wonderfully made, you have been chosen, you have been made new, you are loved, you are forgiven. It was a beautiful night, and the girls really received each of the truths, and recognized how the enemy is working to distract us, but the promises and truths found in scripture far out weigh the number or lies we tell our selves or fear the enemy tries to set within us!
Then on the second Wednesday, the girls of 100% FBG, felt comfortable with me leading the group, and also knew that it is something I am so passionate about with it joining in with my career back home and my passion for girls and women to fully understand how much our Lord, and Father LOVES all of US! So, I did one of my favorite games to “process” as a Recreation Therapist or a Leadership Facilitator in America, and that is called the Grid. It is a simple puzzle, that creates an environment of communication, laughter, getting people out of their seats, and decision making. The girls, from the home, the racers, and the Swedish girls alike joined in navigating through this puzzle of squares spaces on the floor attempting to discover the next step that will be the right move, in order to find the finishing spot of the activity! As a whole their was shouting of choose this color or move that direction, their was a roar of celebration when they heard me announce “YES” that is the correct spot and they progressed deeper into the puzzle. Their smiles grew, and curiosity grew, and comfort grew as the activity progressed. Then with that final “YES” as the final girl navigated through the finish line of the activity, the whole room celebrated and cheer as its was an accomplishment for them and entirety! But, as a Recreation Therapist, I don’t leave it at a celebration, there was a purpose behind this activity, and today it was Jesus! So, we discussed, decision making, listening to advise, or peer pressure, in the activity and in life. We discussed, taking steps backwards in life or starting over and how that makes us feel in life, and a different perspective to look at backward steps in our lives. We discussed, distractions, or things that direct our paths in life, and how to establish wether that thing is a distraction or a direction! And in the end we are on a journey with the Lord, and He has a great path for us and He has placed a lamp upon our feet so that we will know that way, but their is also an enemy out to distract, to kill, and destroy what us on the path so that we will not be effective for the kingdom!
Then yesterday, our final day of ministry and our final time with the girls, I chose an art activity, of making a collage! One, those girls had no clue what a collage was, which completely surprised me, but it was fun to teach them a new way to express their selves and make something beautiful! So, to make this a little different, I gave them a piece of paper with a word and scripture to match, such as: joy, love, peace, chosen, redeemed, light, new. The words and scripture came from the first activity I did with the girls. We all ended up writing out the scriptures and using colorful pieces of paper to created an image that we felt represented that word! It was such an incredible night, girls were out of their seats, their was quiet chatter in the house, and beautiful creations were coming about! After an hour we all came together to show and share what our final products were, and as we shared about the pictures, each of us shared the scripture aloud as well, and one by one, this activity became more and more beautiful and powerful! The promises from our first night together now took upon a new image, from creativity and inspiration. On the Sunday, before while in church, I was praying about what the Lord wanted in our final night, and what would be best for these girls, and He showed me collages, I literally struggled with it for awhile, but then I ran it by Doreen and she said she thought it would be great for the girls, so I ran with it! Then on Tuesday, I thought about the word promptings with the scripture, that is the thing that changed it from Recreation Therapy to incredibly beautiful, and God filled!
The Lord those 3 Wednesday, and He impacted those girls, and He reminded me that He established me as a Recreation Therapist. He put me in a psychiatric hospital for 4 years prior to coming to Zambia, and He prepared me to utilize my talents for His kingdom! Being a Recreation Therapist, is not about me, its a job in America, that I have an opportunity to really help people find a way out the chaos or darkness of their diseases but with out being able to talk about Jesus or the true hope of freedom. Then, in this month after 10 months of serving in rice fields, or orphanages, or in manual labor, I am placed in a ministry where He uses me as what He created me to be a Recreation Therapist, but for Him, for furthering His Kingdom! The overwhelming joy, of doing your job well, is known by all, when you are in the”FLOW” and are just in that place like you are flying it is so easy, that is the how I feel after doing Recreation Therapy on the mission field for 3 weeks, for the abused, broken, orphaned, and abandoned girls whom are found, seen and loved in Christ by being in that home! I go home in 5 days, I leave my host home of YWAM Livingstone, for Final Debrief, and apart of my heart was left at that girls home. There is this new reality established in me that the Lord, did not give me a profession that can not be used on the mission field, but it can and I found a place where I want to come back to and help and use the gifting He has given me again and again here in Livingstone and to work alongside Doreen again! This month, finally, I can say this and really fully mean it. This month and ministry has been my favorite, I was able to show a different side of therapy to Doreen, and come along side her, take a small part of her load for these 3 weeks, and it was such beautiful experience to do my thing here and know that it was only possible because of Christ!
Thank you, for following me on this 11 month journey, of the highs and lows, and praying throughout it with me and my squad! I am ever changed by this Race and I know my squad mates are as well! Please pray for us we enter Final Debrief, prepare for Re-Entry into America, and our season of Re-Entry! We have lived a life of simplicity and constant change for a year, some may have a bit of a struggle and it would be a blessing to have that journey prayed over before we step into it! But, again Thank You, Thank You for your prayers, love and support over this year, its because of you this year is more possible!
