This month is known as “All Squad Month,” which is where all six D Squad teams come together for ministry, and we have had the privilege of serving alongside an amazing organization called “JZone Africa.” (The ‘J’ stands for “Jesus.”) This organization was started in 2007 by an on-fire-for-God couple, Sanderson and Luweendo (“Lou-window”). These two people, along with the other four members of the JZone team, exude joy and have hearts for making God known.
JZone has many facets of ministry, such as widow’s outreach and medical missions in neighboring rural villages, but children are their main focus. The JZone team seeks to teach the next generation about the love of God by leading Awana once a week at a local school and hosting weekly Youth Club meetings at an orphanage in Livingstone. JZone has dreamed of expanding their ministry to include kids’ camps, and D Squad was able to help make that dream a reality.
We built a play park!
JZone was given a plot of land that was roughly two city blocks wide and three blocks long. When most people looked upon it, all they saw was an abandoned lot overgrown with waist-high grass that hid who knew what. I was one of these people. But Sanderson and Luweendo saw potential in this plot of land, and they encouraged us to dig a little deeper.
And boy, did we dig! And slash. And rake. And pick up trash.
As a squad, we slashed and raked the entire property, dug two 5.5’ deep holes for yard waste, collected 30+ Shop Rite (Africa’s version of Wal-Mart) bags of trash and broken glass, dug 80+ holes for fence posts, put up a perimeter fence, cleared space for a volleyball court and a not-quite-regulation-size soccer field, and painted the bathroom building.
We prayed over the park grounds before starting Slashing the grass with golf-club shaped
any work. We wanted the Spirit present here. machetes.
[Photo Credit: Anna Lauren] [Photo Credit: Anna Lauren]
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[Photo Credit: Kristina] [Photo Credit: Maria] [Photo Credit: Anna Lauren]
The Fence Hole Digging Dream Team! Each post hole was measured with a stick
A hoe for breaking ground, a shovel for digging, to ensure it was deep enough.
and a heavy metal pole for shaping the hole [Photo Credit: Anna Lauren]
and busting up rock.
[Photo Credit: Anna Lauren]
We picked up lots of trash and shards of glass. Pulling ALL the weeds from the volleyball court.
[Photo Credit: Maria] [Photo Credit: Maria]
Three weeks of exhausting manual labor culminated in us planning and hosting not just one but TWO day camps at the play park!
The first camp was for kids from the local Awana program ranging in age from 2 to 15 and the second was for teenagers from the local orphanage. The theme of both day camps was “A Child of God,” and each consisted of games, skits, silly songs, lunch, a time of worship, and a Bible lesson teaching those in attendance what it means to be a child of God using David as an example.
Many young people at both camps made a commitment to accept God as their Savior, which was an amazing way to end our month and our time in Africa!
Please be in prayer for those who accepted their adoption into God’s family and for the JZone team as they mentor these children. Pray that the JZone Play Park will continue to be a safe haven for the children of Livingstone and that souls would be won for the Kingdom because of this ministry.
[Since this month is All Squad Month, there are 34 other people sharing details about our work with JZone, the joys and trials of living in Zambia, and wonderful adventures we’ve been able to experience. I’d like to encourage you to read some of my squadmates’ blogs in order to get a more detailed account of this month because it’s been pretty epic.
To see more pictures of our work at the play park, check out Anna Lauren’s album on Facebook by clicking here.
To learn more about the ministries of JZone, check out their website at www.jzoneyouthafrica.org.]
