It seems just like yesterday I was running beneath the hot sun on the steaming sandy roads of Mongu, Zambia where God began to teach me how to truly love again like He loves. Kids would run alongside us or stop and stare wondering why anyone would run just for fun or for exercise.
Zambia was the month where God started to change my heart and mind. He began to bring my deeper feelings to the surface and teach me how to love more deeply. It was a challenging month. It was a big stepping stone for the months to come.
We worked with an international organization called Kids Alive. In Zambia, kids are placed at Kids Alive through the government. These kids have either been abandoned or their families are unable to care for them. Many of their parents have died of AIDs and some are infected with HIV. Kids Alive provides a loving home for the children where they are sponsored to go to school and are able to maintain proper hygiene and health.
We stayed in a house where we shared a kitchen but we pretty much had our own bathrooms, bedrooms, and living room. It was great for us to have space to ourselves and the time to bond more as a team.
For the first two weeks we worked on renovating a house just in front of ours. That in itself was interesting. We ripped out a shower and a ceiling, painted the ceiling in another room, cleaned out the kitchen and other rooms. The guys also patched up the roof. We did many other things on the home. It was filled with great labor and great memories as we fought against all sorts of bugs.
We were able to visit a different church every Sunday and it was so great to see how each worshiped. I miss the harmony of the voices singing in unison to our God. There were rarely any instruments but they were not even needed. Every step, clap, and note sang provided a pleasing song to the Lord’s ear. I have never seen such joy in others as they sang. It was truly a beautiful experience.
The last two weeks we were able to actually work with the kids at Kids Alive. We helped them with their studies, read to them, sang songs, played games, and just built relationships with them. All the kids were great but a one of them just really captured my heart.
Scott is nine years old. His mother died shortly after he was born and his father was unable to care for him. He loves to sing and he loves to be read to. Every day I came over he would greet me with the warmest of hugs and the sweetest of smiles. Thinking of him brings tears to my eyes. We spent so much time reading stories and he sang song after song about Jesus. He was fascinated by my hair and found it fun to play with and tie in knots. I wanted to give him all the love I could.
There are only a handful of workers there and over sixty kids. These kids are unable to have one on one time with a parent, be read a bedtime story, or even hugged and kissed before heading off to school everyday. Some had never experienced a hug before but it was something they welcomed and embraced once given one.
The women that work on campus, usually called Auntie, are wonderful. They love the kids as their own but imagine trying to keep up with thirty kids at all times. So for us to be able to show the kids love and spend time with them was a big deal for the kids and it was a big deal to me.
While in Zambia I was thinking of a lot of stuff happening back home and trying to deal with it. I had to seek peace and comfort in the Lord and He embraced me. I in turn wanted to share the love of my Heavenly Father with the kids at Kids Alive because I did not know when they would experience that one on one intentional love.
God taught me how to love as He loves even if it is a kid you just met and you will only see for a couple of weeks. I was able to share with the kids one night how God is the best father we could ever ask for and how He is the greatest treasure we could ever have.
I grew up with a loving mother but did not know my earthly father until twenty-three so I know what it is like to feel abandoned and unwanted as many of the kids felt. Although many of them still have parents or other family members living who are allowed to visit they rarely if ever do visit. Some of the kids love Jesus and some have yet to make that decision in life, but all of them desire to be loved and to love. They all have hopes and dreams for the future.
It was so hard to say goodbye to them, especially Scott. Tears welled up and poured as I hugged them all one last time. God truly began to bring up the deep love within me and I allowed to arise again instead of suppressing it further down.
Scott still needs a sponsor. This allows him to continue his education, to have a school uniform, food, and other necessities. If you would like to sponsor him please click on the link below.
https://secure.kidsalive.org/p-1438-scott.aspx
