It’s so hard for me to believe that we’ve been in Zambia for a week now, and that Halloween will be here in 10 days! I mean, where is all of this time going?! This month I am on a mega-team of 17 girls, and I’m loving every second of it. We’ve been able to bond in the weirdest of ways, such as: everyone sharing one shower; having to constantly refill buckets for the shower and for flushing the toilet; having very limited electricity, usually at night when we’re all sleeping; having to rehang mosquito nets over our windows; having a very limited water supply; and only getting WiFi at the local cafe once a week or so. This heat has been killer—October is Zambia’s hottest time of year. While all of these scenarios have been slightly inconvenient, I just keep telling myself that I am so blessed to be here. God has shown up for me in the craziest of ways this past month. I’m learning more and more about myself, both things I like and things that are growth areas. He keeps showing me my purpose for being here, and my faith in Him has grown exponentially in the past few weeks. I am no longer worried or anxious about the things of the world because I know that God has a bigger and better plan for my life. This realization is huge for me. I’ve always wanted to have that child-like faith that other people talk about and some how receive, but I was never able to figure it out. Now I can say that I have faith in Him wholly. I feel so peaceful whenever I think about it. I have been praying for spiritual gifts, and God has been using me as a vessel to complete His works. It has been so cool to be a part of.
This weekend our group of girls hosted a Christian camp for kids. We were given the task a mere two days ahead of time, and still had an entire field to clear out and a schedule to plan. Back in the States, these types of events would cost parents $20 per child, waivers would be completed, tickets would be given, and a “to-bring” list would be sent out a week in advance. Not in Zambia. The kids just showed up. We had two age groups, 11 and under and 12 and older. We divided the kids up into groups, and our mega-team completely rocked the task at hand. We all came together as the body of Christ, and every person played a role in helping to get the camp organized. I so enjoyed watching all of our girls step up and into roles that suited their personalities. The theme of the weekend was finding your identity in Christ, and it was so fun watching all of the girls step into theirs.
We’ve been working a bunch with kids at an orphanage. We attend church with them, watch movies with them, and go to camp with them. The owner of the facility is just an amazing human. He works in construction for his day job, but then runs this orphanage to give all of these kids a home. It’s the sweetest place for kids; it even comes complete with a personal little chapel for them. The school scores have been at a 100% passing rate for the past couple of years. I can’t even explain just how amazing and needed this place is. Being allowed the opportunity to experience this place has been such a blessing and has opened my eyes to a whole new way of thinking. SO far, Zambia has been such a special place, and our hosts have shown us so much about Jesus’ love and hospitality for others. I can’t wait to see what the rest of our time here holds for us.
