My team and I set out for our adventure exactly one month ago! This week, we said our goodbyes to many special people. But the wonderful thing about building Christian friendships is that they are intentional and they have so much depth. I have built friendships this month that will last long after I get home and I am so encouraged by that. My heart breaks thinking about the kids the entire way down the street as our bus pulled out yelling their goodbyes at us and waving as the “muzungus” (white people) left Namatama.
Although we’re leaving now, these kids, people, teachers, neighbors, street vendors, roommates, and families will always be in my heart. Every time I speak to someone, I am representing Christ and part of being on a mission trip is being interruptible. We’ve spent so much time being intentional during our organized ministry but our team has been practicing the importance of being on mission 24/7. Most of the times God has done the most work in our hearts and ministry during times when we least expected it. He is emphasizing how important it is to keep my eyes and ears open to what he is doing all the time. Especially when I’m least expecting it.
Our team has had a lot of struggles this month. We’ve overcome adjusting to a new country, navigated new eating and drinking habits, fell in love with nshima(a traditional Zambian dish), and we’ve even adjusted to the heat and constant mosquito bites and friendly spiders. We have gotten so many opportunities to love our ministry hosts, neighbors, strangers, and so many children and babies. God has done incredible things in and through our team this month in Zambia. We have shared so many laughs and so many tears together. But we are walking in the freedom that we don’t have to do anything to earn Jesus, he already has a one-on-one relationship with us and we don’t have to give him anything. We give a yes, God does the rest!
This weekend, we had team debrief in the town of Livingstone. We are walking through supporting one another and encouraging vulnerability in a safe space. We are learning that we can’t grow as a team when we’re comfortable. God chose each member of our team specifically for a reason and we need to learn to celebrate every person on the team and enjoy our small victories together! Our team has been struggling with working as one team and serving him on the same team instead of as just individuals.
Our mid-point debrief has been so refreshing for our team while we spend time praising the Lord and meeting new people. We got to meet many people who were in and out of the hostel this weekend while we were staying. We even got to meet a wonderful couple, Harry and Annie, they are going to a remote area to provide a plan for food to people who currently have no homes or food. We got to build friendships with them and they joined us for worship and empowered our team with a prayer. Our team also had the joy of praying over them and discussing life, the Bible, and missions together. It was such a blessing for our paths to cross. Thanks, Jesus.
Please pray for me as I am struggling to dissect my testimony and find God in the places where I wasn’t looking for him. Also, at home, I have a tendency to spend lots of time focused on other people so that I don’t have to focus on myself. But that is another area where God is growing me on this trip so far, I am broken so that he can shine. God chooses the weak to lead the strong; please pray that I will embrace who I am in him and be vulnerable with my team and where I’m at instead of putting on masks to cover up the things I’m afraid to talk about. I am still working on being still and seeing the small things that God does in the mundane areas of my life and my day here.
Please pray for our team to learn from one another and be real with each other to allow God to use us as a team. Pray for boldness from our team, unity, and pray that we would continue to fight hard for one another and to love one another well. Pray for us to push into everything that is uncomfortable and learn to trust in the Lord to have his way within our team. Please pray that we can love one another and serve one another in light of who we are in Christ.
Please pray for Zambia because while many people here know about God but they don’t have personal relationships with him. They know that he is real and many go to church, but only because it is just what people do on Sundays here. Pray that they would be encouraged by the Lord’s love. Pray that they would not be content with just knowing about God, pray that these people would crave Jesus in their everyday lives and want a deep connection with him everyday-not just on Sundays. I pray that their love for the Lord would pour out onto the streets of Zambia. I pray that they would find hope in him even when they feel that their life here is repetitive or pointless, I pray they would be reminded of the hope we have in Jesus. I pray that they would be filled with the joy of the Lord.
Thank you for all of your prayers and support! God is so good! I cannot wait to see how God will use us in Zimbabwe as we leave on Tuesday for our next country.
