Welcome to Livingstone, where the mango trees are kept short so elephants don’t stomp through backyards looking for midnight snacks, home of 1 of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World (Victoria Falls), where nshima (maize meal) is served with 9/10 meals, where you hand wash your clothes, and bucket showers are a relaxing end to the day.
This month, I’ve been living at a YWAM base a few miles outside of town, while we aren’t in the bush, it’s still far enough away from the city to feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere. We’re living with 13 other individuals, 3 of whom are children (Lulu 5, Lumba 3, and Luvono 1) the house is basically a long row of rooms, and it feels kind of like dormitory living with 2 common bathrooms, a dining area and a small kitchen where our host graciously cooks for us. Most of the people in the house are related to one another, but there are a handful of YWAM students and staff floating around as well. Add the 7 of us and we’ve got quite the full house.
Right before we arrived in Africa, we went through some team changes, and nearly everyone ended up on a new team. I was placed on the new Team Hallelujah, with Grace Underwood as my team leader, and McCrea Nirider, Vivian Wong, Emily McIver, Liz Rowland, and Clare Bailey as my teammates. I really love my new team and have truly enjoyed getting to serve alongside them this month, and I’m so excited to see what else God can do through us.
At the beginning of the month, we were recruited to help plant trees along the property. Jonathan, (our host) explained that the trees needed to be kept short to prevent animals from making their homes underneath them, seeking shades beneath them, and to stop the elephants from stomping through the property devouring all the mangoes. With 2 knives from the kitchen, and a few makeshift gardening utensils, we set about digging holes, cutting branches off trees, planting & watering the new plants. He explained that the trees would sprout up new leaves fairly quickly, and they’d then be able to eat them along with their dinners.
Outside of a few more practical jobs around the base (painting the corridor, cleaning, etc) we had the chance to work with some of the children at the S.O.S Orphanage. We traveled to them the first time, and put on a small program complete with songs, games, a skit, and a short testimony about God’s goodness & power (shared by yours truly!). A few days later, some of the older children from S.O.S arrived for what we were told would be a VBS. Turns out they take the name VBS quite literally, as it was essentially a bible school — that was held during vacation. The 15 teenagers were taught about salvation, knowing whether or not they’ve been saved, how to share salvation with another, setting healthy boundaries in relationships, finding a mentor, and basic first aid. My team was in charge of about 45 minutes per day, and we took the opportunity to get to know the kids through games, and then we walked them through an activity about “how does God see you” as well as “How do you see God?” and gave them room to ask questions. By the end of the program a handful of students had accepted Christ for the 1st time, and the others had deepened their understanding of God and gained some life skills.
The VBS ran for 4 days, and once it finished we found ourselves in a smaller part of Livingstone, working with another local Pastor. Pastor Aaron leads the Church of God, and is heavily involved in ministering to his community, whether or not they end up attending his church. For the next few days, he took us out into the streets where we literally walked up to houses and began conversations about God. During the 4 days we spent with Pastor Aaron, we were able to encourage 7 believers, help a woman rededicate her life to Christ, provide a bible to a new believer, pray for healing over a struggling couple, worship alongside the Church of God Congregation, share a Christmas carol, and McCrea was given the chance to preach to the church (she rocked it!).
All in all my experience in Zambia has been wonderful so far, we have another week of ministry left and then it’s CHRISTMAS! After the holidays we’ll gather together as a squad for a time of leadership training, and on January 1st I’ll be arriving in Botswana for my 6th month of the race. I am officially 1/2 way through! Thank you to everyone who has supported me thus far, I would not have gotten to where I am now without your prayers and support. All of you have played a vital role in our ministry along the way, and I truly do mean that. The messages from home, the quick skype calls, the prayers, and the donations have truly been such a blessing to me. It’s because of all of you that I’m able to continue ministering here in Africa, that I was able to evangelize, to minister to the orphans, and to sow into my new team.
As the new year approaches, I’d love to be able to enter it free from the distractions and anxieties that come along with my roller coaster of a struggle in believing for finances. So I ask you, please prayerfully consider donating $50+ right now and making my Christmas/New Years wish come true. Simply click on the “donate” button at the top to get started.
I’m currently $3750 from being fully funded, and every single donation is needed in order for me to remain on the mission field, serving God in Africa & Asia. The WR staff have been gracious enough to extend my deadlines, but the official deadline for being “fully funded” was November 30th. Please help me honor my commitments, and continue to serve God around the world.
P.S Be on the lookout for a blog about shaving my head on Nov. 28th, and what God’s been teaching me through it.
-Molly
