Zambia - Week 3

The last week was probably my favorite of all, because we got to spend an entire three days just being with the same group of children. The half of our group that stayed on traveled to Serenje, the site where our church is partnering with the local congregation to build an orphan home. There are so many children that have been orphaned by AIDS, the results are devastating; but God continues to be gracious, and through the church has provided temporary homes for all the children in the area. We worked with about 60 children, watching over them and doing a Bible club during the days while their parents took classes from our Cornerstone church leaders that met us there. I can hardly express the way their little faces tugged on my heart, the way their stories tore at my compassion, and how their little hands would slide into mine each day with a smile and a joy that could only come from the Lord in their lives. They have faced horrific trials, and yet they continue to be thankful for their food, and their clothes, and teh love they receive from us and from their foster parents. I think one of the greatest privileges I've ever experienced, in the Dominican as well as Africa, is being the one that is permitted to love these children, and show them the love fo God - although at times, it seemed that they were doing a better job of showing His love to me. Despite the fact that we could not speak the same language, there is a mutual affection and familiarity between Christians all over the world, and that blessing has never been clearer to me than it was in Africa. Praise God for all the work He is doing there, I only hope that my experience can be a small window for their labor for you as well!

Thank you all again for your support through finances and prayer, your generosity nearly brought me to tears several times leading up to the trip. God used your help mightily in what He's done, and He will continue to use our prayers. Please keep praying with me for the churches that have been started in Zambia, for the pastors and their families, and for the many sweet children who still need to be reached with the gospel and the love of Christ. May the Lord bless you all as you move forward in His will!

Allison

Zambia - Week 2

The second week was spent on the beautiful Mount Kazemba, where the mission agency Gospelink is building a Bible college for the many new pastors in Zambia. So many men there are excited about the word of God, but they have no reseources, no teachers, some of them do not even have Bibles to study and learn from - so the mission of the college is to bring that infomration to them. What a blessing! Next year will be the first year that they begin teaching, and so it was our job to finish up building some of the classrooms, cabins, and bathroom facilities that will be used by future students. It was hard work, mostly just laying cement block from sunup to sundowm, but working alongside the Zambian pastors themselves brought such an eagerness and enjoyment to the job, I could have gone on working with them forever! I also had a chance to spend one day working with the women, cooking over fires and doing laundry in buckets of water - a fun reminder of my time in the Dominican! They are such a beautiful people, so willing and ready to serve, this was yet another challenge to me: that I examine myself to see if service is truly my goal. Though we spent only a week with these poeple, they showed us a genuine love that came through their service to us. Now God challenges me to do the same, to prove my love for Him and others through service, in both the big things and the small ones.

Zambia - Week 1

Wow, it's hard to believe I'm already home from my trip to Zambia, and the summer is progressing onwards! Being in Zambia was such a sweet time for fellowship with brothers and sisters in Chrits from a different county. There is something so incredible about realizing that God is doing His great work all over the world, and I am so privileged to be even a small part of it!

First and foremost, I mostly just want to say a HUGE thank you to all of you for supporting me with your finances and prayers - it was such an amazing encouragement to know that I was bein gbacked by prayer from brothers and sisters here in the U.X. - especially as we made the tedious ourney over there! God was gracious to our team in so many ways, by keepin gus safe from any dangerous diseases, from being robbed, from motor accidents...obviously there are many things that can go wrong overseas, but one of the biggest truths I was faced with was the fact that being in the midst

of God's will is the safest place one can ever be, no matter what sit uations one may come up against. So thank you for your prayers, you all were just as big a part of this trip as I was!

Ok, a recap. The first week, we stayed in the capital city, Lusaka, and traveled around to two different schools each day, where we were assigned a class of ch ildren and we taught the gospel. We teamed up with a group of about twenty Zambian pastors, each of us getting a partner for translation and who would help us communicate the gospel clearly. My pastor's name was Bitwell Njovu, and what an incredible man of God! I was deeply impressed by the way he lived his life, fully devoting himself, his time, his family, and all his love to the spreading of the gospel message. I truly felt it was a privilege to spend so much time each day in his presence, and learn from his example of true devotion to Christ. The children, too, were so eager to learn of Jesus, and asked such deep and probing questions that I never would have expected out of anyone so young. It was a true test of my own knowledge about what I believe! Then in the evenings we went into a village not far outside the city and showed the Jesus Film in three parts, giving the gospel message, and at the end of the week, one of the pastors had started a church in that area. It is such a beautiful thing, to see a people that are not calloused to the gospel of Christ, but instead genuinely understanding their need for a Savior, grateful even that someone would come to tell them the good news! God is doing great things in the Zambian nation, and beginning to bless them for their obedience to Him.