Today was an awesome day! We didn’t have any activities;
we only had to go to big group time (songs and message from Greer), and small
group time (lunch, outdoor games, Bible study, and Blessing Times). I got to do
5 Blessing Times today with 5 wonderful girls. For more on what is meant by “Blessing
Time”, head over to my blog on Camp LIFE Day 2.
The day started with me giving a testimony to my girls
about something that hurts me, so they can relate to me better. I talked about
the death of my father-in-law, Pete; how lonely I was with Perry gone for a
month; and how much it hurt to not be there and see him before he died. I also
talked about how I don’t know if he was a Christian and how Perry is not a
Christian. Of course, I cried in front of them, and they were so sweet. I told
them that I was only able to be strong during that time because of God’s
strength and salvation through Jesus. I read them the two verses that helped me
through Pete’s death:
“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all
circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians
5:16-18
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by
prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the
peace of God that transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds
in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
The other awesome thing we did today was an exercise to
teach the children gender equality. In Zambia, women are subservient to men.
For example, they serve men meals and then go and eat in the kitchen. Family
Legacy wants to change that. So, we had a group of boys led by my roommate,
Brittany, come to our group at lunch. The boys served my girls their lunch,
kneeling down to equal level with the girls to show that they are the same.
Then, after they had all eaten, the girls laid hands on the boys and prayed over
them to show respect. It was beautiful!
Other than that, the only thing to talk about is Blessing
Time. Let’s start with Joyce. Joyce is sponsored, which means that someone from
America pays for her to go to school through Family Legacy. She goes to the
Legacy Academy Chuwama, and is in 2nd grade. Her favorite subject is
science. She is 9 years old, and her favorite Bible verse is John 14:15, “If
you love me, you will obey what I command.”
Joyce lives with her father, mother, older sister, and
older brother. Her sister used to beat her when she was younger, and she lost
the tip of her right index finger as a result. Her father drinks and regularly
insults them, calling her brother insane. She gets scared when people fight
with broken bottles.
Sylvia is also 9 years old. She used to attend a Zambian
community school for grades 1-3, but no longer attends. She lives with her
grandmother, though her parents are alive and all her siblings live with them.
She lives there because she has to take care of her grandma, who has some
sickness that causes her hands to swell. Sylvia has to do all the housework.
She only gets to eat once, in the morning. She is scared that she will be
beaten because she was when she was young. Her grandmother told her about
Jesus, but today we prayed to accept Christ!
Idah is also a sponsored child who goes to Legacy Academy
Chuwama. She has been at Camp LIFE 4 times. She is 13 years old, making her the
oldest in our group, and she really likes that. She is only in grade 3,
presumably because she needs to catch up on her education. She lives with her
mom, dad, 5 older siblings, and 1 younger sibling. Her younger brother is also
at Camp LIFE this week. She is very blessed, but she has an older sister who
beats her.
Veronica has an adorable smile. She is 9 years old, and
used to go to private school for grades 1-3, but her caregivers could no longer
afford it. Her mother died when she was 5, and her father died when she was 4.
She lives with her auntie, uncle, younger brother, a female cousin of her own
age, and 3 older cousins. She very obviously loves her female cousin that is
her own age. She only eats once or twice per day. Her cousins make fun of her
to her aunt, which makes her feel scared and sad. She was able to explain the
gospel of Christ today to me, and prayed her belief in Jesus!
Regina is an absolutely gorgeous little girl who is 10
years old. She used to go to a government school for grades 1-4, but doesn’t
anymore. She understood some English, and was able to write her name! She has a
mother, but her father left or died when she was very young (she doesn’t know
where he went). She has 1 older brother that lives with her mother. She,
however, has lived with her auntie from when she was very young, likely around
2 years old. She has 5 cousins that live with her, and one of the female cousins
beats her. Regina is bold enough to tell her auntie that her cousin beats her,
but then her cousin gets beat as punishment. Not a really good way to teach
kids to stop hurting each other, if you ask me. Regina also accepted Christ
today! These kids just soak up God’s word, and I know that their faith is
genuine because I make them explain it to me before we pray. It’s so beautiful!
Tomorrow we will go into the Chuwama community where my
girls live. The girls will be using a device called an “evangicube” to explain
the gospel of Jesus to people in their community. I am both anxious and excited
to see where these girls live, and totally excited to watch them spread the
good news of Jesus. We will also be distributing food in the community. Later
in the day, we will tour the Tree of Life Children’s Village, where Family
Legacy houses over 600 vulnerable or orphaned children. I am so excited to see
more of Family Legacy’s awesome ministry!
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