Spring Cleaning

 

Like most houses, the orphanage house was ready for a heavy duty spring cleaning. With all the babies that we have living with the mommies at the house, their rooms are getting quite crowded. So we thought we would rearrange the rooms so that the mothers can have more space, however, the mothers did not like that idea because the children’s rooms are infested with bed bugs. The bed bugs are a huge problem and they have been sprayed a couple times, but it hasn’t gotten rid of them yet. Since we have two other girls here helping for the week, we decided it was time to get everything out, spray really well, and clean the house from top to bottom.

We had the children and mothers get everything out of the house one evening and went in early the next morning to spray while the children were at school. We started in the ceiling and sprayed them out on to the ground. They were everywhere…once the whole house had been sprayed; we sprayed the beds outside, the mattresses, pillows, and anything else that we could not wash or iron. Everything that was washable came here to our place and we did laundry for three days straight washing all the sheets, blankets, clothes, curtains, pillow cases, stuffed animals, and so on…everything was hung in the sun to dry and then put under a hot iron. The moms and children had to sleep outside two evenings because the fumes were so strong and we wouldn’t allow any clothing to go inside the house until it was washed and ironed. We are going to be very strict on the children’s rooms and the washing of bed sheets and clothes from now hoping to eliminate the bug problem. We are praying that these efforts are enough to have removed all the bugs and the eggs. These bugs are very painful and we found tons of blood stains on the sheets from where the bugs were biting the children and leaving sores on their arms and legs.

Everyone seems a lot more happy now that we have cleaned out the house rearranged all the furniture and settled back in. The moms are in the biggest rooms in the house, with lots of play space for the babies (now they can have out all their toys, bouncy seats, and play pins without being disturbed by the older children). By having a space big enough for all the babies, the moms have the opportunity to leave all the babies in the room with one mom, while the others are able to get work done and the babies can be stimulated by things around  them. The children also seem happier cleaning out their drawers and junk they have been keeping, but no longer need. We are also having the children mend all their clothes that have holes or are missing buttons to teach them to take care of their things while they have them. They know they only get “new” clothes once a year, so they have to pace the rate at which they wear everything.

Through all this hard work, we are really praying hard that it solved the bed bug problem! Please pray with us that these bugs are gone and won’t enter into the orphanage ever again…they are hard to get rid of, but with God on our side, we it’s not even a small battle. It is a much safer and  cleaner environment for the children, babies, and moms :o)

Home Improvements

 

Living in the bush always leads to unfinished projects…Amber and Jako’s house (which they have been in for over a year) still was lacking inside doors, curtain rods, electricity in room, lights in rooms, ceiling boards, a finished guest toilet, and a finished guest shower. The goal is to get all these things completed before the baby arrives in December, along with all the building of the furniture for the school. Obviously Jako needs to be involved all around to get things done…so as soon as we got back from South Africa we went to work on the house. My thinking is that if I help him get the house things finished, Amber will be very happy and then we can focus on building furniture for the school.

In the past couple weeks, God has allowed us to make very good progress: Jako and I were able to finish the guest toilet (with a small basin), finish the guest shower (also with a small basin), put on all the inside doors, put lights in every room in the house, run electrical wiring to  every outlet in the various rooms, install curtain rods, put up curtains on every window, and handles on most of the doors.

With all the projects we have going on; two missionaries from town came out to join us for a week to help out around the house. These two girls have been such a blessing…they organized and inventoried all our paint to see what was available, they varnished all the doors in the house and the outdoor ones that needed it as well, they painted the inside doors, organized and cleaned the kitchen, help prepare daily meals, helped with laundry, inventoried medicines at the orphanage, worked hard on our orphanage spring cleaning frenzy, and they are planning on painting the bathrooms before going back to town. They were able to move our home improvements along much faster than we would have been able to without them.

The one thing I have learned since being here is that it is very hard to actually finish something you start in a timely manner. Often, no matter how much you plan ahead, something is bound to go wrong and being out in the bush, the materials you might need are not easily accessible. God is definitely  teaching me patience and to work with what we have…there are no Home Depots where you can go to get quality materials for projects and since nothing is ever as it should be, it always takes hours to make a new plan in order for the materials we have to work. Despite all the “TIA” moments, we are making progress and whenever Kalomo gets more wood, we will be able to order supplies for the school furniture and get to work on building shelves, cubbies, tables, and other things needed to get started.

Please continue t pray that we are motivated to keep working diligently, even though things don’t go how we planned. Pray that we have strength to finish everything before our departure to South Africa for the baby. Pray that we remember that we are working for the Lord and only Him…that  everything we do should bring glory and honor to him and him alone!

Immanuel: “God With Us”

 

While we were all in South Africa, we received a call from Charles telling us that we had someone bring us a two week old baby. The baby’s mother was in the clinic and expected not to live long and the father was nowhere to be found, so Amber gave permission to keep the baby and care for it until we got back here to evaluate the situation. Once we got back we heard many different stories about this baby and his parents. When we got it all sorted we heard that the mother was still in the clinic, however, she was physically and mentally ill not fit to care for the little one. We tried to track down the father, but whomever the grandparents thought it was, denied everything and left their village. Now the baby is left with a very ill mother and no father to speak of…a few days later we heard that the mother had passed away, leaving this child doubled orphaned and able to be taken in by MOL.

This little boy is named Immanuel and what a perfect name for the situation that he found himself in; only being in the world for two weeks and having no mother or father to care for him. Immanuel means “God with Us” and I think it is clear that God had his hand over Immanuel since the moment he came out of his mother’s womb. He is now happy and healthy at the orphanage getting the formula and nutrients he needs to allow his body to develop properly. He is surrounded by mothers and children who love him and will constantly show him the love of Christ.

Immanuel is now our 6^th baby and the 16^th child in the MOL Orphanage…we have 4 spaces left before MOL will have to think about building another house for the children who are coming their way.

I love how the community looks after this orphanage and the children there…they take pride in their work and often look out for children who are doubled orphaned, not receiving the proper care they need to survive. Men and women in this area are being transformed by the work that God is doing through this orphanage and that’s what it is all about!! Praise God…for He is ALWAYS with us!!

 

“The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.”

Psalm 121:7-8

Welcome Sanford!

At the end of August we took in another little boy…Sanford.  Sanford is 4 years old and in desperate need of proper care.  He is extremely malnourished, has TB in his stomach, orange hair, a bloated belly, and a very unpleasant home life.  Sanford’s mother passed away in 2009 from heart complications and he has a sibling at another orphanage in town.  He was staying with his grandfather who had six other children he is caring for.  The grandfather's second wife refused to care for Sanford since he was not her child, so the little boy was not receiving regular meals, baths, clothes, or love.  The house they are all living in is made of sticks and no one cared enough to even put mud between the sticks to keep the harsh winter cold out.  I cannot imagine how these children are surviving, especially Sanford…only by the sovereignty of God.  Needless to say, he is the only double orphan living in that environment and after interviewing the grandfather and his children, everyone agreed that it was in the best interest of Sanford to move into the orphanage.  At the MOL Orphanage he will receive three proper, nutritious meals a day, his own bed to sleep in, clothes for all seasons, shoes on his feet, a bath every night, love from mommies, companionship with the other children, and the gospel…the most important thing of all!

Being 4 years old, Sanford realizes everything that is going on, but he does not understand why.   Please pray for this little boy…we had to leave quickly for South Africa after he came, so I have not been able to check up on him, but the morning we left, Belita said he was doing great.  The older children are working hard to make him feel safe and at home, however, I can only imagine how scary and uncertain a new environment can be for children at that age.  Ask God to comfort him when he is scared, to give him peace, to physically heal him, to allow himself to be loved, and to put a new joy in his heart.  We know that God knows all of our needs and takes care of them when we put our faith in him alone and seek his kingdom above all else!!

 

“But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the Gentiles seek after these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.” 

Matthew 6:30-32

Kimberley, South Africa

 

 

 

Well, as most of you know, Amber and Jako needed to go to South Africa for a couple weeks for doctor’s appointments and errands, so we left at the end of August planning on being back home around the 10th of September.  The first week we did a lot of running around checking prices on things we needed in between doctor’s and dentist visits.  At the various stores we went to, I was able to buy things for the school.  I am still lacking many center items, but I have a lot more now than I did when we left for SA.  I am so excited to get back to the bush to start putting things together and setting up the program.  Hopefully the doors, roof, and glass will get on the school quickly, so we can start painting and then moving in…

After a week of errands, I left Amber and Jako to visit a friend west of Pretoria in the Northern Cape.  My friend, Kevin, lives in a small, flat, hot town called Kimberley where he is the minister of a local Methodist church.  Now I met Kevin three years ago in 2008 when I was living in Jeffery’s Bay (Eastern Cape) doing a mission’s trip with AIM.  Since then we have both travelled all around following God’s calling on each of our lives and we were so blessed to be able to meet up in person once again.  This week was a retreat for me…a chance to get away and reconnect with God and myself. 

Kimberley is in the middle of nowhere, not much is around, but surprisingly has many fun things to keep you busy!  Kevin was a wonderful host and planned many things for us to do, as well as, a lot of down time to just relax and unwind.  Apparently the second largest cut diamond in the world was found in Kimberley.  There is a mile deep hole (“The Big Hole”) in the middle of the town that was dug completely by hand, the largest man-dug hole in the world.  We got a tour of the hole and a recreation of the mine shafts that miner’s worked in looking for diamonds…I learned all the history of diamonds and Kimberley…who knew?!?!?  On top of that, I got to experience a lot of Afrikaans culture…there was a festival that consisted of shows, vendors, authentic food, music, entertainment, and much more.  We went to this festival twice to look around and participate in traditional activities, as well as see the winner of South African Idol perform live one evening.  Then, Western Province (Cape Town) came to Kimberley to play their local rugby team and we got to go to the game…it was my first live, professional rugby game!  Wow those guys sure get hit hard, and without pads!!  We spent time with Kevin’s friends and roommates for dinners, movies, and outings.  One of his friend’s works in the hospital and let me witness a C-section delivery…I was actually in the theater (operating room) with her and the other staff when she pulled the baby out and everything was going great until I fainted!!  Then I was the talk of the hospital, and shortly the town…hehe memories that last! 

In addition to all the fun attractions we did, I also got a glimpse into Kevin ministry life!  One morning we went to teach a classroom of about 80 high school girls.  These girls are caring the weight of the world on their shoulders, and yet they keep their composure so well!  Kevin is great with them, talking about things that they want to discuss and that they can relate to…every time they meet, they take time to pray for one another and many times these girls are very vulnerable with their requests; what a great opportunity to advance the kingdom!  Then, on Wednesday nights he teaches the Alpha program at his church and of course, Sunday morning he preaches!  Being out in the bush, there isn’t much “church fellowship”, so being back in the western culture of things, it was nice being spiritually fed in that capacity again!  Something my heart had been yearning for…

All in all it was an amazing week filled with excitement and relaxation all at once!  God answered my prayers and met me where I was helping me enhance the intimacy of my prayers…

 

 

“Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”

John 7:38

FBCW

 

“…keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words would be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly; as I ought to speak.”

Ephesians 6:18-20

On July 22, a team of 13 joined us from Woodbridge, Va.  Most of the team members have been to serve here in Zambia on previous trips, but there were a coupe of new ones.  Each person was so excited to see the advancements at camp and to find out where they could plug in and serve most effectively.  We were so happy to see that, since we had a lot of worked planned for the two weeks they would be with us.  The men on the team started helping Jako fix all the broken things we have (i.e. the quad, land rover, hilux, etc.) while the women helped Amber and I organize clothes for the orphan donations that happened on their second day in the bush (they didn’t have much time to adjust, but they did an excellent job.)

The following week consisted of various types of ministry…four days, the FBCW team sent out an eye glass team to prescribe eye glasses in the community.  They traveled all over the chiefdom and helped over 100 people giving out free glasses and counseling each person who came to see them.  While part of the team was out doing that, the rest were hard at work on the stump farm.  For those of you who know, this team worked very hard on the stump farm last year…hours in the field loosening dirt and digging it out around large trees trying to get them out of the way for plowing.  They cleared a lot more of the field so that Jako will have more space to plant maize for the orphanage this year.  Praise God!

After days of this routine, the team got a break and went to the goat and cattle farm.  While we were there, we had to vaccinate all the cattle and goats…this involved lassoing every single cow and calf (about 20) with a rope and then forcing them to the ground and praying they stay there long enough to get the injection and let everyone step away safely before getting back up.  I was lucky enough to be taught how to inject the cows and after Jako did about three of them, he handed the rest over to me…what an experience!!  The goats were a little easier, the younger men on the team tracked each of them down in the pin and just handed them out to Fred to be injected and then they got to run off and graze.  After all the goats were taken care of, the team got together and started digging holes for a new goat pin and placed in the support beams.  Hopefully the pin will be ready soon so that the goats and get up of the ground when they are sleeping, therefore, having less sickness and disease traveling though them. 

The team also helped cut and make 10 A-frames for the roof of my house, although we didn’t have time to get those up while they were here, having them ready to go was a huge help.  Dean worked for two days, with the boys at the orphanage house, fixing the new bikes the team bought for the children to ride to get to school.  The women worked for several hours in the library finishing filing all the books on the ground and even getting the labels up on the shelves…it is looking so good.  We even got come people to go up to the school and scrub down the walls and sweep the floor to get it ready for painting.  Unfortunately the builder still needed to fix a few things, so we were not able to paint, but we are praying that soon it will be ready for that step.  Some of the guys put new shelves in Jako’s workshop and organized all the things he had laying around, while a couple other guys welded a 16 meter tower to install behind the house for the internet antenna, satellite dish, and radio antenna.  We are so happy our internet seems to have a better connection and is faster in the evenings!

In addition to all the physical work this team did, they also made huge investments in the people around them.  Not only to the locals that worked alongside them each day, but mostly to the children in the orphanage and community.  They taught Sunday School twice and each night up at the orphanage they told bible stories and played games with the children.  They did an excellent job portraying God as their courage and strength in every day situations, that by putting their faith in Christ, they would never have to worry.  I loved seeing them interact with the children and love on them in a way that the children don’t always feel from the community, but the pure love that comes from Christ.  The children learned a lot and had fun at the same time!!

 

It was a great trip with los of fond memories.  FBCW was a huge help and we appreciated their sacrifice of time, money, and family to come on this trip and serve God in Zambia.  For we are all “ambassadors in chains” proclaiming the gospel wherever God sends us!