Bitter Sweet Goodbyes

So this is it...I leave today to fly back to the States. A wonderful time it has been over the past 9 weeks. I have had a great time with the children, met many wonderful people, made lasting friendships and have had conversations that will be remembered for years. I have truly been blessed beyond my wildest dreams. My first flight leaves Lusaka at 1:40PM ...so 7:40 AM EST. Please continue to pray for me as I will be traveling today and tomorrow (30 hours). I will have plenty of time to think and pray for when I return there are many decisions that I have to make.

Thank you all for your support over the past several weeks and for the constant prayers. I could not have made it through without each and everyone of you by my side.

Random...

So it has been quite some time since I have written…oops. So some random thoughts…My time here in Zambia is quickly coming to an end. I leave for home on Tuesday. Am I ready…? Honestly I think I am. Good-Byes are the hardest thing but as I search deep within my heart I do believe I have fulfilled the mission God has set before me for this summer. With many lessons learned, tears, struggles and trials that I have endured my 9 ½ weeks in Zambia have been well worth each and every hardship.

How bad is it that I already feel like I am leaving something behind and I haven’t even left yet?! I feel like there is something missing.

I can definitely say that I am ready for a life altering change … A new challenge to embark on; A new wave of adventure! To travel the seven seas. To take time to rest and enjoy life. To live life to the fullest…I do predict a sky diving adventure in the NEAR future :)

O the joys of the unknown...

A Blessing from God

Man, God is good! Tuesday morning I was running late. The alarm went off at 5:45 am and there was no water for me to wash my face and brush my teeth. (We typically get blackouts here and sometimes don’t have water…the result of living in a village.) Thinking hard I remembered that I had water in my filter that I could use! So I improvised and began to get ready for work. I wasn’t feeling well and had a cough which made me move kind of slow. I needed to leave by 6:30 am in order to make it to Katongo by 7:30 am when I was to teach my first class. I left my house at 6:45 am walking super fast to try and catch a bus at the round-a-bout (about a 15 min walk from my house). My legs began to hurt and when I got to the round-a-bout I had 2 buses pass me already full. I began to get discouraged thinking I was going to need to walk much farther to catch a bus. I go so excited when I saw another bus coming! I flagged it down paid my 2,000 Kawatcha (about $0.50) and was headed to the junction for where I would then walk 30 min to the school. To my surprise the bus did not stop at the junction and kept on going towards Katongo. I was getting VERY excited that I was just going to be a little closer than normal and it would save some time. I began to praise God for that specific bus that picked me. God truly blessed me Tuesday and had this bus ready for me to take me ALL the way to the school and I only had to pay my normal fee of 2,000 K. Even in the little things I am learning to praise God and to seek His blessings through all situations!

Please continue to pray for me as I am teaching…each day is a new adventure, and each day is a struggle.

The Father and the Child 2

The Father spoke:
Are you ready, My child?
Yes, but I have nothing to bring except myself.
You are all I need.
Surely I must bring something; I do not feel prepared to travel.
Do not concern yourself with preparations. Your journey has already begun.
But I am fearful.
There is no need to fear, I will always be with you.
Will You give me what I need?
I will provide for you.
What will You provide?
All that is essential for your journey.
And what is essential?
I will show you along the way. For now, you have what is necessary; the desire to draw close to My heart.
(A WOMAN’S JOURNEY TO THE HEART OF GOD - BY: CYNTHIA HEALD)

3 Weeks

WOW! It is hard for me to believe that I have been in Zambia for 3 weeks now!!! I have had a wonderful time so far and expect my time to get sweeter and sweeter as the days continue. I have had my good days and my bad days but the work that the Lord has been doing in my heart and in my life out weighs it all. I was talking with my roommate this morning before we went to church about how time is going by SO FAST and that I really don’t want to leave. I love Africa! I might not enjoy the teaching but EVERYTHING else about Africa I absolutely love!

Today at church was a great surprise for me! We did a baptism in the service and took part in the Lord’s Supper! I was super excited to experience these ordinances in the Zambian tradition. This meant services lasted an hour and a half longer but it was well worth it all! :)

I have about 6 weeks left here in Zambia and my schedule has gotten much busier. Next weekend I will move to the Lalito 1 home (the home with the children :) ) for two weeks while teams come in. I will get to play with the children in the afternoons after I am done teaching which is something I have been praying for! I will be busy working with one of the teams in July as their main focus is Katongo where I am teaching.

Thank you for all your prayers! And please continue to pray for me as the days continue with teaching and as I shift to the Lalito 1 home next weekend.

THE FATHER AND THE CHILD

The Father Spoke:

Come, child, let us journey together.
Where shall we go, Father?
To a distant land, another kingdom.
So the journey will be long?
Yes, we must travel every day.
When will we reach our destination”?
At the end of your days.
And who will accompany us?
Joy and Sorrow.
Must Sorrow travel with us?
Yes, she is necessary to keep you close to Me.
But I want only Joy.
It is only with Sorrow that you will know true Joy.
What must I bring?
A willing heart to follow Me.
What shall I do on the journey?
There is only one thing that you must do – stay close to Me. Let nothing distract you. Always keep your eyes on me.
And what will I see?
You will see My glory.
And what will I know
You will know My heart.
The Father stretched out His hand. The child, knowing the great love her Father had for her, placed her hand in His and began her journey.
(A WOMAN’S JOURNEY TO THE HEART OF GOD - BY: CYNTHIA HEALD)

Trials & Tears

Each day here in Mongu is a new challenge, yet each day is getting better than the one before it. There have been several trials and yes tears in my eyes. The joke between me and Loombe (my roommate) is that my program is officially the “I Don’t Know” program. I will start my day with a specific program in mind, and then there will be a knock on the door with someone here to pick me for a program that they set for me. An adventure yes every day. And everyday filled with more unknowns.

My first day here I found out I had a wrong visa for the work I was to do…so we spent most of the morning getting me a work permit…can you have two different visas in the same country for the same time period? HUM. Guess I will find out when I get ready to leave the country.

Being here in Mongu has brought to the surface fears that dwell inside of me that are not as present while back at home. I am seeing more and more that I have a HUGE fear of being alone. I can see through this experience that God is trying to teach me to rely on Him for EVERYTHING and is bringing to the surface things that I have not fully surrendered to Him. One lesson that I must be reminded of constantly…and a tough one at that…Even more I am experiencing a much stronger desire for a life long companion.

These past few days have been EXTREMELY difficult and challenging usually starting with a “Lord equip me” prayer. Please pray that I would become more comfortable here in Mongu by myself. And that my fears would be subsided so I can focus on serving God whole heartedly without these fears getting in the way.

“Each day becomes precious because each day is part of the process that takes us nearer to the heart of God” Cynthia Heald

Off to Mongu...

Today I am leaving Lusaka and headded for Mongu. A little nervous and scared for I will begin to live in the country on my own with the assistance of one local girl. I was told yesterday that they just fixed the water at the place I will be staying so I will actually have water! :) Praise God. I am really going to miss being here in the Chikondi home. The girls have been wonderful and really helped me feel accepted and wanted. I pray the same for when I travel to Mongu.

There is so much work that needs to be done here that I would love to get to stay to be a part of these projects...even when my 9 weeks are over.

Please pray that I would have the courage and strength needed as I begin to face a new culture...more of the village/bush lifestyle compared to city life...and begin to travel more on my own. Thank you for the continuous prayers and words of encouragement!

Everything I Expected…

My first few days here in Zambia have been wonderful! And to top it off I really have not had any jet lag! Friday it took a little while before the kids began to warm up to me but by Saturday morning it was like I was one of them…just the experience I have been praying for. Being here in Lusaka with the “family” I am staying with is everything I imagined. I am truly experiencing authentic Zambian culture. Most of the time I am the only American here so it has really forced me to branch out of my comfort zone and really get involved with the culture.

Yesterday I helped Joy cook lunch for the family and the house mom is determined to teach me how to make shuma. You know you have really begun to fit in when the children begin to call you Auntie. We have a few pets here…2 dogs, I have seen a cat once, and there are about 10 chickens…all to become dinner when they are big enough…yum :).

I think my biggest challenge so far has been trying to master the art of a “tub bath”. When you are 5’5” trying to take a bath in a 2 foot plastic tub it really becomes an adventure. I guess it is better than the watering hole… the people here are wonderful and a great joy to be with!

Please pray as I will begin work on Monday here in Lusaka and as I will transfer to Mungo at the end of the week. I will be in Mungo for the majority of my time here, which is about 8 hours from Lusaka, working in the school systems. Please pray that I would not get sick as we are getting ready here for the winter months.

Speechless!

Speechless! I am completely wowed at all that God has been doing in preparing me for this trip. I am amazed that I was able to raise ALL support in 12 DAYS!!! WOW! That still just blows my mind. Only God could have put the pieces together for this to happen the way it has. I see that this is something that God is in FULL control over! I could never have made this work…I calculated numbers for days to see what could happen…and am blown away at what has actually happened! Thank you to everyone who has helped support me and who have committed to pray for me during this trip!

I leave in 3 DAYS!!! So exciting! I guess I should start packing :) I just know God is going to do something incredible in me and through me during this trip! He has truly paved the path to make this possible! I can’t wait to leave!!!

May 27th!

Thank you all for your prayers! The ticket has been purchased and I leave in 16 DAYS!!!!!!!! WOW! Hard for me to believe that it is so close! I am blown away at how God has been providing for me during this time. I got the ticket for MUCH less than originally planned which brought my budget down by almost $1000!!! God is good!

I fly out May 27th and will return August 4th! I can't wait to be there. My heart is filled with an unspeakable joy as I watch God putting together the pieces of the puzzle! Do I have to come back?!

Please continue to pray as I am finishing up this semester getting ready to graduate on Saturday!

Faith

“God you are good. You are bigger than anything I could ever imagine. Stretch my faith Lord that I may grow to depend on You more and more. I don’t understand how all this is going to work out but I know You can make a way out of no way and I surrender my life to You Lord. Use it for Your glory. You are my joy and my delight Lord and I put all of this in Your hands. In Jesus' name Amen”

Faith…who knew something that seemed so simple could be so hard at the same time. God truly has been stretching my faith these past few weeks as I am learning to let go and let God work out the details for my internship. It is HARD being a planner and expecting to leave within 18-22 DAYS. I currently still do not have a plane ticket and I just started to raise support last week. I about broke down in tears Friday from the stress of it all. Please continue to pray that God would strengthen my faith in Him and that I would be able to rest in His love and faithfulness. Faith as big as a mustard seed…what a lesson. (Matthew 17:20-21)

Pieces of a Puzzle

Each day I gather more pieces of the puzzle for my trip to Zambia. Each day I rejoice that the process is moving along and each day brings a new level of stress as I prepare to graduate next week and prepare to leave in 28 DAYS. Today I spent 3 hours online searching for the cheapest airline tickets to Lusaka. VERY hard since the World Cup this year is in South Africa. Right now it looks like I need to raise about $5,000 mostly because of the high ticket prices. Not fun...but I am learning to trust that God will provide.

I did find out a little more of what I should be doing during my time in Zambia!!It looks like I will be Teaching and working with a consultant to help evaluate the different school programs and make proper plans for their growth and improvement in Mungo a remote African village that has been devastated by the AIDS pandemic

As well as participating in the micro-credit loan program that has just begun in the Misisi Compound. The Misisi Compound is notoriously known as the worst and most neglected slum in Lusaka. There are about one hundred thousand inhabitants, no public schools, police stations, or health clinics within this compound. Up to one thousand children in Misisi Compound live in “child-headed families” - orphaned brothers and sisters who depend only on each other for survival.

I am so grateful that the pieces of the puzzle are starting to come together!!! Please continue to pray for me as my semester is coming to an end and as I am beginning to raise support for my trip.

Patience ~ God is in Control!

Man this is a hard lesson for me. I applied for my internship LAST summer and I am still up in the air with just about EVERYTHING. I do have confirmation that I will be going to Zambia. I guess I should just rejoice in this one confirmation. The planner in me freaks out every once in a while as I am anticipating to leave in about 4 weeks and the dates of the trip have not been set, a ticket has not been purchased and the support has not begun to be raised :).

This trying time is growing my dependance on God and showing me more and more that my joy is not circumstantial. What a tough lesson to learn right now!! But COMPLETELY worth the unknowns that are yet to come.

Please continue to pray for my internship and all of the details as they are being worked out over the next few weeks :)

Zambia!

As graduation is approaching in just a few short weeks I am preparing for my summer internship with Kids Alive International in Zambia, Africa!!! Words can not express the heart felt joy that I am experiencing as I am getting ready to spend two months living and working in the orphanages.

I plan to use this blog during my time in Zambia as a way for everyone to experience this journey with me. I leave in six short weeks!!!