Sorry for the delay, but I have finally put together the account of how God is changing our lives and leading us on an incredible adventure in which we will have the priviledge of helping just a few of the thousands of precious children who are alone and in need in Zambia.
When we came to Leeds in February 09 we were expecting to be with WEC at Springhead Park House for several years. We did not think it would be permanently, but certainly for more than a year. BUT the Lord has made it clear that He has different plans for us. We know that we did not make a mistake in coming to England as we wrote in "The Call", God made it perfectly clear for us to come here.
There is no way we could have chosen the events of this year or organized meeting the different people that we have met but God has done it all. We stand in awe at what He has done and continues to do.
It wasn’t long after arriving in England that God began to stir Gary’s heart, leading him to believe we wouldn’t be here for long. I have to admit I was disappointed when Gary told me this. After several years of seeking what the Lord wanted and watching Him lead us to England I was ready to settle down and make a home for the kids, but that was not to be (at least not yet). Also, within a month of us arriving the Lord was beginning to give us a heart of compassion for the African orphans through videos such as Sam and Esther. Never at that time did we think that Gary’s thoughts of leaving and the orphans were connected. In the meantime, we worked hard at settling in here at SPH. We sought out a church we could call home and looked for other Christian homeschooling families. The latter was not an easy task as there are not many in Leeds, but the Lord put me in touch with Clare, who later would play a significant role in our connection to Zambia.
On my first meeting with Clare I was told that her 17 year old daughter, Charlie, was planning a trip to Kenya during the summer to work with the orphans. My heart was stirred again, and I began to think maybe when our kids are grown we could go to Africa and help, but in the meantime, if the Lord would allow us, then maybe we could send a little money to the work already going on there.
In the meantime someone that I respect for their strong faith recommended a book to me. It was ‘Crazy Love’ by Francis Chan. The title didn’t impress me to read it, but the fact that it was free on an mp3 download persuaded me to listen to it. The book spoke loud and clear to both Gary and I. The book speaks about what it truly means to be a Christian and that while we are saved by grace, we show our love for God, by showing our love to others. (1 John 3: 16-18) This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone had material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. Chan gave examples of people who ‘denied themselves, picked up their cross and followed Christ’. All too often in the western world we have got it so wrong. We want to follow Christ, but only to the edge of our comfort zone, and no further.
Then in July, Gary was struggling with some cultural issues here, but one morning after prayers he came home to me and told me that he had surrendered to the Lord and if God wanted us here then he would surrender his desire to go back to the States and be happy to be here, or wherever God wanted us. This act of surrender was the beginning of the change for us.
By now Clare’s daughter, Charlie was in Kenya and Gary suggested we invite her and her family over for dinner once she got home so she could share with us about her experiences. Charlie was due back on a Monday. Clare said she would need some time to rest before we got together. We understood that, and were therefore amazed that Clare called on Tuesday (just one day after Charlie got home) to arrange dinner. We agreed to meet that Friday, but I was reminded by Gary, that we had plans to go to the beach with our Church that Friday. So, I called Clare to rearrange dinner fully expecting her to suggest a day the following week. Instead she suggested the very next day, Wednesday. I mention the days – because everything during this particular week happened so fast and the timing was so important.
So, on Wednesday they came for dinner. Charlie told us about some of the children she met while in Kenya. What broke our hearts the most was the 3 & 4 year old children who would walk miles three times a week to wait at the end of the feeding line. They were put at the end of the line because no one had ‘sponsored’ them yet. If there were left overs they would eat – if not, they would be sent away hungry.
Another situation that really disturbed us was how the babies were taken care of in the local hospital. The hospital in Eldoret is a teaching hospital and reportedly has the best baby unit in the country because it is funded by Westerners – yet what happens there is nothing short of tragic. The babies are only given 2 bottles a day and are left alone from 4 pm when the staff goes home until 9 am the next morning. No one to meet their needs; no one to feed them; no one to soothe their cries. No one. And this is the best Kenya has to offer its babies???
God had got our attention – we knew He wasn’t just asking us to send money, so we started entertaining the idea that he may be telling us to go. At this time the Lord also led us to Matthew 25:34-40
"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
When Charlie went to Kenya she stayed with a British family who moved out there a few years ago. They went independently in answer to a call from the Lord to serve the people in Eldoret. We began wondering and seriously praying about the possibility that the Lord was requiring the same of us. We decided to ask Clare for the email address of her contacts in Kenya. We were thinking that maybe we could contact them and arrange a visit to see the need for ourselves. And maybe, just maybe move there later. We also knew that if we were to go to Africa we would need to have contacts in the country that we would be going to. Someone to help us get orientated to the culture. We asked the Lord to give us this if He wanted us to go.
The next time I was supposed to see Clare was the coming Saturday at a homeschool bar-b-que and I would ask her about getting the email address then. Meanwhile we continued to think and pray about this whole situation.
Two days later on Friday of the same week, we went with our church to the beach. The weather was perfect and the company was enjoyable. On the journey home I was reflecting on what a perfect day it had been, beautifully English … we even enjoyed a cup of tea while sitting on the beach.. I remember seriously contemplating what we thought God might be asking us to do. Uproot the kids and move again, to a country where it is hot, away from grandparents (my family) where there are mosquitoes that carry malaria, as well as poisonous snakes. I clearly remember thinking, ‘Lord', you can’t be serious. I can’t do this, it’s just too "hard". I had always hoped that I would never tell God that I wouldn’t do something he was asking, but I found myself saying "NO". I didn’t want to put my children in a tough situation – it was too "hard". I had made my mind up. Well, that evening I had to call a friend in the States that I had not spoken to since we left in February. I had to speak to her about a homeschool matter. Then, out of the blue she said, “Oh by the way I finally read the book you recommended to me." ‘What book?’ She responded, ‘Do Hard Things’. What!! I couldn’t believe what she had just said ‘Do Hard Things’ was a book I had told her about at least a year ago. It was written by Alex and Brett Harris for a teen audience but is actually suitable for all ages. It challenges teens to rise above the low expectations that society has for them and do the hard things that Christ calls them to. When Shannon said the words ‘Do Hard Things’ the Lord immediately brought to my mind my statement to Him just a couple of hours before. I can’t do it – it is just too "hard". At that point I too surrendered my will for His ‘okay Lord if you want us to go I will go, knowing that your plans for us are for our good’. (Jeremiah 29:11)
The next day was the bar-b-que. I didn’t want to ask Clare in front of many people because I didn’t want anyone else to know what we were thinking about doing, partly because it still sounded so ridiculous and impossible to me. For a time it didn’t look like I would get the opportunity to ask her alone, so I decided I would just email her sometime over the weekend and get the lady’s address. As far as I was concerned there was no urgency on this. But I did pray and ask the Lord to give me the opportunity to speak to Clare if he wanted me to ask her that evening. He did provide that opportunity and our conversation went something like this. ‘Clare, do you think your friend in Kenya would be interested in showing someone else around the area?’
Clare; ‘Probably, why? Who is thinking of going?’
I replied ‘Us’
She looked shocked, but then I explained to her how the Lord had been stirring our hearts. Clare promised to get me the lady’s address but asked if it was specifically Kenya that we wanted to go to. ‘No not necessarily', I said. Then she told me that her Pastor was from Zambia and he was actually going down to Africa on Monday for 2 weeks, she suggested that maybe we could get together with him when he returned and see if there was any opportunity down there for us.
That sounded fine to me, but really didn’t expect that to come too much. I certainly wasn’t expecting to hear anything soon, but just an hour after getting home from the bar-b-que Clare called. She had sent a text to her Pastor (Brian) and he wanted to talk to us before his trip to Africa. So, we arranged for him to call us the next day.
Brian did call Sunday afternoon. We spoke for 45 mins. He explained to me that he was being sent, not only to Zambia, but Zimbabwe, Botswana and other surrounding nations by his 'Network' of churches to discover what the needs were in the area with regard to orphans and poverty etc. He asked what we were interested in doing. I told him a little of our family’s interests, our love for children, Gary’s construction abilities and that we thought the Lord maybe telling us to go serve in Africa.
Brian responded that while he was there He would be asking the Lord if He would show him a place where we could possibly fit in.
During the 2 weeks he was gone we spent a lot of time praying and thinking through the implications of possibly going. Those were a long 2 weeks as we eagerly awaited any news Brian had for us on his return.
We met with Brian and his wife (Christa) and he told us about the general needs in that part of the world. He finally came to tell us about Livingstone, Zambia. He said the need there is so great. Many children are just on the streets, with no parents or a home. Brian used to be a Pastor in Livingstone and the Mayor of that town was in his congregation. Brian spent a whole day with the mayor looking around the town to find any suitable sites to build an orphanage, as this is something the Mayor would like to see happen in his city.
Between the information that Brian has given us and our own research we have discovered that the situation in Zambia is desperate. Out of a population of 10 million there are an estimated 1.2 million orphans. Livingstone, which has a population of 100,000, could therefore have up to 10,000 orphans. The life expectancy is only 36, primarily due to AIDS. What is happening is this – the Zambian women are having 5 or 6 children, and then becoming victims of AIDS, this leaves Grandmother to raise 15 or more grandchildren, which is impossible when most people survive on less than $1 a day. Then, in turn, when Grandma dies, all these children are left with noone. Also, in Zambia, because of the poverty people cannot afford to send their children to school. Consequently, with no education, the possibilities of work are fewer and so the cycle of poverty continues. The terrible conditions in Zambia have been multiplied over the last few years by drought in the western part of the country.
After our meeting with Brian we were left with a whole bunch of mixed emotions. But we have decided to go and help these precious children because God has given us peace and many scriptures which confirm our decision such as;
James 4:17 Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.
and
Isaiah 58:6-7 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
When exactly will we be going? That’s a good question! First, we are learning not to presume what God’s plans are for us, but 'Lord willing', we will move down there possibly as early as February. We are currently waiting for the charity to be registered in Zambia and then we will apply for the visas. So the timing is in the Lord's hands.
Once there, we plan to take some time to settle in as a family as this will be a huge adjustment for all of us. Then, once the Lord is ready we will open up our home as a foster home and take in whoever the Lord brings our way. We also plan to build an orphanage for other children that are in need there. My hope is that we will be obedient in whatever else the Lord asks us to do. (Again though, God's plans will prevail. Proverbs 16:9)
I want to finish this very long post by thanking those of you who have been praying for us. Please don’t stop now. I will publish specific prayer requests tomorrow.
Michelle
