This morning there was no power all over our area, very frustrating if you let it be. Instead I just sat and read James from the message for a while, and guess what the power came back on after 2 hours! Thats awesome, it’s usually all day. And I don’t know how long it will last, so we filled the bath tub with water for usage for the next few days in case the water ran out. But thankfully I think it’s ok.
The book of James is so great for basic values and instruction on Christian living. It challenges about faith and works... “Do you think you will get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith mean that someone has it?”
The last part I read in chapter 4 in james goes like this....
“So let God work His will in you. Yell a loud NO to the devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and He’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. HIT THE BOTTOM, AND CRY YOUR EYES OUT. The fun and games are over. GET SERIOUS, REALLY SERIOUS. Get down on your knees before the master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet.”
Isn’t it amazing how we think there are so many better ways of getting on our feet, such as jobs, money, house, security, girl friends, so called happieness... we are so decieved. We know nothing about life, and we play as if there is ample time for repentance and purity. QUIT PLAYING GAMES! HIT THE BOTTOM, and cry your eyes out. Repent, and start taking life seriously, the way it should be. God is who should be feared, not AIDS, not LOSS, not hurt PRIDE. GOD NEEDS TO BE FEARED. Period. The fear of God is the beggining of wisdom. So throw away your junk, your pride, your anger, the right to be right, throw away your right for happieness, and kneel at the feet of Jesus. like James said, it’s only then you will really stand....
After that little preach.... Vinj and I have been going through some hard times, and have constantly been reminded to go back to Jesus for strength, and for answers. Thankfully when we are stupid He isn’t, and he always has an answer. Thank you jesus for that.
Saturday we had all those wonderful kids come to the base from around the community. We went on Friday to the community inviting kids for Saturday, saw where some of them lived, and met one of the dads of the kids, it was really great. So Saturday we had 65 kids this time, we invited 3 boys and 10 came, we can see there will be piles and piles more as the weeks go on. We did music and dancing to some Zambian songs, and some kids worship songs, then Vinjelu told the story about Jesus on the boat with His disciples, we even had sound effects with our music program, the rain, the thunder, the storm! It was really great! The point we were making with the kids was that Jesus is the only one who can truly calm the storms in our lives and bring true peace. He shares some from his own life, identifying with some of their home problems. It went really well. At the end we showed them some video footage from the other weeks, and they felt like celebrities seeing them selves on the “big scree” (our computer). ! : )
Sunday we went to church, on our way there Seth was concerned and leaned forward saying...
“mommy, I don’t want to go to the doctor!” I replied “Seth we aren’t going to the doctor we are going to Church!” When Seth is excited about something you say such as “ grandma is coming!” he says “WHY!!!” so he said “WHY!?” and I thought about it for a minute why do we go to church kathryn???.... and of corse the answer came quickly... “Seth it’s because we love Jesus, and we love people” he thought about for a few seconds then said.. “and....... chickens.... and GIRLS!” and I said “ ummmmm, yes, and chickens and girls : )” haha. So cute. We got to church, and we already have a very small gathering of people usually about 10-15 people, a Vinyard church planted recently in our area. But on Sunday there were only 5 of us including vinj and I (excluding the 8 kids there). The pastor was not there that sunday so his wife got up and looked at Vinj directly and said “do you have something to share?” which we thought kind of forward and funny, because before church in the morning we had been reading from Matthew 10, and really felt touched and convicted by the word. So Vinjelu actually did have something to share, so he ended up sharing on Sunday with our small group of believers. Sunday afternoon we had naps, then off to see friends on the other side of town. Which was really nice.
Monday morning we got up and tried to get going to the Social welfare offices, but were bogged down a bit with clinic construction questions, and finishing our soak-away...
We did eventually get going, and got to the offices to no surprise we didn’t find the social worker there (who only two days earlier told us to meet her in the morning to get a letter to give to the director of the orphanage). So we waited for 3 hours when she finally came back, and we got the letter. We were stubborn, a few people had told us just to come back the next day, but we had planed for Monday and just felt to wait. We prayed and felt we should wait and low and behold we got the letter just after lunch time!!!!! On our way back to the car we met a man about vinjelus age who introduced him self, both of us had forgotten meeting him, until he reminded us he is in animal husbandry, and vinj had talked to him about cows and projects. Vinj had picked up his dad on the road quite a few times to give him a lift in our trips to the hard wear store. He share that only a week ago his oldest brother died very suddenly! After the shock of that and with the fathers heart ache for them, the father had a heart attack and died only two days ago! The very man Vinjelu had been sharing farming ideas and time with.... We were so shocked the family is experiencing such loss. The son we were talking to was at the courts trying to figure some of the legal stuff out for his mom. We were so heart broken for them, we could tell he was just in survival mode, almost like he wasnt totally there, if even a little part of his heart was shown he would break down. Please pray for this family in their loss... two fathers of more then 5 kids died last week, leaving wives as well.
After meeting that guys we went onto grab chicken to eat at a semi fast food place, where we met some of Wightsons sisters. The first we greeted then the second walked in and immediatly said “WOW! You’ve gotten really big!” (I was thinking quickly, ok, how do you respond to that..!) so I said, “um, yes I have : ) I have two babies, it does something to a body!” aysh! AND THATS ZAMBIA! Don’t get offended, just go with it, since it’s true. : ) Why deny it.
We finally got to the orphanage called the house of Moses. It is a baby orphanage, for kids I think 3 and under. We met the lady running the place, and gave her the much needed and waited for letter. And she sent us right up to the baby room. Where we were met with 15 little cribs lining the wall. And one big bed with railings, where I saw two tinny babies sleeping on their stomachs. There were 9 little baby boys 10 months and under. We immediately picked up one boy each who were waiting in their cribs aching to get out and play and be held. I was holding a chubby baby boy named Blessing, and vinj had a happy baby boy called Peter. And three other boys started to cry wanting to be picked up as well! How heart breaking! But the place is very clean and comfortable for them. We stayed there play and holding the boys for a while. Then the director came up again and said on thursday morning they were going to be haing a meeting with social welfare about which babies would be up for fostering on Friday. The process is who ever is up for fostering is elegable for adoption, meaning all the paper work is done and they are custody of the social welfare, and family has no say or right to the child (extended family for instence). If you take a child to be fostered that is the first steps in adoption, they stay in your home for three months, with a visit from the social worker every few weeks, and evaluation, questions, etc. If they see it fit for the child to be adopted by your family you proceed with the court dealings and the child is yours once the paper ares signed and approved. WE DONT KNOW TIMING ON THIS STUFF! you never know in Zambia with lawyers and court.
Both vinj and I although not able to hold the twins (since they were sleeping, and there were other babies awake and crying) we were drawn to them. What we know about them is the mother died after delivering them. : ( SO SAD! The father is not in the picture at all, but the extended family is somehow. So there is still review on them, and their extended family. The director didn’t seem very impressed with them, and the social worker said they could be possibly up for adoption, but they wont know now. So I hope we weren’t both drawn to them just not to be able to make a home for them. but we do know that God knows, and we trust him totally with this. Maybe were drawn to them because they were the youngest I don’t know. But God knows, and we will see on friday I guess what the social worker says. Kinda nervous for friday!
And this very day, we are going for a walk into the community the other way to meet more people, and later Wightson and Linda are coming for a visit! YEAH!
AND... we are cooking for the base tonight!
