Tonight was such a powerful reminder of God’s provision and how he can use us to provide for others.
I have been incredibly blessed by the support of so many generous people. The giving and the attitude behind it is so humbling. As I read each message or open each check I am wowed by the support. This year you helped me raise over $5000 more than the minimum required for the planned trip. All that means is we had a set budget we had to raise. If we raised this amount, we would cover all of our planned activities, transportation and work while we were here. Anything over that amount goes directly to the local needs determined by the local organization.
I am fortunate to be able to see where this money goes first hand. I wish that each of you could be here to see the smiles on the children’s faces, to feed the soul of a widow or to see the progress of a construction project. Even though you can’t be here, I take it very serious to be a steward of the money you have donated and make sure it gets to the local cause you donated. Last year your donations went a long way to building shelter for those displaced by the earthquakes in Nepal. 9 families were provided with shelter.
Tonight I met with Sanderson the founder of J-Zone, the local organization we are working with to talk about what will happen with the extra money for this year’s trip. Sanderson is a 40 year old Zambian national who has a heart for orphans and the youth of Zambia. He opened his home for us to stay with him for the 8 days we are here. He and his wife left the hospitality industry to start a non-profit organization that focuses on the youth of Zambia.
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| Sanderson and Lweendo |
To fundraise he and his wife rely heavily on the tourism industry. They started a tour booking business that raises money for their orphan ministry. If you ever want to visit Victoria Falls or go on an incredible African safari please consider using their booking agency. All of the commissions of the booking goes to supporting J-Zone and therefore the orphans.
Last year J-Zone was awarded a track of land in the town of Livingstone. They presented a plan of the land for a day camp for orphans. None of the schools or orphanages in the area have a space that can function as a place for kids to gather and play. They may have a small swing set or a patch of dirt out behind the school, but J-Zone has a vision larger than a playground.
They began clearing the property last year. It was head high with weeds and brush. Then after the brush was cleared the trash was revealed from where the property had been a dumping ground with broken glass and more. The more he talked of the project the more I was reminded of several of our community work projects we have done on the Westside of Atlanta.
The first major success was the construction of a restroom facility. This took them 9 months to secure the funds to be able to build the restroom facility. When we went to the property today they were 24 hours away from having fully functional restrooms. It was such a beautiful sight to see.
Tonight Sanderson began by telling me that about two months ago the tour booking business was struggling. He and his wife had began to have anxiety over where the money would come from to finish phase 1 of the camp. At times evening knowing how they were going to pay rent was a challenge. They were very prayerful that God would provide.
They had established a date for a day camp for a group of orphans for this Saturday, but they weren’t sure how they would finish the restrooms, get the volleyball net and soccer goals installed as well as feed the children. Sanderson had been praying for almost 2 months that God would provide.
On Monday before I left to come to Zambia I spoke with Joshua who is leading the trip from Adventures. I had reached out to make sure the extra money was being brought with us to Zambia. Joshua tells me the story of calling Sanderson and how overwhelmed he was by the answer to prayer for the completion of phase 1 for the J-Zone Day Camp. The money provided will provide everything for Saturday and finish the phase one construction, which will continue through the summer.
For me and hopefully for you it feels so good to be a part of someone else’s answer to prayer. I love being used by God to do good for someone else. Sanderson’s answer to prayer is the prayer of an entire community. Many community citizens stopped by as we were cleaning the soccer field excited that someone was investing in their neighborhood. Just like in the US, if you can keep the kids from idle time in the streets they will be much less likely to end up in trouble.
I will continue to try to update you on the work being done here and Sanderson is going to continue to share photos after we leave. It’s incredible to be part of something that he sees as a sustainable part of the Livingstone community that can impact orphans and other youth for decades to come.
Thank you for providing the way!
