I was blessed to travel to Zambia from February 7th through the 22nd. I have been adjusting back to being in the US. The trip was overwhelming in so many ways. This was my first opportunity to meet the children God has blessed us to serve.
The word I keep saying is “Different” and I mean that in a way that is more blessed than I could have ever imagined. I remember God putting this calling on my heart and that day I heard the Holy Spirit say “it is to be different…” I can truly say even from the start it is living up to that standard we were called to.
It’s different for a lot of complex and intertwined reasons, but possibly, I can simplify it in a way that may help you to understand it. In a parallel way have you ever been visiting or sitting amongst a church where it is just “flat”… yes the music is fine, and the speakers are articulate, but there is just no life? Then other times you can walk into a church and maybe it’s the first time you have ever visited – but immediately you feel the presence of the Holy Spirit in and amongst the people. The music may be horrible – no one together and no one on key, the speakers stammer and stumble, but still you walk away having been spiritually fed and maybe never wanting to walk away because of the presence of the Lord was strong upon the place. That is the kind of “Different” I am speaking about.
Those God Calls He Equips…
We have four (4), yes four amazing leaders that have been called to this ministry in Zambia. Each member serves truly with the heart of a servant fully surrendered to Christ, and serves not for the sake of the children, their families, or our family – no they serve for the Glory of God alone. This is the model each of us is to follow, but so often we get in our flesh and get things out of order.
Misheck as director and Clara as house mom are a force to be reckoned with. They live out the heart of Jesus to these children and their families. We knew early on that God called us to share the gospel not just with the children but with their immediate and extended families. To be honest, reaching the families is not something we saw done on purpose in previous ministries we have served. So this was something new we were venturing out on. I love seeing the dignity and value each mother, auntie, grandmother, and family member is being shown. They are treated with respect and they are hearing and seeing the gospel lived out.
The bond of “Family” is so evident not just in word but in action. I think the family bond that has grown so fast is maybe what shocked me the most.
Having limited experience in bringing children together from various situations what is typically experienced is the immediate “clash” of personalities. Yes, the children can appreciate the benefits they are receiving, but children are still children and most children coming from these life situations have learned to be very independent and caring for themselves. So moving them into the “home” environment can create a transitionary period that can be very challenging.
Clara and Misheck have done an extraordinary job of helping the children through this and those aren’t skills you learn, I believe it is more of a “gifting” of the Lord to guide children in love and firmness into how things flow in “this house”. The girls are thriving, the bond of family has come quickly.
Beyond Misheck and Clara, Naomi and Serah have been trained and are being used as our first peer leaders. Peer leaders were written into the fabric of the homes from the very first documents. They were not an afterthought. Even in these early months, there are so many stories of the power these two young Christian women have had in demonstrating the value of servant leadership to the other children.
It’s a blessing to see how the Lord wove all of this perfectly together and how the team is each serving in the capacity which God has called them to.
Living Life As A Family…
The children of WellSpring are living their days out as a family. They are not institutionalized, nor being put through a process to change their behaviors to fit some ideal picture that we have established for how they should behave, talk, and think. Rather they are being provided a safe home that creates security for them while they are being allowed to grow in creativity, imagination, and critical thinking, as well as learning, and being taught about Christ and God’s plan for them.
The girls are encouraged to play as much as they study. They have free time once their schoolwork is done. Sometimes they like to play games, other times its lego’s, or a game outside (if it’s not raining hard… oh the rainy season is something else).
They all have their assigned chores and what I saw is that each of them enjoys helping to take care of the house and the “luxuries” they have been provided such as their uniforms, shoes, bedding, and furniture. These are all “new” things to them that they have truly never experienced.
What I loved the most about walking into the house each day was the fact was truly clear – I was their visitor – but this is their HOME. I love that because it means after they say hello, they go back to doing exactly what they were doing before you arrived. Some may stop and visit with you for a while, but it’s truly much like what happens when we walk into our own homes after a day of work. Some of our children are quick to greet us, while others are busy doing what they need to do – and they simply keep at their task. There is nothing artificial about that – it is real and I LOVED IT…
The girls are loving their schools, their classes, their new “Family”, and their church. The home is “simple” and doesn’t have many of the modern conveniences we think are necessary in our daily life, but for them, they will tell you this place is “heaven”…
They have the freedom to express their unique personalities – they are sometimes silly, love to dance, love to sing, love to play, and love to learn. They are truly adorable.
The Holy Spirit is strong upon the ministry of WellSpring, and the love of the Lord and all He is doing in their lives is very evident.
Healing and a Strong Foundation…
As a team we met and finalized the calendar for the next 12 months. We feel strongly as a team the Lord is leading us to focus on the “healing” with each of these children and even as staff. We have several areas of ministry we know God will have us focus on in His time, but we want to spend the next several months teaching these children the power of sitting at the feet of Jesus instead of rushing around the kitchen being ‘busy with many things”. We know God is using this time to mature us and create a strong foundation that will be fully ready for the future. But for now we are very satisfied with this calling and the amazing children – both boys and girls He has brought our direction.
Matthew 18:12 teaches us that we leave the 99 to find that lost 1. We know that is our focus – each of these children are the 1’s God called us to go and find. So this year we are staying focused on the “Little 1’s”.
THANK YOU … is not even close to words enough for what I want to say to each of you reading this. None of this would have been possible without your prayers and support. I am truly grateful to each of you for all of your support. Hopefully, there is a day in the future when each of you will have an opportunity to meet these amazing people face-to-face.
Keep praying and we will keep updating you on all the amazing things the Lord is doing.
