Team 4

We are now half way through Team 4, this is our smallest team, just 6 people so the dynamics are certainly very different. Its also now becoming much hotter so I'm starting to find it much more difficult to be out in the sunshine, luckily there is now painting of window frames to do, so I'm able to do that indoors which is a real blessing for me. The building work has gone on steadily, the first floor slab is nearly completed over the two classrooms which we are aiming to finish. Next week the outside of the school will start to be plastered, ready for team 5 to paint.

I checked my emails just before lunch time today and was thrilled to hear from Max (he took over as a steward from me) at church, that they will be having a retiring collection next Sunday to go towards the cost of the school building. I really praise God that they will be doing this for us.

I think it must be at least a fortnight since I last updated my blog, and of course I writing this not quite knowing when I will be able to post what I'm writing now onto blog spot.

This week has been a time of very mixed emotions, we have one lady who also came to Zambia last year. I was really blessed to be able to go with her to visit Elizabeth who has just returned from Johannesburg where she has been hospitalised for kidney failure. I first met Elizabeth when Geoff and I went to EFZ to make the arrangements for the teams to work in different compounds going out with Home Care Givers. Elizabeth was one of the project leaders that we met, at that time I was so struck my her graciousness. I will always remember her saying 'that we have to forgive everyone who has been naughty (meaning that they are now HIV+) because they live under such a load of guilt that its really difficult for them to feel that they can be forgiven my our Father. This guilt is somehow even harder for the ladies to deal with as not only have they infected their partner they have probably also infected some of their children. Elizabeth is now staying with her parents as she can't yet manage to look after herself, she has lost so much weight and could barely stand. She now has to go to the main hospital in Lusaka for kidney dialysis three times a week, this is an incredible burden for her family as the weekly bill is just over K1million a week, about £140-£150. it looks as though she and husband will have to sell their house to pay the bills. Her husband doesn't have a job and although her children are grown up I got the impression that they don't have well paid jobs themselves. Yet, despite being so ill, Elizabeth was continuing praising God the whole time that we were there. We were taken there by Hope and Annie, the visit was such a joyful occasion, lots of tears when she first saw Gaynor, they have been in regular communication since Gaynor was here last year. But in the depth of such despair there was such hope and peace.

Yesterday we visited the compound with Annie's homecare givers operate, we again met such wonderful people, we met two Granny's who are now looking after all the grandchildren, both the ladies we met had disabled children, a little boy of 12 who looked as though he might have CP, he looked about 6 yrs old, wasn't able to walk, talk or fed himself and the other granny had a little girl of 7 who looked about 3yrs old, she also couldn't walk or talk. She was also learning disabled. To see these grey haired ladies carrying these children was so hard, the little boy does have a wheelchair but its broken so not much use. We then went to visit a lady who had a little baby, she lives with her two grown up sisters and a number of children in one room. It was a real privilege to be able to pray with these ladies. They have such joy in their hearts, the first lady we visited gave Penny and I a verse Jer 1:4,5 – we came to bless them and instead we came away blessed – I'm kinda getting used to this but this was the first time for the rest of the team.

I didn't manage to finish this – life certainly speeded up since I wrote the first part of this blog. We started Saturday with Chris and I painting window frames in the morning then we both had a quiet afternoon as the rest of the team went shopping at the local market then onto Manda Hill where the big supermarkets are. Its quite a contrast for the team seeing the other side of life in Zambia.

Then on Sunday we went back to the Fountain of Life church, amazing worship – we were thrilled to see that the roof is now on the new church, they hope to build up the walls a little more, so at least when we go next time we will worship in their new church.

Its now Wednesday, so I really ought to get a move on and get this posted, but I can't do that until I tell you about just how amazing God is and how he is really blessing our team out here.

On Monday morning we visited the area behind the market where the street children and youths live, I suppose some of them could be 9 or 10 but a some are older. Visiting in the morning is so different to the afternoon visits that we have previously made, the youngsters are not as high on sticker and you can hold coherent conversations with them. This time we had the opportunity to really pray with them individually – it was amazing that they were so open to hearing that God loved them and that he thought they were really special. We came away really uplifted by the responses that we had as they promised to come to the Fountain of Hope (FOH) in the morning. We then went of to Adventure City a big water park where we spent a lovely afternoon with ½ the kids from FOH (we will take the rest with team 5). So last night we had a call from Vasco who helps to run the centre to tell us that 13 young people turned up on Tuesday morning. They have never had such a response before. So do please pray for these youngsters – it will be really hard for them to go cold turkey to come of sticker which they sniff. This team also brought a number of bibles which they gave out to the boys at FOH, they need 6 more bibles then everyone there will have their own copy. Every time we go they ask for a bible, they really want to read God's word which is no easy task for most of them as they are really behind with their schooling. They have a talking circle and when we visit they always have to introduce themselves, say how old they are and in which grade at school. I always feel so sorry for the great big lads who are in Grade 7 with 12-13 yr olds.
One of the lads Lemi, he had only just come of the street when we first visited is an artist, he is recording a CD he writes his own lyrics and sings rap – I've really taken to him, he's about 17 and in grade 7 and sometimes looks so sad – he calls me mama and always comes for a big hug when we visit. He walks with a real swagger, trousers hanging down half mast, and always with a big shirt, I've given him my wooden pocket cross that Lee gave me, he really wants to know the Lord so do prayer for him as he finds life very restrictive after being on the street for so long, able to come and go as he pleases.


So I'd better finish here, will try and write again before too long.