This is how we roll...

Every Saturday, we travel to Kaluwawa for Bible teaching. Inevitably, it seems that the kids fall asleep - so I just snapped a picture.

What Was It?

He was obviously a popular young guy at the moment. He had one and they did not. They were all huddled around him, gazing in wonder at what he had. He was in control of it, being careful that the other boys did not get too handsy with what he had. You may ask - what was it? It was a ragged book that looked like it may have been a school book at one time in it's newly published life. You would have thought that it was the absolute latest technical gadget on the market, they way that they carefully paged through it.

I saw this just yesterday. It is not a bad thing to be captivated by a book. It is actually a very good thing, if it is a wholesome and educational book. We were at Kaluwawa Community School which is a mud rectangle with small, very crudely built benches for the kids to sit on and a slightly higher bench for their 'desk'. I honestly do not know if they even have any books for the kids. I have never seen a book in that school. I hope at least the teacher has a book to teach the children from but then again, I don't know - as I have seen incorrect information on

the barely there school chalkboards. Kids walking home from school rarely

have books in their hands.

As I watched these young boys - maybe 10-13 years old - gaze in wonder at this ragged book, I prayed with all my heart that they would have the same fascination with The Holy Bible. May these boys rise up and become leaders in their village. May they truly be men of The Book. Lord, may it be so!

Who prays for these children?

This is Mboo (m-bow). I took this picture today during the Adult Bible Study. I had already finished the Kids Bible Study. Mboo is one of my favorite little girls as she is not afraid of me. She actually voluntarily comes up to me and gets in my lap - which is very rare. She probably had never seen a camera and obviously didn't know to smile. As I was sitting outside next to a mud "school" yesterday after I had taught about 50 kids, I was praying. I looked at these ragged, smelly, beautiful children and wondered if anyone had EVER prayed for them. It broke my heart. I just looked them in the eye and prayed for them - wondering who they would become. I wonder sometimes if I am just here for the Lord to refine me AND pray for these children. They have no supervision. Little 4-5 year old girls are carrying babies on their back who are probably 1-2 years old - and they do it like pros. Literally, children raising children. And that doesn't even address the fact that almost every 15 year old girl has her own baby on her back.

But today, Mboo was prayed for. Her new baby sister, Ruth who is only 2 weeks old, was prayed for. As I held each child in my arms, I prayed desperately for them.

Thank you, My LORD God, for hearing those prayers. I know that HE loves them even more than I could ever do so.

Praise His holy name...

She took the words right from my heart...

I follow a very special blog - Grace Full Mama. She just posted THIS on her blog and literally, took the words right from my heart. Honestly, I have had the exact same moment over a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. My kids also are very impressed with cheese sandwiches and it is super rare that we have Pringles. Please read her blog and just substitute our names and places where hers are and please continue to pray for all of us.

Balikana (Friends)

Praying for the Lozi and Mbunda

Recently, I have been writing prayer requests for the Lozi and Mbunda. Both of these tribes are a part of the Western Province. You can go to www.imb.org then click on 'Pray' to see new prayer requests each month for People Groups all over the world. Below are two that I have done for the Lozi and Mbunda. Go to imb.org to continue to pray for the Lozi, Mbunda and Nkoya of Zambia's Western Province.

LOZI

They are the lost boys. I see them everyday as they drive cattle in front of my home. They are young boys, usually about 10-12 years old. These young shepherds stay with the cattle all day, every day. In the morning, they drive them from the corral onto the floodplain then back again in the late afternoon. They have an agreement with the herd’s owner to take care of the cattle for 2-3 years. After the agreed upon time, they will receive a young cow as payment for their work. They do not have the opportunity to go to school, climb a mango tree with their friends, or even live with their family. They are expected to do a man’s job yet they are still so young. To me, they seem to be lost in their own society. As I see these boys everyday, I think of the 23^rd chapter of the Psalms. Please join with me as we pray that the LORD will be their shepherd (vs. 1), that the Lord will renew their strength, that they will be guided along the right paths (vs.3), and that His goodness and unfailing love will pursue them all the days of their lives (v.6). Pray that these young boys will not be lost in darkness but know the Light of the World just as Jesus says in John 8:12 (NIV) – “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will the light of life.”

MBUNDA

Maroon, bright blue, green and brown - these are just some of the colors of the school children’s’ uniforms here in the Western Province of Zambia. As I see their uniforms almost everyday, I am reminded of the children’s song that says, ‘Red and yellow, black and white. They are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world.’ Luke 18:16 (NIV) says, “Jesus called the children to him and said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.’” Please pray that these precious Mbunda children will know that God, the Father, cherishes them. Pray that they will not feel alone but know that the God of Heaven knows their name and loves them exceedingly and abundantly more than they could ever imagine.

Then and Now

THEN and...

NOW.

Enough said.

Ba Taha...

They come - thank God that they come. They are so precious to me and even more so to the Lord Jesus. Every Wednesday, a hoard of children descend upon our yard. This week we had about 65 which is lower than last week when about 90 children came. They come barefoot, with shirts four times too big and sometimes 4 times too small. They come spit polished to a beautiful ebony shine and they come filthy head to toe. These children are the future of Zambia and my heart breaks for them. I wonder what awaits for them as they grow up. For the girls, I pray for chastity - that they will not get pregnant without the blessing of a Godly husband. I pray for purity for the boys and that they will grow up to fear the Lord and lead their households to honor God. AIDS is so very real in all of our everyday lives. I pray for their protection from AIDS. I pray that they will know the Truth and that the Truth will set them free. Oh, how I pray for them...