I've arrived! After first flying from Chicago to London and London to Lusaka I am in Africa. It has been taking some time for me to adjust to the time change of 7 hours and the jet lag. However, today was well worth it. The first week I will be staying in Lusaka, the capitol of Zambia. It is much different than I had imagined. You have your extremely wealth Zambians and those who search for jobs on the street collecting trash for the government. I'm really looking forward to moving out to the bush in a week. Today we spent our time in the schools teaching bible lessons to grades 1-9. We were paired with pastors from the Gospelink ministry and we spoke with the children about Christ. The public schools here are very poor. The last class I taught had over 100 children crammed into one room 15 x 20 feet. The kids literally sit on top of each other, on the ground or stand during their classroom time.
One young boy, Peter, could not stop shaking my hand. The children feel so special and so valued when they are spoken to individually. They get shy and embarrassed when they cannot communicate well in English. The headmaster of the school informed us that because the schools are public many of the children are orphans. She informed us that many of the children live with "guardians" and they usually go to school on empty tummies. The size of the children here is stunning. When I asked Peter how old he was I was expecting him to reply in the ballpark of 6 years old. He was 12. Due to their lack of protein and nutrition many of the children appear much younger than their chronological age. The children here do not ask or demand items, a rarity from the other 3rd world countries I have experienced. The children are extremely polite and respectful.
Later this week I will be moving to Chongwe and working in a clinic with a few other American nurses and a doctor from Nebraska. Then, I will travel to out to the Gospelink bible college in the bush. And finally, be spending time with an American host family and working in Chongwe. The Lord has already been moving and changing lives here in Zambia and I cannot wait to continue. I currently am not the least bit homesick and feel very comfortable here. Time will soon reveal my inability to rely on my own strength and that of the Lords. I'm so thankful and blessed to be here. To be learning and in the word consistently and having Christ at the forefront of my mind. Thank you all for your love, prayers and support.
Serving passionately for Him,
Katie
This summer i will be living in Zambia. Why? Good question. It's one I'm still trying to answer myself. Sometimes when we are called into a mission or path that the Lord has called us to we have no idea what we are getting ourselves into. However, that's half of the fun and joy in living our lives for Christ! We don't have to have all of the answers. We don't have to be sure of our next step. We just have to be willing to get out of the boat. This summer I'm getting out of the boat! I'm traveling to serve in Zambia, Africa for almost 3 months. I pray that the Lord will break me. I pray that He will transform my life and draw me near to Him, I pray that lives will be changed in Zambia and I pray that my life brings Him honor and glory. I invite you to follow my journey in Zambia this summer. As i grow in my walk with the Lord, face trials and celebrate in the opportunity that the Lord has given me to serve!
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Set apart for the King...
It’s a cool, dreary day in the small town of Quincy. What better way to spend the afternoon than curled up with a coffee, my bible and a book? Before I get any further I would like to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for your support. Though I may be the one leaving for the trip I am one very small component to the complete body of Christ. There are many parts that make up the body of Christ all working together to accomplish one task- sharing the love of Christ with others and bringing honor and glory to our King. Without your prayers, financial support and encouragement this trip would not be happening. In just a few short days the people of Zambia are going to be told that they have irreplaceable value and are deeply loved by Jesus Christ, our Savior. What better news?
My heart behind this blog is to be real and transparent with those of you following. My heart behind this blog is to show the majesty, power and work of the Lord during my 8 week journey in Africa. I’m a sinner and I continually fall short of God’s glory. Yet somehow my Father forgives me, loves me and constantly encourages me to get back up and continue to run after Him. And best of all, He allows me to be used by Him.
Last night I had a shocking realization that all of my prayers for the Lord to break me and to re-mold me these past few months are about to occur. I’ve been praying that the Lord will radically shake up my world and change me into the woman that He desires for me to become. It’s a scary request and a humbling one. Realizing that I need radical transformation from a comfortable Christian girl into a Christian woman who is set apart living each day out fully for the Kingdom. I want to demand more of myself. I want the world to see that it is not I who live but Christ who lives in me. I can only imagine the overflow of joy and satisfaction in knowing that every moment of every day was lived for Christ. Every word that came from my mouth, every action and every motive of my heart was to please my Father. Wow. I’ve got a lot of work to do! But why would we settle for a standard for any less? I want to live set apart. I want to look drastically different from this world. I want to be broken of myself. I challenge you, when you’re ready to pray for the same. Let’s give up on this mediocre comfortable Christian life and live lives set apart! It doesn’t mean you have to leave the country. But it does mean you have to be willing to pick up your life, and at all costs follow Him.
Serving passionately for Him,
Katie
My heart behind this blog is to be real and transparent with those of you following. My heart behind this blog is to show the majesty, power and work of the Lord during my 8 week journey in Africa. I’m a sinner and I continually fall short of God’s glory. Yet somehow my Father forgives me, loves me and constantly encourages me to get back up and continue to run after Him. And best of all, He allows me to be used by Him.
Last night I had a shocking realization that all of my prayers for the Lord to break me and to re-mold me these past few months are about to occur. I’ve been praying that the Lord will radically shake up my world and change me into the woman that He desires for me to become. It’s a scary request and a humbling one. Realizing that I need radical transformation from a comfortable Christian girl into a Christian woman who is set apart living each day out fully for the Kingdom. I want to demand more of myself. I want the world to see that it is not I who live but Christ who lives in me. I can only imagine the overflow of joy and satisfaction in knowing that every moment of every day was lived for Christ. Every word that came from my mouth, every action and every motive of my heart was to please my Father. Wow. I’ve got a lot of work to do! But why would we settle for a standard for any less? I want to live set apart. I want to look drastically different from this world. I want to be broken of myself. I challenge you, when you’re ready to pray for the same. Let’s give up on this mediocre comfortable Christian life and live lives set apart! It doesn’t mean you have to leave the country. But it does mean you have to be willing to pick up your life, and at all costs follow Him.
Serving passionately for Him,
Katie
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