Glimpse of heaven or an angel in disguise

But the most impacting experience of the past month has been meeting the below children. I have been on quite a few home visits since being here, and you think you can handle what you see and who you meet but every visit is different and can impact you in different ways and this one really impacted me. We met a small grandmother sitting on a step of her house, she looked frail and weary but tough as nails. And we discovered she was caring for her 2 grandsons who had been abandoned by their parents, the oldest has a mental problem they told me and the youngest is fine. But these children wow they are so loved by God and I don’t think words can justify the experience I had visiting their house, the oldest boy really has made an imprint in my heart, when you look at him he looks back at you with this look of wonder then as you smile at him, he return a smile back that is like glimpsing heaven. I am almost certain this boy has cerebal palsy but he can walk and his grandmother has taught him to cook, we saw him walk over to the pots cooking and lifted the lid and gave it a stir. These boys are cared for by the Community Based Organisation, they receive a hot meal each day and a care worker visits them and provide support and hope to them and their grandmother. It made me again realise how important this work is and how huge Gods heart is, it is a blessing that they had a grandmother to care for them when they were abandoned. And how God had his eye on them and was protecting them by having a CBO to identify them and care for them. I can’t imagine their lives if these blessing hadn’t been upon them. And the fact that they have each other to protect each other, I saw them at the feeding point the oldest walked off the youngest followed making sure his brother didn’t get into trouble. they walked back holding hands. I left that day feeling as though I had seen an angel in disguise. And the words of a favourite worship song came to mind; Hosanna - Hillsong united

Heal my heart and make it clean, open up my eyes to the things unseen, show me how to love like you have loved me. Break my heart for what breaks yours, everything I am for your kingdoms cause as I walk from earth to eternity.  

The first time I came to Africa in 2008, the words break my heart for what breaks yours, was my theme and the thing God really opened me up to. But this trip this whole bridge sums up what God is doing. I am being healed and made clean, no matter how painful, I am having my eyes opened to the things unseen, this is how I felt meeting this boy, something had been lifted from my eyes and I saw the world a bit more clearly through Gods eyes. God is showing me day by day what it means to love people while going deeper into what his love for me really is. He is breaking my heart for what breaks his, people lost, alone, broken, forgotten, rejected, battered and bruised by life, his love is HUGE. He is revealing to me his kingdom and role I get to play in his plans. 

As I write this the lyrics to an old song play in my mind "Touching heaven, changing earth" - Hillsong

We will seek Your face Almighty God
Turn and pray for You to heal our land
Father let revival start in us
Then every heart will know Your kingdom come

Lifting up the name of the Lord
In power and in unity
We will see the nations turn
Touching heaven changing earth
Touching heaven changing earth

Never looking back we'll run the race
Giving You our lives we'll gain the prize
We will take the harvest given us
Though we sow in tears, we'll reap in joy

Send revival (send revival)
Send revival (send revival)
Send revival to us

God is Touching heaven and changing earth. I am a witness to this 

Luanshya

So back in Luanshya, I have been enjoying working in our offices, helping with computer skills and admin work. I am learning more and more about Microsoft excel that I didn’t know before. I love just getting to know people here and developing relationships, getting to know God better and learning to see the world through his eyes as cliché as that sounds. I am still getting opportunities to visit our communities which is so wonderful. I went to a very special community the other day the very first community I ever visited in Zambia, I got the pleasure of travelling with a group of nurses from America, partners of Hands, coming to experience life in Africa and helping medically where they can, which is so exciting. I went with them on their children’s day, and I got to see some of my kids from camps as soon as the bus arrived I stuck my head out the window and called mulishani, one girl looked at me and a huge smile broke onto her face and she called Rebecca, she ran off and got her friend another girl I knew from camp and they stood waiting for me to get off the bus and they said my name again, and then begun singing the songs we sung on camp, for about 30-40 mins i stood with of 50 children singing songs from our camp it was one of those God moment where you think I am blessed to be alive. We went to a field to play games, and on the way I met my little friend from camp the one that gave her life to Christ, she held my hand  and walked with me all the way to the field it was wonderful. We arrived at the field we prepared for the children and curious we counted the children who had turned up – 327 children, came to play games. Would have been more but some were at local schools. It was an amazing and blessed day.

I recently also got a chance to prove I am part Zambian. :p. I attended my first African football match Zambia vs Uganda in an African cup qualifier. We travel to Ndola the day of the match before heading to the brand new stadium, and Ndola was buzzing people everywhere in their Zambian colours, whistles blowing, car horns buzzing, it was exciting, and I didn’t hold back either I because a Zambian (Chipolopolo – Copper bullets) fan from head to toe, with 2 chipolopoo Zambia chitenge, a copper tshirt, funny ribbon Zambian coloured glasses and a Zambian cap. Decked out for sure, then 4 of us set out of the stadium, 3 of us sat dead centre in the top row of the lower level. Best view of the whole oval and it was just SO much fun. Ken, Alisha and I sung Chipolopolo, aye aye, every 10mins. And they got a goal in the first half and won the match, 1:0. CHIPOLOPOLO AYE AYE

2 weeks away 6th-17th August

Here is the family I got to stay with and enjoy a heaven sent worship session under the stars

Hello Blog time again

I thought it about time to update you on life here in Zambia. As I said I spent 2 weeks away from my Luanshya home and travelled to Kabwe, and spend 2 amazing weeks with a group of people that have really touched my heart and I will never forget, friends for life. I still am blown away at how God brings his people together, and how in such a short period of time we just click and become friends for life. And this is exactly what happened when I went to Kabwe I felt as though I was going to feel lonely away from my Luanshya family, but I now have another home in Kabwe. We laughed, ate, sung together and I can’t wait to go back and visit them. My favourite memories were one of my friends was convinced I needed to speak more Bemba so he would speak to me in fluent bemba expecting me to number one understand and number two respond back in Bemba, one day he was stuck on it and I was getting sick of saying, “I don’t know.” 

So I asked, “how do you say, ‘I don’t know,’ in bemba.” He responded with shishive. So later on this day back in the office he looked at me and asked me something in Bemba and stared at me with his bold eyes waiting for me answer, so I smiled, threw my hands up and said, ‘Shishive.’ And the whole room looked at me and then laughter exploded and filled the air.

 I also learned a lot about admin work. Skills that will come in handy for the rest of my life, I’m sure. I also got to see some our Kabwe communities all very special places with amazing men and woman being the hands and feet of God 

 

I also had an interesting experience on my way home, I sat on our famous Wada Chovu coach bus prepared for my 3-4 hour bus ride home, and I was hungry I had been waiting at the bus stop for 2 hours and was too scared to leave my bags. So I got on the bus and the 2 seats next to me had things on them indicating I would have some company soon, and soon enough there were 3 children that joined me, then 2 adults and there was my thought TIA – this is Africa, fit in as many as possible until it’s completely full. Anyway they got on and we greeted each other, then 30 mins into our trip they bring out a pot of food, chicken, pasta, tomatoes, and as I sit there listening to my ipod to pass the time, the lady directly next to me taps me on the shoulder and says, "you join us." I look at her with surprise, but I smile and she leans forward, grabs a smaller pot and scoops a portion of their dish into the small pot she then passes to me with a spoon and says enjoy. I thank her and join them in eating this food. God works in miraculous ways. And this is a clear example of different cultures, here everyone cares, there's a real sense of community, people greet each other in the streets with a smile, a mulishani (how are you) and they share their food with strangers. It makes me wonder would this happen back in Australia, sure there is a sense of community in places with the people you know, but it usually doesn’t extend to strangers, people are too fearful, they keep their heads down, make no contact, stay your own world. But this experience shows me what means to love your neighbour as yourself is.  

 Shortly after I arrived back from Kabwe we had one of our Friday morning meetings, which we called Hands on Deck, where we have a chance to hear about what God has been doing within Hands at work, in our African nations and in our international offices. And God really spoke me reminding me how wonderful he is. We heard from one of our Hands long term volunteers, she had just been in Kabwe with a group of nurses from American and she began to talk about one of the communities I just had the pleasure of visiting, and I was really blessed to see. In her talk she continued to mention the beginnings of this community how God is at work in reaching out in this community. This community that has just opened a community school, and has passionate care workers and that just has a sense of Gods spirit wasn’t always like this, of course. In the beginning it was a community remote and hard to, and seemed to be very broken. But God had a plan, he is into transforming lives and making the broken, beautiful. He took one of the members of the community, someone who struggling and was in a bad place and transformed him into a leader, who has helped his community transform into community I got to see and through him God has brought hope and love into the lives of the children and families most in need. I was blown away hearing this, after meeting this man and seeing this community then getting a chance to hear about what God has done, it really does take my breath away and bring tears to my eyes. And God is doing this everywhere He is transforming so many lives and we get glimpses of this and he is really amazing! And he calls us to be a part of his big plan, seriously there so much that we don’t see, and sometimes we get caught up in the little stories of our own lives, when we are called to a bigger and better adventure beyond our wildest dreams, we have a wild God that has a furious, passionate, pursuing love for us isn't that Amazing!