We are back in town for the night to get our visas renewed at immigration
tomorrow, so I figured I would send a quick update of what our time in Chongwe has
looked like so far. It has been packed full of precious time with all of the
crazy kids and preparing for and getting teen mania settled in. Each of the
interns are staying in separate houses, bunking up with the girls in the
houses, and truly just living life with these kids for the next several weeks
as camp is getting ready to start. In the first couple days of living out
there, we have been welcomed in as part of the family and all of the daily
routines that go along with that, from sharing bunks and rooms with the girls,
to family devotions at 5 am to start off the day, to helping out with chores
around the house, whether there is running water and power or not. It has been
so sweet and special to be able to spend that quality time with not only the
kids in the house I am living with, but all of the My Father’s House kids in
Chongwe. The past few days have contained lots of sweet and precious memories while
continuing to grow in deeper community with these kids I have so quickly fallen
in love with during my time here.
After spending several hours yesterday
afternoon running around in the dirt, chasing after kids and playing futbol, I
sat down in the dirt to rest for a minute and began watching all that was around me,
hoping to savor the moments of simply being there in the presence of these kids.
As I sat and watched kids play together in joy and laughter, sweet Justine came
beside me and wrapped his arm around mine. We sat for a minute in complete
silence, just watching our friends run around and enjoy themselves, until he
turned to me and asked, “Auntie Elisa Will you visit Africa forever?” In this
moment my heart was pulled in a million different directions, not knowing how
to best respond without crushing this child’s heart or make promises I was
unsure could be kept. Trying to keep tears from rolling down my face at his
sweet sincerity, I simply responded. “We will be friends forever Justine. Even
if I am away from Africa.” And with that he merely nodded his head, gave me a
big smile, and rested his head on my shoulder to continue watching his brothers
and sisters play. I so deeply hope with all of my heart that one day I can
return and visit my sweet friends in Zambia again. I don’t know how or when
that day will be, nor do I know how long or in what capacity I will be called
to serve, but I know one thing for certain. No matter what, these kids will forever
be in my heart and our friendships will last a lifetime, just as I promised my
dear friend Justine.
Week 1 of Camp Hope has ended, and while it was crazy and overwhelming at
times, the sweetness of the kids and all that we saw and experienced far
outweighed the stresses of the week. As the interns, we were given a lot of the
behind the scenes jobs like sorting crafts and t shirts, helping with
registration, and being runners for the short term group leaders. While these jobs
kept us busy for most of the day, there were definitely moments of down time
and being able to just observe and take pictures of Camp and watch and take in what
was going on around us. Despite the many people fighting sickness throughout
the week, myself included, the week proved to be so uplifting and the Lord
decided to show up and make His presence known in mighty ways this week. My
heart broke this week in all new ways and such new levels. While the kids
living in My Father’s House that we have been working with all summer come from
such horrible pasts and have such individually touching and moving stories that
break your heart, the transformation these homes and the love of Christ have made
in their lives has wiped their pasts away. They have literally been given a new
life in Christ, so much so that it is easy to forget that they were once
orphans and living in the midst of such darkness. Seeing over 300 orphans still
living in that same darkness tore my heart apart. Hearing and seeing just a
glimpse of what their everyday lives entail brought me to tears. They too, just
like the MFH kids, each have their own heartbreaking story. One sweet girl
named Mianda that I met while playing nurse during camp this week was no older
than 12 years old. She came to us crying because she had a headache, so we
covered her in blankets and tried our best to comfort her despite her lack of
English and the language barrier. After calling Patricia over to help us better
understand her symptoms and see if we needed to take her to the clinic,
Patricia carried on a conversation in Nyanja for several minutes. As I held
Mianda’s hand while Patricia continued in conversation, Mianda’s tears got
heavier and heavier, and I sensed there was more to the tears than just the
headache. Finally, Patricia explained to us that Mianda did not need to go to
the clinic, but that indeed the tears did have deeper roots than just a
headache. Both of her parents had died several years ago, as well as her
grandparents. The only relative she had left was her brother that is just a few
years older than her, so he cared for her when she could not care for herself.
We ended up giving her medicine that would help settle her headache, but my
heart broke so deeply for this young girl, having to deal with so much at such
a young age, and having so many responsibilities of literally raising herself
at 12 years old, with a little bit of help from her older brother. And to think
that this is just one child’s story. Out of the over 300 orphans that showed up
to camp this week, out of the thousands of orphans in Chongwe that do not even
have the chance to come to camp, this is just one of the stories. My heart is
broken, but yet so hopeful and full of joy knowing that 300 more kids have
heard the Good news of Jesus after this week. Praise God for that. Not only did
all of these kids hear the Gospel, for many of them the first time, but there
were also several who accepted Christ and joined our family of brothers and
sisters in Christ this week. (I am unsure of the exact number, but I will
hopefully have that information and be able to share in the next couple of
days.) In addition to these kids being loved, hearing about Jesus, and many of
them accepting Him as their Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit and His power conquered illnesses and
demons in ways I have never experienced before. My eyes have been opened to new
ways and levels of how Great and Big and Vast and Powerful our God is. We are sad
to see these orphans go back home to the harsh lives they face and encounter
each day, but so joyful and hopeful in knowing that their lives were touched in
ways they will remember the rest of their lives. This one week of camp has
changed their lives for the better, and I am clinging to the comfort of that as
we send them back to the normalcy and sorrow so many of their lives entail, excited and
expectant once again for another great week of Camp number 2, with another 300
kids to hear about our wonderful and mighty Savior. Praying that these kids are
just as responsive and the Lord again touches our hearts as well as theirs.
