LifePoint Team!

This week we are blessed to have a team of 20 from LifePoint Church from South Carolina here! The biggest ministry they are doing is a huge VBS at Kabanga Basic School. This is our first time to have free reign of 500+ kids and get to share the message of Jesus with them - how awesome!!

Axer & Gertrude

Christina & Malilwe

Brad & Chris are working on getting all of our computers that were donated up and running!

The team is also spending their mornings working in the New Day School

Becky & Morgan after a painting craft at VBS!

Cason was a mess when it was all over, but he loved his new bag!

Look at that group of PreK - Grade 2!

Me interpreting during craft time

This was most of the kids' first time to paint!

It took 4 truckloads to get all of us there!

Some might have carefully ridden on top....VERY carefully & slowly, I promise!

Victoria surrounded by kids

Phillip

Goodbye to Allison! :(

"Teacher Allison" will arrive back in Texas in just a few hours, and we already miss her here at New Day! Allison has spent 3 summers serving as a volunteer at New Day, and she has helped us make great strides in our reading program during the last two. This summer, she did reading level assessments on each of the kids and then trained the staff in doing Guided Reading with the kids on their own levels. We anticipate seeing huge improvements in the reading skills of our kids, which will lead to educational improvement across the board. But aside from teaching, this is what Teacher Allison looked like all summer long....

If there was ever an opportunity to play with a child, hold a baby, attend a cultural event like a wedding or funeral, Allison was there. She spent ALL of her free time with the New Day kids, investing in them daily. Thank you again Allison for giving up your summer break from teaching in the USA to pour yourself into the lives at New Day! :)

Fun Friday Pics!

Most of these pics I stole from others on facebook, but here is a glimpse of New Day the past week or two!

Blu climbing a pole, like his dad :)

And teaching at Kids Club

And playing with some village kids

Ashley took this pic at Vic Falls, and then she bungee jumped off that bridge!!

Caedmon with his best friend Misheck, along with Ben and a friend :)

Cambree - who needs toys?!

My sweet dirty Cason

Yep - 2 weeks today I'll be chilling here :)

Another field trip pic!

Mama Liz & Sisi

The kids waiting for Uncle Jeff's memorial service to start

A few pics of our newest, Prince! I haven't spent much time with him - I am staying away purposely to try to give him a chance to really bond with Mama Joyce. I figure I have about 15 years to hang out with him! :)

Debt & Darkness

Last week was a REALLY hard week. Actually, just last weekend. Actually, just Friday.  It was one of those days, one of those times, where life in America seems like it would be so much easier – where ministry here feels never-ending from 5:30 in the morning until 8:30 at night – when I just want rest. If a plane had landed at New Day last weekend, I just might have gotten on! On Saturday morning, I got up and started quoting James. I didn’t want to quote it, but I did. And God begin to speak to my heart. He revealed to me that I think that He owes me something because I live in Zambia as a missionary. What do I think He owes me? Everything in my life should go well. I should have relatively easy days where things go as planned. Sure, there should be trials, so that my faith can grow, but seriously…no more break-downs. No more theft. Don’t you owe me at least that, God? Oh my…it looks so silly in print. Yet that is what God revealed to me. And I immediately knew this – if every day for the rest of my life was as terrible as Field Trip Friday, He saved me. He owes me nothing – I owe Him everything.

God has reminded me lately of the darkness that surrounds us. When the theft happened last weekend, Blu gathered the men who were working on the property to discuss what had happened and try to find out who did it. The mens’ solution was this: “If you give us each 10 kwacha, we can bring the witch doctor here right now. He can look at us, and he can tell you who did it. We know you don’t allow witch doctors on your property, but this time you should.” Oh, the darkness. Prince lost his father, his mother, and everything he knows, and his family attributes it to witchcraft. Such darkness. We attended the funeral of my friend’s father yesterday. They lowered the coffin into the ground, and the men took turns shoveling dirt onto the grave, but not before they buried the mans’ possessions with him. He might need them in his next life. Darkness. I owe Him everything, a debt I can never repay. But one thing I can do is consider it joy when I face trials of many kinds, praise Him through my circumstances, and share His light in this place I call home.

Prince arrives at New Day!

Today Prince joined the New Day family! He is 3 years old (born April 24, 2011), and his father passed away last year. His story is quite strange. According to the family, his father stole fish from Namwala, a town that has a lot of witch doctors. After eating the stolen fish, both he and his wife became sick (basically insane). This leads the family to believe that they were "bewitched." The father passed away, and the mother is still alive but unable to care for Prince due to her mental illness. He is an only child whose grandmother was helping to care for him. Prince's family took him to Social Welfare in Choma, where an investigation into his living situation as conducted, and today New Day was given full custody of Prince! He is a cutie and is so tiny! I can't wait to watch him grow up, find Jesus, and see how God will use him one day!

He was a little bit terrified...

Prince with Uncle Blu

Kefbert wasn't sure what to think of this new little guy... ;)

I'm sure he will settle in fast!

Goodbye to Sam & Ashley! :(

This has certainly been the year of interns at New Day! Each one has brought their own gifts, talents, and personality to New Day, and we have had a blast with all of them! Today we say goodbye to Samuel & Ashley, as they fly back home to Texas & Tennessee!

Ashley is a pre-med major at UT Knoxville. My favorite thing that Ashley did while she was here were Saturday morning Science experiments. It didn't matter what she was doing - from decorating a birthday cake, to putting together a Science experiment, to subbing for the Pre-K class, Ashley gave it all 100%. We will miss her!!

We will certainly miss this face around New Day! Samuel is probably one of the hardest workers I have ever seen for only being 17 years old. He gave up the summer before his senior year of high school to come to Zambia and volunteer at an orphanage. He led Bible studies, hauled sand, and invested so much in our New Day boys. If my boys turn out to be anything like Sam, I will be blessed. *Please pray for Samuel as his passport was stolen on Friday and he is in the capitol city today working with the Embassy & Immigration to try to fly home!*

Thank you especially to the families of Samuel & Ashley who sacrificed their kids for the summer - we were BLESSED to have them at New Day!