In Zambia, Sunday is a day of rest and worship for the most part...we had a chance to do some of both while also spending time in the village...we went to a community wide church service in a spot outside in Kakolo...the service featured beautiful singing by an African student choir in robes and we had a chance to both sing and dance as we participated as well...they even sang Come Thou Fount of Every Blesing in bemba, their native tongue this morning...there is an immense reverence towards God in this nation as I think so many people see God daily meet their immediate needs, often in very tangible and surprising ways...as they sing and pray, there is so clearly an intensity in the worship and words spoken and sung...one of the local pastors spoke from Psalm 100 and talked about the reality of the unity of the body of Christ which we celebrated together in this worship service...His words spoke to how only God could have brought us together and how deeply they valued our relationship...His reminder to thank God often for all the good things He gives us carries great meaning in a place where from our perspective they might on the surface level need so much more to feel content...
Playing baseball on Father's Day in Zambia was something I was looking forward to all week...baseball is something I have done and loved all my life, and it is very much connected to my dad who played baseball in college like I did...and it is being passed on to my little guy Trey who watches baseball highlights on my phone every morning when he wakes up...so when one of my good friends and WA grads brought baseball to Zambia, it became one of my favorite moments on the trip to play the game I grew up loving with new friends who just embraced it a few years ago in a culture that had never seen it before...I am like a kid in the proverbial candy store standing on that soccer field at shortstop in an African village...
Nevertheless, evidently we taught the Zambians too well as the Americans went down in the game featuring their country's pasttime 21-20...lots of runs on both sides, and a grand slam from the old guy and a homer from a soccer playing girl was just not enough! Looks like the Americans will not produce a win in their athletic endeavors in Zambia this year, but I think we are all just fine with that...
ELEVEN Random Observations after the first week of our trip...
*Small kids are often hurting the worst in these communities, as being small denies you food and other things...many stomachs are distended from malnutrition in the children under 5 as you walk the dusty roads of the village setting...
*The village community always thinks we'll keep coming back...they just assume our friendship will continue because it is past the point of jsut surprise visits now...I'm not sure how to tell them I am leaving WA and that a group from WA most likely will never come again...part of the pain and questions when you enter into relationships, even with people in Africa...
*We are besieged by children...they literally pounce on your students when they see the bus coming...some run out a mile or so to welcome us and run following the bus back to the village...your students are pouring out the love of Jesus to His children seeking and drinking in that love from them...
*Power of music is real...there is such a bond instantly as we sing and chant and dance together...hundreds of children were singing and clapping a song taught to them by a student just a few minutes ago as we drove away this afternoon...
*Belief in a real and different future is real in this place...they can and do dream of doing significant and splendid things with their lives, just like we do...and perhaps some of these new buildings and programs can stoke that fire for the future...
*There is a joy and amazement in being part of other cultures...you learn so much, evaluate your own culture, and feel so much richer in how you can think and feel and understand after being immersed, even for a few days, in a dramatically different setting...
*There is great reward in serving the poor...the benefits often far outweigh any financial and time and personal sacrifices...we will come away filled up in our spirits after our time with those at the most risk in our world today...
*The ability to give and receive love is so deeply ingrained in us...it is so evident when we are asked to do so and gladly respond here...oh, how we want to tap into and release that love when we come home...
*Our resources can change life dramatically here...I still am amazed at the change the Zambia Project has and will brought to this community, in comparison to others we see, and in how they talk about the future...
*This is a country filled with beautiful and talented people, much like ours...it's just that so few of them have the chance to be recognized and highlighted and rewarded in ways like our culture and media does...
*God is at work in and through your students...I often wish you could see what they do and hear what they say on these trips...they believe God is at work here and they are excited to join Him in this place and those He invites them to in the days ahead...
We are off to the best pizza place in Kitwe for dinner and a good night's rest before our final day in this area tomorrow...Happy Father's Day from us all!
CHIP
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Day #1 in Kakolo Village
I still remember the first time five years ago I drove down this dirt road and saw the huts and brick homes that make up Kakolo Village, the community which sees Wheaton Academy and its students and teachers as its friends, its brothers and sisters, and so much more now in 2009...
This time when we drove in children of all ages came running out of their huts and did the now infamous chase of the bus into the center of the village where we stop...one boy named John who I gave a soccer ball to almost 4 years ago yelled out Chips Harbor, which one of the community leaders has dubbed me, and the students laughed and were blown away by the warmth and energy of the reception we receive...
We immediately went into a beautiful building called the GOOD NEWS CLUB funded by funds raised during the 2007 school year at WA which we officially opened as the place in the village where all the children from all the churches can come to hear about the person and love of Jesus, and study and learn the Scriptures...several children read from their Bibles and recited memorized verses for us and we offered great hopes for how God would be at work in this place in the lives of the next generation of Zambia...
We also had the chance to help commission a new church in the village with a beautiful roof (they are a huge deal here, especially during the rainy season...) and listened to a spectacular worship choir of Zambian students...many of the older members of the community shed tears of joy at how the faith would be passed on in this village community...
As a gift we received a live dove, a symbol here of new life from Scripture and of the promise of the future...gifts of animals are common and incredibly meaningful as they are some of the most precious possessions a family may have...we gave this gift later to a World Vision staff lady named Maggie who has recently lost her husband to AIDS and is herself living with HIV daily...
We also had a chance to visit two microfinace clients in the village who run small shops from their loans given by World Vision's HARMOS division and they are now able to support their families and create economic development in the village setting...it is a strategy that so deeply empowers the poor and lets them become self sustaining and proud of what they can do as business owners...
I also had a chance to spend time with Monica, a 5th grade girl who our family sponsors...for most of the millions of sponsors, it isn't possible or likely to meet your child, but this is my third visit with my quiet and bright Zambian friend...I love delivering gifts from my kids to her and now will pray for her as her mom is away from their family taking care of her sister who is very ill...
And finally today, we played the long awaited soccer match at Kakolo Village..they built a field for us to play on together as a thank you to our school community 2 years ago, and these matches are most definitely some of the most prized moments in my life...the community turns out in great numbers, a man does play by play on a megaphone, and they always know if we have won or lost the last time we played...this sport has drawn us together in a remarkable way and given us a common love that allows us to build friendships from that place...unfortunately, just like the Zambian national team today, we fell 2-0 to a better team!! Maybe we will do better when we play baseball tomorrow, which was brough to the community by a former WA student who lived in the village a couple summers ago and is now known affectionately as the Father of Baseball in Zambia...
This village is a very special place...a place I love deeply and a place that always loves us back...every time you step off the bus and walk anywhere, you always have children holding both hands and often have others trying to climb onto another limb or two as well...the love of God connects us physically and spiritually despite coming from such different homes and life stories...we can't wait to worship in a community wide church service tomorrow morning outside in the beautiful African sun...we hope your Sunday will be brightened as you pray for us and think of us dancing and singing and listening to God speak on the other side of the world...
Every student and team member sends their greetings and love back to you...CHIP
This time when we drove in children of all ages came running out of their huts and did the now infamous chase of the bus into the center of the village where we stop...one boy named John who I gave a soccer ball to almost 4 years ago yelled out Chips Harbor, which one of the community leaders has dubbed me, and the students laughed and were blown away by the warmth and energy of the reception we receive...
We immediately went into a beautiful building called the GOOD NEWS CLUB funded by funds raised during the 2007 school year at WA which we officially opened as the place in the village where all the children from all the churches can come to hear about the person and love of Jesus, and study and learn the Scriptures...several children read from their Bibles and recited memorized verses for us and we offered great hopes for how God would be at work in this place in the lives of the next generation of Zambia...
We also had the chance to help commission a new church in the village with a beautiful roof (they are a huge deal here, especially during the rainy season...) and listened to a spectacular worship choir of Zambian students...many of the older members of the community shed tears of joy at how the faith would be passed on in this village community...
As a gift we received a live dove, a symbol here of new life from Scripture and of the promise of the future...gifts of animals are common and incredibly meaningful as they are some of the most precious possessions a family may have...we gave this gift later to a World Vision staff lady named Maggie who has recently lost her husband to AIDS and is herself living with HIV daily...
We also had a chance to visit two microfinace clients in the village who run small shops from their loans given by World Vision's HARMOS division and they are now able to support their families and create economic development in the village setting...it is a strategy that so deeply empowers the poor and lets them become self sustaining and proud of what they can do as business owners...
I also had a chance to spend time with Monica, a 5th grade girl who our family sponsors...for most of the millions of sponsors, it isn't possible or likely to meet your child, but this is my third visit with my quiet and bright Zambian friend...I love delivering gifts from my kids to her and now will pray for her as her mom is away from their family taking care of her sister who is very ill...
And finally today, we played the long awaited soccer match at Kakolo Village..they built a field for us to play on together as a thank you to our school community 2 years ago, and these matches are most definitely some of the most prized moments in my life...the community turns out in great numbers, a man does play by play on a megaphone, and they always know if we have won or lost the last time we played...this sport has drawn us together in a remarkable way and given us a common love that allows us to build friendships from that place...unfortunately, just like the Zambian national team today, we fell 2-0 to a better team!! Maybe we will do better when we play baseball tomorrow, which was brough to the community by a former WA student who lived in the village a couple summers ago and is now known affectionately as the Father of Baseball in Zambia...
This village is a very special place...a place I love deeply and a place that always loves us back...every time you step off the bus and walk anywhere, you always have children holding both hands and often have others trying to climb onto another limb or two as well...the love of God connects us physically and spiritually despite coming from such different homes and life stories...we can't wait to worship in a community wide church service tomorrow morning outside in the beautiful African sun...we hope your Sunday will be brightened as you pray for us and think of us dancing and singing and listening to God speak on the other side of the world...
Every student and team member sends their greetings and love back to you...CHIP
Friday, June 19, 2009
AIDS and SOCCER in a Zambian Village
Yesterday we traveled to a village that is fairly deep in the Zambian countryside...a donor from Chicago is funding the expansion of a school there after seeing the need at the end of a Safari trip in Zambia...the need for more classroom space is a constant one in Zambia and classes with 50-60 students in them is often the rule rather than the exception..
We sat under a tree with several hundred students and community parents and leaders and heard presentations from students at the school...we joined their school choir in a dance after they sang a song about the blessings of God given to them, and they presented poems entitled Malaria and The Cry of an Orphan they had prepared for us...And after the program, we split into groups and went out with World Vision staff and local caregivers who travel from hut to hut caring weekly for those suffering from and living with HIV/AIDS...in this particular area, there is virtually no real access to any sort of medical care and these visits from men and women from the local churches is all they may receive in the way of care from an outside source...it was very cool to see how the caregivers use the supplies in their kits that each student at Wheaton Academy built during Homecoming Week in 2007...
In many ways, we all saw behind the curtain today in terms of what is often really taking place in sub-Saharan Africa...you hear and see the real life story of women dying from AIDS who have already lost their husbands who are consumed with what will happen to their children when they die...you walk into a dark one room hut where a grandma unable to move at this point asks you to pray for a miracle as she has been taking care of her orphaned granddaughter for the past three years...and you see how AIDS has brought death and hardship and great pain to so many extended families in this place...we brought a couple bags of sugar, a bottle of cooking oil, and some candles to each family...and we prayed for God's provision and presence even in the midst of such difficulty...it was a difficult conversation at night where you ask questions about why such injustice exists, why no one seems to know or care what is really taking place, and what it means for you when you see it first hand...it is good to have a community to talk with and debrief with as you have your view of the world opened so wide...
And yet Africa is so resilient...and so passionate about many things, including soccer...we played our first match in our red jerseys donated by Marist High School (they will now be worn by the school team in the village) on a long red clay pitch with wooden goalposts...somehow, someway a 40 year old guy (that would be me) who loves this game like Zambians do was able to sneak in a goal in the first minute or two of the match and we ended in a 1-1 tie...the crowd roared seeing our girls dribble past and tackle the ball away from the guys we were playing against...the whole community watches these matches and they love when the "Muzungu" can compete against their local heroes...the girls also tried their hand at netball for the first time, a game they struggled to learn as the Zambian girls whipped the ball around them toward the open basket at the end of the court...
We just arrived today in Kitwe, about 6 hours north of Lusaka, where we will spend the next several days in the community that Wheaton Academy has been involved with for the last 6 years in a major way...as the Zamtan ADP World Vision Staff welcomed us at our hotel, I saw so many friends and it feels like a second home...the next three days in Kakolo Village will be full of all kinds of fun and joy, interacting with so many people, and seeing how God's Kingdom has invaded this little part of Zambia in the midst of a community that has had close to a 30% HIV prevelance rate and the average person exists on less than $1 per day...I can't wait to take our team tomorrow morning into the place God has connected us to on the other side of the world...
We hope all is well in Chicago...people will be blowing whistles and horns all night here in Zambia in preparation for their World Cup Qualifying soccer match tomorrow afternoon...it is like the Super Bowl, NBA Finals, and World Series all rolled into one a friend here once told me...
We are experiencing each day the spiritual gift of hospitality from the Zambian people in profound ways that deeply minister to us as we seek to bring God's love to them through our presence and resources...it is a gift not to be taken for granted...
With our Love and Prayers,
CHIP
We sat under a tree with several hundred students and community parents and leaders and heard presentations from students at the school...we joined their school choir in a dance after they sang a song about the blessings of God given to them, and they presented poems entitled Malaria and The Cry of an Orphan they had prepared for us...And after the program, we split into groups and went out with World Vision staff and local caregivers who travel from hut to hut caring weekly for those suffering from and living with HIV/AIDS...in this particular area, there is virtually no real access to any sort of medical care and these visits from men and women from the local churches is all they may receive in the way of care from an outside source...it was very cool to see how the caregivers use the supplies in their kits that each student at Wheaton Academy built during Homecoming Week in 2007...
In many ways, we all saw behind the curtain today in terms of what is often really taking place in sub-Saharan Africa...you hear and see the real life story of women dying from AIDS who have already lost their husbands who are consumed with what will happen to their children when they die...you walk into a dark one room hut where a grandma unable to move at this point asks you to pray for a miracle as she has been taking care of her orphaned granddaughter for the past three years...and you see how AIDS has brought death and hardship and great pain to so many extended families in this place...we brought a couple bags of sugar, a bottle of cooking oil, and some candles to each family...and we prayed for God's provision and presence even in the midst of such difficulty...it was a difficult conversation at night where you ask questions about why such injustice exists, why no one seems to know or care what is really taking place, and what it means for you when you see it first hand...it is good to have a community to talk with and debrief with as you have your view of the world opened so wide...
And yet Africa is so resilient...and so passionate about many things, including soccer...we played our first match in our red jerseys donated by Marist High School (they will now be worn by the school team in the village) on a long red clay pitch with wooden goalposts...somehow, someway a 40 year old guy (that would be me) who loves this game like Zambians do was able to sneak in a goal in the first minute or two of the match and we ended in a 1-1 tie...the crowd roared seeing our girls dribble past and tackle the ball away from the guys we were playing against...the whole community watches these matches and they love when the "Muzungu" can compete against their local heroes...the girls also tried their hand at netball for the first time, a game they struggled to learn as the Zambian girls whipped the ball around them toward the open basket at the end of the court...
We just arrived today in Kitwe, about 6 hours north of Lusaka, where we will spend the next several days in the community that Wheaton Academy has been involved with for the last 6 years in a major way...as the Zamtan ADP World Vision Staff welcomed us at our hotel, I saw so many friends and it feels like a second home...the next three days in Kakolo Village will be full of all kinds of fun and joy, interacting with so many people, and seeing how God's Kingdom has invaded this little part of Zambia in the midst of a community that has had close to a 30% HIV prevelance rate and the average person exists on less than $1 per day...I can't wait to take our team tomorrow morning into the place God has connected us to on the other side of the world...
We hope all is well in Chicago...people will be blowing whistles and horns all night here in Zambia in preparation for their World Cup Qualifying soccer match tomorrow afternoon...it is like the Super Bowl, NBA Finals, and World Series all rolled into one a friend here once told me...
We are experiencing each day the spiritual gift of hospitality from the Zambian people in profound ways that deeply minister to us as we seek to bring God's love to them through our presence and resources...it is a gift not to be taken for granted...
With our Love and Prayers,
CHIP
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Bikes, Bikes, Bikes
We are just back in town tonight after a day spent participating in the first World Bicycle Relief distrbution of bikes to students who will need them for transportation to attend school both now and in the future in zambia...we distributed 100 bikes to students and teachers at a primary school in Chongwe...there was a big celebration and ceremony with the whole school and community to mark this event...the high school students would attend after finishing 9th grade is over 12 miles away, making it basically impossible for them to attend without transportation...some students live in shacks by themselves away from their families and on their own in every way currently to continue their education...
The ceremony featured dancing and skits and poems and thank yous from the students and parents in the community, and our team sang several verses we created to fit the context of He's Got the Whole World in His Hands and a poem a few of the guys wrote entitled an Ode to Bikes...
All of the students spent a couple hours hanging out and being hung on by hundreds of children...playing duck duck goose, follow the leader, and hearing the stories of people in this village area...I am always amazed by the immediate connection created between students from Chicago and the children of Zambia...lots of joy is so present...and I was reminded today of how a rather small gift our students provided from many students in Zambia will have dramatic life-long implications for their future, theie current families, and the next generations of Zambians as they are able to receive the gift of education...
We spent a great time sharing together as a team about what our hopes were for this trip (after an African dinner complete with the chance to watch and dance with a real life Zambian dance group!) and I was so blessed by the real desire so many have to be so open to God's voice and leading here in a place far from our known culture and lives...thanks for your prayers that God's Spirit will be moving thru the experiences we encounter...we closed last night thinking about Genesis 1 and the incredible implications of the reality that each person and each life we know at home and will see in Zambia is made in the image of God and bears His love and character...that truth causes us to care so deeply about the lives we see as we drive thru this land and meet in all the places we go...
We are headed out to dinner in Lusaka and then will be spending our day tomorrow in a community seeing a school, platying soccer, and going out with caregivers who are caring for those suffering with AIDS in villages here before heading out to Kakolo Village on Friday...
We had a wonderful day today and I love watching students grow, embrace people here, and be able to participate in life changing experiences...so much fun to see first hand what many WA students made possible this past school year...
We Love You and Miss You...CHIP
The ceremony featured dancing and skits and poems and thank yous from the students and parents in the community, and our team sang several verses we created to fit the context of He's Got the Whole World in His Hands and a poem a few of the guys wrote entitled an Ode to Bikes...
All of the students spent a couple hours hanging out and being hung on by hundreds of children...playing duck duck goose, follow the leader, and hearing the stories of people in this village area...I am always amazed by the immediate connection created between students from Chicago and the children of Zambia...lots of joy is so present...and I was reminded today of how a rather small gift our students provided from many students in Zambia will have dramatic life-long implications for their future, theie current families, and the next generations of Zambians as they are able to receive the gift of education...
We spent a great time sharing together as a team about what our hopes were for this trip (after an African dinner complete with the chance to watch and dance with a real life Zambian dance group!) and I was so blessed by the real desire so many have to be so open to God's voice and leading here in a place far from our known culture and lives...thanks for your prayers that God's Spirit will be moving thru the experiences we encounter...we closed last night thinking about Genesis 1 and the incredible implications of the reality that each person and each life we know at home and will see in Zambia is made in the image of God and bears His love and character...that truth causes us to care so deeply about the lives we see as we drive thru this land and meet in all the places we go...
We are headed out to dinner in Lusaka and then will be spending our day tomorrow in a community seeing a school, platying soccer, and going out with caregivers who are caring for those suffering with AIDS in villages here before heading out to Kakolo Village on Friday...
We had a wonderful day today and I love watching students grow, embrace people here, and be able to participate in life changing experiences...so much fun to see first hand what many WA students made possible this past school year...
We Love You and Miss You...CHIP
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Hello from Lusaka
We arrived early this AM and are flat out exhausted...we got settled into our very authentic African accomodations at out lodge and then Tony Frank and I had lunch with the President of WV Zambia...great guy who is a huge fan of Wheaton Academy...we were talking about an internship program for college students from the States...the rest of the group got some pizza and burgers at the main strip mall in Zambia and then we all got afternoon briefings on WV Zambia (about 600 people working full time touching almost 3 million lives here in Zambia), RAPIDS (over 18,000 caregivers who go out and care for those suffering from AIDS), HARMOS (microfinance loans to clients) and WORLD BICYCLE RELIEF...the head of the Rapids program challenged us all to unwrap the gift we will receive during our time here and to let this trip reorder the way we look at our lives and faith and world...
Tomorrow AM we drive out to the school site for the big bike distribution event...should be a big deal and very fun...World Bicycle Relief has several employees here and can't wait to kick off this distribution of 50,000 bikes to help with making education possible for students thru high school...
It is always good to see many friends at WV Zambia and the weather is gorgeous this time of year...the Zambian people are so welcoming to our teams...
The students are excited to be here and we were all pretty mesmerized walking off the plane onto Zambia soil after lots of prep and such a long travel experience...
Off to dinner and a conversation about the image of God and our reasons for coming on this trip before an early bedtime...pray for sound sleep tonight!!
With Gratitude and Excitement to be Here,
CHIP
Tomorrow AM we drive out to the school site for the big bike distribution event...should be a big deal and very fun...World Bicycle Relief has several employees here and can't wait to kick off this distribution of 50,000 bikes to help with making education possible for students thru high school...
It is always good to see many friends at WV Zambia and the weather is gorgeous this time of year...the Zambian people are so welcoming to our teams...
The students are excited to be here and we were all pretty mesmerized walking off the plane onto Zambia soil after lots of prep and such a long travel experience...
Off to dinner and a conversation about the image of God and our reasons for coming on this trip before an early bedtime...pray for sound sleep tonight!!
With Gratitude and Excitement to be Here,
CHIP
Monday, June 15, 2009
Hello from Heathrow
Hi from London...in about 30 minutes we will board our flight for Lusaka...we had a fun day touring London for about 3 hours after gathering Lauren and Allie from their flights...a sunny day here in England and we saw all the sites thanks to a great tour guide named Suki who took great care of us...hopefully we will all sleep tonight on the 10 hour flight to Lusaka and we will be ready for Day #1 in Zambia...all are doing well and tomorrow we will we getting briefings at World Vision Zambia headquarters and with RAPIDS, an incredible program focusing on care and prevention specifically dealing with HIV/AIDS in Zambia through a major grant from the US govt's PEPFAR program...it is an amazing program that WV Zambia is the lead group on in Zambia...they support and train caregivers who care for people suffering with AIDS, do prevention education work, and help get people access to anti-retro viral medicines that allow people who are HIV-positive to live long and healthy lives...and Wednesday will be a big day with our bike distribution to students in the Chongwe school community in partnership with World Bicycle Relief and the Zambian govt...it is always fun to see in person the impact resources raised by students during the year truly have on the ground in Africa...we will participate in the ceremony along with the African students...can't wait, as there is nothing like celebrating in Zambia at what God has brought about! Hope all is well in Chicago and many, many hellos from your kids here! I most likely will not be able to blog the next few days as our guest house doesn't have internet access...I will be writing down notes and look forward to sharing all the details later this week! OK, it is time to board...here we go...
With Love for the Group...CHIP
With Love for the Group...CHIP
Sunday, June 14, 2009
PRAYERS FOR THE TRIP OF A LIFETIME
Dear Friends and Family and Parents/Relatives of 2009 Zambia Trip members…writing from the food cafe at OHare...
In a couple hours we will be heading out over the Atlantic Ocean on our way to Zambia...this is my 5th visit to Zambia and I'm always remarkably excited and more than ready to go back to a place that holds a big chunk of my heart...this year's trip comes at a time of quick and profound life change for me and my family...and in the midst of all that the past 2 months have brought and the next 2 months will bring, a constant source of strength and courage and a strange security for my life has been a place on the other side of the world...no one understands more what it is like to deal with pain and questions and fears and new things, and in the midst of everything rises up with hope in the power and presence of the living God than the people of sub-Saharan Africa...so in many ways this June I don't only want to go to Africa, I need to go to Africa...and so do many of those traveling with me...for we get to travel with amazing fellow students and friends as we take a radical faith journey together and the people of Zambia offer joy and empathy and ministry to all of us in a way that only God could have designed for a group of folks from the suburbs of Chicago...
I always deeply feel like I am going on behalf of so many of you to meet some amazing Zambian folks and to discover what God continues to do and what still needs to be done in the midst of the AIDS pandemic that is ravaging southern Africa…we will help distribute the first set of bikes to students who will use them to be able to attend further schooling which will literally change their lives and the future generations of their family and community...we will have dedication ceremonies at a new ministry center that is telling the children of this area how much Jesus loves them, seeing the new water tank that will supply clean water for the children of Kakolo Village as they grow up, and at the future site of a schoolhouse addition that is truly the completion of answered prayers and dreams…we will see students in a schoolhouse learning and growing as they seek to create an incredible future for themselves and the next generation of Zambians…we will visit a medical facility that gives life to the sick and life without AIDS to those being born...we will play soccer matches and hold clinics for children along with a baseball game as we use sports to help bring change in a community…we will meet many of our sponsored children who we have only known via letters and pictures…we will participate in worship and dance and music and discussions as we celebrate and talk about life and faith in America and Zambia with other students…and we will get to work alongside and get to know and become brothers and sisters with those on the frontlines of God’s Work in Africa…and we are constantly seeking a new vision/project for the next school year where we can continue to help bring God’s Kingdom work to earth…we will be traveling all over Zambia and we will be involved in many, many projects and conversations with the World Vision Zambia staff God is using to meet the needs of so many impacted by poverty and disease in this generation…we will even see a place where there is a desperate need to begin the work of holistic transformational development in a community trying to deal with the consequences of absolute poverty...Our team is absolutely thrilled God has given this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to us…I expect God to change the lives of 18 students and adults and to break my own heart all over again as I am going to see how He wants me to continue to be His advocate for the people and the church in this nation and the continent of Africa…
As we head off to Africa in a few hours, here's a prayer update I want to offer to you...we covet your prayers as we seek to have a transformational life experience together with our dear brothers and sisters in Africa...I'll be blogging from Zambia several times over the next 2 weeks...…here are ten specific prayer needs you can pray for us:
1.Safety and health in our lengthy travels to and back from and around Zambia over the next 14 days
2.A good working out of schedule and administrative details as we attempt to see and be part of many different experiences in a short time period
3.Ability to connect with and love and learn from our Zambian brothers and sisters
4.The continued impact of the Kakolo Village schoolhouse which is being used by hundreds and hundreds of students in this community, and the further expansion of this school to serve the needs of children through grade 9
5.The work being done to save and extend lives and prevent the spread of the HIV virus through the new medical clinic and maternity ward in the Zamtan community
6.A deep sense of community and growth in our team as we seek to discuss and mull over the experiences and resulting questions we will encounter...we are excited to build new friendships with each other and as students from WA and Leyden high schools...
7.A fresh vision for future projects and personal involvement in the work God is doing in Zambia and other nations in Africa and around the world
8.A greater love for Christ and a heart that beats and cares and loves the poor and oppressed and sick people in our world
9.Opportunities to pray for/with and encourage believers and churches and the World Vision staff in Zambia as they share the Gospel in word and deed with the children and adults of their communities
10.Ability to write and video and receive stories and learnings that we can then take and use as powerful resources in being advocates and leaders when we return home
We can’t wait to return and give you the stories of our trip along with some photos and videos we will have taken…once again, thank you for being part of God’s grand vision in Zambia…your overwhelming generosity and partnership is truly a remarkable blessing in my life…I thank God for your friendship, gifts of love, and your prayers…
Together in His Work, CHIP
In a couple hours we will be heading out over the Atlantic Ocean on our way to Zambia...this is my 5th visit to Zambia and I'm always remarkably excited and more than ready to go back to a place that holds a big chunk of my heart...this year's trip comes at a time of quick and profound life change for me and my family...and in the midst of all that the past 2 months have brought and the next 2 months will bring, a constant source of strength and courage and a strange security for my life has been a place on the other side of the world...no one understands more what it is like to deal with pain and questions and fears and new things, and in the midst of everything rises up with hope in the power and presence of the living God than the people of sub-Saharan Africa...so in many ways this June I don't only want to go to Africa, I need to go to Africa...and so do many of those traveling with me...for we get to travel with amazing fellow students and friends as we take a radical faith journey together and the people of Zambia offer joy and empathy and ministry to all of us in a way that only God could have designed for a group of folks from the suburbs of Chicago...
I always deeply feel like I am going on behalf of so many of you to meet some amazing Zambian folks and to discover what God continues to do and what still needs to be done in the midst of the AIDS pandemic that is ravaging southern Africa…we will help distribute the first set of bikes to students who will use them to be able to attend further schooling which will literally change their lives and the future generations of their family and community...we will have dedication ceremonies at a new ministry center that is telling the children of this area how much Jesus loves them, seeing the new water tank that will supply clean water for the children of Kakolo Village as they grow up, and at the future site of a schoolhouse addition that is truly the completion of answered prayers and dreams…we will see students in a schoolhouse learning and growing as they seek to create an incredible future for themselves and the next generation of Zambians…we will visit a medical facility that gives life to the sick and life without AIDS to those being born...we will play soccer matches and hold clinics for children along with a baseball game as we use sports to help bring change in a community…we will meet many of our sponsored children who we have only known via letters and pictures…we will participate in worship and dance and music and discussions as we celebrate and talk about life and faith in America and Zambia with other students…and we will get to work alongside and get to know and become brothers and sisters with those on the frontlines of God’s Work in Africa…and we are constantly seeking a new vision/project for the next school year where we can continue to help bring God’s Kingdom work to earth…we will be traveling all over Zambia and we will be involved in many, many projects and conversations with the World Vision Zambia staff God is using to meet the needs of so many impacted by poverty and disease in this generation…we will even see a place where there is a desperate need to begin the work of holistic transformational development in a community trying to deal with the consequences of absolute poverty...Our team is absolutely thrilled God has given this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to us…I expect God to change the lives of 18 students and adults and to break my own heart all over again as I am going to see how He wants me to continue to be His advocate for the people and the church in this nation and the continent of Africa…
As we head off to Africa in a few hours, here's a prayer update I want to offer to you...we covet your prayers as we seek to have a transformational life experience together with our dear brothers and sisters in Africa...I'll be blogging from Zambia several times over the next 2 weeks...…here are ten specific prayer needs you can pray for us:
1.Safety and health in our lengthy travels to and back from and around Zambia over the next 14 days
2.A good working out of schedule and administrative details as we attempt to see and be part of many different experiences in a short time period
3.Ability to connect with and love and learn from our Zambian brothers and sisters
4.The continued impact of the Kakolo Village schoolhouse which is being used by hundreds and hundreds of students in this community, and the further expansion of this school to serve the needs of children through grade 9
5.The work being done to save and extend lives and prevent the spread of the HIV virus through the new medical clinic and maternity ward in the Zamtan community
6.A deep sense of community and growth in our team as we seek to discuss and mull over the experiences and resulting questions we will encounter...we are excited to build new friendships with each other and as students from WA and Leyden high schools...
7.A fresh vision for future projects and personal involvement in the work God is doing in Zambia and other nations in Africa and around the world
8.A greater love for Christ and a heart that beats and cares and loves the poor and oppressed and sick people in our world
9.Opportunities to pray for/with and encourage believers and churches and the World Vision staff in Zambia as they share the Gospel in word and deed with the children and adults of their communities
10.Ability to write and video and receive stories and learnings that we can then take and use as powerful resources in being advocates and leaders when we return home
We can’t wait to return and give you the stories of our trip along with some photos and videos we will have taken…once again, thank you for being part of God’s grand vision in Zambia…your overwhelming generosity and partnership is truly a remarkable blessing in my life…I thank God for your friendship, gifts of love, and your prayers…
Together in His Work, CHIP
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