Camp LIFE 2011

Life in Zambia for the past 12 weeks has been absolutely insane. Insanely crazy and insanely amazing at the same time. Camp LIFE 2011 was a true success and only because God orchestrated every piece of it! We had an inspiring 7 weeks full of watching orphaned children be miraculously healed , fully delivered, and completely transformed. The Kingdom of God reigned throughout Lusaka. I love going into the compounds now because I'll see children with their medals, blue t-shirts, and colored bandanas. This experience was better than Christmas morning for them, and it was truly a blessing to be a part of.

"Seek First the Kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you."

Matthew 6:33

We had over 500 Americans join us on the ground doing God's work. Each American who comes allow for 10-12 orphaned children to come to camp, which means over 6,000 kids heard God's Word and now have a joyful experience to remember. Time and time again we hear children who attended camp years ago say how Camp LIFE transformed how they live there life and gave them hope for a future that Jesus already laid out for them. It is so encouraging to hear how God used this ministry to guide them personally.

Not only did I get to serve with the Americans, but I got to serve with 2 of my dearest friends and my parents!! Lego (Katy Gibson), who works in our accounting department, joined me here at the end of May and stayed until early July. It was amazing to experience Zambia for the third year in a row with my best friend! :)

THEN Lego and I got to welcome our dearest friend, Katrina, to Zambia for her first time during week 3.

Out of the 5 girls who make up the "Abbrev", Katrina makes 4 who have been to Zambia! We are still waiting for Kelly to join us, but ONE DAY IT WILL HAPPEN! :) Katrina was given a darling group of girls from Mtendere. These girls hung on her every word and ran to her with so much joy in their hearts every time camp began. It was amazing to see my best friends serve with me over here. It brings me to tears thinking of how this ministry is bringing so many families together, and since I look at them like family, I felt an incredible bond forming between us. I praise God for the people He sent over this summer, because they were such a refreshment each week.



During the first half of the summer (June), we saw a deaf boy hear again, a blind boy see again, and hundreds and hundreds of new believers join our family in Heaven. We also saw the devil hold his power over these children. Where they come from is so unbelievably covered with evil that children showed up with darkness in their eyes. They were callous, shut off, and exhausted. We had many children who looked as though death stood at their doorstep--looming around them waiting for the perfect time to strike them down. Girls who refused to say anything, boys who fought with everyone in their group. The neatest part about it was that the Americans would stand up at the end of the week and testify that these exact children they were worried about from the beginning are now jumping, dancing, singing, and clapping. They were hugging their friends, sharing the reality of their situation, and feeling their heart be healed. It is truly amazing to physically see the difference in the eyes of a distraught and broken child when God transforms them.

The second half of the summer was filled with more miraculous healing, complete transformation, and full deliverance. What I saw as a growing theme the second half was the amount of Americans who were radically different by the end of the week. God does not just use Camp LIFE for the children, He transforms American's lives right before your eyes as well. It was amazing to hear the healing God did in the hearts of some of these men and women. We saw so many families grow together as one through this experience. To see a dad serving next to his daughter and a mom next to her son impacted my heart so much. We had more whole families come than we ever have had before. Our ministry is called Family Legacy and I was incredibly blessed to see a legacy left by these families.

Of course it made me miss my family. BUT God gave me more blessings than I deserved this summer, because the Saturday before week 7 I went to airport and welcomed my mom, dad, and cousin to Zambia. Of course I was jumping with excitement and filled with tears that they were able to come this summer. After watching all these moms and dads serve with their children, I was finally able to stand on the sidelines and watch them bring glory to God by serving, evangelizing, and truly pouring into beautiful orphaned girls and boys.

It was better than any experience I've had up to date. Not only did I get to watch those kids develop a love for my family,

but I got to see God transform their hearts by giving them His love for each of the children in their group. I'm telling you, it was the best time I've had in the last 8 months of living here.

After week 7 of camp, I was able to travel down to Victoria Falls with my mom and dad. It was the first time I'd seen any African animals (I know--you would think after 8 months, I should have seen at least an elephant). But it made the experience even more special because we were all 3 seeing the animals and God's beautiful creation together for the first time. Victoria Falls is one of the 7 natural wonders of the world and is located halfway in Zambia and halfway in Zimbabwe. I will never forget hearing the sound of thunder coming from the massive amounts of water pouring over the edge. When I saw it, I just stood their praising God because only HE could have created something so beautiful. We were able to walk with baby lions, go on a river and truck safari, stand two feet from the edge of the falls and look over, swing through a gorge, and hike to the bottom of the falls. It was absolutely amazing. The ONLY thing that could have made the experience better is if my big sister was with us. It was truly amazing. After Victoria Falls, I put my parents back on a plane to America and started work again!

Since camp ended, we have been organizing containers, getting ready to interview teachers, scheduling teacher training, assessing children who may move into our facilities, and taking our Tree of Life kids on field trips. I can see how the Lord transformed everyone involved with camp but I can't wait to see who He has in store for our ministry in the near future. We have the possibility of opening anywhere from 4 to 8 more schools before January and it's incredible to see the hearts of the Americans who so desperately want their kids to have a quality education. The neatest part about our schools is seeing the success in the students who have attended. Some kids who attended camp this summer, said that attending school at the Lifeway Christian Academy was the one thing in their life that brought them joy. I can't wait to see 10-15 schools develop all around Lusaka and hear success stories from all of them!


The Kingdom of Heaven is coming and God is moving so fast to prepare His children for the war that's near! These children are His army and I can't wait to see His soldiers take their stance against our greatest enemy. In Jesus Christ's name, we are victorious.