Step Out. Change a Life.

A sweet story about a girl named Mercy by one of my dearest friends, Jenny Davis. PLEASE read... Can YOU help this sweet girl?

Let me tell you about a very special girl who in 2008 was set for a path of hurt, pain, destruction, and death, but is now transformed into a joyful, brilliant young woman who will change her nation. Meet Mercy Tembo, the amazing young woman I sponsor in Zambia. I want to ask YOU to be a part in helping her become the woman she was intended to be. Join me in helping her finish school and lead a safe, happy life in Lusaka.

When I met Mercy in July 2008, she was a sweet, outgoing 14-year-old girl with a gorgeous smile and crazy braids in her hair. Mercy was able to speak better English than most of the other children, and constantly helped me to communicate with the other girls. Mercy was always singing, laughing, and making jokes, so it was surprising when we sat down for our one-on-one time and she wept for almost an hour! The entire time I rocked her in my arms without a word spoken. After that time, I couldn’t get this sweet girl off my mind. The next day, she opened up bit by bit. She told me about the witch doctor in her village, and how he abused her daily. We prayed together that God would protect her from the evil surrounding her at home. I knew in 2008 that Mercy’s situation was extremely dangerous, but somehow the Lord managed to shower me with optimism and joyfulness. Even after I came back to America, I couldn’t shake her off my mind.

Because the Lord laid her so heavily on my heart, I began sponsoring Mercy through Family Legacy’s sponsorship program called, Father’s Heart. Being a part of this program meant that she would receive education and discipleship. When my dear friend Katy Gibson went to Zambia in 2009, she was blessed to meet many of my girls from the previous year, including Mercy!! Unfortunately, I learned that Mercy’s situation had deteriorated considerably, and it became evident that she needed to be removed from her home as soon as possible. We found out that two of Mercy’s sisters were killed within 2 weeks of each other--it was a matter of life and death. Because God loves His children so much, Mercy was moved to a Family Legacy Community Resource Center later that summer, and Katy and I were relieved that she was in a new, safer, life-giving environment.

I was privileged to return to Zambia in the summer of 2010, and to visit Mercy in her new home!! Our reunion was sweet; full of many tears and much laughter. She looked, as they say in Zambia, “very fine” and “very fat”--both good things!! She was happy, well-nourished, and, most importantly, safe. She proudly showed me her bed, introduced me to her roommates as well as her house-parents, and gave me a huge orange carrot to eat (so hospitable!). My heart was so touched and I nearly burst into tears when I saw the wall covered in photos and letters I had sent her, right next to what was possibly the only photo of her mother.

Our relationship stretches over what seems like an infinite amount of miles. She, like any other teenage girl, draws me pictures of flowers on notebook paper and tells me she loves me. However, she is very different from any other person I know in my life because she calls me “mama” and earnestly prays for me and my family. She has managed to become bilingual in a third-world country. She works hard in school, and has become such a HUGE leader in the CRC where she lives. Mercy has just taken her grade nine exams, which is a very big deal in Zambia. The last time Katy was in Zambia (in November 2011), she looked at the math Mercy was doing for school and had no idea how to do any of it herself! Mercy’s joy, determination, and faith humble me, and I cannot wait to see how she transforms the nation of Zambia.

I long to continue sponsoring Mercy so that she can be safe, secure, and educated with a secondary diploma in her hand!! In order to provide an even better place for Mercy to live, Family Legacy has shifted from Community Resource Centers, to Resident Housing. The houses are in a nicer and safer environment with better schools, a healthier diet, consistent prayers, and godly house parents who truly know how to support and raise children. As the value of care has increased, so has the price of sponsorship. This is where YOU come in. I want you to be a part of Mercy’s life. I am asking you to join me in giving Mercy the life she was intended to live!! In order for her to finish school and continue to be enveloped with the love and care she needs, I need $115 more a month. I can’t tell you how blessed I have been to provide for her these past years! By investing in providing a better life for Mercy, YOU will be blessed as well!

“Whoever is generous to the poor, lends to the LORD, and HE will repay you!”
Proverbs 19:17

Step out. Change a life.

If you are interesting in joining me in giving Mercy an abundant life, please donate at: www.familylegacy.com/donate. If you put “Jenny Brower - Mercy Tembo” in the memo it will be applied to Mercy. Thank you in advance for being a part of God’s work by changing Mercy’s life! If you have any questions please email me at: jaggie08@gmail or Katy Gibson at: katy@familylegacy.com. Together, we an change Mercy’s life!