Find rest, O my soul, in God alone

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 a...

Camp LIFE 2011 has officially begun and week 3 is already happening!! We have already hosted over 200 Americans and it’s only been two and a half weeks! I feel like my life has been turned upside down. Exhaustion has crept in and coffee has become my best friend. Although exhaustion has set in, the faces of those orphaned children make my day!! About 6 years ago, my boss Greer heard from God to start a village in Lusaka. Over these years, Family Legacy has acquired 130 acres of land, opened 8 homes, which house about 120 orphaned children, built a school with 10 classrooms, created an area for a pavilion for church, and we are now working on the Legacy Center, where camp will be held for thousands of orphans 30 weeks out of a year. The story of how this village transpired makes me cry every time. I’ve heard Greer recite this story more than 5 times and every single time I’ve found myself weeping by the end. Of course for YOU to hear it, you’ll have to COME TO ZAMBIA!!...

Just like every other job or place of employment, working can become tedious--a checklist, if you will. Lately, I have had my checklist of things to accomplish, and I've been carefully sticking to it because I know I won't remember everything I have to complete. The unfortunate part is that even in ministry, where my heart is so heavy for these kids, I can get wrapped up in the "list" of things I need to do today. I forget the purpose and I forget the emotional connection I have to this country and the children. I get so wrapped up that I'm rushing around and I don't even focus on glorifying God in my day. (This is a bit of a confession obviously) The best part: No matter what I'm doing, God tends to humble me, bring me back to reality, and remind me of why I'm here. Yesterday, I had one of those experiences. My job was to go around to each school checking out the desks, the kids, and talking to the school coordinator. I was checking off my lis...

Goodness me. Time is flying and Camp LIFE is JUST around the corner!! This year our theme is Kingdom. The orphans are going to learn that they are a part of God's Kingdom. That He loves them and they are royalty. I pray that they will realize that this world they live in--the poverty, the thirst, the hunger, the gutters, the trash--it's all a temporary home. Their true home is a marvelous Kingdom!! I can't wait to see God move in their lives this summer. I'm also super excited about what God is going to do in the lives of every America who steps on Zambian soil. I feel as though God is brewing up something BIG. He loves this country and Satan has such a hold on it, but I feel like it's getting to the point where God is saying, "Enough is enough." I believe when each of our 500 Americans leave Zambia, their hearts will be broken for these beautiful children in such need. I know they have heard so many stories about these children and this country...

For Easter holiday, a friend and I traveled down to Cape Town for a couple of days. To say the least, it was breathtakingly beautiful--an amazing image of God's creation. To give you a quick synopsis, Claire and I came up with a theme phrase for each day. Of course, many of you know me so the "brief synopsis" the titles provide will be followed by a paragraph explaining the adventure... just being honest :). Day 1: "Holy crap, we just won the lottery" In Cape Town there is a place called, "V&A Waterfront." It is the central hub for restaurants, boats, tourists, locals, and seals. It sits at the harbor with an amazing view of Table Mountain and the ocean. It also has a very big mall, Haagen Dazs ice cream, Thai and Sushi, a huge Ferris Wheel, and free fast internet. Claire and I felt we had won the lottery because it was a little slice of America in the middle of Africa. Day 2: "Hello my name is Cape Town" Although our plan A and B ...

You know, there are many lessons that can be learned from watching or experiencing rain. I went to Texas A&M for my bachelor’s degree and College Station is famous for crazy weather. There were many times that I would walk in class and not one dark cloud would be in the sky, but an hour and 20 minutes later it would be a downpour. I learned to always have an umbrella whether there was a 20% or a 90% chance of rain, and not to wear flip flops if I thought that it might even sprinkle. The weather in Zambia is interesting because it’s scheduled by weather patterns. For instance, from about November to early April it’s rainy season. In May cold season comes, then windy season, hot season and finally rainy season again. That being said, the rainy season will be coming to an end in the next few weeks. Now, I must say that it doesn’t rain every minute of every day all over Lusaka. It’s as if pieces of Lusaka get rain at some point during the day. Meaning, Kanyama...

On March 5th, I left Zambia on a plane to America so that I could attend a VERY important person's wedding: Jenny Davis-Brower (One of my best and closest friends). After two weeks in the states, I got on another plane to head back to Zambia. It was my first time to fly all the way to Zambia alone--and what an adventure it was. Out of those of you that know me personally, I KNOW you know how quick and short my stories usually are… I mean, I get straight to the point, eliminating ALL unimportant details. :) So, as always, here is my quick, short, brief explanation of a day of miracles… While I was sitting on the plane in Houston, I spoke with Susan Kendall, an amazing colleague and my boss' wife, and had her book me a room at the Yotel (a very small hotel room located in Terminal 4 of the Heathrow airport). After an inter-terminal bus, an hour wait through customs, and a brisk walk to the Yotel, I checked in, and walked to room 22. I'm not so sure you can actually ca...