Warming Hearts

I am so very excited to inform you of my recent decision to serve in Zambia, Africa this summer!! For those that knew me back in middle school and high school, you may have gone with me, or even heard about the missions I would go on to Tennessee, serving those who were in great need of physical, emotional, or spiritual aid. Those of you who have known me in college and after, know of my passion for working with children and being there for them, whether it is to teach them reading or writing, or be a genuine ear that they so desperately need. Mission work fulfills me- it’s humbling, it’s giving of my time, and myself, and leaves me with the drastic change, which I so crave. It was two years ago that my cousin Megan, a person so dedicated to the Lord and serving Him, traveled to Africa, and came back overflowing with the great things she and others were doing there. She placed a seed in me, a seed that I am now completely determined to water and nurture.

I am sure you have seen and heard about the amazing things happening in Africa. Many people, from celebrities to missionaries, are traveling there to help with the great need present in its many war-torn and diseased countries. One of these countries, Zambia, is where I will be going this summer. It is a landlocked country located in south central Africa, and it is home to about 11 million people. Of these 11 million, a full 1 million of these people are children who have been orphaned due to the ravages of AIDS and other poverty-related diseases. The U.N. says that Zambia has the highest per capita orphan rate in the world.

This may be overwhelming information to understand, but I believe that God, through many organizations, is moving drastically in this country of hopelessness. Through the organization I will be traveling with, Family Legacy Missions International, I will have the opportunity to work one-on-one with orphans for 2 weeks—playing games, teaching Bible lessons, singing songs, feeding them, and above all else hugging and loving them. Family Legacy is based in Dallas, Texas and is a federally qualified, tax-exempt public charity whose mission is to alleviate the suffering of children on the other side of the world in Africa and bring them the Gospel of Jesus.

Through this dedicated organization, I know that I can help spread the name of Jesus and truly show the love He has for them; however it doesn’t stop there. I know that not every person in the world can travel to Africa to physically hold these children, but I would like to offer you the opportunity to help in God’s movement!! First of all, I ask that you spend time in prayer for me, Family Legacy, and for the beautiful orphans of Zambia.

Secondly, I would like to ask you to please consider offering financial support for my trip. The Camp Life put on by Family Legacy every summer changes these orphans’ lives—it gives them a hope and a joy they have never known before. Children who have never known love are amazed and shocked to encounter people who genuinely care about them and their lives and they are never the same afterward. I would love for you to be a part of this blessing both in prayer and financially.

If you are able, please send your address, {Stephlmc@gmail.com} so that I may mail you an envelope for you to include your tax-deductible gift.

You can also donate online at https://donate.familylegacy.com/
Once you are on that page, find “Send Someone to Camp Life” and click “Donate Now.” Fill in your information, including the amount you would like to donate, and at the very bottom where it says “Camp Life Participant,” select Camp Life, and then type in my name, Stephanie McReynolds.

I can’t even fully explain my deep passion for these children and for being a part of God’s great movement through our world. Thank you for spending time reading this, and thank you for the prayers and any financial amount that you are able to give!