After so many songs of dancing and singing, we went back to our seats, and listened to the Tree of Life kids sing and declare their love for their Lord.
Afterwords, one pastor spoke in the Word with passion and intention. We prayed, out loud, in our words, everything that we had on our hearts- a mixture of different words and languages all being whispered, shouted, and spoken at the same time. I felt goosebumps at my seat, while feeling the vibrations of everyone's voices. Pastor Timothy then got up to give the Gospel, preaching about, "Who is your King?" It was powerful and so relevant to not only what we were all about to do in the community, but also what we would do back home. We prayed again and again to have courage and guidance for His hand to be upon us.
Beauty, the precious girl who led me up earlier in the service, came on stage to give her testimony. Megan nudged me with a package of tissues, and instantly I knew what this girl was about to say. As Beauty told us about her life, the death of her father and mother, being handed to her aunt, who neglected and abused her, and the attack of a man she did not know while she felt helpless, the tears flowed from my eyes incessantly. Her story, her pain, her prayers were so similar to what remained in my own heart. I felt touched to see what God had done in the service thus far- He chose me to be with Beauty, to hear her words and her heart, and to listen to the strength and love He provided for her. I was so overwhelmed. Beauty is now living at the Tree of Life- a place with a house for her to sleep in a bed and get three meals a day, a school that provided her with an education, and church that fed her hunger for the Lord. Such a transformation for this little girl- and to see her smile, and sing and dance for Him, is just indescribable. HE is great. More of her story is here: http://familylegacy.com/videos/beauty/
We left church after an hour and a half, feeling rejuvenated and encouraged. I was actually having a hard time switching my brain from worship to now going to shop at the market for African art. But shop, I did. With the help of my persistent and bargain savvy cousin, I was able to get way more than I thought I would to bring back home. I was so grateful to have Megan there arguing in Nyanga with all the market sellers. Haha
Later that day, we headed to the GO (Gospel Outreach) Center to meet our Zambian evangelist and apostle for the week. The GO Center would also be the location where we would be meeting, teaching, and worshiping with our children for the next week. It was a huge building that sat among a very large spread of land covered in very little grass, and lots and lots of dirt. When we all got in, the building seemed so massive, and my eyes continuously scanned the room finding pictures, scriptures, and again, more and more new faces. We prayed, sang a few songs, and then Greer and his Zambian counterpart, Pastor Raphael, called out each American by name and introduced their partners for the week. When my name was called, it was followed by Felidah's, and I was told that my apostle would not be there today.
I found Felidah to my right, gave her a welcoming hug, and walked with her outside to sit down and get to know her. Felidah is 22 and wants to be a teacher. She is such a sweet person with a beautiful smile. This was her second time to be working with Family Legacy, and she had been working with kids all summer long, so this was her seventh week. I asked her about how the summer had gone, and she said that it has just been miraculous and she couldn't wait to meet our children. Felidah's role is the evangelist- she is the one I will be with so very closely over the week, talking with each kids one-by-one. Her role is so important, as she will be translating my words into Nyanga for the kids, and their words into English for me.After fifteen minutes or so, we walked back in, to worship even more, but now with our partners. Felidah and I sang and danced together, and at one point, she took my hand and told me to trust her. The song, "Freedom" came on the loud speaker, and all of a sudden, she was leading me up the aisle and broke into a run, pulling me behind. We were running and dancing all over the GO Center. It was such a fun and connecting experience with her, and so nice to see that we were similar goofballs. With just the small amount time I spent with her that day, I feel so confident in our partnership together for the week.
Tonight, after dinner, Greer asked us to give testimonies on our struggles we had to get to Zambia. I felt led to share, and as I shakily took the microphone, I spilled out everything that had happened in my life over the past year, since I had decided to do this mission- the abuse from my childhood and rape of my college years that pulled me deep into depression last summer, my move home to Texas that emptied my bank account, my admission into a psychiatric hospital to treat the depression, the drugs that I was placed on that crippled me further, my struggle with collecting the money, and finally with the fulfillment of God's will that uplifted my faith in His plan. His will that last month of collected money taught me so much about my own faith and pride- that I want Him to do things my way, in my time. It felt amazing to get it out and share how the devil had tried to stop me from coming to Zambia, and how God prevalied, changing me along the journey.
Many other testimonies were shared, and every single one of the stories were different in the details, but had the same message- the Devil does NOT want God's children to spread His word, and he will do everything he can to prevent it from happening. But God's hand is greater, and as long as we look to Him, and continue to follow His Word, we will succeed, He will protect us, and the devil will fail.
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