His heart - His eyes

I was amazed, but not surprised at Alick giving what little he had to someone who had less.  That is how big the hearts of the Zambian people are.  He boldly stated to me that he would give his life for anyone (sound familiar) that they may be saved.  He has taken it upon himself to adopt and raise 3 children of relatives who cannot take care of them.  He asked if I and another Kenner vineyard missionary would be willing to sponsor their education.

They must pay to go to school in Zambia -  $130 per year per child.  He didn’t ask for money for himself, for food to feed the family, but for money to educate the children as someone had done for him.  He also was raised by someone other than his family… who educated him.

His full-time job as a worker for Seeds of Hope ended last October.  His job now is full time ministry.  He works with those who are less fortunate than he and is being mentored by a Pastor of the Vineyard who wishes him to plant his own church.  As our talks continued, he explained that he wishes to go to the most remote places to speak of Jesus, to seek the lost in spirit as well as the hidden from sight.  That was certainly evidenced by his “seeing” the older gentleman on the side of the road at the market.  He has the eyes and heart of Jesus.

God's work is never done: even while women shop!

In our everyday, ordinary life in Zambia?!?

Women Shopping

While in Ndola, Zambia there was a morning when part of the team was doing a teaching and the other part had a down morning.  There was an opportunity for four of us to go shopping for souvenirs at a roadside stand that is similar to the Flea Market in the French Quarter of New Orleans.   There were 8 to 10 booths fairly spread out on a busy highway, so we as a group walked from one to the other .

I was in my bargain hunting mode and willing to haggle, as it’s an insult not to.  So my eyes were on the merchandise and my mind on the prices.   A Zambian friend and interpreter named Alick accompanied us on this adventure and walked with us, ensuring we were safe and taken care of.  Brian our adopted brother and bus driver laughed as one of the other ladies and I went from booth to booth, touching things, asking prices and comparing vendors.  “That’s what women do,” he said, “shop.”

Out of the corner of my eye as we walked I noticed an elderly gentleman and a small child.  I assumed they were one of the vendor’s relatives.  While the group was walking back to the bus parked down the road, after successfully getting my salad tongs, our Zambian friend Alick stops in front of this elderly man and child.  The man was literally hiding behind a door propped up on the side of the road to hold merchandise.  Our friend Alick starts speaking to him in Bemba and hands him 1000 kwacha ( the equivalent of approximately 25 cents).  He starts interpreting this man’s story:

He has a doctor’s appointment in another town a bus ride away and needs a ticket to get on the bus.  He had planned to sit there, hidden, all day.  He hands us a slip of paper that has his diagnosis which says pneumonia and dementia.  I suspect because of his swollen feet there’s some diabetes involved as well.   He allowed us to pray for him and we gave him the rest of the bus fare (10,000 kwacha – about $2.00).    As we were leaving, the bus pulled up to take him to his doctor’s appointment. 

So the search for salad tongs turned into an answered prayer.  God uses us when we least expect it as long as we are open to his guiding.   While initially the idea of shopping while in Zambia might almost seem trivial on a missions trip, God took what we had and turned it into His good.   I am so grateful for our obedient friend Alick who stopped to share his 25-cents’ worth so that we could join in the story.