Church in Zambia

Sunday, May 31, 2009
This morning we were taken to a Martha’s (the director of Every Orphan’s Hope) church called Northmead Assemblies of God. The church was very familiar to Western churches in many ways: we watched the pastor preformed 8 baby dedications for different children, we sang western songs (such as “Here I am to Worship”) and we said the benediction. In other ways though, the church seemed so much more alive than other churches that I have been to in the past. Right when we stepped into the church, people were already there in fervent prayer and a man up at the front was speaking, it seemed, half in English and half in his own language (most likely called Nyanja) and didn’t stop praying out loud until the choir had arrived and music started playing. People sang with all their hearts during worship, and when the pastor prayed, everyone prayed out loud all at once, throwing their hands into the air or kneeling on the ground. Seeing their dedication to the worship of their mighty God, makes me realize how spiritually wealthy the people of Zambia are. It made me realize how difficult it is to put our entire trust in Him. I easily fall into the habit of relying on my own rationale and I forget to consult God in everything I do. When you are always provided with the necessities to keep you happy, relying on God for everything you do becomes so much harder. The pastor also announced our presence, asked us to stand up, and the choir then sang a song of welcome to us. The pastor then spoke through the verses in Ephesians 1 about how everything we do must be first consulted and reflected over through prayer. Also, the pastor stressed how prayer symbolizes your commitment to God and your dependence on Him. Overall I was really inspired by the visit.
In the afternoon, we got the opportunity to visit the My Father’s House Orphans home that is located just down the street from were we are staying. The children were eager to greet us and as soon as we brought out a ball, a bat, and a battered up volleyball, we spent hours playing games with them. I played soccer (aka football) with the boys for at least an hour or so. Some of the kids had sandals, ripped up sneakers, and some with no shoes at all. But none of the children noticed while they were playing. They barely have anything, but their joy over just playing with us and playing with each other was amazing.
I would like to take a moment to share a story about an orphan that Paul and Kim Lueders told us about. A teenage girl came to Camp Hope in 2007 with a very surly attitude. She would get in fights with other kids, tear up crowns, and sometimes refuse to participate. Paul Leuders finally took her aside and asked her about her story. She told him that she was a double orphan (both parents died of AIDS) and she was handed off to her aunt and uncle. Her aunt and uncle then used her as an indentured servant, with nothing but leftovers or nothing at all to eat at night. If she refused to work and do chores for them, they would tie her up and beat her with a wire hanger. She said that she was beaten regularly. When Paul heard this, he automatically went to talk to another coordinator with Every Orphan’s Hope, and made sure that this girl never had to go back to that home again. Every Orphan’s Hope found a spot open in one of the orphan homes, and that little girl never had to go back to her abusive home. Today, when walking back to our home, we ran into some of the mothers of the orphan homes, and this little girl was with them. She hugged every single one of us fiercely and joyfully.