An Indescribable Joy

We had our final Camp Hope of the summer and the roles looked a little bit different this time around. Brooke and I actually had our own group of 19 4-6 year olds. They were an absolute blast and I love every single one of them so much. Getting to know each of their fun, sassy, hilarious, and loveable personalities was so much fun! They each have a story and we got to hear about it which was awesome.

One of my favorite things was when one of them would run up to me and tell me a whole story of something that just happened in Nyanja (thinking I knew exactly what they were saying of course) and then stop and want me to do something. I kept having to remind them I only knew a few words. I wish so badly I could have spoken to them in Nyanja but that just wasn't going to happen.

Thankfully we had two wonderful translators, Peter and Lubasi, who helped us wrangle and talk to the little nuggets. They were the bomb. We could not have done it without them and they are both so wonderful with kids so all of the nugget pies loved them as well. So thankful for these men.

3 of our sweet nugget pies accepted Christ that week which is so awesome!!! Heaven is absolutely rejoicing for these sweet kids even more than we are.

We ended Camp Hope with each of the kids releasing a balloon into the air and it was so cool. 300 balloons all going up into the air at once and the kids absolutely loved it. It was incredible. The kids had an indescribable joy.

We got to spend a lot of time with the missionary team that came for Camp Hope and loved all of them! They each led their groups so well. I loved getting to know each of them and the team leader, Sharon, in particular. She is so genuine, and caring, and led the team with such humility.

The Saturday after Camp Hope we all went to Chongwe and all of the Lusaka kids and mamas came and we handed out sponsor gifts, played games, had lunch, and it was such a fun time for the missionaries and the kids to all spend a little more time together before they left and we got to plan it and put the groups together. God totally used us which was so cool to see. We had a missionary tell us she wanted to sponsor one of the kids that was in her group so we were so pumped about that! It's cool when you get to see the fruit of what God is doing.

Sponsorship is a really awesome thing. Each of these kids is so grateful to have the opportunity they do to go to school, and have the amazing family and support system they do through My Father’s House. Being here I have learned so much about the sponsorship program and when Gary, the founder of EOH, was here he explained it in more detail which helped me tremendously.

Sponsoring a child is $27 a month. When Gary was here we asked him how he came up with the number of $27 a month. He explained to us that he did the math and added all of the costs up and it costs roughly $324 a month to take care of one child in My Father’s House, so if each child were to have 12 sponsors than the amount each month would be $27. This money goes to food, school, school supplies, clothing, healthcare, etc.

Gary also informed us about how once someone decides to sponsor a child, they are added to the Facebook group of sponsors for that child. This is a way for sponsors to communicate with each other and know who the other sponsors for the child are.

Being a sponsor means these kids will get an education. Being a sponsor means these kids will get regular meals when at one point they might not have. Being a sponsor means these kids will be taken care of. Being a sponsor means these kids will do chores alongside their brothers and sisters. Being a sponsor means these kids have the opportunity to grow up in a family that not only loves and encourages them but most importantly loves and seeks Christ in all they do and will direct these kids to know our Savior.

Sponsors have an amazing place in these kids’ hearts. I have collected the hundreds of letters that these kids have written to their sponsors and seen the joy on their faces when they get a letter or gift or birthday card from their sponsor. It’s an indescribable joy. 

If you would like more information on sponsoring an awesome My Father’s House kid I would love to talk to you about it! Feel free to check out the website. http://everyorphan.org/sponsor-an-orphan/

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." 
                                                                -James 1:27