30 Days and Counting

Thirty days from today the 2012 Zambia team will begin the journey to the Mission of Love Orphanage.  Today, as I served in the Monkey Room (think 3 year olds) Angela and I took them outside to play on the play ground.  But getting 3 year olds down the halls of the church and out to the play area is a process - engaging them in the adventure of the journey - we "snuck" down the halls, creeping past grown ups, with a goal of reaching the play area "undetected."  I watched those three year olds throw themselves totally into the journey - hugging the walls of the corridor, stopping to check around the corner to make sure no adults would see us, and dashing to the door to reach the outside.  Once on the play ground it didn't matter if the slide was a bit too warm, nor did the challenge of the jiggly steps stop them.  Down the slide they went, "Miss Denise, help me reach the next step" came the call for assistance - all of it was to be tested and tried.  Just for the joy of being outside at the play ground.

So, pray for this year's team to be like my Monkey class; that we prepare for the journey, abandon our worries, our fears and trust that our great God will help us across the "jiggly steps,"  that any physical discomforts will be overlooked as we serve God at the Mission of Love and that at the end of our journey, we have completely spent ourselves accomplishing what God would have us do.

This year's Zambia Team is: Deb Arrington, Barbara Clark, Jim Faison, Steve Rainwater, Denise Skinner, Chris Turner, Richard Wewerka.  Jim, Steve and Richard are Zambia Team veterans, Chris was on the first team and is returning this year; Barbara, Deb and I are the newbies.

Heading to South Africa to offer encouragement and support Johannes (a missionary who helps Amber & Jako) will be: Ryan Ervin and Ben Kronlein.

Prayer support from friends and family is critical to any team undertaking a journey for God.  Spiritual warfare has already begun as some of us continue to work diligently to raise funds, Jako has developed back issues that will impact his usual activity levels,  and we have lost a member to unexpected health issues.  Please pray for us.  We depart July 10 and return on July 27th.

I will close with Philippians 2:5-6 verses we have been studying in preparation for trip:

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who being in very

nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but 

made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.