At Night

One of the programs here at Abba’s Heart is called Night Outreach.  A few Fridays a month, we go into town just to check in and spend time in the boys’ world.  There’s no real agenda…we truly just want to build relationships and let the boys know we are here for them.  Night is the time of day when most people go home and avoid these boys out of fear; but we want to show them that we are seeking them out because we love them.  This past Friday was our first Night Outreach of the year, and the boys were soooo excited to see our team.  Throughout the night about 30-40 boys stopped by to say hi and check in.  I must admit, I was a little worried it might be difficult to connect with the boys, but from the first moment they were grabbing my hands and fighting over who got to sit next to me.  We learned more names than we can possibly remember, practiced counting and saying the alphabet, sang some Bemba songs, asked about favorite foods and colors and laughed all night long.  One thing that has made Chris and I smile over and over again is to see everyone’s reactions when they find out we are married.  The street kids’ eyes LIGHT UP and they can’t help but giggle when they find out that a Mzungu (white person) is married to a Zambian.  They asked Chris a million questions about how we met and what it’s like to be married to an American!  It was beyond cute :)  

I was very thankful to meet two boys who knew enough English to tell me a bit of their stories.  The first boy (about 14 or 15 years old) explained that he had been on the streets for four years.  His parents both passed away and he was staying with his older sister.  But when she got married, her husband started treating the boy terribly.  He refused to give him food or pay for his school fees, so eventually the boy just decided to go to the streets and support himself.  Another boy said he stayed with his mother, but she has no way to send him to school.  Two years ago he came to the streets looking to make some money for school fees.  He's probably only 12 years old.  Carrying a burden that no child should have to bear.  After he told Chris and I his story, I continued talking with another group.  About ten minutes later, I looked to my right and saw my husband with his arm wrapped around the boy, praying fervently that God would provide a way for him to go back home and finish school.  I couldn't have been more thankful for the man God sent to be my partner in this life. 

As much joy as we experienced that night, it was also a harsh wake up call to the reality of what these boys’ lives are like.  Most of them had no shoes, even though we are currently in the rainy season and most nights are quite cold.  The majority were high from smoking sticka (a chemical inhalant) and the smell was so strong it actually gave us headaches by the end of the night.  Their clothes were filthy and torn, many of them with nothing but shorts and thin t-shirts to block the cold wind.  There were a few moments when boys started fighting over bottles or small coins and we had a glimpse into the dangers of life in these streets.  You could see the looks of hunger and hopelessness etched in some of their faces.  And I can only imagine the pain they all must have buried inside that pushed them to this place.

We are just at the beginning of this journey.  Learning names and stories.  Waiting to see how God is going to use us.  But I think the biggest thing God is teaching us right now is to just show up.  Be present.  Show them that we’re here and we will keep being here.  We are so excited to see the boys again on Tuesday, for our first Mayompapa Program.  (This comes from a Bemba proverb which says, “Mother, carry me and one day I will carry you.”)  We will be picking them all up in a bus and bringing them to our property out of town in Garneton.  Once they arrive, the day will be filled with activities like singing, Bible stories, prayer, educational activities, games and, of course, football.  They will also be given time to take showers, wash their clothes and get basic medical help if needed.  The day will end with a big lunch of nshima, chicken and vegetables!

Please be praying for our team this week as we get into the full swing of our Outreach programs.  They’ve been on break for the Christmas holiday and January planning, but everything will resume in the next few days.  Please pray that we continue building relationships with the boys and that God will use us to impact their lives in some way.  And most of all, we want to help them understand the heart of their Father who sees them as his precious children!  

Eyes and Ears

It’s been a month since Chris and I made our big move to Kitwe to start interning with Abba’s Heart!  We are so grateful for the prayers and encouragement you all have sent our way as we've made this transition.

 

God has been so faithful and has been teaching us so much already.  As we entered this new year, Chris and I’s biggest prayer was that God would speak to us in new ways.  We wanted to empty our hearts of any expectations or agendas and truly ask Him to lead us wherever He wants.  At this point in our lives, we just want His direction.  We want Him to take control and to use us in the ways He sees best.  We were SO encouraged to hear that Abba’s theme for 2017 aligns perfectly with our cry.  “Eyes to See and Ears to Hear.” 

And so, for today’s blog, we wanted to share some of the things we have seen and heard so far in this journey.

We have seen ten boys whose lives have been transformed by the grace that only comes from our heavenly father.

We have heard those same boys write verses and choruses that praise the name of the One who saved them.

We have seen a group of small boys, no older than 12 years old, sleeping on the streets during the middle of the day while the rest of the city moves past them.

We have heard those same boys asking when the learning center will be open so they can come and practice their reading/math skills.  (It was closed for the school holiday, but will open again in a few weeks)

We have seen girls with bruises on their faces and sorrow in their eyes.  Girls who have experienced more pain than I could ever imagine.

We have heard those same girls begging to be considered for the group who will soon move into the girls’ residential home.

We have seen too many young people wandering through the filthy, muddy markets as they search for their next hit of alcohol or sticka (an inhalant used to get high).

We have heard testimonies from the residential boys of how God rescued them from their addictions and is using them to encourage others.

We have seen a team of Zambians and Americans come together for the purpose of sharing God’s love with this hurting world.

We have heard that team spend time in prayer and worship as we’ve sought God’s leading in this ministry.

The list could go ON and ON, but we are so grateful for the ways God has been opening our eyes, ears and, most importantly, our hearts.  Chris said it best when we finished our first day of doing ministry on the streets: “This is where Jesus would have been!”  And there is no doubt in my mind that it’s true.  While the rest of the world scoffs at these children, seeing them as nothing more than a nuisance, our Savior would have been sitting right next to them in their filth.  This is what it means to have eyes to see and ears to hear.  We want to see and hear the things Jesus sees.  The things that we so often overlook.  The things that break the heart of our Father.  The things that SHOULD break our hearts too.

And so we are asking you to pray for our eyes and our ears.  Please pray that we truly would see all God wants us to see in this year.  And that our ears would be open to hear His voice, along with the voices of His precious children.