The Zambia Project

While I'm in Africa, with the exception of the first month which I will spend in Capetown SA, my time will be spent at The Zambia Project in Mongu, Western Zambia.  I thought you might be interested in knowing a little bit about it.  So here's some information (most of which can be found at The Zambia Project's website).
Fast Facts about Western Zambia:

• Population is estimated at roughly over 1 million
• Literacy levels in rural communities are <8%
• Less than 1% of Western Zambians have a flushing toilet
• Most communities don't have a clean water source
• HIV/AIDS, TB, Malaria and Malnutrition commonly take children  or leave orphans
• 3 out of 5 children do not survive to their 5th birthday
• The average life expectancy is 29
• The authority (headman/chief) in a village is called the Nduna
• The main spoken language is Silozi
• Many villages still have witchdoctors
• Most people in this region have never heard a clear presentation of the Gospel!

The Zambia Project's vision is to have a Christ-centered church in walking distance of every community.  They work to implement sustainable growth in communities that will last even if they're gone.  Their projects include:

• Well-digging
• Church-planting
• Discipleship
• Village of Hope orphan school
• Save-A-Life: a program to prevent severe malnutrition
• Medical Outreaches
• Community Development (i.e. planting gardens for better nutrition)
• Hope Art: a program that employs widows while also creating revenue for the VOH orphanage

Welcome!

Thank you for visiting my blog!  I hope that this will be a place for you to not only connect with me and what is going on in my current journey to Zambia but also for you to be encouraged and strengthened in your own journey.  Please feel free to post comments and stay in touch about your journey, I'd love to hear!

So what is my journey to Africa going to look like?  First of all, it will look like a lot of walking in faith and grace.  What we see is temporary but what we cannot see is eternal so I'm going to need a lot of grace to walk in the things I cannot see to make an eternal impact wherever I go.  This is true not only of this current trip to Africa but my whole life.  If I recognize my circumstances, my destiny, and my surroundings according to the flesh I will quickly become discouraged because it is GOD who supplies all my needs not the things that I can see!  Next it will look like love.  The love of God is the end all.  Everything else passes away.  As I journey to hug on orphans and widows and to show the love of God as He enables me, I know that He will also be giving me a deeper window into His love.  Next it will look like freedom.  "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because He has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted, He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives, and freedom to prisoners."  All of this seems pretty weighty and honestly kind of subjective when it comes right down to it, but like one of my friends says "Go big or go home!" The physical particulars of my journey are far from set but that doesn't stop me from knowing why I'm going or what I'm going to do while I'm over there.  I'll be sure to let you all know as soon as I find out more!

Grace and Peace,
Rose