My hope is that this upcoming summer I will be able to go back to Zambia. Honestly, if I could I would go back every year till my girls graduated from high school. I want to go back this summer because everyday I miss my girls so much and I want to continue to help them strengthen their relationships with Christ. I want to be the person who is there for them because they have no one who cares for them or is rooting for them. These girls deserve someone who will be there for them and I want to be able to be there as much as I possibly can. I believe God placed the country of Zambia and these orphans on my heart for a reason and I want to fulfill my call to impact lives in Zambia. familylegacy.com/
0 Comments
When first meeting Evelyn she was one of the loudest and outgoing girls in my group. She was a girl who was eager to learn about Christ and have fun. She always was up singing the songs from our big group sessions and the first to raise her had when I had a question. Over the week my 10 girls attended camp I had what was called a blessing time with each one of them. A blessing time is where you get to know the girl and her home life and ask if they would be willing to accept Christ into their life. The story I learned of Evelyn's home life broke my heart. Evelyn came from a home where she lived with her Mother and siblings. She was beaten everyday and ate only once a day. To make matter worse her grandmother practiced witchcraft. Witchcraft is very common in Zambia and includes spells and often abuse to children. Her living situation was far from good to say the least but she was not in a situation where I could recommend her for full time care. When I returned to Zambia 2 years later her living conditions had gotten worse. Her mother was gone and her brother and sister were in charge of care. Evelyn was now head of the household and her siblings were exploiting her. Her beating had also become worse so I made the decision to recommend her for full time care. Evelyn right now is in the process of being evaluated for full time care with Family Legacy and I am hoping by next semester will be with them. Evelyn is such a strong and inspirational girl to me. She loves Christ so deeply and is grateful for the little that she has. She has inspired me to become a better person and I hope one day I can be even half as amazing as she is. Evelyn I love and know that God has a great plan for you sweet girl. familylegacy.com/ This past summer I went back to Zambia for the first time in 2 years. I got to be there for a month because I was on their Summer Staff, which is where a group of college students go and volunteer and help run their camp, Camp Life in the summer. I got to see how much my girls had changed in the past 2 years and how much they have changed from being able to attend a private christian academy. These girls had learned so much and went from speaking no english to now helping me translate. It was amazing to see the impact an education made on their lives.
Coming from a country where education is required I used to almost take advantage of the opportunity of going to school but, going over to Zambia and seeing how bad each and every kid wanted to go to school but couldn't afford to changed my perspective. Enabling the children of Zambia with a proper education is the only way they will get out of the poverty they grew up in. Without an education girls end up pregnant at a young age and do not have the means to take care of their child. Being able to spend my week of camp with my girls meant the world to me because I got to see how they were doing and growing up. Family Legacy helps you create bonds and relationships with orphans from another country and that is something amazing. I pray everyday that God will watch over my girls and continue to keep them in good health. I will forever be thankful to God for placing these amazing and beautiful girls in my life. familylegacy.com/ I was in Zambia for 10 days 3 years ago and I spent my time there with 10 beautiful orphaned girls. Those girls helped me experience happiness I hadn't felt in years and I will never forget that. Each day spent there was better than the 1 before. I taught these girls the word of God and was there to listen when no else had. By the end of the week each girl accepted Christ into their lives. A miracle I was apart of thanks to our Almighty Lord. Have you ever felt so blissfully happy that nothing could bring you down? Thats how I felt the entire time I was in Zambia. The day I had to leave was one of the hardest times in my life because I had to leave my 10 babies behind but I had another mission at hand to do. I went back to the United States and through Family Legacy got each of those girls sponsored and for the past 2 years they have been attending a private christian academy. The children considered the lowest of the low in that country are now receiving one of the best educations that place has to offer. Isn't that amazing? That is one of the many great things God is doing and to be apart of that is something I consider to be so fortunate to be able to. These girls changed my life and I consider them my own now. I am one of the few people who has showed up for them and cared for them and ever since each girl has held a special place in my heart. I returned to Zambia this year and it was the first time I had seen my girls in 2 years. The excitement and joy they had to see me brought me to tears. Often Family Legacy says no one is there for those kids to show up for those kids and then come back means the world to them. These girls mean the world to me and I can't thank God enough for placing them in my life. familylegacy.com/ When you think of your favorite place in the whole world what do you think of? Perhaps you think of Disney World or Greece or even Spain. When I think of my favorite place what immediately comes to mind is the country Zambia. Many of you are thinking where even is that? Well let me explain Zambia is a country located in southeast Africa and 3 years ago is when I first heard of this place. My friend Meredith had been doing mission work there for over 5 years with the nonprofit organization Family Legacy which I mentioned in my last blog post. She is the one who introduced me to this magnificent country and it will always hold a special place in my heart. Zambia is a country of poverty where most people live on less than a dollar a day. This country also has the highest youth dependency ratio of any country in the world at 91.8%. That means more than half of the population is under the age of 16. In this country there are millions of orphaned children. In a country with such poverty I thought once I got there I would be surrounded by sadness and darkness but it was quite the opposite. The people in this country have such hope and love for the people around them. These people who have so little are happier than people I know in the United States. familylegacy.com/ 3 years ago my life was completely different than it is today. I have to thank one of my closest friends for forever impacting my life. It was my junior year of high school. I had always had a relationship with Christ but never began to take it seriously until I had some very difficult trials brought my way my sophomore year. My fully committed relationship with Christ was fairly new coming in around the year mark when my friend began to talk to me about Africa.
My friend Meredith had talked to me about Zambia, Africa a place she called her second home for almost 5 years. She talked of a place filled with poverty and despair but she also talked of the happiness and joy that filled the country. My friend asked me if I would be interested in spending 10 days in Zambia mentoring and teaching the word of God to 10 vulnerable orphans. I felt as though this was something God wanted me to do, that this my calling. So I talked to my parents, with a hefty price tag to this trip I was not sure what they would say or think. My parents accepted it with open arms as long as I had someone from our family come with me. To my surprise my Dad was the one who decided to come with me. The prep for the trip started right after I signed up in January. My 2 friends Meredith and Jamie and their fathers were also coming. I felt this sense of excitement in the air but their was that voice in the back of my head saying you can't do this who do you think are. I continuously prayed and tried to push back the fears that the devil was putting in my brain. Everything started to come together,I was still scared and unsure of what to expect but I decided I would jump in full force and see what would happen. Deciding to go to Zambia was the best decision I could have ever made. That place and the people who live there will forever be with me and in my heart. Zambia has become my favorite place in the entire world and something I cannot let go of. Since I went to Zambia I have continued to stay close with nonprofit Family Legacy that I went over with. A place not many people know about is my life now and always will be. I believe God wanted me to go there and change lives and from it He knew I would be changed too. My perspective on life changed and the person I came back as was not who I had been before. familylegacy.com/ |
Amanda HuseI am a recent graduate from the University of Oklahoma. I majored in Public Relations with a minor in Nonprofit. I am an authentic, philanthropic and proficient person who has technological and communications skills that will help me efficiently communicate with different publics. Archives
March 2018
Categories |