Africa! Yes, you read that correctly. A little village named Chongwe in Zambia to be exact. As of August 2013, we will be packing our bags, flying an extremely long flight with two young kiddos, and setting up a home in Zambia for a year. 2 years ago I would have (and actually did tell people that I didn't think I could ever even visit Africa) told you that you were crazy if you think I could handle living in such a different environment. But of course, those were my thought, concerns, fears, and God is soooooo much bigger than that!
Last summer, something kept happening as I would watch my two beautiful kids play together. There was something missing, no, not something, somebody...For a while, I couldn't put my finger on it-then an image of a little boy would pop into my mind. God, are you telling me to have another child now? I am not ready! I am finally getting used to having 2! But as the image became more clear to me, this little boy was not a baby and not white...Yes, I felt God telling me we should adopt a little boy from another country. As I brought this up to my husband, he was hesitant at first-unsure of whether it was right for us and if he would love this child as his own so I just prayed that his heart would open to the idea...I started doing research and looking at various countries to see which might be the right fit for us and I would just show him what I found once in a while. Then all of a sudden, he said he wanted to talk one night and proceeded to tell me that he felt like God wanted us to adopt from Zambia-he has been there 3 times and just has a heart and a deep connection to the people there. You would think I would have been so excited that he finally agreed that we were supposed to adopt? But there was one little problem-Zambia is one of the most difficult places to adopt from-which I already knew because I had looked it up and read the crazy, lengthy process. So, then it was time for God to work on my little heart. One of the requirements to adopt from Zambia is you have to foster the child for a minimum of 3 months! What??? Zambia doesn't work with any U.S. agencies so you can't get the ball rolling on much of the legal work until you arrive in country. What??? I am going to need to move there? What??? Sorry, about that, just trying to relay my attitude during that time. And then my hubby really lowered the boom, "I think we should move there for a year and help the Give Life Project and the Bible college," said Mickey. Excuse me? Live in Africa for a year? Leave my family/friends/church? Leave my comfy/safe home? Uproot my children? Have my life change completely? But as soon as these questions popped into my head, I heard God's still small voice- "Mandey, you are right. This is crazy. But this is what I am calling you to do-and you can do it-not of your own strength, but Mine." And just like that, we made this decision to move to Zambia for a year.
1st and foremost, we will be finding our little boy. 2nd, we will be lending a hand to the Give Life Project, a non-profit organization started by some friends. Mickey will be helping in all sorts of ways: discipleship, farming/agricultural methods that will help Zambians be self-sustaining, medical outreaches, and different construction projects. I will be helping out by using my education background to help at the primary school Give Life has started and a local preschool. 3rd, we will be helping as needed out at the International Bible College of Zambia which was started by Gospelink, an organization our church supports as well as we support. Finally, we pray that God will challenge us and grow us a family-that He will mold us and shape us into exactly who He wants us to be.
So, that's the news! We plan on updating this blog quite often about the process of international adoption and becoming part-time missionaries. We have already had some ups and downs...but God is faithful and we have never felt more sure of anything in our lives. Please pray for us as we begin this most exciting/scary/crazy time of our life!
2 of our favorite verses that encourage us to do what we are doing!
Psalm 82:3 Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and destitute.
James 1:27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this, to visit widows and orphans in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
If you want to visit the sites of the organizations we will be working with, they are here!
http://www.givelifeproject.com/#
http://gospelink.org
 |
| Zambian sunset |
 |
| Zambia Map |
