Zambia - The first 100 Days

It is hard for me to believe that I have lived in Zambia for 100 days.  The days have been filled with amazing challenges, incredible heart break, overflowing love for children with eyes that have burned their image into my heart, intense anger at injustice, joy that comes from deep within, and finally learning to trust a loving Heavenly Father that holds it all together even when my faith is failing within me.

I am working with the house mothers at our homes.  I have been teaching them practical lessons on nutrition, home care, hygiene..etc.  They have been teaching me about life....real life....hard life.  I have seen a strength in some of these women that I admire.  They believe from the bottom of their heart that God is good...all the time.  WOW.

I have told you about precious Cecilia.  Well let me continue with her story from the past 100 days...

Cecilia's journey has been a joy and a heart ache.  I have mentioned her before.  I simply love her so very much.  She is in the Father's Heart program at Family Legacy which means that she still lives in her home but goes to a Lifeway Christian School and has a discipleship leader that checks on her as well as disciples her.  I have been to visit her several times since I have been in Zambia.  I love how she runs into my arms!  It makes me cry joyful tears every time.   As I was preparing to leave one time, Cecilia ran and put her arms around me and started to sob.  She would not let go.  As tears were streaming down my face, I had to peel her arms off and push her back to her discipleship leader to hold her so I could get into the car.  She was screaming "Auntie Stepha please don't leave me, don't forget me"  She shook my heart.  I knew that I would be back soon and I knew I would never forget her.  When John was here we visited again.  He even gave her some chocolate.  We did not see any food again at her home.  So about a week after John left, I returned again...with some of the Family Legacy staff.  We delivered rice, beans, meat, vegetables, fruit, cookies :) and a sweet bear for Cecilia (she named her bear Auntie Stepha - oh how I just wanted to sit on the floor and cry)  The crazy miracle in this story is - Cecilia's mother was not at home during our drop but her step father was.  I had never met him before.  He simply watched the drop quietly.  He asked us to pray before we left.  We did.  We joined hands and prayed...for salvation, for love, for provision, for a miracle in their home.  And we left.  Last week I ran into her discipleship leader.  She said that Cecilia's mom came home the day of our drop and saw it as a miracle from the Lord.  And it was...not just the provision but the change in Cecilia's step father.  He saw it as a miracle from the Lord as well.  His heart has started to change.  He has hope again.  How awesome is the Lord for that family.  Bless them Lord.  Bless them indeed.

The Lord  works every day at the Tree of Life.  He is deepening the faith of our children that are in our care 24 hours a day.  He is preparing their heart for a future that is incredibly different than their past.  He is healing.  He is speaking.  He is working through the barriers and heart break for them.

I was at the clinic with some of our children.  The doctor asked me what orphanage they were from.  I stopped in my tracks.  I fumbled for a response.  Finally I said to her, oh,  they are not from an orphanage, they are from a children's village.  They each have a home with house mothers and other children in them.  They are each placed in a family that God designed.   It is a place a belonging and healing.  She smiled and said, "Oh.  I will make a note of that." 

We believe that each child that is in our care has come to us be the will and grace of God.  Each one is unique and special.  They have survived hunger, abuse, abandonment, being orphaned, and/or disease.  They are worth standing in the gap for.  They are worth all of the heart ache, tears, prayers, long days...everything....They are worth it all.  They are priceless...treasure....beautiful.

Please continue to pray for the precious children of Zambia.  Camp Life begins in June.  Family Legacy will reach 10,000 children with the Gospel!  Hearts, lives, and eternities changed.

Transforming Zambia one precious child at a time.

Love you!
Stephanie

Precious Moments

I love the children of Zambia with all my heart.  I have seen poverty that does not make sense to me.  I have seen death come too soon to precious children.  I have seen the result of abuse that leaves deep scars - scars that are so deep only a Heavenly Father can heal.  I cry a lot.  I pray a lot.  I am left without answers...a lot.

Sometimes when my heart feels heavy - a precious moment comes across my way.  A gift.  I thought I would share a few precious moments.

One Sunday morning, I went to church at the Tree of Life.  Think a pavilion filled with 170 children that the world discarded.  Children that have been rescued and have been loved.  Children that now are singing and believing that God is Good.  God reigns.  "I am all that the Bible says I am" they say.  Their voices sing, their bodies dance and it felt like I was in Heaven.  Then in a clear sweet voice, Clara started leading worship with the song Jesus is so sweet. Drums in the background.   Awesome. 

Our older children that stay at Tree of Life go to a government school in Lusaka.  They have been doing great there.  Some of our children qualified for a regional track meet.  Many of you know that I LOVE to cheer at athletic events....so I went.  Ready to cheer! cheer! cheer!!  It was fantastic.  Our children did great.  They thought my cheers were hilarious!  I cheered for them, I cheered for their friends, I cheered and cheered.  They ran and ran!  The runners did not wear shoes.  They were on a dirt track with rocks.  It did not matter....they were fast!  Terrific!  The best part was that I saw our children with their school friends.  I saw them in the "real world" and they were great!  I was so proud.

One Sunday after church, the girls gathered in the pavilion to paint their toe nails and finger nails silver.  They celebrated life and friendship that day.  It was heart warming.  Can  you imagine 100 girls painting their nails, giggling and laughing, and enjoying the gift of friendship?  

 

I believe every child is worth fighting for.  I believe each child has a destiny that is far greater than death, disease and poverty.  I believe with all my heart the Lord has great things in store for the children of Zambia.  After all....Jesus is so SWEET. 

 

Love you!

Stephanie

The Fruit of the Spirit is Love, Joy and Peace (and watermelons and pineapple and bananas and apples)!

We had so much fun at the Tree of Life!!  Celebrating!!  John and I celebrated our 25th anniversary....so John purchased 25 pineapples, watermelons, 200 bananas and 200 apples for the children and mothers at the Tree of Life.  It was a GREAT celebration.

Clara thought that they pineapples looked so funny but loved the way they tasted.  :)  So cute.

I looked around the village....and kids were dancing and shouting "thank you Uncle John!"  They were so excited for fruit.  I smiled and smiled.  I tried to bring in the Lord reminding them that He was the true reason to celebrate.  I hope they heard....but really they were just enjoying the celebration....Precious.

Here, all of these children have been brought to the Tree of Life from various backgrounds.  Not one child that is here has had an easy life.  They have been abused, they have been hungry, they have been orphaned.  This day I looked around at the celebration.  Thanking the Lord.  He has brought them here and placed them in this "family".  He has a plan for each one of them.

I thought about the house moms during the celebration as well.   Some of these woman have had hard lives, too.  Some have buried husbands and children.  They have lost their families and are now creating new families with children they did not give birth to but love and support.  They sat around laughing and celebrating.

I am not sure why the fruit created such an electric atmosphere....maybe it was having so many different fruit on the same day....maybe it was the expectancy they had....knowing it was coming for a special day.  I don't know but the joy was overflowing.

A load of fruit brought a celebration here.  It was awesome.  In the midst of healing, in the midst of difficulties, in the midst of a nation that has one million orphans....a party.  Simple but moving.  It really reminded me to stop in the busyness of life and celebrate.  Celebrate this moment.  Celebrate the goodness of the Lord.  Celebrate people we love. 

I am so excited to share this excitement with you.  I hope you each grab a pineapple, apple or banana and think of a family of 200 children at the Tree of Life.  I ask you to pray for them in that moment.  The Lord is transforming their lives.  Healing the deep wounds, healing their bodies, and educating their minds.  He is good.  Please remember these precious ones.

Love you,
Stephanie

His Name is Andrew

I met and fell in love with a boy named Andrew this week.  He is fourteen years old and he is dying of AIDS.  He is in the final stages of a ravaging disease.  He weighs 40 pounds.  His body is a skeleton with skin stretched over it...I know he was a handsome young man before...I just know it.

I met him while I was visiting another child in the ICU ward in a hospital here in Lusaka.  The hospitals are quite different here.  It is an open room with beds around the perimeter.  A family member is by each bed to take care of the patients needs, clean them, feed them, change their bedding, and any other need the patient has.  It is quite warm because there is no air conditioning.  The ward where I was is full of sadness and death.  The monitors are beeping, caretakers softly crying can be heard, children crying out in pain, and nurses shuffling about to tend to the children, 

This ward is very, very sad.  Many very sick children.  I was on my way past Andrew  when something struck me about this boy.  I spoke with his Aunt about him.  He loved to play soccer when he was well.  He was a kind hearted boy.

Earlier in the ward I spoke to another patient and sang to her...so I thought I would do the same for Andrew.  I stood by his bedside and spoke his name.  I spoke the truth of the Word to his ears.  I touched his pencil thin arm and told him that I loved him.  That Jesus loved him.  I cried and told him I was so sorry he was hurting so much.  His unconscious body did not respond.  He went into convulsions and cried out in what sounded like terror.  I just kept holding his auntie's hand and praying with her.  

My thoughts went to the thousands of children dying from this same disease in the compounds around Lusaka.  The orphan who does not have a caretaker to sit beside the bed, a mommy to wipe the sweat that drips down their face, a person to hold them and speak to them.  Who is there for them?  No one.  This side of Heaven - no one.  Lord - let's go.  Let's get to every one of them.  Each of them were created in the image of their Heavenly Father.  Each of them are so valuable.  Priceless actually.  Treasure.

I went back to the ward.  This time I saw Andrew's mother.  She loves Andrew.  She is a grieving mother.  She has done this before.  I know her pain will never cease this side of Heaven.  I felt and feel so ill equipped to do anything.  So I stood with her, prayed for her and held her while she cried the loss of her children....the deepest pain I have ever seen.  Oh Lord be present with her....stand with her....

Please pray for Andrew and his mother.  They both mean so much to me.  I know the Lord is close to the brokenhearted.  I know his heart breaks for the poor, orphaned, sick.

I need to go.  I am heading back to the hospital....and I will see my precious new friend, Andrew.

I love you.

Stephanie

Cecilia's Answered Prayer

Cecilia - beautiful, sad, downcast.  I had this precious child at Camp Life 2011.  She struck me from the very beginning.  The little girls would run and play - she would not.  The other girls would smile for the camera - she would put her eyes down.  She was so thirsty to hear about a Father in Heaven who loved her.  She didn't believe it at first...but day by day I saw hope grow in her heart. 

During one on one time with her she cried and cried.  She melted into me and just grabbed on for dear life.  As she poured out her heart and told me about her life we just sat and rocked and cried together.  I just knew her Heavenly Father's heart was breaking for her.  She was 10 during the summer.  She poured out her story of being the oldest of four children, helping her mother with the younger ones, scavenging to find food.  She understood poverty, worry, disease, and death.  She carried it around her like a ball and chain.  She also understood fear....mostly that this Heavenly Father wouldn't care about her.  She wanted to believe it with all of her heart but disappointment had been a close companion in her life.

The great news is that last summer HOPE won over fear and doubt.  Precious Cecelia gave her heart to Jesus.  She prayed with tears and trembling lips.  She had a Father who loved her.  Smiles still didn't come easy but they did come.  Her eyes were still cautious but had a brightness to them they did not have before.  Hope was ignited in this beautiful girl.

She later told me that she could not afford to go to school.  She wanted to be an accountant.  She told me she was going to pray.  We prayed together.  The last day of camp she made me promise not to forget her...I have not.

Today I was in Chaisa, her "community".  (no worries, we had a Zambian man with us)  Victoria, a woman who works with the children in Chaisa brought her to me! What a great moment in my life.  She ran into my arms and we hugged and hugged.  She took me into her home and we got to meet her mother. They are very poor.  Their life is very hard. Their home is so small that I do not even know how the children and the mother sleep laying down.  It is probably 5 feet by 5 feet.  There was no food in their house.  When we sat in her house we filled it.  It is hot, dark, and musty...and feels hopeless. 

HOWEVER!!!  Family Legacy has a new school in her community.  Cecilia will be an accountant!  She told us that her favorite subjects are Math and English.  She told me she is going to work hard.  She is going to school!  A wonderful school where she will learn Math and English.  She will also be loved and cared for.  She will learn more and more about Jesus.  Her faith can grow!!! Her life has hope.  Education will enable her to break the chains of poverty.  Her faith will enable her to break the chains of hopelessness.  Her prayer has been heard.

Today was a great day!

One precious child at a time.....

Love you all.
Stephanie

Not By Might, Not By Power, But By My Spirit Says The LORD

Good Morning!

"Not by might, not by power, but by My Spirit says the Lord".

This week has been a big week regarding Zambia for me.  Clarification of my role and my assignment.  I feel overwhelmed, thankful, overwhelmed, peaceful, overwhelmed, excited!!  Lord, please give me the strength and vision to all these things well....for the precious ones you have allowed me to touch next year.

The exciting news is that the Tree of Life is growing.  House of Hope just opened!  The picture below is from my friend Megan Malar's facebook.  She has been tirelessly working in Zambia!!  The House of Hope is a boys home.  These boys are in the pantry....cheering!!!  Because they see that there is food.  Oh wow - cheering for the  gift of daily bread. 

They are safe.  They are fed.  They are loved.  They have an opportunity now to grow and flourish.  Shadrach (third sweet boy from the left) has AIDS.  He will get medicine that will help him.  He will NOT be forgotten because of that disease, he will NOT be passed over because of that disease, and that disease will NOT define him....He is way to important.  The Lord defines each precious life. 

There are two more homes opening before I get there....so that means there will be 13 houses full of children.  The school is growing and expanding as well.  Life is happening here.  It is a joyful place.  It is a place of healing.  The children that are here have experienced horrific abuse, starvation and disease. They now have a place where they can deal with that dark past, leave it at the feet of Jesus, and open their heart to a new future.  God has such tremendous grace for children.  He has such a heart for the orphan and fatherless. 

The next few weeks will be full for the Lerohl family.  We are still wanting to sell our house, Elizabeth and Clay are  moving to Grenada for med school, 3 birthdays and Christmas before I leave!  WOW!

I love you all. 

Stephanie

Africa in 100 Days

WOW - I will be moving to Africa in 107 days.  It just seems crazy.  I look at the pictures of the children at the Tree of Life and I cannot believe that I get to serve there!!  It is so exciting.

I learned that the children at the Tree of Life have next April off.  It is like a short summer break.  So my mind is going through some fun ideas of what we can do during those weeks....art camp?  cross stitching?  badmitton?  nature walks?  finger painting?  a musical performance perhaps?  field trip?  I am very excited about this enrichment time. I am praying for creative and fun ideas!  If you have any, please let me know!!

This last weekend all of the kids were home.  It was such an amazing time.  They are all supportive of the decision for me to be in Africa for a year...very amazing kids.  BUT - this weekend my heart stopped in my chest.  I think about my kids and John...and being away from them - it really hit me how much I am going to miss them!  Tears flowed, thoughts ran crazy in my mind - such an emotional step in the journey. It caught me by surprise.

On the practical side of this journey, we are still trying to sell our home.  We are praying for a buyer even in a slow housing market.  The money that we receive will be used for the ministry in Africa :)  Fund raising is just plain tough.  I know many people have told me that it is a faith building, and I know that it is....I just want to be done building my faith in that area!!  I will need about $25,000 for the time that I am in Africa.  If you would like to join me in this journey - the link to my fund raising is https://donate.familylegacy.com/supportstephanie- I have some amazing partners already...and for you I am so very grateful!

The ministry that is happening in Zambia is truly remarkable.  15 schools are opening. This means that children that would be out on the dirt roads will be in a classroom with a trained teacher, food, love and an education to break the cycle of poverty.  That jazzes me up!   The Tree of Life Children's Village is adding homes - which means more children will be permanently moved out of horrific situations and into a home.  A safe home.  The families where children are staying that are riddled with hunger and desperation are being reached with food, love, kindness, counseling....Family Legacy is moving and grooving in Zambia.

If you would like to join FLMI for a mission trip, check out the website http://www.familylegacy.com/ - it will change your world...and it will change the world of some children who desperately need you.

I love you all.....thanks for reading my ramblings this morning.  I promise to blog more often when I am in Zambia!!  With pictures!!

Blessings,
Stephanie