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