A New Community

“Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive.’ Colossians 3:12-13 CSB

Hello Dear Friends

I want to share with you the beautiful journey of walking with a new community. The team in Chisamba identified a struggling community where they wanted to start a new programme to serve its most vulnerable children. For many months they went every week and facilitated a relationship group with community members from local churches. These brothers and sisters are joyous to have the opportunity to serve their community. Together they worshipped and eagerly received Bible teaching. This went on longer than six months and yet the community simply felt blessed to be visited and encouraged in the Word.

Every week the community guided our team on Holy Home Visits to families in very desperate situations. Women abandoned by their husbands with nothing to feed their children. One struggling to work in the field for meagre pay. Her last-born baby twins strapped to her body and five more children at home. Another wandering in the bush for hours with her children trying to find some native food plants to eat. Though there is little left to be foraged. A grandmother with nine grandchildren with no parents. Elderly and tired, still she must work to rear and feed them. Children in danger from parents who drink and neglect their children and are tempted to sell off a young teenage daughter into marriage for quick money. A small child sitting withdrawn and when asked if she is ill, simply says she's hungry.

Thanks be to God we will start the feeding programme next week and gradually build up all three essential services of health, food security and education. The programme will open with 54 children from 14 of the most vulnerable families in the community. Every child in the family under 18 is included. We begin with lunch Monday to Friday for all children and the breakfast programme for children under 5.

We are blessed to have so many committed volunteers from the community ready to support the work and cook for the children. A training week was held to help our new volunteers understand the role of a Care Worker. It is also the opportunity to share Jesus and invite people into a deeper relationship with Him. The Holy Spirit led the team to teach on forgiveness and this opened the door to great healing and growth for everyone. People accepted the truth and forgave deeply from the heart -- shocking betrayals, even murder. Hearts changed and new actions taken as people testified to visiting and calling up people they had not reached out to in years. Two of our new Care Workers forgave each other in the meeting, reconciled and renewed their friendship. I am so grateful to God who is our great physician and knows exactly what we need to be whole. As someone present said, ‘we were not sick in our bodies but sick in our hearts.’ How wonderful for the Lord to have removed the thing that was blocking freedom and peace. How gracious that Jesus has made us ready and stronger to do his work on behalf of the children He loves.

Join with me in praying for Kamaila, the community who have welcomed God’s Spirit. May He continue to find His place with them.

Please pray…

• for the feeding programme to start well in Kamaila. That those who have said they will volunteer to serve will faithfully and conscientiously do so

• that our New Care Workers remain unified and humble in serving one another, as well as the children

• that the foundation for the programme in Kamaila remains Christ and his Church

• for energy and health for myself and my two teams in Kabwe and Chisamba, to keep achieving all our goals to serve our communities and children well

• for the team from my church that is visiting in September and October to see me and the communities they are partnering with to support.

Thank you as always for your faithful support and prayers,

Emma