Its a GIRL!

Amanda and I found out last week that we are having a little girl, and we are beside ourselves with excitement!  We are so blessed.

Work doesn't slow down, though.  Yesterday we loaded our third shipping container which was filled to the brim with supplies for the Legacy Center; a brand new conference center on the hilltop at the Tree of Life Children's Village.

Once completed, the Legacy Center will be able to fund Camp LIFE 30 weeks a year, impacting over 30,000 orphans annually with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The walls are going up, and it will be dedicated this summer.

A Month and a Half?!

I'm officially embarrassed. A month and a half is ridiculous, because a lot of stuff has been going on. Well, maybe I can use that as an excuse...

doubtful.

To catch you up, tonight is the big night we find out whether we're having a boy or girl! Mommy is doing wonderfully and we've been blessed with a pretty uneventful pregnancy thus far. Praise the Lord for that!

Here at Family Legacy I'm in Camp LIFE mode as we're gearing up our ambassadors to make a huge impact for the Kingdom this summer.  Working within the Communications Department we're constantly striving to equip and empower our constituents to help us in our mission by spreading the word of what the Lord is doing in Zambia.

Container Time

I know I've disappeared lately, but it was for good reason. To accommodate the 500+ American Ambassadors we're bringing to Camp LIFE this summer we are sending two 40 foot shipping containers loaded to capacity with supplies. Someone's got to load them, and being one of 5 guys in the office I get the pleasure.

It really has been a fascinating experience though to see what it takes to do what Family Legacy does. Take Camp LIFE for instance: This year we had over 500 people signed up 3 months earlier than years past. By New Years, weeks 2-7 were pretty much filled. That is wild! Getting them signed up is one thing, but coordinating food, supplies, activities, logistics, etc. is another.

On our containers we'll have pallets of food, textbooks, audio/visual equipment, essentials for the Legacy Center, and a million other random necessities.

I look forward to providing a recap along with pictures following the February 5th container day date, so in the meantime, pray for endurance!

Gonzaga Basketball Player Steven Gray in Zambia

ESPN today released this video of Gonzaga star Steven Gray visiting Zambia. The students featured in the video did not go in any relationship with Family Legacy, but we love to see Zambia in the media!

Standing in Awe

Scientists know that light travels at the speed of 5.87 trillion miles a year.  They also know that the galaxy of which our solar system is a part is about 100,000 light-years in diameter – about 587 trillion miles.  It is one of about a million such galaxies in the optical range of our most powerful telescopes.  It has been estimated that in our galaxy there are more than 200 billion stars.  The sun is one of them, a modest star burning at about 6,000 degrees centigrade on the surface and traveling in an orbit at 135 miles per second, which means it will take about 250 million years to complete a revolution around the galaxy.

Scientists know these things and are awed by them.  And they say, “If there is a personal God, as the Christians say, who spoke this universe into being, then there is a certain respect and reverence and wonder and dread that would have to come through when we talk about him and worship him.”

We who believe the Bible know this even better than the scientists because we have heard something even more amazing:

“To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him?” says the Holy One.  Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these [stars]?  He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name, by the greatness of his might, and because he is strong in power not one is missing.

Isaiah 40:25-26

Let the Nations be Glad, by John Piper     page 19

We're Having a Baby!!

2010 was definitely a year of blessing for Amanda and I! In the last year we've been on a mission trip to Africa, been called to full time ministry, been called to a new church plant in Coppell, and now called to be parents! We serve such a good God who allows us to play a part in His story of redemption.

We are so blessed.

Now comes the trust part. When we were praying through whether or not to make the jump to the ministry we had to reevaluate our plans to start a family. We had decided back in January 2010 that we were ready for kids, but that we would wait until after our mission trip. Upon returning, we were even more resolute to begin after all the brokenness we had experienced with the kids we ministered to. We knew we had a chance to raise children how God intended.

Our call to the ministry brought kids into question because we were losing one income until support reached a level where we felt "comfortable" having a child. We discussed whether to begin preventing again, and we settled on the fact that the Lord is in control of everything. He had put it in our hearts to start our family, and His plans all work together for our good and His glory.

Not having kids yet did help our decision to join Family Legacy. I distinctly remember saying on multiple occasions "this would probably be a different discussion if we had kids right now". So we jumped and trusted the Lord.

Little did we realize that when we accepted the job we were already pregnant! The Lord is so good for giving us just enough information to be obedient. Knowing we were pregnant would have undoubtedly introduced fear, worry, doubt, and selfishness into our thought process. Praise Him for knowing us so well!

Amanda's due date is August 10, 2011, meaning I will obviously not be in Africa all summer. I will be there from May 21st through July 7th, so prayers for both of us will be coveted!

Lastly, while we are completely confident in the Lord's timing, we still are a long way from where we need to be on monthly support. Please prayerfully consider supporting us with a monthly commitment. ANY amount helps!! Most of all, thank you to everyone who reads our blog and is praying for us!

Spring Break Teacher's Trip!!

If you are a current or former teacher, come join us on a 10 day trip to make an impact on education in Zambia, Africa.

Susie Sanders, a teacher in Ft Worth, talks about her experience with the community 

schools in Zambia and contrasting them with the schools run by Family Legacy.

Dates:  March 10-20, 2011

Trip includes:

• Large group and small group teacher training

• On-site co-teaching, observing, and student testing at the Lifeway Christian Academies

• Worship service and play time at the Tree of Life Children’s Village

• Shopping at Arcades cultural village

• Bike tour of London

We have 10 spots and the trip will most likely fill up in the next two weeks, so act quickly!  If you or someone you know would be interested in hearing more, please contact Taylor Smith at taylor@familylegacy.com or 214.755.1846 asap!