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!

Zambia Recap Part 13

As we walked away from our first conversation I began to step out of my "visitor" role and really see things for what they are.  All around us was a maze of dwellings, each getting smaller and smaller as we went further and further away from the main road.  I started to see the way the children were looked down upon when they would ask strangers if they could share with them and they were dismissed.  It didn't slow them down one bit.  Here we would over analyze "was it something I said, or didn't say?  Am I cut out for this?  Surely evangelism is for better Christians."  With these children, being shooed away was part of everyday life.

Next we found the home of 3 families all living together in a home with no roof.  They invited our whole group inside and we all crouched on the floor along the walls.  While I readjusted repeatedly to try to get comfortable, I was once again reminded of their familiarity with this kind of life.  They all squatted down on their haunches as they traded off using the Evangecube.  We never saw the families smile, but at the same time we could tell they were appreciative that they were "worth" our time.

Gut wrenching...

While walking away from this home, we found a main thoroughfare and began to walk down it.  I got a quick lesson in Zambian business sense.  A native man pulled up alongside of us and asked me where these children attend school.  I explained that they attend a certain community school and he began to tell me about how his niece was a teacher and really needed a job.  After a minute or so, I realized that he assumed I was the School Master because I was a muzungu (white person)!  I apologized that he was mistaken, and he disappointingly drove off.  I'm still processing that one.

Lets get to work!

This morning I find myself in the Family Legacy office thanking the Lord for the providential ways in which He has led me here.  While submitting my day to His guidance, I've been reflecting on what Day 1 looked like.

First and foremost, this is an office of folks who have a firm calling to do the Lord's work.  There are intermittent moments throughout the day when support letters will be passed around for inspiration, or brainstorming will break out regarding an aspect of the ministry.  I've been blessed to work with Clay Hughey closely over the last few days to strategize opportunities for the future.  He is the individual who is bringing his family to Lusaka, Zambia full time at the end of December.  I've been brought on because we are wired very similarly, thus when our forces combine, brain-hurricanes ensue!  Just kidding (but seriously...)

Last night was very special at our church because we had an opportunity to pray for Clay, his wife Erin, and their 4 kiddos.  An elder at our church, The Village, introduced the Hugheys and the work they would be doing.  As he spoke about Zambia there was an audible gasp when he described the average age as 16 in a country of 12 million.  I swelled with pride (boasting in the work the Lord has, is, and will be doing) as the elder spoke of Family Legacy's mission, and I was so delighted to join over 700 people praying for the Hugheys.

Please join me in prayer for the Hugheys, specifically for these things:

     1.  Monthly support from those whose hearts the Lord has burdened
     2.  General safety from both physical and spiritual attack
     3.  Wisdom for Clay as he works with our native Zambians
     4.  Strength for Erin as she home schools all 4 children
     5.  That Clay and Erin's marriage and parenting will be a proclamation of the gospel
          to the Zambians

The Lord is good and will finish the work He has started for the Hugheys, Family Legacy, and myself.  He is worthy of our worship and of our lives.

Zambia Recap Part 12

Thursday was my very favorite day of Camp LIFE.  All week we had been practicing sharing the gospel with the Evangecube, and we would finally be able to see the kids in action.

We got on busses and traveled to their slum neighborhood, Kanyama.  As I've stated before, Kanyama is known for its extensive witchcraft practice, and a handful of my guys have been directly affected in the form of repeated visions and nightmares.  Kanyama, like many of the other slum neighborhoods, is literally everything outside of the city infrastructure.  I knew we were entering the slum when the pavement ended, and we had to swerve all over the road to avoid potholes that could swallow a car.  The structures closest to the "road" were more stable buildings; concrete block, bars on windows, locked doors, and roofs.  No grass anywhere, but at least the buildings would keep the occupants safe.

We unloaded at the Kanyama 2 CRC (the safe house closest to my kids), and the guys all gathered around to hear their instructions.  We had brought a neat surprise for the guys; in addition to sharing the gospel, these kids who have nothing in this world were going to be able to bless 3 families with a bag of Mealie Meal, a bottle of cooking oil, and a bag of sugar.  The gift was easily a month's income for anyone in that neighborhood!

The symbolism here was that these orphans, whom the general population saw as a burden, were going to be blessing those who show them no care.  I'll let you dig out the symbolism there on your own.

Loaded up with our gifts and Evangecubes we set out into the community.  I found myself following the kids between buildings, then shacks, as we continued to dive deeper in.  The further we walked away from the main thoroughfare the more desperate the situations of the residents.

My guys approached a woman sitting in front of her home and asked her if they could share what they had been learning at camp.  She obliged and offered myself, my evangelist, and apostle a small stool to sit on.  In a mix of Nyanja and English they shared with this mother of 2 the gospel of Jesus Christ.  She shared with our guys that she was a Christian but that life was very difficult.  Our gift to her was a blessing from God, and she praised Him for it.  How amazing to see orphans acting as agents of the Father's blessing!

After we prayed for her and she thanked us, we pressed further in to find the next family to bless.