approximately 12 hours

today, i'm not wearing deodorant. i know that sounds gross and yes, i am in public but i was too lazy to dig it out of my mess of a suitcase this morning. but hey, i am in europe right..? on that note we will pretend i can get away with this. so, here i sit at starbucks back in my comfort zone attempting to hold on to the last bits of familiarity before i head to botswana tomorrow. even though this time i am in england, at least i can get my java chip frappucino light but still with the whip cream, sit down, facebook creep and/or read a book. the past few weeks have been madness. i arrived in england on july 1st when i finished up a wonderful month in zambia. i have been staying with the sweet, sweet Parkes family in birmingham. i am so grateful for their hospitality. they have been so kind and welcoming to me and have just let me crash in their basement which is exactly what i needed. after a few days at the Parkes, my family arrived at the london-heathrow airport and we made the 2 hour trek down to london to go pick them up. it was great to see them all after a month of zambia and it was rather comical to see my father in an international setting (those of you who know him will understand ;) we spent a few great days all together, Parkes and Austins, riding around england in the rental car just being tourists. from there, my family flew to italy where we got to see the colosseum lit up in all it's glory at night in rome, buy artwork from a moroccan artist in florence, and be a part of an italian flash mob protesting the government in venice. unfortunately, this flash mob made it onto the local news channel. luckily we left venice that night before being thrown into an italian jail. whoops. from venice, we flew to the place i had so strongly insisted upon. SPAIN! i could not have been more excited to speak spanish non-stop for 4 days. then, back to england! my family returned to the states on the 20th and it was a rough goodbye as i know i won't see them again until december. being able to spend the past few weeks with them was really great and much-needed. since they left, i have been spending much of my time alone and processing the past 2 months of my life before i set out on the next 4. needless to say, i have gone to starbucks everyday the past few days...again, whoops. today is my last day in england and as excited as i am to return to africa, i really do love england. it has begun to feel like a nice home away from home for me. especially, once i realized due to layovers and such i have been here 6 times. brittish people are very welcoming people and are often very interested in the US. i have also been able to spend the majority of my time here away from london and the main tourist areas allowing me to partake in regular life in england. this place really is just great. today is my last day here as my train departs for the airport at 5:20 AM. (it is already 4:15 PM here) so, i have approximately 12 hours left in this place i have really come to enjoy. don't get me wrong though, i am going to back to africa and more than ready. the past three weeks i have really been missing that accent, dark skin, and those pure white smiles.

it's a bit surreal to be sitting in england at starbucks by myself, just processing life and researching africa, the way i would at home. i am more than excited to see what God has in store and who God has lined up for me to form relationships with in botswana. i am excited to branch out of zambia into a different african country. God has a lot to teach me and i can't wait to begin learning. i still am amazed that all of this is happening. i have literally been dreaming about God calling me to something like this since i was an 11 year old girl sitting in sunday school. i can't wait for african children. it's been three weeks, but i have missed them. please pray that i would become quickly acclimated and would bond with other students as quickly as possible. i have said a lot of hellos and even more goodbyes in the past 2 months. jumping between 4 countries, 4 different cultures in two months. some stability and deep friendships would be wonderful. it has been a bit lonely at times. thanks for continuing to read and keep up with this blog. everyone back at home and those of you i don't even know make me feel much less alone. be strong and courageous. do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. psalm 9:10

meanwhile in italy

it is 9 54 italian time and i have been sick in bed practically all day. my family and i arrived in florence, italy yesterday and are leaving for venice tomorrow. after that it will be on to spain for a few days where i will get to speak spanish until my little heart is content and then back to england. after a few days of england i will be BACK IN AFRICA! by the time i arrive in botswana only 3 weeks will have passed since i left zambia, but i miss africans so much i almost cant stand it. going back to the states for good is going to be ridiculous in december. the interesting thing about italian time is that it is exactly the same as zambian time. so, when it is 9 59 here, it is 9 59 there. often i look at the clock and think of exctly what i would be doing at that time on that day if i were still in zambia. it is kind of weird knowing pretty much exactly what summer staff is doing almost every minute of the day. i miss it and im jealous of them. last night something unexpected happened. since we have been in italy, i have noticed that at every large tourist attraction there have been a couple dozen african men trying to sell things to tourists. these items ranging from knock off rolex watches, to fake louis vuittons to cheap scarves. of course knowing me, i began starting conversations with a few of these men. i found out they are pretty much all from senegal, gambia and other west coast countries and of course they were the typical africans, kind as can be. at first i tried to ignore the fact that this is the cycle of african poverty continuing even here in more prosperous italy, until last night. my family walked up to this beautiful lookout point in florence to watch the sunset. among us were hundreds of tourists enjoying the sunset and again a large collection of african men selling crappy items. my family sat down on a bench and there was room for everyone to sit except for me, due to the fact that one of these african vendors had paintings for sale all over the ground and one was right in the way of where my feet would go if i were to sit down as well. so, i stood. the vendor noticed my family sitting and me standing after a few minutes. he bent down picked up the painting and patted his hand on the bench. i automatically assumed he was trying to sell me the painting and so i shook my head and said no. after a minute or so, i realized what he had actually done and so i sat down in the open space he had made for me. i started thinking about this. why were there hundreds of african men selling the most unappealing items night after night. i rarely saw anyone even stop to give them interest in their products, let alone buy something. i realized that their material poverty has reached beyond the borders of the african continent. maybe vending items in the middle of an italian street to wealthy tourists is good for them, but that is the best they can do? i know that is not what i aspire to do with my life. if that were me, i would be humiliated. i began talking with my mom about how these men are probably seperated from their families, trying to make more money than they would in their own country and sending the money home to their families back in africa. i cant imagine what that would be like. not to mention, it instills further into their minds that they are worthless because all day they get ignored by trourists that are tired of having people try to sell them things. the root of this problem is education. a simple education that i took so for granted and still do, provides me with aspirations. as i was talking to my mom and looking at this man who still kindly moved the painting for me to sit down, i started crying. in public...crying. the last thing i expected to be faced with in italy was african poverty and i wasnt ready for it. my littlest sister, chloe was listening to my mom and i discuss this issue and then she also started crying. it sounds a bit ridiculous but seeing my little sister and mom upset over what upsets me was good for me. this is real and its so easy to ignore it all and go about our simple lives. i know that i am one person and not God. i could never even attempt to fix every problem this continent has. but, i do know that for some reason God has given me a heart for these people. i will let their struggles affect me and mourn over their pain. be careful though, because when you let it affect you, you just might find yourself crying on a bench in the middle of italy. but my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. phillipians 4 19

PS there are still a lot of kids who need sponsors!! check the blog entitled Be a father to the Fatherless.

BE a father to the fatherless

I am now in london and my heart broke into about 800 pieces when the plane took off from lusaka. This blog is rather long but the sole purpose of this particular post is to get my kids sponsored. If you have any questions about sponsorship, feel more than free to contact me. the following group of girls is from camp life week 2. unfortunately, their american counselor had to cancel last minute and was unable to come to camp. the group was “zambian only” meaning they ended up with 2 zambian counselors only. these sweet little girls came through the “snap” (photo) line to get their pictures taken on Tuesday that week. while rebecca and I were organizing the children to get their pictures taken one of the zambian counselors working with this group told rebecca and I that these girls had been praying for an american. rebecca and I decided to “adopt” them for the week. we told them to notice how good God was because He gave them not one, but two american counselors! these little girls stole our hearts and I love each and every one of them. I asked the zambian counselor which 2 girls they would recommend most for sponsorship and they said agness and stella. these girls don’t really have an american to come home and tell their stories so that hopefully they can be sponsored! I don’t know all of their stories exactly but I could possibly find out. if any of them really stand out to you, PLEASE let me know. they could all benefit from sponsorship.

 this is agness njovu. she is 11 years old and not in school whatsoever. when agness came to camp she had the most, to be completely honest, repulsive wound on her elbow. it was healing but not in a natural, normal way.  she originally fell down when she was playing and had a minor wound. her parents took her to the local witch doctor to get her wound “healed”. the witch doctor ended up poking 2 very large holes in her elbow to “drain the puss from the wound”. after making the wound much bigger, they stuffed it with “healing” herbs.  Laura, our camp life nurse, took off the scab as this little girl silentlycried and said that what she saw literally looked like oregano inside of this wound. this was  on Tuesday. after the herbs had been removed, it began to heal normally. by Friday it was nothing short of a miracle. it was already scarring and nearly gone completely.  When I had first seen the wound on Tuesday, I was afraid they were going to say her arm needed to be amputated, it really looked that bad, at least to my non-medical eyes. Instead God chose to show Himself to agness and myself. I truly believe I witnessed a miracle that day.

  

this is stella chikasha and she is now sponsored! her father has 7 wives. she is the second child of one of his wifes and with seven wives you can imagine how many children he must have. because of the amount of children and wives her father has, this precious 10 year old gets practically no love or attention from her father. not to mention, the terrible example her father is being of the way women should be treated. she is also 11 years old and only in grade 1. this little girl would just cling to me and Rebecca when we would come by the group and she is just filled with the most joy. she has a smile that could make anyone’s day!

 this is mercy mubanga. she is about 8 or 9 years old. I absolutely fell in love with this sweet baby. everytime she saw me she would wrap her arms around my neck and then lift her whole tiny body up to me just with her little arms. she is a precious creation of the King!

this is margaret chipili. she is about 9 years old and so intelligent. she always ran directly to me whens she saw me and is so full of love. she has the most beautiful smile and a heart of gold!

this is loveness mutale. she is about 10 years old as well. she has the most quiet, kind spirit and is probably often ignored because she is quieter than some of the other children. she is such a sweet heart and got to learn all about the eminent love that the Lord has for her at camp.

 

this is eunice mutale. she was one of the older girls of the group, probably about 14 years old. she was like a mom to the younger girls in the group and was also a bit quieter than some of the others. she is very nurturing and soft-spoken. obviously a wonderful creation of the Lord just like the rest of them!

this is rosemary kawambe. she is approximately 13 years old. the first thing that stuck out to me about rosemary was her intelligence. this girl’s English was beautifully spoken. that doesn’t necessarily mean she has had a good experience in school but it does tell me that she perseveres. there is a good chance that she mostly taught herself English rather than learning it in school. a beautiful, young girl with so much potential to succeed and influence her country in a positive way! she simply needs the means to learn. education makes a huge difference


this is tabesi phiri. she is probably 13 years old. this girl is also very intelligent and rather soft-spoken. children like tabesi give me hope for zambia’s future. she has a desire to learn and the natural intelligence to do so all she needs is the means by which to accomplish her goals!

this is justina chuulu. she is about 13 years old. again, intelligent and soft-spoken. there is so much potential in this young life! she is such a valuable, special creation of the Lord!

next, are my boys. I had them in my group for week 4 of camp life. they completely stole my heart and I love each one of them as if they were my own children.  I am going to list them in order of greatest need to least need (when I say “least need” trust me, they would still benefit, their situation just isn’t quite as dire as some of the others).

this is ezidali phiri. he is 11 years old and only in grade 3. his parents both passed away due to prolonged illness (likely HIV/AIDS). ezidali now stays with his grandmother who beats him every day. he told us that he sometimes eats one meal a day and sometimes goes all day without eating. keep in mind, when these kids say “meal” it really equates to something we americans would consider a snack. when asked what he wants to be when he grows up he said he wanted to be a dish washer and he doesn’t even know what university is. this boy clung to me from the beginning and it was clear that he was in desperate need of love and attention. he has lived a lifetime in 11 years.

this is charles mulenga and he now has a sponsor! I would say he was my most tender-hearted boy. he is 9 years old and only in grade 1. there are 8 people living in his house, including his mother but the father passed away. his mother doesn’t work. charles said that they get food from the grandma and if she has none they go without food. the likelihood that this grandma works is very slim and therefore, charles probably goes without food most of the time. he cannot read but he can write. he currently attends a school where his teachers consistently beat him. this year at camp life he accepted Christ and this precious 9 year old began to cry. when I asked him what was wrong, he replied with “mamvwela bwino” meaning “I feel good.” he continued by saying “I feel so good that I have finally accepted Christ into my heart”. even as a 9 year old charles is able to understand the saving power of Christ Jesus.

this is john muluwangi. he is 9 years old and has only finished grades 1 and 2. he is currently not attending school at all. there are 14 people that live in his house, including his mother. unfortunately, the father left the family in 2011 and lives very far away in eastern province. john eats only one “meal” a day. john lives with an abusive brother that consistently beats him. I love this boy and God is moving in his young life as he accepted Christ at camp life this year!

this is dalitso phiri. he is 10 years old and only in grade 2. 10 people live in his house, including his mother. his father left the family. dalitso is often beaten and only receives one meal to eat per day. his mother does not work and has to ask friends for food and money. this kid desperately needs an opportunity to succeed. he accepted Christ at camp life this year!

this is joseph mulenga. he is 10 years old. he lives with his mom and three brothers. his father passed away and now no one in the family works. sometimes, a kind neighbor will provide food for the family to eat but otherwise they go hungry. several years ago, witches from his community awoke him from his sleep and tried to kill him. even as an 8 or 9 year old boy, he knew where his help came from. he shouted “JESUS!” and the witches were forced to leave.I am so proud of joseph who is already turning into a strong man of God even at age 10.

this is samuel phiri. he is my oldest boy at 13 years old and let me tell you, this kid is a warrior. his father, his sister and samuel ALL have epilepsy. samuel has a seizure about once a month. samuel’s sister passed away during a severe seizure a few months ago and I can tell samuel fears the same destiny. we prayed over samuel and he immediately started sobbing. we prayed for a future and for healing from epilepsy and I believe that God will do that. his mother beats him when he misbehaves. he was absolutely the leader of my group and lead several people to the Lord on “community day” when we went to his own matero compound. he knows how to write and wants to learn how to read!

this is thomas phiri. he is 10 years old and we are unsure if he is in school. he told us that he went to a school that to mine and my Zambian partners knowledge doesn’t exist. there is a good chance that he could be making up a school name to avoid embarrassment. thomas is practically a double-orphan meaning that both of his parents have either passed away or just aren’t in the picture. thomas’s  father died when he was only 4 years old and his mother stays in the village and left him in Lusaka with his grandma. thomas accepted Christ at camp life this year!

this is john siyame. he was the youngest boy in my group at 8 years old. 10 people stay in his 2-roomed house, including his mother. he told us that the father left several months ago to “collect charcoal” which translates to “his father left him and his mother”. he is currently not in school. john accepted Christ at camp life this year!

this is simon zulu. I can guarantee that you will not find a cuter 9 year old. this precious boy speaks beautiful English. he was one of my youngest boys and probably best English speaker. there are 7 people that stay in his house and prase the Lord, both of his parents are still living! simon accepted Christ at camp life this year!

this is andrew daka. he is in grade 4 and is 10 years old. his father passed away many years ago so, it is now just him, his mother and 4 siblings. now, let me tell you about Andrew. this kid wakes up every morning at 2 AM to pray. he is 10 years old and I could learn a lot from him. I absolutely love this kid.

instilling the truth that these children ARE valuable and ARE special and are NOT forgotten is so important. God sees them and He loves them. if you feel called to sponsor any of them you would be changing a life. please don’t hesitate. often, a sponsorship is life or death for these children due to the fact that food is provided through the sponsorship as well as the best education possible in Zambia. To succeed, these kids need to be educated and a sponsorship will give them that blessing. lastly, a sponsorship provides the child with a discipleship leader hired by family legacy to go and check up on them. the DL will ask them about their lives and in many ways fill in where a mother/father figure is missing. for food, a top education, and a spiritual mentor the cost is only $40 a month. one of the coolest things about a sponsorship through family legacy is the fact that if you ever want to visit your child you can go to Zambia and do that! you are enabled to go to their house and meet their families. this is very uncommon in the world of sponsorship. maybe you don’t feel called to go to Zambia to be there with the children, but we are the hands and feet of Jesus Christ and He commands us to love the widows and the fatherless.  even if that isn’t through sponsoring one of my babies, thank you for reading their stories and giving them a voice. that is so important. please e-mail me at lindsayraeaustin@hotmail.com if you have any questions about sponsorship or message me on my blog or facebook! thanks for reading <3

in case you were still wondering if sponsorship really makes that much of a difference in a child’s life, I wanted to use my family’s personal experience with sponsorship.

this is ireed banda. she will be 12 years old on july 7th and I love her like she is my own child. the top picture on was taken in 2010 when I first met ireed. she was attending mwitendwa, which is an awful community school. she was beaten every day by her mother and father. the picture in the middle is ireed in 2011 when i was unable to attend camp life. the picture on the bottom is ireed banda 2012, still coming to camp life. my family and i have had the unique opportunity to watch her grow up. she is so big now! she now attends matero LCA which is family legacy’s own version of private school. she can write AND read. she is surrounded by Christian teachers that teach her about math and science as well as Jesus Christ. the discipleship leader in her area calls her by first and last name every time she sees her and ireed really likes her. her father passed away just 5 weeks ago and because of the sponsorship, ireed was able to come to camp and I was able to be there for her. she is still grieving the loss of her father and though her mother and sisters don’t allow her to cry, we were able to cry together. my family has been changed through this sponsorship and I have watched their hearts grow for ireed. she is a part of our family. when I got to tell ireed that she has 7 americans that she is allowed to call “family” she began to weep. one life at a time, this country can be shown the love of Christ through inadequate humans. a father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy dwelling. psalm 68:5