Trust in Transitions

These past two months we have seen 2 of our precious babies transition back home to the care of their fathers or extended family. 
When we first started this ministry, we felt strongly that God was leading this ministry to care for the neediest of neediest children, those that were double orphans (having lost both mother and father) and whose extended family were unable to provide for their needs.  While we do assist single orphans (a child who has lost only one parent), widows, and even double orphans in the community, we prefer to help in ways such as clothing, blankets, medical assistance, school fees, etc, that allow them to stay within the village family environment.  We felt this was best for two reasons 1) to allow the family unit to stay in tact whenever possible and prevent unnecessary loss and confusion for the child and 2) to encourage family to try to care for the needs of their family and not just easily “drop off” children as an easy escape.  We are thankful that there are ministries and orphanages around here that do take the neglected and other children in need but out of principle and due to the remoteness of where we were (and the great need around us) we felt this was best.
However, not long after we began taking children in 2010, we ran into the scenario of a young baby (Esther) whose mother had just died a few days after giving birth.  The father was still alive, as was other extended family members but here, so deep in the village, the family had no money for formula or no way to provide for the needs of such a tiny baby (who was tiny at only 2 kgs (4lbs).  We felt for this family but soon realized that even if we were able to assist the family with formula that it would be difficult for them to get access to clean water and make sure that the bottles were cleaned and kept properly.  With all of the water born bacteria out here diarrhea is a big killer of babies, and such tiny ones can pass away in just a mere 24 hours from dehydration if they get it.   Since they were begging us for help, to take the baby and help care for it, we made a quick but prayerful decision to agree to keep this baby for the first year of her life, until she no longer needed formula and only if the father was willing to come and volunteer his time to come help around the children’s home once a week (cutting firewood, working in the garden etc).  We explained that this was to allow him a regular time to visit his precious daughter as well as showing that he was doing what he could to help contribute to her care.
Baby Esther was a joy and blessing to have around and after her transition back home we received another baby, Richard who was in a similar situation.  While Esther’s father was great at coming to volunteer, Richard’s father clearly valued other things more than his son and failed to keep his part and as each got near the 14 month mark, it was hard to think of handing over these precious lives into the care of people that we didn’t know so well, and yet, we had to trust that this was what was best and that God was going to provide a way for them.  And He has!  Baby Esther is now a beautiful 6 year old girl and Richard a happy healthy 4 year old boy.
These past two months though we have had to other very important transitions.  Baby Louie (Lulangillo) and Baby Martha.   While transitions are hard, and it is hard for all of us, but especially the housemothers that have tended to their every need, watch them sit, crawl and walk under their care, nursed them back to health on many occasions and loved them like their own, we know that it is GOD who entrusted them to us for this special time and that HE will continue to see the good work that He started in them continue.  It was so nice to see both of these families active in the babies lives from the beginning, coming often to visit and help and to see the joy in their eyes to see these tiny ones growing so fast and healthy.  In fact, many of them could not wait to show them off to everyone they saw along the way.
So for these transitions we say Thank you God for letting us play this special role and please continue to keep them in your prayers.  That they will feel as loved and cherished that they are here, and that God will continue to take care of all of their needs.  One thing for sure is that they will have prayer warriors for life!  We praise God that they will be raised in the love and environment of their biological family and that hopefully, they will bring the children to us often to visit : )
To God be the glory.  We love you Louie and Martha.  Go well and know how loved you are and how big your family is!  Once with us, always with us in our hearts and prayers. 
** All of the picture shown are of baby Martha and Baby Louie. Since Martha’s transition took place when we were not here, I do not have a good reunited family photo of hers but hope to get one when they come back to visit soon : )

With blessings comes hard work:

written by Jako Joubert
What a month of January 2017 it has been, we want to thank God for His ongoing goodness is sustaining us, protecting us and providing for us. Only God knows the outcome. What a wonderful Father we have.
In December the rain was little. Here in Africa we rely on rain to plant crops and have food to eat. The past three years we had a drought that was hard on Central/Southern Africa. We must say that in this past three years God gave us a harvest to have enough food for the year even though most people around us had very little or none. As for January it has been as if God has opened the gates and we have been blessed with abundance of rain not only for crops but to fill the underground water tables that had been getting very low and are now being filled up again.
I love farming and to farm but it is not always fun or easy to be responsible for so many children and widows. To make sure that they have food to live, also to have enough so that school fees can be paid, books, clothes and everything that goes with taking care of a child (or a youth). God is blessing us with rain so that the crops may grow and yield but with this blessing of abundance of rain comes hard work because now every weed that did not germinate in the past three years has germinated now and we are struggling to keep ahead of cleaning the fields so that the maize will not be choked by weeds. We are spending long hours every day working the fields making sure that in this blessing of rain that we keep our end of the deal, if I can put it in that sense. It is hard but the reward will be worth it I know. How do I know…. because of past experience with God. He will always reward hard work, not that we work to gain His favor but we work because of what He is doing for us. This is the same in our faith, God blesses us with things in our lives, whatever it may be, from spiritual to material things, but as a farmer we have to work hard in the blessings to benefit from the reward. I am learning that we also have to work hard with the blessings God gives us, not for us to keep or have, the things for us to have will be our reward when we enter heaven. For now we must share and make hard work at our blessings for if we do not then the weed of this world will choke it and kill it and that will not be good. For what we have we must use for the Kingdom of God and His people. Use your talents. Get involved in things that God is doing in your area. Give the extra that God has given you so that we can work for His Kingdom and build His Kingdom and not ours. Our work is not to be saved but we work because God has saved us by His Grace and it brings joy to see someone being helped that had nowhere else to go. We are the hands and feet of the King of Kings. What a blessing and privilege and responsibility that is. God has been teaching me a lot lately but one thing I have learned is that if we sit on the blessings that we have been given, then we will not receive more, for God tell us that to those that much is given, much is expected.
God has blessed us with this beautiful home here in the bush of Zambia where things are a challenge every day…. from snakes, witch crafting, sickness and getting stuck to get supplies from town 3 hours away but He has equipped us to be His light here so that people will know Him personally. What a joy it is to see our boys out here living free and playing with all the kids being kids. They cannot wait for the rain to stop to be out there getting muddy.
The children’s home is flourishing with new babies and all, the kids at school is working hard and is starting to realize the importance of having a good education. There is not much focus on education out in the rural areas of Zambia and that is why we are working hard with the community to have a better school for all the kids in that area, not only orphans, but all kids. We now currently have classes from preschool to grade 3 at the school with many challenges and problems but through it all we see how the kids are blessed in their hard work.
 
 
Our kids that is in high school in town has started a new school year and we are very excited for them to see how they going to do this year. We are also finally getting electricity at our home in town, we have been working off limited solar power and give thanks to God that the kids will have power now for 24hour (but with that comes more expenses that has to be covered). We trust that God will provide.
We thank you all for your prayers and support whether it be through finances or encouragement and moral. We love all of you and miss you dearly.
If you would love to contribute to Mission of Love please feel free to go to www.missionoflovezambia.org and give through pay pal or send your check to:
11919 Keating Dr.
Tampa, FL 33626-2531
And remember we are a 501c3 in the USA so you can claim for tax when you give to Mission of Love. Be assured that your hard earned money does not go to extravagant luxuries for us but to our family's basic needs and more importantly the work and care of the children out here in Zambia.