Hallelujah House Opening-
Last fall we worked with three other families to raise money that allowed us to build a permanent house in The Tree of Life Children's Village that would be the home to twelve orphans supported by two full time house mothers. The house was recently completed and we spent a day and a half completing the final touches, the decorating, and deep cleaning necessary to prepare the house for the kid’s arrival. It was very moving to see the reception that the twelve new girls received from the other 348 brothers and sisters in the village. The story that touched everyone’s heart was that of an eight year old girl who walked into the Hallelujah house to find her three year old sister that she had not seen in close to a year. Through tears of joy she proclaimed blessings on the people that made this possible. They are now reunited in the village and both relieved from living on the streets of |
| The 12 beautiful girls that now call Hallelujah House HOME. |
Camp Life
During our week of summer camp (Camp Life)we were part of
a group consisting of 112 'Ambassadors' that were paired with over 1120 Zambian
children. By the time summer is over this year the camp will have included
over 700 Ambassadors and over 7000 Zambian children. We each had our own group of approximately
ten children for the week and throughout the week's activities we were able to
learn so much about the struggles that each of them face every day just to
survive. In the evenings the ambassadors found time to share our stories with each other and
it helped to provide the inner strength for the following day. At the end of
the week each of the children received a blanket that brought tears of extreme
joy to the kids especially given it is the middle of winter in Zambia and many
of the kids struggle to stay warm in the evenings. We wanted to thank everyone
that contributed to the blankets for not only our 43 kids but other kids in the group
as well. At the end of the week as the children left for home for the last time
it was a very emotional parting as the joy of the week was replaced with the
stark reminder of what lay ahead for many of these children.
 |
| Some of Andrew's boys so excited about their blankets and other simple gifts. |
Sponsorship
Our family touched the lives of 43 vulnerable Zambian children, but our mission is not complete as our goal is to find sponsors for each of these children. The good news is as of this writing, we have 24 of the kids sponsored and only 19 remaining. These kids are praying for sponsorship – for an education, a way out of the poverty, a way to truly change their lives, their community, and their country. My son Andrew, seeing the despair around him as we toured the compounds (slums), was overwhelmed. He said there are so many that need help, how can we make a real difference. I reminded him of the starfish story. You probably know it, but just in case you haven’t heard it:
Though we are talking about so much more than starfish. We are talking about children - individual young people that didn't ask to be born in Zambia or in these conditions of poverty and abuse. Our desire, the desire of Family Legacy Missions International, is to change this nation of Zambia, one child at a time through a foundation of Christian based education. The sponsorship of a child is $44 a month or just under $1.50 a day (1 British Pound Sterling) and provides the child with the following:
- Entrance into a
- Four hours of Education daily with an average student to teacher ratio of 25-1 (The norm in
- One nourishing meal daily
- Attendance at Summer Camp assuming good attendance rates (incentive for children)
- Extra food and supplies at home assuming good attendance rates (incentive for care givers)
One of the ladies who was at camp with us stood up in our final evening together and shared her story:
In her first year at camp, around summer of 2008) she had 10 girls in her group. She was only able to find sponsorship for one of her ten girls. That girl was in her group again this week and the great news is she is on the path to graduating from high school this December and has been accepted into university. As tears rolled down her cheeks she said she could only wonder what would have happened had she found sponsors for the nine other girls. She finished with, “Don’t let that happen to one your kids.”
There are so many stories from our time in
Please take 2½ minutes to watch this
video. It truly represents the difference
sponsorship can make in the life of one of these children.
2 girls - 2 lives.
Pay close attention to the girl on the left. That is the life so many of these children are left with if someone doesn't give them a chance.
There are so many people that contributed to making this trip memorable for our family and we truly appreciate anyone that has taken the time to read the story of our journey.
If you would like to know more about our kids, here are the things we learned about each of them:
My girls:
Meet Esther Phiri:
Esther is 8-9 years old. Most of the kids do not know their birthdates. She lives with her mom and 2 brothers and 1 sister. Her dad has died, plus she had one brother that died. Her mom spends her days seeking work as a maid so that she can get food to feed her children. Sometimes one of her brothers also does piece work (each day gathering with other Zambians looking for manual labor) to bring in some money. Her sister is sponsored and gets to go to school. Her prayer is that she would also get a good education.
Dorcas Ngandu
Dorcas is around 10 years old. She lives with Mom and one of her 7 siblings. Her dad has died. Some of her siblings also live with an Uncle – the older brother of her dad. She sleeps on a blanket on the floor and generally eats 2 meals of Nshima (cornmeal mixed with water – similar to grits) a day – only 1 if things are 'tight' for the family. She would love to be a nurse when she grows up.
Eunice Lungu
Eunice is 10-11 years old. She would like to be a doctor!! She lives with her mom and dad and her 3 sisters. She sleeps on a straw mat. Her dad repairs shoes. She didn’t smile a lot, and when I think of her and her life, I am reminded that I don’t know but a tiny bit of her story. I saw some men repairing shoes as we walked around in the compounds. It was around 10:00am and they were drinking beer, and being quite abusive to people as they walked past. It makes me wonder…..
Gibson Soko
Lazarus Lungu
Lazarus is 11 years old. His mom and dad are divorced and he doesn’t know where his dad is living. His mom isn’t working right now, so he and his younger sister struggle to find food. His grandfather provides for them when he is able. Lazarus generally eats once a day. He wants to be a soldier. With an education, his world will open up!
Fred Mumba
Isaac Mwanza
Isaac is 10-11 years old. His father died a long time ago, and he now lives with his mom and his step-dad, neither of which have jobs. His mom does go into the community to find odd jobs to try to bring in some income. Isaac used to go to community school, but he had to quit because his mom could not afford the fees. His favorite subject when he was in school was math. He has 3 brothers and sisters. He wants to be a policeman so that he can provide peace and order in his community.
Lamach Phiri
Lamach is 10 years old. He is one of the fortunate ones, as he lives with both his mom and dad. His dad gets some work with the Catholic Church that he attends. Lamach has 3 older brothers and sisters. He would like to be a soldier when he grows up.
Vincent Musole
Vincent is 10-11 years old. His Dad died a couple of years ago, and he now lives with just his mom and 2 brothers and 1 sister. He does go to the local community school, but would love the opportunity to go to a good school where he will learn and grow. He enjoys English and math. His mom works selling fried bread along the road to try to earn an income for the family.
Stanford Kasempashi
Stanford is 9 years old. When he came to camp, he was called Doubt. We asked him about his name, and he told us he didn't like being called Doubt, and that he had another name - Stanford. We began calling him Stanford and changed his necklace. He was a happy young man. He lives with his aunt right now and has 1 younger brother and 1 younger sister. His father lives nearby, but doesn’t want the burden of raising him or his sister. Sanford used to go to the community school, but is not able to now. His favorite subject was English. He really enjoys singing and dancing. He wants to be a pastor.
Robby Mwansa
Robby is 9 years old. His dad died when he was a baby. He has 5 older brothers and sisters. He lives with his mom who tries to find work as a maid. He is able to attend a community school, but this school has a student/teacher ratio of around 150/1, and they meet for approximately 2 hours a day. Through this, however, Robby has discovered that he enjoys math. He would love to be able to attend a good school. Robby would like to be an accountant.
Matthews Phiri
Matthews is 11 years old. His father abandoned the family when he was a baby. He lives with his mom and 5 brothers and sisters. He used to go to the community school, but isn’t able to currently. When he went to school, he enjoyed math. When he grows up, he would like to help people and to be a lawyer.
Andrew's Boys (with descriptions by Andrew)
Gift Tembo
Aaron Mwanza
Aaron is ten years old. Although quiet, Aaron has the strongest desire to be loved. He rarely left my side, and during the dances he was all smiles. He has a rough life at home, but his brightness shows through, and he wants to go to school. His parents are split up, and when he visits his mother, she often beats him.
Patson Tembo
Patson is eleven years old. He is a quiet yet diligent boy, and he always knew the answers to my questions. When he grows up, he wants to be a mechanical engineer. He has never attended school, but I assure you, his dreams would be achieved if he gets the chance.
Gift Phiri
Gift is ten years old, and he has one of the saddest home lives. Both of his parents passed away when he was younger. He lives with his grandma, who has trouble getting enough food for him. His aunt also lives with him, and beats him if he doesn’t do what she says. He has never been to school.
Fabias Hamoonga
Fabias went through the biggest transformation of any of my kids this week. He barely said three words for the first couple of days. All I managed to get out of him was that he was ten years old, and his parents have to beg for food because they cannot find any work. On the last day, my translator and I took him aside and asked him more questions. Completely out of nowhere, he started crying and so my translator prayed over him that the lord would set him free of anything that has grasp over him. By the end of the day Fabias was laughing and jumping around, as if he was a new person.
Samson Mumba
Samson is eleven years old, and he was another boy who grew a lot as the week went on. He accepted Jesus the first day of camp, and right then there was a huge change. He wants to be a teacher, but once again, he hasn’t gotten the chance to go to school yet.
Patrick Koolala
Patrick was my youngest boy, at seven. He was extremely quiet throughout the week, and when I could get him to crack a smile, it was heart-warming. He is very smart though, and when we went to the compounds, he was eager to share about Christ. He went to school for one year, but had to pull out due to lack of funds. He would love nothing more than to go back.
If you have any questions at all, please feel free to call me: (503)-318-2844, or email me: madgethollinger@gmail.com.
There is really nothing I would enjoy more than to answer any questions you may have. I love this ministry and I love these children with a love I never thought possible outside of my own home!
God bless you and thank-you for taking the time to read my blog!
Madge Hollinger
2 girls - 2 lives.
Pay close attention to the girl on the left. That is the life so many of these children are left with if someone doesn't give them a chance.
There are so many people that contributed to making this trip memorable for our family and we truly appreciate anyone that has taken the time to read the story of our journey.
If you would like to know more about our kids, here are the things we learned about each of them:
My girls:
Meet Esther Phiri:
Esther is 8-9 years old. Most of the kids do not know their birthdates. She lives with her mom and 2 brothers and 1 sister. Her dad has died, plus she had one brother that died. Her mom spends her days seeking work as a maid so that she can get food to feed her children. Sometimes one of her brothers also does piece work (each day gathering with other Zambians looking for manual labor) to bring in some money. Her sister is sponsored and gets to go to school. Her prayer is that she would also get a good education.
Dorcas Ngandu
Dorcas is around 10 years old. She lives with Mom and one of her 7 siblings. Her dad has died. Some of her siblings also live with an Uncle – the older brother of her dad. She sleeps on a blanket on the floor and generally eats 2 meals of Nshima (cornmeal mixed with water – similar to grits) a day – only 1 if things are 'tight' for the family. She would love to be a nurse when she grows up.
Eunice Lungu
Eunice is 10-11 years old. She would like to be a doctor!! She lives with her mom and dad and her 3 sisters. She sleeps on a straw mat. Her dad repairs shoes. She didn’t smile a lot, and when I think of her and her life, I am reminded that I don’t know but a tiny bit of her story. I saw some men repairing shoes as we walked around in the compounds. It was around 10:00am and they were drinking beer, and being quite abusive to people as they walked past. It makes me wonder…..
Mark’s boys:
Gibson Soko
Gibson
would like to go to school. He lives with his mom and dad and 3 sisters.
His dad does some side construction work when he can get it. Gibson
usually gets to eat only 1 meal a day, as that is all the family can afford.
Gibson was kind of quiet throughout the week, but he was a very strong young
man. Gibson would like to be a teacher.
Lazarus Lungu
Lazarus is 11 years old. His mom and dad are divorced and he doesn’t know where his dad is living. His mom isn’t working right now, so he and his younger sister struggle to find food. His grandfather provides for them when he is able. Lazarus generally eats once a day. He wants to be a soldier. With an education, his world will open up!
Fred Mumba
Fred
is 10-11 years old. His dad died this past year. He lives with his
mom, and older sister and 2 younger brothers. He has not had an
opportunity to have any schooling. He would love to go to school and
eventually become a doctor. Mom does not have a job at this time, but
Fred prays that she would find work.
Isaac Mwanza
Isaac is 10-11 years old. His father died a long time ago, and he now lives with his mom and his step-dad, neither of which have jobs. His mom does go into the community to find odd jobs to try to bring in some income. Isaac used to go to community school, but he had to quit because his mom could not afford the fees. His favorite subject when he was in school was math. He has 3 brothers and sisters. He wants to be a policeman so that he can provide peace and order in his community.
Lamach Phiri
Lamach is 10 years old. He is one of the fortunate ones, as he lives with both his mom and dad. His dad gets some work with the Catholic Church that he attends. Lamach has 3 older brothers and sisters. He would like to be a soldier when he grows up.
Vincent Musole
Vincent is 10-11 years old. His Dad died a couple of years ago, and he now lives with just his mom and 2 brothers and 1 sister. He does go to the local community school, but would love the opportunity to go to a good school where he will learn and grow. He enjoys English and math. His mom works selling fried bread along the road to try to earn an income for the family.
Stanford Kasempashi
Stanford is 9 years old. When he came to camp, he was called Doubt. We asked him about his name, and he told us he didn't like being called Doubt, and that he had another name - Stanford. We began calling him Stanford and changed his necklace. He was a happy young man. He lives with his aunt right now and has 1 younger brother and 1 younger sister. His father lives nearby, but doesn’t want the burden of raising him or his sister. Sanford used to go to the community school, but is not able to now. His favorite subject was English. He really enjoys singing and dancing. He wants to be a pastor.
Robby Mwansa
Robby is 9 years old. His dad died when he was a baby. He has 5 older brothers and sisters. He lives with his mom who tries to find work as a maid. He is able to attend a community school, but this school has a student/teacher ratio of around 150/1, and they meet for approximately 2 hours a day. Through this, however, Robby has discovered that he enjoys math. He would love to be able to attend a good school. Robby would like to be an accountant.
Matthews Phiri
Matthews is 11 years old. His father abandoned the family when he was a baby. He lives with his mom and 5 brothers and sisters. He used to go to the community school, but isn’t able to currently. When he went to school, he enjoyed math. When he grows up, he would like to help people and to be a lawyer.
Andrew's Boys (with descriptions by Andrew)
Gift Tembo
Gift
is 10 years old. His father and mother split when his mom visited a witch
doctor. There was a dark presence about him the whole week, but during his
blessing time we prayed over him and a change was seen instantly. Gift’s
prayers are that he can go to school and that his family will have more food.
Aaron Mwanza
Aaron is ten years old. Although quiet, Aaron has the strongest desire to be loved. He rarely left my side, and during the dances he was all smiles. He has a rough life at home, but his brightness shows through, and he wants to go to school. His parents are split up, and when he visits his mother, she often beats him.
Patson Tembo
Patson is eleven years old. He is a quiet yet diligent boy, and he always knew the answers to my questions. When he grows up, he wants to be a mechanical engineer. He has never attended school, but I assure you, his dreams would be achieved if he gets the chance.
Gift Phiri
Gift is ten years old, and he has one of the saddest home lives. Both of his parents passed away when he was younger. He lives with his grandma, who has trouble getting enough food for him. His aunt also lives with him, and beats him if he doesn’t do what she says. He has never been to school.
Fabias Hamoonga
Fabias went through the biggest transformation of any of my kids this week. He barely said three words for the first couple of days. All I managed to get out of him was that he was ten years old, and his parents have to beg for food because they cannot find any work. On the last day, my translator and I took him aside and asked him more questions. Completely out of nowhere, he started crying and so my translator prayed over him that the lord would set him free of anything that has grasp over him. By the end of the day Fabias was laughing and jumping around, as if he was a new person.
Samson Mumba
Samson is eleven years old, and he was another boy who grew a lot as the week went on. He accepted Jesus the first day of camp, and right then there was a huge change. He wants to be a teacher, but once again, he hasn’t gotten the chance to go to school yet.
Patrick Koolala
Patrick was my youngest boy, at seven. He was extremely quiet throughout the week, and when I could get him to crack a smile, it was heart-warming. He is very smart though, and when we went to the compounds, he was eager to share about Christ. He went to school for one year, but had to pull out due to lack of funds. He would love nothing more than to go back.
If you have any questions at all, please feel free to call me: (503)-318-2844, or email me: madgethollinger@gmail.com.
There is really nothing I would enjoy more than to answer any questions you may have. I love this ministry and I love these children with a love I never thought possible outside of my own home!
God bless you and thank-you for taking the time to read my blog!
Madge Hollinger
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