Incomparable Riches of His Grace

I'm finally back in Colorado after some world travels! As many of you know, the focus of this trip was to finish and dedicate a home for orphaned children in Lusaka, Zambia at Tree of Life Children's Village.

Here is a little back ground for everyone... This home was extremely personal for our family. It was through the legacy of Jim McCarver (aka my PapaJim) and the amazing provision of God that this came about. Before PapaJim had passed away in January, he urged us to start a foundation that would support orphan ministries as a family. We called it Friend to the Fatherless. It has been a cool journey to go on as a family and asking for the Lord's direction in where he wants the resources from the foundation to be used. PapaJim truly had a heart for orphans. He wanted to see them clothed, feed, given a home, educated and most of all taught about Jesus. His passion has also infiltrated the rest of our family and God has made it a big part of our lives. My Aunt Melina was also excited about helping these children, however, she did not get the opportunity to see much of that through before she passed on about a year and a half ago. The deep pain of her loss has been turned to joy and gladness knowing not only that she is with the Lord now but also that her and PapaJim's legacy is now being carried on through Melina's House and the new classrooms and cafeteria at the Faith Christian Academy for the Tree of Life kids. The Father has such a way of turning ashes into beauty!

In front of Melina's House

The entrance for the village

The Melina Kelley House was not the only house to open last week. There were also three other new homes- Glory, Blessing and Luke's Lighthouse. All of the homes had their own unique story and individuals with caring hearts behind them. In total, there would now be 48 more sweet children that could move into the Tree of Life Children's Village! The village is set up to where 10-14 kids live in each home with two Zambian house mothers who care for and feed them three meals a day. Every child there also attends Faith Christian Academy on site. They go to school for three months and then take a one month break all year round. The kids are also given excellent medical care. Many of them receive ARV's for their AIDS and treatment for other sickness as well. This place represents literal rescue from the grave for these children. The Hope of Christ truly permeates through this place as the least of these who were once alone and forgotten, learn, laugh and play thriving in the new life that God has given them.

We had only five days actually in Lusaka but it felt like we were there for much longer because we kept so busy. During the days leading up to the house openings on Friday, we worked hard getting the houses ready. We decorated, assembled, colored, cleaned, and organized. It was fun to get everything looking perfect for the little ones that would soon be taking the house by storm. Each child had a personalized Bible, stuffed animals and a hand written card waiting for them on their beds. The doors had colorful signs that showed who would be in each room. Toys were laid out throughout the bedrooms and in the living room to make it a fun, playful environment. We also visited the compounds of Lusaka. These are highly congested and impoverished communities that end up being breeding grounds for crime and disease. Many of the children come from these compounds and have never experienced what it means to have a real family or home of their own. It was hard to go through these communities but it provided a better perspective of the needs and where our kids used to live. I had to really rely on the Lord's strength to get through some of these visits. I felt overwhelmed and burdened and wanted to be able to help every child that came running to us for love and attention. We could not do much else besides smile and cuddle them. I rest in the fact that God is in control and He is working to change the culture of these communities and shed light in the dark places through the ministry of those who follow Him.

This trip was such a gift. I have written about, advocated and prayed for orphans but often struggled with the fact that there was some element of the crisis and Gods heart for these children that I haven't been able to fully understand having never seen their faces. It was a struggle for me when I wrote articles for World Orphans about issues associated with the orphan cycle to become bogged down with statistics and loose the humanity of each individual child. It was hard to keep myself from thinking about the issue in terms of percentages as opposed to separate and equally valuable souls that have a name and a story and need rescue. So going to Zambia meant that I would finally see for myself a glimpse of the harsh reality for the approx. 163 million orphans across the globe. I could now hold their little hands, wipe their tears and be apart of God's great redeeming plan for them. The Father opened my eyes to better understand the plight of the orphan. I can now write more vividly and accurately. Our family will be able to share from experience and encourage others to join me in caring for the fatherless with more passion than before. As I was reading in Ephesians today, I felt like the Lord made these verses stand out to me and remind me of how experiences like welcoming orphans into a home in Zambia are results of Gods INCOMPARABLE grace...

"And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed to His kindness to us in Christ Jesus." -Ephesians 2:6-7 (NIV)

The riches of His love make this life worth living! I hope to write specific stories about kids that particularly touched my heart. Each one of them has an amazing testimony to share. Keep an eye on the blog, and praise God for all the orphans that now have families at Tree of Life :)