Zambia Back Story

In 1992 I took my first mission trip to Romania, which completely changed my life and began to stir up a heart in me for needy children. From that time on, I took many trips with teams and traveled all over the world. After examining two short trips that I took in 1999, I came to the conclusion that there wasn’t a whole lot of purpose in these short term trips for me anymore. I told God that I wasn’t going to go anywhere else unless He directly told me to go. In 2000, I moved to Kenosha and in March of 2001 God spoke. I was sitting in the Sunday morning meeting at church listening to a man named Bryn Jones, who had been a pastoral and apostolic figure in my life for many years. He was talking about the increasing number of orphans in Zambia and the work of Ewart and Christine Crowthere, missionaries from England who began an organization called Rainbow Africa to help meet the needs of the people there. As Bryn was talking, tears welled up in my eyes and God said to me, ‘you need to go there this summer’. So, I talked to Bryn, got connected to a team from England, and went with a friend for about a month in 2001.
I clearly made a connection with Ewart and Christine and began to build a relationship with them. While I was there, they shared with me a plan for a Day Center for orphans. They wanted to build something that would be a place for children who have lost their parents and have no where to turn. A place where they would receive the care they need, as well as, education and life skills. Unlike a traditional orphanage, the goal would be to connect these children back into the community either with families that could care for them or with siblings caring for each other. All of this would be with the help of resources from Rainbow Africa, including the fees for going back into the government schools. When they shared this with me, my heart jumped. That is my vision for orphaned children, whether it be in Zambia or right here in Kenosha/Racine. My heart is to take in children who have no where else to go and who would otherwise not survive; to give them all the tools they need to be successful in life, and most importantly, bring them into a personal relationship with Christ. In 2001, I came home even more convinced that Kenosha was where I was supposed to be for the next season of my life. I continued to build a relationship with Ewart and Christine and started to support them financially, by sponsoring a child and raising money for the Day Center project.

In 2004, Christine passed away after a long battle with breast cancer and Ewart began moving forward with the plans for the Day Center, as it was her vision to see this take place. In the Fall of 2005, I got a message from Ewart, which was a routine update and list of needs to be praying for. In the list, were needs for the Day Center, including someone to help run it. My heart jumped once again and I began to seek the Lord as to whether or not I should consider being a part of this. At the same time, we were discussing the possibility of a team from Kenosha going over there. I was still seeking God on this the whole time we were planning the trip for the team this past summer. By the time we left for Zambia in July, I had come to the conclusion that this would not be the right time in my life to live in Zambia and work with Rainbow. Honestly, that conclusion came from practical thinking about life and finances, not from the Holy Spirit. I still went open to what God would say, but with my focus on the team and our purpose for being there.

While we were there, I got to visit the site in Muzoka where the Day Center has been built. It’s not up and running yet, but the facility is in place.

I also had some conversation with Ewart about the possibility of being a part of the ministry there and what that would look like. God spoke to me, not in a voice or directly, but through the circumstance of being there. There is such a sense that I fit when I am there and it is easy for me to jump in and be productive. There is a huge need for help, especially without Christine, who left a lot of holes. I can see that the gifts and abilities that God has given me would be an answer to prayer for filling some of those holes.

After returning in August, I began to share this with leaders and close friends. There was a resounding amen to pursuing the possibility and continuing to seek the Lord on it. As time went on, I became more and more confident that the Holy Spirit was leading me in this direction. These are things that have been in my heart for so long and I have held them, trusting that He would provide the opportunities when the time was right. I have been a lot of places in the world and this is the first time that I have been a part of something where I know I would be covered and nurtured spiritually and not just left on my own. I am confident that this is the right time for me to spend some time there and give what I can for as long as God would have me. At the moment, I have faith to be there for a year and will trust God and my leaders for further direction as time moves forward.