thoughts

i took a run this morning, because there are lots of excuses for me to not run here and i heard myself say quite a few times this week, 'i can't run here'. as soon as i say something like that, i always hear my dad's voice in my head saying, 'can't never did anything', in that gently challenging way that makes you want to get off your butt and at least try. my lungs were hurting, my ears were ringing, and it was the best run i've had since i've been here. part of it is that i have more confidence to just run and not be intimidated by my surroundings(wild dogs, staring people, rough terrain, snakes). i did a big loop, but gave myself permission to stop and walk just before the hill back up to the center. maybe i will be able to take the hill next time, but at least i ran. this is an approach to life that i have embraced over the last ten years. accepting that there are days when all i can manage is a meandering pace, but as long as i'm still moving, i'm doing ok. i think we have to allow ourselves those days. during one of the toughest years of my life, i read a book by Ann Kiemel called 'I'm Running to Win'. the book was about her experience training for a marathon. this was before my marathon years, but someone told me it was a good take on life and they were right. the story that impacted me most was about an injury she had during her training. she was badly hurt and couldn't run for a while, but she was determined to do something, so she just walked as far as she could. she said sometimes doing our best is just doing what we can at the moment. that was definitely applicable to my life and walk with God at the time. i was badly injured, but determined not to quit. that inspired a song i wrote called Strength. a line in it says, 'there are days when doing my best is just to drag around and not give in and try to be faithful and remember what i know...' i'm grateful that this is not my state of life at the moment. most days, i feel more like i could run further than i ever have, spiritually and emotionally speaking. i feel like my time here has been strength training for whatever lies ahead and that excites me.

happy birthday to me...

so, i had to do something to make myself feel like i am not getting older. i went on a microlight flight over Victoria Falls with my pilot friend Heiko. it was amazing!

school & sponsorship

Most of my time over the last several weeks has been spent visiting the families of the students that we have sponsored to go to our school. The school was originally started for children who would otherwise not have the opportunity to go to school. It has turned into one of the best schools in Livingstone and there is a very long waiting list of people who want to get their children enrolled here. One of the things that makes this school stand out is small class sizes. In many of the schools here in Livingstone, there are 50 to 60 children in a class. Out in the rural areas, there could be up to 100 in a class. Often they don’t have desks, they sit on the floor, and they don’t always have books or supplies.

At Rainbow’s school in Livingstone there are around 450 students from pre-school to Grade 9 and about half of them are sponsored by someone in the UK or U.S. Education is not free here and consequently many children do not go to school. Children who are orphaned are especially vulnerable to situations where it is impossible for them to attend school. For 40 dollars per month, you can give a child the opportunity to get an education and in many cases help to meet the basic needs of the child and the family. Healthcare is also provided for many of the children that we sponsor and there are quite a few cases here where the child would not be alive if they had not been sponsored through Rainbow.

In Zambia, children have to pass a test at the end of Grade 7 in order to continue their education. If they go on through Grade 9, they have to pass a test to move on to secondary school and complete Grade 12. They also have to pass a test at the end of Grade 12 in order to complete their education. This past school year was the second year that Rainbow has had students in Grade 7 and they had a 100% pass rate both years. Many of the children who passed that exam would not have even been in school if it was not for Rainbow and the individuals who are their sponsors.

In 2006, when I came with a group to work with the children in the school, I returned with pictures of the school and the children. Many people said to me that these children did not look needy. Perhaps they were expecting to see images such as those on the television, but these children are just as desperate. I sat down with one of our grade 8 students today, who is sponsored. Both of her parents died and she had been living with a friend who is also sponsored at our school. Last year, that friend’s parents also died. So now they are staying with an Aunt and it is a very difficult situation. She just sat with me and cried. Life is very hard for these children and I am so grateful that I have been able to work with an organization that is giving them hope.

We also sponsor children in Muzoka where the conditions are much worse and the situations even more desperate. There is little if any opportunity for work in that area and there are many more people dying everyday from HIV/AIDS and other diseases. Sponsoring a child in Muzoka means more than an education for that child, it means giving them and the family what they need to continue to live. There are over 1,000 orphans in this area desperate for someone to help.



I have been sponsoring children since my visit here in 2001. Christopher on the left, is in our preschool in Livingstone and I've had the pleasure of watching him grow over the past seven months. Munwato(not pictured) is in our preschool in Muzoka. She is an orphan and not only did both of her parents die, but the granny who was caring for her was hit by a car and killed while carrying Munwato on her back. Lewis and Annie, who work for us in Muzoka, found Munwato when she was very close to death from HIV. Thanks to their care and advice to her guardians, she is doing very well now. I met her in August and asked if I could sponsor her.

As always, to learn more about Rainbow and child sponsorship go to www.rainbowafrica.org .