Isaac
Moses
Pictures
1. Adam
2. Isaac
3. Moses
4. Adam, Isaac, and Moses with Kimani after a few hours in their new home.
5. The boys, Social workers and guardians arriving at the village
6. Adam & Moses with their Uncle
7. Isaac with his Aunt & Grandmother
8. Adam, Moses and Isaac a few minutes after arriving at the village
9. Miriam, Rose, Kamau, the boys and Kimani and Malaika
10,11, 12. The boys received wire toys for presents
13. Moses & Adam
14. Isaac
15. The children relaxing at the reception planned for them
16, 17, 18. The first day of school
“He who waits for the perfect conditions will not sow.” Ecclesiates
Dear Friends,
After many unfilled promises from the power company we decided to wait no more and on Thursday, October 4, we welcomed the first three children into the Village of Hope. The children, all boys, are double orphans, having lost both parents to HIV/AIDS pandemic. They range from ages 4-7. Their names are Isaac Phiri and Moses & Adam N'gambo, both brothers. The morning was filled with anticipation and excitement as we awaited the arrival of the children, their guardians and the social workers at the village. There was much joy expressed by all as we introduced the children to their housemothers and showed them their new home. Kimani and Malaika did a wonderful job of welcoming the boys and making them feel at home and they played with them all day. They also presented them with new wire toys, which are popular among the children in the area.
After the reception was finished, the guardians departed and with the exeption of a few moments of crying by four year-old Adam, the boys settled in nicely. The two brothers speak the Lenje language, although Moses who is the older silbling, can speak Nyanja which is the most common language in Zambia. Isaac speaks Nyanja and can understand a little English. We were happy to learn that Rose, one of the housemothers whom we recently hired, speaks their language as well as many others!
It was interesting to note that when Adam first saw water running from the tap, he was fascinated and wanted to play with it. When Moses was shown how the toilet works, he was visibly disturbed and frightened by it!
To celebrate the arrival of the children, we planned to have a fresh chicken for dinner. Kimberly received quite an education as she watched Rose kill the chicken in a very orderly and swift fashion. She laid the chicken on the ground with its wings pulled back and she stepped on them with one foot and with the other foot she stepped on its feet, which she said would keep the chicken from disturbing her as she cut its neck. After the head of the chicken had been removed, she waited until the body was still and then she took it to Miriam who poured boiled water on the feathers so that they could be removed easily. She then cleaned and dressed it and practically every part of the chicken was fried, including the head! Although we were not adventurous enough to sample the head, we found the other parts to be very tasty! Kimberly now thinks that she is ready to try it on her own, which is exactly what Kamau has been wanting to see happen for many years now!
Isaac's 77 year-old grandmother had been taking care of six other orphans who were left behind after four of her children died. Isaac is the youngest of her grandchildren and she begged us to admit him because she said there was nothing more that she could offer him. When Isaac was welcomed into the children's home, she said that she now feels as though she can die in peace knowing that her grandson will receive the care he needs.
Moses (7), and Adam (4), were living with their grandmother who was also caring for four other orphans.
On Tuesday the 9th of October, we welcomed 6 year-old Brighton (not shown) into the village. His grandmother had been caring for him. We also received the good news that a little boy name John will be arriving on Friday. This is an encouraging answer to prayer because we were very concerned that he was being used as a servant by those who were keeping him. He is old enough to be attending school but he wasn't. Kamau and Miriam saw him taking care of goats in the hot October sun. When the guardian was first approached by Kamau and the social workers about bringing him into the village, she refused and instead tried to get us to take one of her own children who looked like he was well cared for, while John was unkempt and looked malnourished. Two weeks ago, after Kamau, Miriam, and Rose were praying for him, Kamau received a phone call from the social workers saying that the guardian and other family members had given permission for him to come. Praise the Lord for changing their hearts!
Praise
**Thank the Lord with us as we see over a year's worth of prayers answered as the Village of Hope officially opened to receive children!
**The transition of the children is going much smoother than we anticipated. They already calling the village home.
**We praise the Lord for the sound of playing and laughter that has filled the air!!
Prayer Requests
**Please pray for Maggie, a little girl who is currently in a very unstable situation. The mother was recently involved in an incident where she set the hut of her boyfriend on fire because he was spending time with his first wife. The mother wants us to admit her into the village because she is not able to care for her properly. If it is the Lord's will that she come to live at the children's home, ask Him to clear the way for that to happen. Pray for Maggie's safety while we are waiting for the process of admitting her.
**The situation with Zesco, the power company has frustrated us to no end. Please continue to pray that God will intervene and that we will have power by the end of the month or sooner. It has become critical because we have just planted crops that require irrigation. There is also a shortage of fuel in the country so the use of the generator to pump water for irrigation and into our houses is not reliable.
We thank our Lord for all of you! Your prayers are being heard and answered.
The Kamaus
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