Update

this picture is of a chicken run (the little houses in the back ground, and fishing nets (the tall things in the front)
kids carrying water from the river
a hut in the village with laundry on the line
girls carrying their dishes to the river to wash them.

The boys are doing great. It is going to be so difficult to leave them. We are praying for a way for what is going on with them to not depend on us. We gave them as a prize for attending English classes a comic book of the life of Jesus. Jeremiah has been teaching them the stories according to the pictures and they have memorized it! (In Lozi, their language). It is so inspiring! They are asking deep questions about how to hear God, how God and Jesus are related. Yesterday Dan gave them a plot of land to garden. We had Collard greens already started so they go to transplant them and now must keep them alive and in about 2 weeks they will be able to sell it! We have worked out that we will account for the money they make and we can put it towards something they need. They all agreed that they want to go to school! A new term starts end of August!

Pray for favor with the headmen of the 9 villages in the chiefdom the property is in. (9 is only the ½ villages that are closest to us) Thursday July 15 we have a meeting with them to ask for their support of the children’s home. This is an important part of helping them, all the villages around, to take ownership of the project. We are also attempting to get the social worker form social well fare to this meeting because she must talk to people in the villages to find out if they want the home before she will write a letter of approval. This letter is needed to get licensed as a home that cares for orphans and vulnerable children. The social worker has been nice but is very hard to catch, we go down to her office about 4 ties a week just to try to find her and tell her about the meeting, we only found her once. So pray God opens doors and give us favor in the governments eyes.

We also must get licensed with Department of Societies, to become a licensed children’s home. And when we went there (a miracle we found it, it is a little unmarked in a courtyard of other offices, a room with papers just everywhere, no computer) she gave us the forms we needed to fill out, and the amount we need to pay to become registered, but she informed us she had no receipts and that she didn’t know when the office in Lusaka would send it.

Jeremiah has been selected for scholarships, but he must have an interview next week Friday over the phone/Skype so pray the connection works and that the committee gives him the scholarship.

It seems like many things lately have been coming up, as far as logistics having to do with importing the vehicle (tax free) and catches that we are all (especially Dan) spending hours on working out. In Africa nothing happens smoothly, but it can be frustrating and exhausting. But we are excited about the ways God is pouring into the people’s lives here, the projects He is building through support like yours! People wanting to come, and ideas about small businesses and gardening and building techniques and fishing techniques. For these we are so excited and grateful! We have such hope for these villages, to go make disciples of even more rural villages in their own country and continent. To give them a kingdom perspective. But we are pushing through so many barriers. Thank you so your love support and prayers!