The people of Zambia wait for the rains to begin every year in December. I am usually not in Zambia during this time of expectation but I feel God wanted to show me something, because I was also there with expectation and hope. Expectation of answered prayer and hope for the heavens to open. And open they did. In many ways, like the rain that eventually came to cool the blazing heat and sun, I saw God open heaven and rain down blessing on many encounters and conversations with the broken in Chibolya. Like those who have been praying for the life giving rain to plant and be able to harvest, I saw God answer my prayers to pave a way into Chibolya, soften hardened hearts, and reveal the ones God was calling to Himself.
After prayer walking around Chibolya with some local friends on the ground, we entered into Chibolya with God and saw Him do some amazing things. The first day we saw 2 sisters come to Christ and had the opportunity to pray for healing and blessing over many others! The next day God led us to two women who needed to be delivered from demonic oppression. God guided our every step and we were so grateful for the Holy Spirit’s promptings to stop and talk to random people as we walked through this area that means graveyard. We saw the hearts and looked into the eyes of many hopeless men and soaked in the smiles of children that do not know yet the life that awaits them. We hugged many women who needed to know that God created them and that they were beautiful in His eyes and in ours and we encouraged a pastor and his wife in prayer to continue to preserver in their ministry at their little church (their church was not in Chibolya but they lived there). In the many different times that we went into Chibolya, we saw another man come to Christ and got to encourage another man who’s heart was so distraught over his life. He wanted to talk more about Jesus and my Zambian friend on the ground committed to meeting with him again. Our Zambian friends were also connecting the other women who came to Christ with a pastor’s wife and checking in on the freed women as well.
We also went out on the streets on Friday and Saturday night. This is always hard but after much prayer, we got to see one young girl re-dedicate her life and then brought us her cousin who was also prostituting and she gave her life to her Savior and Lord! It was a beautiful thing to see the one girl who had re-dedicated her life pray with us over her cousin! I don’t even have the space to share all the conversations with the men who were at these bars, but let me say that there was one guy who actually helped us by bringing us girls to talk to and revealed that the stories of very young girls (12-14 year olds) at these bars in rooms somewhere was a reality that did not surprise us, unfortunately. We saw many underage girls about and one night we saw an underage girl screaming as she was being dragged and shoved into a car with 4 men. I will only share that she got away and It reminds me that this is a fight, a battle of light and darkness, good and evil. One in which we have God on our side.
Though we had many God moments there was the obvious dark veil that hung over this place. Prostitutes that scattered and could not look us in the eye at our entering, and men who were bound to alcohol. Most men were drunk by 9 in the morning. The high rate of suicide in the most obvious demographic, young men, was something that we prayed against and saddened our hearts and the numbers we were hearing of HIV/AIDS was almost unbelievable.
There is so much more to tell, and so many more stories but there is not enough room. We know this call is not going to be easy but God showed me that the heavens have opened not only for the rain in Zambia, but for us to minister to those in Chibolya. We are grateful for the opportunity to be God’s servants to those in Zambia. 
