I look outside and a shiver runs down my back. The ice and snow are not budging here in Illinois. That northern wind blows and our windows are frosted but that does not stop any of us from thinking about Valentine’s Day coming up! There is much ado about this day of love. Thoughts of romance, candy, candlelight and words of adoration fill our minds. Though my thoughts of love go deeper than just thinking about romantic love this week.
The shiver is gone and my heart melts though, even in the cold, with the thought of the love our supporters and partners have for not only God but for the precious people of Zambia. This holiday is the perfect opportunity to tell all of you who have prayed, given of your time, money and energy to the people of Zambia how much Ben and I love you all! The love we and you all have for the lost, poor and oppressed people of Zambia is love that will last! Love that walks alongside, touches, hugs, and sits in the dirt. True love is built on sacrifice, as Jesus demonstrated for us. Thank you all for the sacrifices you have made over the years to be a part of this ministry! We are so blessed by your love to us and to those you may have never met half-way across the globe. But there will be a day when we all are rejoicing in heaven over the lives that were saved and thus transformed by your support and partnership of us and this ministry! It is love like that that we celebrate today! Blessings to you all and know you are all prayed over and appreciated!
This picture represents a small way in which we love. This is Charity. We met on the streets in the back of a bar in 2014. We had prayed with her and talked with her for quite a while. My Zambian friend who was with me happen to see her again in the market last fall. When I went in Dec. we went on a search to find her. After finding out she had moved, we went to search her out. The look on her face when she came out and saw me! She was overwhelmed that I had come back to find her, that I remembered her. That I wanted to come and put my arms around her. She was not on the streets anymore, and was trying to make a living selling plastic shoes. We sat in her little home and chatted for a while and prayed with her. It was a precious time. You, our supporters, made that moment possible. I am just the extension of your arms of love to girls like Charity. Thank you!
