A small Honduran woman came in from the street, sat in an empty chair, and watched the young people put spoonfuls of food in their mouths.   A minute passed.  Another minute.  A few of the youth glanced up from their plates and, uncomfortably, went back to eating their food.

After another minute the woman began to cry.  More than a few tears came down her cheeks. She began to wail—loud, uncontrollable sobs with broken Spanish sentences in-between breaths.  The youth stopped eating.

The woman, who had prepared the meal, came out from the kitchen to calm the woman.  She discovered that her infant son was sick, had no money for food or medicine, and needed help.  Quickly the students gathered some money, and put together some plates of food for their guest.  The woman went on her way.

“Our kids were really rattled,” shared one of the leaders.  “They’ve never encountered that kind of situation.  Many are reevaluating their lives—they are realizing how much they’ve been given.”

The kids were having what behavioral scientist call a “disorienting dilemma”.  Momentarily their world had been turned upside down.  They were confronted with the reality that they had led privileged lives.

Many people question the value of short-term mission trips.  “It’s a lot of money,” they claim. “They could do something in their own backyard.”  There is a lot of truth to the statement.  Short-term mission trips can be expensive and the impact can be fleeting.  I don’t think there is a definitive answer.  Some mission trips can be extremely impactful, others not so.

My hope and prayer is that some of these young people will go back to Canada changed and begin living from a different set of values and commitments.  My hope is that some of these young people will allow the seeds planted from this experience to germinate and give clarity to their life’s calling.  That will make the trip worthwhile.

This morning we dedicated a new playground for a school in Los Pinos.  The playground was designed by the third grade teacher, Francisco, and build in partnership with the faculty and the visiting workgroup.   The groups labored together and learned together.   The result:  a place of beauty for beautiful children to play.

This year we have been blessed with an extremely dedicated group of Staff, StreetLeaders, and Volunteers!  With only 4 days of orientation, the energy is so strong and infectious, that we are guaranteed an amazing summer.

UrbanPromise Miami will be launching its 2nd Summer Program – Camp Courage – starting Tuesday, July 5th.  We currently have 80 children enrolled, 16 teenagers who have been selected as part of our StreetLeader Program, numerous volunteers from within the community, and 6 Staff Members ready to build a path of promise for the children of Miami.  UrbanPromise Miami will be providing a 5-week summer camp (free of cost) to the under-resourced children of the Little Havana community.   Our goal this summer is to help the children of the community grow academically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually, and continue with same success we had last year!  

Although an amazing and successful summer lies ahead, much work and help is still needed!  As one of our Camp Co-Directors, Eduardo “Pookie” Lopez, pointed out during orientation today – “the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few! (Matthew 9:37)“  There is MUCH help and support the camp still needs.  We are COMPLETELY privately funded, and every penny collected goes directly to benefit the children.  If you are interested in helping us this summer – be it with your time, financial contribution, or in-kind donation – please contact us at Info@UrbanPromiseMiami.org.

We are eternally grateful for all the support we have received in order to make this summer a reality.  Without you…none of this would be possible!  Please stay tuned for more detailed information and spotlights on our Staff, StreetLeaders, Camp Kids, Volunteers, and Sponsors for our 2011 summer camp.

 By

Kristy Nunez

Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director

UrbanPromise Miami

P.S. -You can follow the UrbanPromise Miami updates on their blog:  http://urbanpromisemiami.blogspot.com/

Posted on Tue, Jul. 20, 2010

Camp Courage keeps kids off streets, teaches rewards of spiritual guidance

BY ANNA QUINTANA
The Miami Herald

Ana Ojeda and Kristy Nuñez get goose bumps every time they hear the cheer:

“We are Camp Courage, the mighty, mighty courage.”

The cheer was written by kids in Camp Courage, a summer program in Little Havana.

For Ojeda and Nuñez, it is a reminder that all of their hard work has paid off.

“We still can’t believe it,”Nuñez said. “Look at my arms, I get chills.”

Less than a year ago, Ojeda and Nuñez, who have been best friends since middle school, began fundraising for a summer program that would cater to local, underprivileged kids.

Based off the model of UrbanPromise, an organization located in New Jersey, Camp Courage — which stands for Changing Others Using Respect and God’s Embrace — is dedicated to academic, social, emotional and spiritual growth.

Eduardo Lopez, the camp director, has been a part of UrbanPromise since he was 14 years old, and he knows the difference this camp can make in children’s lives.

“I’m not out on the streets, I’m not selling drugs, I value myself as man,”Lopez said. “I’m impacting the lives of 50 kids, and that means more to me than being a doctor.”

Camp Courage, which started on July 12, is based in San Juan Bosco Church until it gets its own center.

The camp currently has more than 60 kids between the ages of 5 and 12.

However, teenagers between the ages of 14 to 18 can also take part in the camp as street leaders, junior staff members who help organize and mentor the children.

“As they get older, the kids don’t want to go to camp anymore,”Ojeda said. “That is why we have street leaders, so that they have more responsibility and are not on the street.”

At Camp Courage, the kids are divided up into age groups and rotate activities throughout the day. One group goes to art, another to Bible study, another to recreation and the other to hodgepodge, which is a variety of activities that change every day.

The children are also tutored in reading by the street leaders, go on field trips once a week, and receive breakfast, lunch and a snack, provided by Camille LeClaire, the director of Born to Serve Ministries.

Ojeda and Nuñez are also using their talents to help those children that need more guidance.

Ojeda, a psychiatrist, will counsel kids, while Nuñez, an attorney, will bring guest speakers to talk about crime and drugs.

Sandra Meneces, who is charge of the street leaders, notices that many of the kids just need someone to talk to.

“I have kids come up to me, asking for help,”Meneces said. “They just need someone to talk to and to get away from their home life.”

However, Camp Courage isn’t just a six-week summer program. It is designed to run for the entire year, with an after-school care program to help kids with their homework.

Geraldo Serrano has been with UrbanPromise since high school and, now at 22 years old, is the “chef”at Camp Courage.

“I dropped out of high school, and UrbanPromise Academy accepted me,”Serrano said. “It puts mentors in your life and it gives you a place to be when you don’t have a place to be.”

For Ojeda and Nuñez, that is the most important aspect of Camp Courage: being there for the children.

“We want to improve the community,”Ojeda said. “Our long-term social goal is preventing crime and improving graduation rates.”

They still have a long way to go until that goal is reached, but they already see the impact they are having on the community.

Just ask Elizabeth Gonzalez, a 9-year-old at Camp Courage, what the name stands for.

“It’s called Camp Courage because it encourages you to do things you’ve never done before,”she said.

My last week in Lilongwe was filled with finalizing details for the sponsorship program for YouthCare for the children in the after school program  and with the boys from Safe Haven Orphanage.  I worked closely with the directors of the after school program to help them select which children would be part of the sponsorship program and to help them fill out their profiles and take their pictures.  However, the majority of my last week in Malawi was spent on one exciting project for the Safe Haven boys.  There is a

My family in Lilongwe. Gibozi the director of Youth Care, his wife Ester, their baby Isreal, and brother Chimango.

church in New Jersey that is very much involved in the work of UPI in Malawi that has decided to help Safe Haven with the funding of the building of a new orphanage and office facility on the outskirts of Lilongwe.  YouthCare purchased a piece of land a few years ago with the idea in mind of building a new orphanage for Safe Haven, but up until now has not had the funding to build the new facility.  Their current home and office is very crowded, with 11 boys living in three very small rooms, and two other rooms used for office space.  During my last week in Malawi I worked with the Safe Haven orphan boys on putting together some video clips of their stories of their past, the present situation, and the excitement for the potential of a new home for the orphanage.  We worked for hours on what they wanted to say, practicing their lines, traveling around Lilongwe filming in different areas, and finally ending up at the site where the new home will be built.  The video turned out so well and was shown to the sponsoring church in New Jersey, which has already raised over 90% of the funds needed to build the facility.  The boys are so excited for the building of their new home, which will make a huge difference in their lives, as well as providing more space for other orphan boys from the streets of Malawi.   You can watch the video that I worked on at this link: http://video.ak.fbcdn.net/cfs-ak-ash4/231731/81/10150177329274327_37304.mp4?oh=64d3ce64e3953e439926ac542d7d7cba&oe=4DDD6300&__gda__=1306354432_fe0c482deea8fac2f120a4b67e22b37b

My last day in Lilongwe I was able to go back and visit the ChristCares Ministries after school program.  I missed the kids and leaders from CCM so much, and it was wonderful to spend one last day with them before I left.  The kids were so happy to see me, and I was happy to see them.  Together we sang my favorite Malawian song “My home is beyond the sky,” danced, laughed, played some games, took our final pictures together, and said our goodbyes.  The kids were given an opportunity to say something to me before I left.  They urged me to never forget them and told me that they would never forget me, and asked me to always pray for them and to come back to Malawi again someday soon.  I absolutely love every single one of them and promised to think and pray for them every day.

Time seemed to have gone by so fast.  I stepped into the Lilongwe airport feeling as though I had just gotten off of the plane back in January.  Leaving Malawi was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do.  My heart broke as the plane took off for South Africa, and then on to the U.S.  Tears rolled down my cheeks as the reality hit me that I do not know when and if I will ever be back to this amazing country, or if I will see my friends and people that I now consider family ever again.  I left a huge piece of my heart in Malawi, but know that I have to return to the States to complete the work which I began to benefit these ministries.

In order to bring this time of service full circle I will be working and volunteering for UPI this summer to complete some fund development projects and finalize and launch the sponsorship program.  I began working at UPI on the 11^th of May and have been working on getting resources together for a special Malawian festival that UPI hosted in the same church that is going to be sponsoring the new Safe Haven boys’ orphanage.  The Malawian interns (Malawian fellows) who are spending a year at UrbanPromise Camden were in charge of putting the event together, and I came on board to help to promote the sponsorship program to those who attended.  The event consisted of a walk through a day in the life of a Malawian child, which was about 45 minutes long, and consisted of fetching water, chopping wood, cooking food, hand washing clothes, washing their feet, etc.   After the walk, guests came inside the church for some Malawian arts and crafts, games, music, merchandise, and a special program put on by the Malawian fellows.  I set

My Sponsorship table for the Malawian festival May 21st

up a table of various sponsorship information, profiles and pictures of children, youth, and Safe Haven orphan boys who need sponsors.  I hung up some of their art work and photos and talked to a number of people about my time in Malawi and the new sponsorship program.  A few people decided to sponsor a child, youth, and Safe Haven boy, making the commitment to invest in their lives and the ministries in Malawi.  The event was a great success, and the sponsorship program is now well on its way to bringing much needed funding to the ministries of UPI Malawi, and to the children and youth who are a part of these ministries.

Malawi and Honduras will always have a piece of my heart, and I am so excited to see what the Lord is going to continue to do through these ministries.  The need for programs and ministries like these is so great, and I am blessed to have been able to play a small role in the furthering of God’s kingdom through serving and assisting these ministries.  For the next two months I will be finishing up details for the sponsorship program and the other projects I started with UPI.  I am seeking the Lord for what He has for my future.  I hope and pray that He provides a way for me to someday be back to work with these ministries in Honduras and Malawi.

Please continue to pray for these ministries as they work day to day to help the children, youth, and communities of Honduras and Malawi.  Feel free to stay in contact with me.  I would love to talk to you about my experience in person sometime, chat on the phone, or answer any questions you might have.  My phone number is 570-982-3109, or you can email me at KLMalefyt21@gmail.com.

Also, please pray for the following.

-  Praise the Lord for His provision in the partnering of a church for the building of the new Safe Haven orphanage.

-  For the success of the sponsorship program, that we are able to find sponsors who will help give to the needy children and youth, and help fund the ministries in Malawi.

-  For peace, guidance, and direction from the Lord, as this transition has been very hard, and as I seek the Lord’s direction and    will for my future.  That He will guide my every step along the way and make my path clear.

-  Praise the Lord for the success of my time of service with UPI, and that as I finish up my final projects with UPI in the U.S., that He provides me with strength to complete what was started.

-  For the ministries of Honduras and Malawi, that the Lord would continue to provide for them and for the children, youth, and leaders of the ministries.

Last week I spent the majority of my time with Chikondi, Mwai, and Gibozi, three of the full-time staff members of Youth Care, brainstorming various development ideas, working with the Safe Haven boys on their profiles, and discussing details of the new sponsorship program.  They seem very excited for the potential of the sponsorship program, and jumped right on board as we discussed its potential and importance to the sustainability of the ministry.  Youth Care also runs two after school programs in the local community; however they were still on holiday as of last week so we were able to focus the majority of our time on office items.

Praying to close After School Program

Another project I spent time on last week was the editing of the college application of Ernest,  one of the Safe Haven boys.  Ernest is 19 years old and has lived at Safe Haven since 2005.  His mother passed away when he was only a child, and his father passed away when he was 11, leaving Ernest to fend for himself on the streets of Lilongwe.  He would be on the streets during the day begging for money to eat, and would frequently have to go for days without food.  His home was the underside of a bus, and he soon became part of a group of street boys who bonded together as orphans in this already very poor country.

By the grace of God, Ernest was taken into the Safe Haven Orphanage in 2005.  The director at that time found him on the streets and asked him if he wanted to start a new and better way of life.  He and the other boys he was with were taken into a new family and community at Safe Haven.  Ernest was given a bed, fed, clothed, taken to church, and soon was attending school.  Ernest has now finished his secondary education thanks to a lot of hard work, help, and encouragement from Safe Haven and Youth Care, and is currently in the process of applying to university.

The possibility of getting a university degree in Malawi is something that is very rare.  Since there is only one government school with four sub schools for the entire country, the competition is very intense for the 2200 openings.  Besides these government schools there are about 4 private universities in Malawi, which are also difficult to get into and expensive.  These are only some of the factors that make it difficult to get a university education.  Many children and teens are unable to complete secondary school due to lack of funds and responsibilities at home.  If they are blessed enough to complete their secondary education they have to sit for exams and pass with high enough marks to get them into a national university, and if they score well enough to attend, they have to somehow come up with necessary finances..  The odds are very much against them, and education in this country is truly the key to a brighter future.

Ernest, by the grace of God, hard work, and the help of Safe Haven has completed his secondary education, scored well on his exams, and is hoping to attend university this coming fall.  His top choice for university is a Christian university in California, Azusa Pacific University (APU).  His dream is to become a doctor.  He hopes to help his country with its need for medical doctor specialists.  Malawi has many serious health issues, such as HIV/Aids, malnutrition, high rates of infant and child mortality, and malaria.  There are not many doctors in Malawi—only one physician for every 65,000 people– and often the ones who are fortunate enough to get their medical degrees end up leaving the country to find better paying jobs in other countries.  Ernest’s story, strength, and

Martha, from Youth Care, posing for her Child Sponsorship shot.

motivation are so inspiring to me.  I am blessed and privileged to have spent so much time with him last week, working through his application and editing his essays.  His desire to serve his country, with a potential degree that could take him to so many levels of what the world would see as “success”, and give to his community touches my heart.  God has given a gift in bringing him to Safe Haven, and he desires to pass along that blessing to others, serving them and bringing glory and honor to God.  I pray that the Lord continues to guide and direct Ernest’s future, and that He will grant his desire to attend Azusa Pacific University.

I spent the long holiday weekend visiting my friends from Rise Malawi in Madisi, Tinashe and Za.  I spent the weekend at Tinashe’s house and attended the Good Friday and Easter Sunday services at her church.  It was wonderful to spend this Easter holiday with friends, experiencing and celebrating the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ with the local church.  The celebration was incredible, full of songs in Chichewa, praising, and dancing for joy.  Our Easter lunch consisted of pasta with some tomatoes, and some relish.  We sat together on the sitting room floor (since Tinashe does not have a table or chairs), thanked the Lord for his gift of love and salvation, and shared our last meal together.  I said my goodbyes to my family in Madisi, and boarded the bus for the 1 ½ hour ride back to Lilongwe.

Sunday afternoon and Monday were full of more visits with Robert, the director of CCM, and his family at their home.  I was able to catch up with them and stay at their house overnight from Sunday into Monday.  It was so good to see them again; their baby girl, Mercy, is getting so big and growing so quickly.  It was also nice to spend some time with Innocent and Felista, the house helpers who stay at their home and attend high school.  I will miss their family very much.

This week I am working in the office in the mornings and attending the after school program in the afternoon.  I haven’t gotten much done in the office this week due to a nationwide power and water outage for the past 4 days.  We have power again today so I am in a rush to get a lot done before it goes out.  The things we take for granted…!

As I begin my final week here in Malawi, please pray:

-          For Ernest, as he sends in his college application to APU this week.  For the outcome of that application and for his future.

-          For the goodbyes that I will have to say this next week to my family in Malawi.  This is going to be a very difficult week for me.

-          For peace and clarity from the Lord, as I return to the States on May 7^th.  That I would be able to process everything that will                 be going through my mind, and that the Lord would guide and direct my every decision and future.

-          For the Sponsorship Program and other development projects that I will be working on with UPI this summer.  That the Lord                  would go ahead of each of these projects and bring them success; that the ministries of Malawi would benefit.

Steph and I on our amazing journey.

What an amazing, refreshing, and tiring last two weeks it has been.  I have spent a total of about 35 hours on various buses and mini buses, experienced Lake Malawi (the 8^th largest lake in the world), visited with one of my best friends (Steph), crossed the Malawian – Zambian border, extended my visa to allow me to legally stay in the country until my time of service is complete, and have safely arrived at Youth Care Ministries in Lilongwe for my final two and a half weeks in this amazing country.  The Lord has been so faithful and has kept Steph and me safe as we traveled.  It is not always the easiest thing to travel around in Malawi and Zambia; some bus schedules are not reliable and typically don’t leave until they fill up, while others sometimes even leave early from their scheduledtime.  If you want to travel cheaply one must settle for the local buses and mini buses which are crammed with more people than they should be, along with bags, crates, and boxes.  We even spent about 6 hours in the back of a flatbed truck with two buckets of smelly fish and about 15 other people on our way to Lilongwe because we missed our bus.

It was absolutely lovely to spend time with Steph.  We went to Messiah College together and have been friends since freshman year.  She is working for one year with Mennonite Central Committee in Choma, Zambia, working with HIV/Aids prevention and education efforts there.  I was able to visit her home where she lives with two local teachers, to see her office and to meet some of her Zambian and Caucasian friends.  We stayed in the home of a missionary couple who are in their mid 60’s and have been serving in Zambia for about 9 years.  They live in the missions complex near to the home Steph stays in.  Their home was lovely, with a  hot shower, a nice bed, and my favorite part, granola with milk and fruit for breakfast, which was such a treat!  It was so refreshing to catch up with Steph and to hear about her time thus far in Zambia, and to share with her many of my experiences, joys, and challenges.  The Lord truly blessed both of us through our time together, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to see a familiar and loved face halfway around the world.

I arrived safely at the home of the director of Youth Cares Ministries (Gibozi) in Lilongwe on Sunday evening.  I will be spending my last few weeks with him and his family in their home located on the outskirts of Lilongwe.  Gibozi is married to Ester and they have a 7-month old giggly, adorable baby boy, Isreal.  Gibozi has also opened his home to his two younger brothers who stay together in one of the three bedrooms in the house.  I have my own room and bed, and I’m able to either bucket bathe with warm water if I choose to take the time to heat it on the stove, or take a cold shower.  I wake up at 6:15 am ready to leave at 7 for the office.  It takes about 50 minutes by minibus and taxi to get to the office, which is run out of the Safe Haven Orphanage where Youth Cares runs its boys’ orphanage.  There are currently 12 boys living in the orphanage with the host dad, Gerald.  The boys will be a part of the sponsorship program that I am working on, and three of them already have sponsors.

The staff at Youth Cares has allowed me to jump on board and are very excited about the projects and programs that we are going to work on together.  They are very friendly, welcoming me with open arms onto their team.  They are impressed with the amount of Chichewa I can speak!  Youth Cares is the most established and longest-running ministry of UPI in Malawi and already has a semi-established sponsorship program for the orphanage.  The program has a lot of potential and could greatly benefit from an extended sponsorship program and some more concrete structure and details in place.  The sponsorship program for the two after-school sites will be a new addition to their ministry and programs.

Chimwemwe - meaning Joy, one of the boys from Rise Malawi Ministries.

These next two and a half weeks are going to go by so quickly and will be full of many emotions.  I will be returning to UPI on May 11^th and am planning to use some of the remaining funds raised to work for UPI in Camden this summer, launching and promoting the international child sponsorship program.  I will be using this time to find sponsors for every site, as well as to fine-tune some other fund development projects for the various ministries.  I hope to have completed this journey by August, leaving the ministries of UPI with a sustainable sponsorship program that will allow them to continue the wonderful things that they do–reaching more children and youth for Christ and bringing hope to the children and youth of Malawi.

I am trying my hardest to stay focused on what the Lord has for me here as I wrap up my time, and praying through what the Lord has for me next.  He truly has given me a genuine love in my heart for this people, culture, and country, and it is going to be very difficult for me to leave.

Please Pray:

-          Thank the Lord for keeping Steph and me safe and giving us a wonderful time together.  Also for the success of renewing my visa as I crossed the border from Zambia to Malawi.

-          For the boys in the Safe Haven orphanage as they spend this Easter season together in the orphanage, since they do not have family to spend the holiday with.  That the Lord would be near to them, bring them joy and fellowship with one another during this holiday season.

-          For the grace of God to allow me to stay focused and fully invest myself these last few weeks.  That the Lord would bring me comfort and peace as I begin to prepare to return to the States.

-          For guidance and direction from the Lord as I finish up my time with UPI this summer and seek what He has for my future.

Some of the kids from at Rays of Hope and I.

ministry.  This coming Thursday I will be meeting up with a good from college who is currently serving in Zambia; she and I will be spending a few days together.

I ended my time with the kids in some wonderful last days together as we wrapped up the program and completed the development art project and the child sponsorship profiles and information.  We sang songs; the kids taught me some in Chichewa and I taught them songs in English, dancing with joy as we praised the name of the Lord.  We played games of basketball and football (they make balls out of plastic bags that they find), practiced English and grammar together as I helped them work through some of their studies, and helped them prepare for their end of quarter exams which they took at the end of last week.  The kids received the results from their exams early this week, and they proudly march over to Willie’s house to show him their results.  It is part of the Rays of Hope program for the kids to report their grades to Willie, the director, as he notes who has done well and should be rewarded and recognized, and who needs to receive more attention and tutoring from the youth leaders.  The results from their exams seem to reflect the wonderful job that the Rays of Hope after school program is doing to encourage and tutor the kids in their studies.  It is difficult for them to focus on their studies when the reality of life for some consists of working alongside of their parents on the family farm, or helping raise their younger siblings, and facing many more responsibilities than simply focusing on academics.  The ministry of Rays of Hope is much needed and greatly beneficial for its participants.

It was very difficult for me to say goodbye to the kids.  I see the Lord shining through every one of their smiles; their hugs and embraces make my day.  I wish I could stay at each and every site, with every child and youth leader, to continue to be involved in their lives and give them my all.  As of today, I have exactly one month left until I board a plane that will take me back to the States.  I pray that the Lord uses this final month to bring Himself glory and honor through my actions, thoughts, and words.  He has been so faithful so far, and I know that He will not fail me in this final month.

Willie and I were able to complete some resources and prepare for an important meeting that he is going to have with a local rotary club in a few weeks.  Willie has done a great job networking within the community of Blantyre to find some local support for Rays of Hope, and hopefully build some meaningful relationships with other non-profits and influential people that will be helpful to the ministry as it looks to grow in the future.  I was able to create a ministry brochure, come up with some giving idea’s, and help Willie gather other important information and advise him on some strategies and tactics which he should use in approaching the rotary club for support and funding.  It has definitely benefited Rays of Hope Ministries to be located in such close proximity to the city of Blantyre; the connections that have been made and will be made in the future will be crucial to the success of this ministry.

Since the ministries will be on break for the next two weeks due to the schools’ vacation time at the end of the quarter, I will be taking

Three beautiful girls from Rays of Hope After School Program.

the next week and a few days to do a little bit of traveling with my friend who is currently working with the Mennonite Central Committee in Zambia.  The timing works out perfectly, because I need to leave the country in order to renew my visa.  The law here in Malawi is that as a visitor, you are only allowed to stay for 90 days, after which you would be illegally staying here.  Since my time here in Malawi exceeds that 90-day period, I have to find a way to leave the country for a few days to acquire an extended visa for another 30 days, in order to be allowed to stay here until my time has been completed in early May.

So my friend and I are planning to use this week to visit lake Malawi for a few days, which is the 8^th largest lake in the world, and then travel on to Choma Zambia where she is staying and doing ministry with the Mennonite Central Committee.  We may possibly make a trip to Victoria Falls which is about 2 hours from where she stays.  Since I will be traveling next week I will not be posting a blog, but will resume posting the week of April 18^th.

Lord willing, I will return to Lilongwe on the 16^th of April, and I will start my time with YouthCare Malawi, a boys’ orphanage and after school program.  I will be spending the remainder of my time with this ministry, and will be wrapping things up with UrbanPromise International here in Malawi.

As I look forward to this next week and final month here in Malawi please pray:

-  For safety and a restful, reflective, and rejuvenating time on my trip with my friend.  That we will be successful in our days of traveling and time spent at the lake and in Zambia.

-  For the details of my visa to go through as I cross the border into Zambia and return to Malawi.

-  For a successful meeting of Rays of Hope with the Limbe Rotary Club.  That the Lord would move in the hearts of the members and encourage them to get involved and give to the ministry.

-  Praise the Lord that the boil on Willie’s leg is getting better and he is almost 100% healed and able to move around comfortably.

-  For the Lord to bring peace and clarity to my heart, as I begin to think about leaving this amazing place in May, and determine what His next steps are for my life.

My last day at Project TEACH AfterSchool Program.

Time literally seems to be flying by.  Each day is filled with so many wonderful things and I wake up one morning and find myself more than halfway through my time here, with only two sites left.  My time with Project TEACH came to a close last Wednesday.  I attended my last day at the after school program, finalized some details, gathered the last profiles for the child sponsorship program, took my last pictures, and said goodbye to all the kids and youth leaders.  I can’t express to you how hard it is to leave every site.  I could see myself staying to serve at any one of these ministries, having grown to love the staff, youth leaders, community, and children, and having left a piece of my heart with each and every one of them.  The Project TEACH community was such a blessing to be a part of, and I truly can see the Lord working through the example of that ministry in the community, changing the lives of the people of Mulanje for the better.  Project TEACH has a big plan for the future in the establishing of a soccer academy and the growing of the after school program.  I hope and pray that the efforts of a child sponsorship program and the other development projects I worked on with them will help accomplish these goals.

I began my journey with Rays of Hope Ministries in Blantyre last Thursday.  I moved into Willie’s (the leader of Rays of Hope) house, which serves as both his house and the facility for the youth leader program and ministry space for the feeding program.  Willie has taken in a boy from one of the local villages to help him around the house and to provide a space for the boy to live while he attends a local high school.  Two of the other youth leaders, Arthur and Isaac, are also living in Willie’s house  while I am living here for the next two weeks.  I am staying in a small room that is used for storage, with a mattress on the floor and no pillow.  Normally I would feel sorry for myself, but knowing that some of the kids we serve sleep on grass mats with no blanket or pillow, I have no reason to complain.  Willie’s room doubles as his office, and there are two other “bedrooms”, one used as an office for Arthur (who is a volunteer for Rays of Hope) and in which he and Isaac are sleeping for the time I am here, and the other full of four desktop computers which are used for the youth leader program.

The youth leader program looks a little different here than it does at all the other sites.  It is a yearly- based program involving about seven youth from the local community.  Willie works closely with the youth as they act as mentors and counselors for the kids and their families in the after school program. They walk together through a computer training and learning course where Willie teaches them the basics of computer knowledge, including programs such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. They also take part in Bible studies and prayer together, and they participate in evangelism to the local community.  Each youth leader is a part of the program for one year only because Willie believes that they should be able to accomplish everything they need to in one year’s time. They are then  sent  from the program well- equipped to pursue the Lord’s calling on their lives.

The beautiful smiles of two boys from Rays of Hope AfterSchool Program

The after school program runs Monday through Thursday here at Rays of Hope, and has about 120 kids in attendance.  Before the program even starts, about 40 or 50 kids begin to gather at Willie’s house to get lunch.  Willie has been fortunate enough to become friends with the director of another ministry in Blantyre, a medical-based hospital ministry called CURE International.  CURE had some extra food donations and donated about 20 boxes of a rice and soymeal that the leaders cook and serve to the kids every day, providing lunch for the children who cannot go home for lunch, or whose families do not have enough to feed them lunch.  After lunch the kids gather in four classrooms in a schoolhouse that is just a few minutes’ walk from Willie’s house for afternoon tutoring and the after school program.  They study subjects such as math, Bible, agriculture, and English and end the afternoon with a fun program of prayer, songs, Bible lessons, and games.

Willie and I will be working on a number of projects together including the development art project and the sponsorship program.  He is in the process of preparing for a very important Rotary Club meeting where he is going to try to find some local support for Rays of Hope, and he does not have very many resources prepared.  I will be working with him to create a brochure and to get some other important details and promotion pieces in place for these meetings.  Willie is doing a very good job at networking within the local community, and has already seen great benefits from his efforts and connections– one of the advantages of living in the largest city in Malawi.

Prayer Requests:

-          Pray for Willie as he is currently suffering from a boil on his leg.  It has been causing him a lot of pain and making it difficult for him to walk around.  It seems to be getting better, but please pray for continued healing

-   Pray for the future of Project TEACH, that the Lord would continue to provide for them, give Sullivan wisdom as he heads up that program and looks to the future.  For the potential of a soccer academy and the expansion of the after school program in the community of Mulanje.

-   Pray for continued strength from the Lord for all the ministry leaders and myself as we serve the children and youth of Malawi

-   Pray for guidance and direction from the Lord in my life as I look to what He has for my future.

 The children begin the program with prayer, which they say in English since I am their guest and they want me to understand, thanking the Lord for the food and asking His blessing on their families and teachers. They line up out the door to receive either their snack, which is served on Mondays and Wednesdays, or a full meal, which is served on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This week was especially exciting for the children as we focused mainly on the development art program that I am doing with the various ministries. The children do not have the privilege of studying art in school, and so it is very fun and exciting for them to set aside an entire afternoon during the program to simply draw a picture. They are even more excited by the idea that some of their pictures will “become famous” in the United States, and will be turned into prints and note cards that Urban Promise International (UPI) will sell on behalf of the ministries here in Malawi.

Another very exciting time for the children is when I simply take the time to sit down with them as they do their best to teach me new Chichewa (the national language) words. I have some trouble with pronunciation; it is not the easiest language to pick up as it is very different from English. They laugh and joke with me as we learn together– I, Chichewa, and they as they practice their English. I can now form sentences to say a simple greeting, that I love Jesus, and some other very basic words. It has been a lot of fun to learn their language, and sometimes I actually build up enough courage to speak it to locals; they are extremely surprised and happy that I can greet them in their national tongue.

The opposing team coming to the field on the back of a truck.

Hope was in the heart of every player on the Project TEACH soccer team this past Saturday as they had a match against one of their biggest rivals. The team has practiced and prepared for this game for weeks, and the anticipation for the outcome of this match was through the roof. We showed up at the field about an hour early to set up the nets and prepare the boundaries of the field, and the players suited up in their yellow uniforms and waited for the opposing team to arrive. Hundreds of people from the local community and villages came to watch the game. Soon a large flatbed truck came rolling onto the field, on the back of which was the opposing team and a crowd of supporters waving flags, cheering, and blowing their game trumpets upon arrival. The players unloaded onto the field and began their warm-up alongside of our team.

As I was standing on the sidelines watching all of this take place, I noticed that some of the opposing team members were not in the middle of the field taking part of the warm-up, but were instead walking around the field and stopping at every corner to do something. I asked George, one of the youth leaders who is currently injured and cannot play what the opposing players were doing. He laughed and explained to me that the opposing team must have gotten some advice from their local witch doctor who told them that they should perform this ritual around the field; it will bring their team good luck, and will “tie” the feet of the Project TEACH players so they will play poorly. You see, witchcraft is something that is very real here in Malawi. The people whole-heartedly believe in witchcraft, and some people actually practice it. However, our team certainly was not affected by the “spell” that the other team was trying to put them under. The Project TEACH team gathered to pray before the game, played with great skill, and beat the opposing team with a score of 3 to 0, an amazing victory for a team who stands for the only true God and highest power of the universe.

We drove away in Sullivan’s car, blasting their victory song, which is a rap version of the song “Our God is an Awesome God!” Some of the lyrics are, “Our God, is an awesome God, He reigns, from heaven above, with wisdom, power and love, our God is an awesome God.” As we drove home under the dusk of the Malawian sky I couldn’t help but think about the meaning of these words, and suddenly I was so overwhelmed with the reality of what it means that our God is an awesome God.

He is above all, greater than ANYTHING you could ever imagine. He is so much bigger than what we can even begin to understand. He created the moon, the stars, the earth and everything in it, and you and me. He holds everything in its place, He keeps your heart beating every second, and He loves you so much that He sent His Son to earth to be the sacrifice for our sin, which we are absolutely helpless to escape from. He is outside of the boundaries of time, He conquered death, and He showed us how to live through the life of His Son Jesus Christ. He is an awesome God!

How else are we supposed to respond to this awesome, loving, just, merciful God, than to surrender our lives in their entirety to His will, to stand in awe of Him, to fear Him, to love Him from the very depths of our souls, and to share His love through the way we live with others. It is so easy for us to become wrapped up in this world, focusing on our lives day to day and to trying to take our lives into our own hands instead of entrusting them to the one who created life. Our God is an awesome God, and I am so blessed to be able to share Him with the people here in Malawi.

Please pray:

- That the Lord prepares my heart and mind to leave Project TEACH and enter into a new site this coming Wednesday- Rays of Hope in Blantyre.

- For the continued example and testimony of the Project TEACH soccer team to the other teams they encounter and to the community of Mulanje.

- Praise the Lord for how awesome He is. He is more than deserving of our whole-hearted love, devotion, and praise.

 - Pray that the Lord would continue to give me strength and motivation as I continue to work with the ministries here in Malawi.

Project TEACH serves underprivileged children and youth of the Mulanje community through after school programs and a youth leadership program.  After school program runs from two in the afternoon until five, Monday through Thursday.  The children gather in the small school complex to enjoy snacks each afternoon, which usually consists of some sort of bread or other carbohydrate, and a glass of sobo -a fruity drink that you buy by the bottle and dilute with water currently one of my favorite drinks in Malawi.  After snack time the rest of program consists of tutoring and lessons led by the youth leaders- lessons in math, English, agriculture, history, or bible.  Each week the leaders focus on a different subject, and then hold a quiz with the children at the end of each week.  To encourage them in their education and to help them form good study habits, leaders reward the children who do well on the quizzes, and they mentor the ones who are struggling.

The youth leaders are youth who are employed by Project TEACH to help run the program, mentor and act as positive role models for the children.  The youth program not only promotes responsibility and leadership, but it also provides finances for the youth leaders to attend high school, which many of them would otherwise not be able to do because of lack of finances.  They use their earnings from working with Project TEACH to pay for schooling.  The youth leadership program truly is one of a kind.  It encourages young people to be leaders and role models who positively affect their communities.

It has been so much fun getting to know and be a part of the Project TEACH soccer program.  Soccer is the most popular sport here in Malawi. It seems like every boy, no matter what age, wants to be a soccer player, or avidly follows and is dedicated to a team.  The team is well known and respected in the community, and has gained a positive reputation through its team spirit.  The team practices and prays together, and is more like a brotherhood than a soccer team.  Sullivan’s dream for project TEACH is to expand the after school program, to have his own soccer field, and to someday build a soccer academy.  He believes in the importance of teaching leadership, hope, respect, morals, and hard work through the sport of soccer.  It keeps the boys out of trouble and gives them something positive to work towards.  The team is very talented, and I have already had the privilege of watching them play and win two games in their league.

Hope for a brighter future is something that each UPI ministry works to instill in every child and youth.  Their futures seem so determined, so set to be one of poverty, hard work, and struggle.  But they deserve something so much more. They deserveopportunity, education, and a chance for a brighter future.  Organizations like the ministries of UPI are so effective in providing this for the children and youth in the communities that they serve because the leaders and staff are individuals from the communities and county themselves.  They know the issues that need to be addressed, and how to address them.  They themselves broke from the cycle of poverty and have followed the call of the Lord to serve and love others.  This is why it is so important for the church to follow the call of the Lord and to support efforts like these, and join them in any way possible, that we may be a part of providing hope and sharing Christ’s love with others.  As I spend time at each site, I am able to see the great need and potential of the ministries.  It truly has been such a blessing to be able to work alongside these leaders to advise and hopefully expand their ministries through fund development efforts.

Please Pray:

-   For Sullivan and Project TEACH, as he looks to the future of their programs.  That the Lord would provide for a soccer academy, and to grow and expand after school programs.

-  That the Lord continue to provide for the families of Malawi, as the rainy season is almost over they will soon begin to harvest and store food for the coming year.

-   Praise the Lord that He has kept me healthy and safe thus far during my time here in Malawi.

-   For God’s direction and provision for my future as I return to the States in May.