Tuesday, November 15, 2011

God is Faithful, He is Our Provider!

We prayed for rain and it rained all night on Sunday night. Right now we have a low water table and there is no water coming to our pipes at the school. God also directed us to purchase a tank large enough for one day’s water supply. We mounted it in the trailer and make a trip daily to refill it. 

It is amazing how much water it takes to have enough for 130 people to drink, prepare food, bath, and flush toilets.  This culture knows how to conserve water and they are adjusting well. Most of their homes do not have running water. We on the other hand are not used to it. I can’t tell you the last time I bathed out of a bucket. There was a learning curve. 

We (Kathy & I) talked last night that we can see that we are really called and enjoy the “people stuff“ but not the tasks that keep everything moving. We have seen so many needs here, not only with the students, but the teachers and staff as well. This place needs many others to come and keep everything running. This is more than what one or two people can do.

Here in rural Zambia, it is not uncommon for a man to have more than one wife and family. We can see the deep wounds this has caused in the women, and ultimately the children. I had a conversation with one of the male boarding parents, who is 22, and he told me his generation does not think it is healthy and wants to see that change. I was encouraged!

 We see some very deep emotional needs in some of the students.  So many have been abandoned, or orphaned. Their hearts are wounded. The only family and love they know is here at MICS. Other students have grandparents or “aunties” that they stay with on the weekends & during term breaks. In many cases, these weekend homes offer no structure or care. We see that they would better off in full-time boarding. 

One student we have had to talk with several times stays with his grandmother on the weekends. She is very old, and unable to handle this youngster. He is strong-willed and prefers his friends in the marketplace that also have no boundaries. He is often absent, tardy and disrespectful. The boarding father brought him to us this morning, as he is at his wits end.  

One of our teachers has a 10 year old daughter living with her grandma in another city because she can’t afford to have her here. We ask ourselves, “How can she pour herself into the students in her class each day, and then the boarding kids each afternoon & evening but not be able to be a mom to her own daughter?”  We see the need to find a sponsor so her daughter can get the same education that her own mother is offering to many others. 

The boarding kids have dreams. Last night before evening devotions I talked with Mutinta, who is in 6th grade and he has a dream of being a Pharmacist. He loves science and sees that as a gift and feels that’s his call. That’s the stuff we get excited about. 

We have also seen the quality of education the students are getting here at MICS. On Saturday, a business man stopped by to tour the school. He lives 1 ½ hours away in Choma.  He’d heard about the school and wants his daughters to start attending next year. We also have had several teachers bring applications because they have heard about the working conditions and quality of education here at MICS & they want to be part of it. God is on the move here in this bush village and it is exciting see. 

Now that we have a workable solution for water, we can pay more attention to the people and letting God pour into them through us.

Here it is! New tank arrived from Choma!

Dean, Fisher, Greg and Ethony unload the new water tank.

Kathy helped hold the hose for this tank's maiden fill.

Joyce, one of the boarding cooks draws water front the 1,000 ltr. tank. Greg has to fill this once a day, instead of making multiple water runs with containers.

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for sharing Dad! I like hearing your perspective and hearing about what you're seeing! What an amazing light MICS is in the middle of the bush! God is drawing people: students, teachers, parents, workers to potentially be apart of what He is up to! How awesome!!!

    I love you!!

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