Wisdom and Sera

While I was in Zambia, my sister Heather and I were going around to all the various new Community Resource Centers. When we came to the Matero CRC, this adorable little boy immediately ran to me and gave me a super tight hug! (DARLING!) When he pulled back, I recognized his sweet face ~ his name is Wisdom.

We were holding an Education Zone meeting at the Matero CRC that day, and so I asked little Wisdom to come in and lead us in prayer, and GOODNESS ~ it was a POWERFUL PRAYER!  After the meeting, Heather and I sat down with Pastor Angel who lives at the Matero CRC and talked about Wisdom’s situation.

Little Wisdom (9 years old) and his older sister Sera (13 years old) were living with their mom and step-dad at their uncle’s house. Not unlike most uncles in Zambia, this man was very abusive to the kids, and their step-dad wasn’t any better. Their mom has no way to earn an income, and so her means of provision for her children has just been to keep re-marrying different men so that they will help take care of her and the children. Well, a little over a month ago, her latest husband left her, and not knowing what to do, she ran away ~ leaving her children at the mercy of their uncle. Without any provision from their mom or step-father, their abusive uncle kicked the children out of his house, and Wisdom and Sera were left homeless on the street . . .

Thankfully, because of Family Legacy’s new initiative with the Community Resource Centers through The Father’s Heart Program, these two desperate children knew where to turn!  Wisdom and Sera have been living at the Matero CRC for 5 weeks now, and they are loving it there! Pastor Angel and his wife live at the CRC full-time and are taking excellent care of these kids…Pastor Angel even has a dog named “Simple” who has become Wisdom’s new best friend! Wisdom even introduced me to Simple when I visited him and was so proud to show me “his dog”! Isn’t it great when kids just get to be kids?!?!

Anyway, our incredible Family Legacy Staff didn’t stop there. Teddy Lukwesa (the Head of our Discipleship Department) along with our Discipleship Team for the Matero Area, set out to find Wisdom and Sera’s mom! They actually traced her all the way to Kanyama (which is on the far side of Lusaka from Matero) and discovered that she had just been staying with different neighbors here and there for a few days at a time…In the midst of her seemingly hopeless circumstances, our Discipleship Team was able to minister to her right where she was and pour the love of Jesus into her! Our Economic Department came to the rescue as well, as they are now looking to find a house for her in Kanyama that they can pre-pay the rent for six months in order to allow the children to be re-united with their mother. This would afford time for their mother to attend our economic empowerment training and micro-loan program. At the end of the program, she will receive a small-business loan so that SHE can start a business and provide for her own family, enabling her to not have to rely on fleeting husbands or abusive uncles. Praise the Lord for His goodness!!

My sister Heather and co-worker Josh Rives went to follow-up on Wisdom and Sera this past Saturday, and found the children having a terrific time playing at the CRC. Josh enjoyed playing soccer or “futbol” as they like to say, and Heather entertained the children with taking LOTS of pictures…the kids just LOVE to have their pictures taken! Sweet Wisdom climbed a tree to pick Mangos for lunch while they were there. They all ate a big meal of n’shima, kapenta, beans ~ and Wisdom’s mangos for dessert ~ Delicious!! 😉

Heather and Josh also met another family of four children at the CRC who have already been helped by the economic empowerment program. Their mother has now started a small business and the four kids come to play at the CRC during the day for fun! Their names are Fostina, Simon, Paul, and little Ruth.

Thank you for taking the time to read this story. . . THANKFULLY, there are SO MANY MORE just like this one, as there are now 18 Community Resource Centers set up all around Lusaka in the various communities in which we serve…we praise God for HIS DIVINE PLAN in giving us HIS vision for setting up these Community Resource Centers…truly God’s Heart to see these kids fully restored knows no end!!! We are so grateful that HE is the One in charge of Family Legacy, and we give HIM all the honor and glory due to His beautiful Name!!