I cherished each one on one time I had with my girls. I truly see them as my own daughters and it was heartbreaking to hear their stories. Make sure you scroll to the bottom to read about my miracle story!
Carol (9 yrs old) - lives with both parents and is the oldest of 4 children
her younger sister struggles with asthma
her father is a security guard and her mother doesn't work
she sleeps on a mat in a house
her friends tease her when they play and they steal
she goes to a community school where some of the teachers bring her clothes/shoes
she wants to be a doctor when she grows up
she feels loved by her parents and everyone at home and by God
she has trusted Jesus as her Savior
prayer requests: she doesn't become a prostitute, she finishes school and has a good job when she finishes school
Memory (11 yrs old) - lives with both parents in a house & sleeps on a mat
has a brother & sister
her father is sick and vomits blood, he's a business man (sells cement)
her mother has contract jobs
if they have food they eat, if they don't have they don't
she suffers from stomach and tooth pains
she goes to a community school where they feed her shima, but is kicked out if they have not paid
she wants to be a nurse when she grows up
suffers from bad dreams every night
feels loved by Auntie Katy, her parents, Americans, God
prayer requests: to have more knowledge in school,
PRAYED TO RECEIVE CHRIST!
Naomi (7 yrs old) - lives with both parents, 13? brothers & sisters (most likely some are cousins), she sleeps on the ground with a blanket
her mother hits her and she doesn't eat much
her father sometimes works as a gardener
her mother washes neighbors clothes for money
she suffers from headaches and stomach pains
her friends make fun of her ("you are poor", "you have no clothes")
she goes to a community school where teachers cook shima and rice
she wants to be a teacher and take kids to school
she is afraid of becoming a prostitute
she feels loved by Auntie Katy & God, wants to be loved by her mother
prayer requests: PRAYED TO RECEIVE CHRIST!
Mercy (10 yrs old) - she lives with her mother, step-father & his 3 children
she has never met her father (her mother told her he is dead, but people have told her that they've seen him in the village)
she eats twice a day and sleeps on a mat
her mother is a business woman who sells fish
her step-father refuses to take her to school but takes his own (she thinks her own father would take her to school)
her friends tease her, her step-siblings tease her about having no father
she was kicked out of school because she came to Camp LIFE
she's afraid of becoming a prostitute
her mother beats her, tells her she hates her, that she has no father and treats her like a step child
prayer requests: that her mother would start loving her
PRAYED TO RECEIVE CHRIST!
[During Mercy's blessing time, I could not keep my tears back. Children are taught to show no emotion. In fact, the only way to stop a beating is to stop crying. As Mercy told me that her own mother treats her step-children like her own and actually tells her that she hates her own daughter the tears just rolled down that precious girls face. Why would a mother tell her own child that she hates her?! It broke my heart. I completely lost it as I prayed over this new child of God. I pray that she would know her heavenly Father's love in such a real way!]
Florence (11 yrs old) - lives with her mother and 4 siblings
her father has another wife and does not provide food for her
her younger sister (2 yrs old) suffers from malaria
her mother has no job
her uncle lives with them and provokes/mistreats her
she likes her friends
she goes to a community school where they just teach & don't give food
she wants to be a soldier when she grows up
she's scared of thieves and prostitutes
her father hits her when her parents fight
prayer requests: for her father to come home
PRAYED TO RECEIVE CHRIST!
[Florence and I instantly connected. I had a feeling that she understood me but wasn't letting me know it! After our blessing time, my partner asked her if she had any questions for me. In perfectly clear English she said, "Auntie Katy tell me about your family." Sneaky little thing! :)]
Lexina (10 yrs old) - lives with her mother & 4 children
her parents are divorced
her mother doesn't work, her uncle provides for them
she sleeps on a mat and eats twice a day
it hurts her that she doesn't have clothes
she likes her friends & likes jumping with a ball
she goes to a community school where they beat her if she makes any noise
she wants to be a teacher when she grows up
she is afraid of becoming a prostitute
it makes her sad when her mother beats her and her sister
she feels loved by Auntie Katy and Jesus
prayer requests: that she'll finish school & her mother would stop beating her
and her sister; PRAYED TO RECEIVE CHRIST!
Christine (9 yrs old) - lives with her mother & 3 siblings
her father passed away
her mother is a business woman (sells fish, vegetables)
she sleeps on a mattress
she goes to a community school but they don't give any food
she wants to be a doctor when she grows up
she is scared of becoming a thief and prostitute
she's sad she had to live without her father
she feels loved by Auntie Katy and God
prayer requests: she wants to finish school
PRAYED TO RECEIVE CHRIST!
Margaret (10 yrs old) - lives with both parents and 3 siblings
her mother doesn't work
her father is a security guard
she sleeps on a mat and eats twice a day
she struggles from coughing and leg pain
her mother doesn't let her go to school or church
she likes her friends
she wants to be a nurse when she grows up
she's afraid of becoming a prostitute & disobeying her parents (I'm guessing they beat her but she never admitted that. She had scars all over her face.)
she feels loved by Auntie Katy, Sharon, Miriam & God
prayer requests: that she can start going to school & church
PRAYED TO RECEIVE CHRIST!
Rose (10 yrs old) - lives at home with both parents & 3 siblings
her father doesn't work, her mother is a maid
sleeps on a mat and eats only once a day (shima)
doesn't always have food, starving
likes her friends
wants to be a business lady when she grows up
she's scared of becoming a thief and of being raped
she's sad that her father doesn't always bring home money
her mother beats her when she makes a mistake
prayer requests: she wants to go back to school & her father to provide
PRAYED TO RECEIVE CHRIST!
Lucy (11 yrs old) - lives with her mother, 3 siblings and aunt & uncle
her father passed away, her mother is a maid
she sleeps in a bed and eats 3 times a day (tea, shima twice)
her cousin beats her youngest sister, tells her "your father is dead"
her uncle beats her
her friends make fun of her ("you are poor", "you're a coward", "we have fathers, you don't")
mother didn't pay money for school
she wants to be a teacher when she grows up
she's afraid of being a prostitute or drunkard (mother is a drunk & strangles her)
her aunt gives her rotten food and it gives her stomach pains
prayer requests: wants to finish school, PRAYED TO RECEIVE CHRIST!
When I got back from Zambia I was overwhelmed when I thought of getting sponsors for all 10 of these precious girls. How could I communicate the urgent needs of these girls and find people who would be committed to provide for their schooling, food and medical needs? A friend of mine knew that this was a concern of mine and prayed that I wouldn't have to say a word about sponsoring these girls. That people would just come up to me and ask me about how to sponsor them. I thought this was a huge thing to ask, but the one thing I learned in Zambia was that God can do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20).
Three days later, I had a friend text me and ask about sponsor information for my girls. I hadn't said a WORD. In fact I was getting excited because they had said girls plural. How incredible if two of my girls got sponsored! I looked up my Ambassador's website with my girls information and noticed that only 9 were showing up online and then I sent on the information in an email. Later that evening someone else told me that they would like to sponsor one of my girls. This was incredible!!
I checked my Ambassador's website again before going to sleep that night and saw that all 9 of my girls who were up on the website had been moved over to the SPONSORED column. I thought it was a mistake! I scrolled down and saw my friend's name beside ALL NINE OF MY GIRLS. And the one who wasn't online yet... she was already promised a sponsor! The Lord blew me away. It's as if He said, "Listen Katy, you really shouldn't worry about things. I'm just going to go ahead and show you what I can do." Thank you Jesus for my miracle and the sponsorship of ALL 10 of my girls.
Now, they will receive an education, three meals a day, the medical care they need and discipleship from believers in their communities. And believe it or not, because of this sponsorship their home lives should change dramatically. As twisted as it sounds, these girls will most likely be taken care of now because their parents think their daughters can take care of them later because of their education. I pray that's the case for each of these girls.
If you feel like the Lord is calling you to sponsor one of the children we met in Zambia, please let me know. The rest of my family still have kids that they need to get sponsored. It costs $40 a month plus a one time enrollment fee of $85.
