Zambia Experience

On November 28th I left Sioux Falls for Johannesburg, South Africa and then on to Livingstone, Zambia, Africa.  The flight from South Dakota to South Africa was 16 hours from Atlanta, GA.  Long flight but what an experience.

The team consisted of 21 Americans from Sioux Falls, South Dakota.  There were three married couples on the team.  Ages ranged from 20's to 60's.

Upon arrival to Livingstone, Zambia, Africa on November 29th, we met our hosting team and shared introductions and living arrangements for the next two weeks.  Our team was split into two different lodging locations both in Livingstone.  Some stayed in a home where our African hosts lived and the others of us stayed in a home owned by a partner missionary family from the USA who use their home for mission teams visiting the area.  Their home became the headquarters location for all of the team members to meet for daily devotions, team time, worship, teaching, and meals.  The total team consisted of 40 members.

The first five days was spent waking at 0630, Zambia time which would have been eight hours ahead of South Dakota time, to help fix breakfast for the team.  After breakfast we loaded a mini-bus and van to head into town for outreach.  Each day we met at a church, Kingdom Impact, located within walking distance to community where we ministered to the people.  We were divided into three teams as Americans and Africans mixed and leaders identified for each team.  The first day, the teams walked the community for the first thirty minutes doing a prayer walk which consisted of us walking the street and praying for the community and it's occupants.  It was great seeing and hearing all the children noticing "white Americans" walking with their African brothers only praying and not speaking.  We were called, "Macoua's" which means "white people".  After the prayer walk we returned to the same area and stopped to visit with families and children.  We continued each day spending two and one half hours walking the community, visiting, and praying with the families.  We witnessed miracles; served the people assisting with laundry and dish washing; praying for healing or physical and spiritual needs; and sharing life with the community members.

The first family my team met was a woman and her family from Ghana who was outside adding dirt to the yard for planting landscaping plants to provide additional shade and privacy.  The dirt needed to be raked so we assisted with the raking and then gathered in the backyard under a shade tree to visit with the family and pray with them.  We visited this family on three different days and they attended the celebration we hosted at the church "Kingdom Impact" on the following Monday.

Another family we met was an older gentleman, his wife, daughter, and two of his grandchildren who invited into their home to visit and have prayer.  The gentleman asked us for prayers for his son needed a job, his granddaughter who was currently at the local clinic seeking medical care, and for continued supply of daily needs.

Other community members we met and ministered to included: many children of various ages, school with ten students of elementary age, mother with five children under the age of ten and the youngest who was ill with fever and diarrhea, two men who were nephew and uncle, older gentlemen, families, and young adults.

During the visits we shared fresh mangos from the trees with the children quickly climbing up the trees to gather the mangos for us.  We roasted peanuts over a open fire and shared them.  We helped with outdoor hanging laundry, raking, and cleaning dishes.

Prayers answered were for healing of a young man who had been experiencing weakness of his left side since a motor vehicle accident in August leaving him with a limp; a child under the age of one with diarrhea and high fever, restoration of water supply to wells, and others.

We spent time one afternoon driving out to the bush where we saw a new orange tree grove being planted and a church being built.  This village had recently installed a hand pump well for water supply.

Other visits were made to orphanages, safari drive, Victoria Falls, and attended local churches on Sunday morning with our team dividing into three teams and attending three different churches.

One of the African team members played the flute for guests at a local hotel and we were allowed to attend one his performances and view the sunset over the mist from Victoria Falls.  We experienced the sight and sounds of a large hippo in the Zambia River which connects Zambia to Zimbabwe.

One of the highlights for me was the visitation and tour of the Zimba Mission Hospital where a missionary couple live and work who are supported by our local Sioux Falls Church.  They have 175,000 patient visits/year and 140 births/month.

The trip was truly an experience of living the Zambian culture and being humbled by their generosity and warm welcome.  The trip was a life changing experience for me and the friendships made will continue well beyond these few days.  Prior to leaving we exchanged contact information to allow ongoing support and relationships.

Thank you for reading and enjoy the photos.

Reflection on Service Learning

Quote shared related to service learning in course syllabus was, "Students, in the course of their formation, must let the gritty reality of this world into their lives, so they can learn to feel it, think about it critically, respond to its suffering and engage it constructively.  They should learn to perceive, think, judge, choose, and act for the rights of others, especially the disadvantaged and oppressed".

I see the doctoral level service learning experience supports the above quote.  It could be very easy for me to become consumed in my daily nursing career within looking beyond the walls of the organization or state or nation.  Service learning allows me see beyond myself and my surroundings to areas that one my own would possibly never experience.

I have always been drawn to missions which to me is very much a service learning commitment.  I love to share, grow, learn, and live with a different personal culture for a time and see how God has placed each one of us in a different place for a purpose.  Reading or viewing a culture other than my own in a book or movie is not the same as experiencing a culture different than my own.  It allows me to walk in their shoes for awhile and experience the culture physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.  It can be risky to let yourself go into this space but the rewards are huge upon your return to own culture.  I know from personal experience in the past and with the planned journey to Zambia that I am not the same person coming back home as I was when I left.  What a blessing it is to see and experience another culture.  I find it amazing how a population of disadvantage and oppressed people can be some joyful and thankful.  It puts me to shame at times and makes me realize the waste in my life that I could be sharing with others.

I believe that all people should experience the opportunity of service learning which could be done in your own community or a far away land.  It involves stepping outside your own comfort zone and get in with the world of a different way of living.  I feel that I am a better person for being given the opportunities of service learning and my life and family life has received the rewards from such experiences.

More Planning and Preparation for Zambia Mission Trip

Funds have been secured for my mission trip to Zambia, Africa leaving Sioux Falls, SD at 0605 on November 28, 2014 with final destination of Johannesburg, South Africa where we will stay one night and then fly on to Livingstone.  We will stay in Livingstone where we will working with a partner organization and going into communities they are involved in and serve.

We will be blessing homes and families in rough communities.  We want to bless them, pour into them, listen to their stories, love on them so big and practice discerning how the Lord is leading us to do this.  We will be splitting into small groups and going out into the community.  Each group will have an American & African and we will learn to lean on each other and work together to pour ourselves into the lives of these families.

The team members including myself meet on October 26th to discuss further plans and have a time of learning to know each other over pizza.  We have three young married couples traveling with the team and the rest will be individuals from various walks of life.

We will build on relationships and the power of presence with our new friends in Zambia.  I will be present and let God work through me.  I know that God doesn't need me, but He uses me.  As a team we will have many experiences in Zambia and know that all we experience will be part of the experience.

I am asking for prayer support for myself and the team as we make final preparations and become mentally, physically, and spiritually ready for the work that God has in store for each of us.  Pray for safety, protection, wisdom, discernment, and God's leading and speaking through us to the communities we will serve.  May God's blessings rest among our team and the African people who will work along side us and teach us the Zambian culture.

Another exciting part of the mission will be participation in the World's Aids Day on December 1st in Zambia.  1 in 7 people are HIV Positive and 63% of people infected are women & children.  Pray as we minister to these people.

Again I ask for prayer support today and until I return from Africa for safety, protection, health, wisdom, and strength.  Also pray for my family that will be staying home and being apart from me during this time of ministry.  May God richly bless me and the team for what God has planned for us through this ministry.

Thank you all and I will post pictures upon my return and if able may post some from Africa.

Serving Others

This has been a busy summer with multiple activities at and through our church.  We have hosted and organized two family events on two different weekends.  One was a cookout at the church after Sunday morning worship and the other was a bike, run, or walk on the City's 26 mile bike trail around the city, praying for our community, followed by a hot dog, chips, and drink picnic in one of the City's park locations.  All activities were well attended and great fellowship.  At all events we had non-church attendees participate and at the bike trail we handed out water to other users of the trail that morning and visited with a homeless man providing him lunch.  What a blessing it is to serve and provide for others.  God is so good, all the time, God is good!


Other news regarding further development of my Zambia Mission Trip scheduled for November 28, 2014 to December 11, 2014.  I will be part of a fifteen member team comprised of church members from two locations here in Sioux Falls.  We have held one team informational meeting with team building activities.  We found out that some of the activities we will be involved in while in Zambia are:

• Large scale Hopefest
• Student camp
• Choma Music Academy
• AIDS orphanages and hospital visits
• Participation in the World AIDS Day celebration and educational event for the public.

All events are largely targeted to youth up to the age of 30 years who are orphans due to a variety of reasons.  During my time in Zambia I will be visiting and assisting two physician missionaries from our church at the Zambia Mission Hospital.  This will be a wonderful experience and allow us to immerse into the Zambian culture.  I am asking family and friends for prayer support started now and continue until we return home to protect and guard against spiritual warfare and also asking for financial support to help with the expenses of the travel.

I am excited to see a different region of Africa since my trip to Ghana two years ago.  Please join me in prayer for safety, protection, provision, and health.  Thank you all for your support.

Quote to share with you

This is a quote I took from the book Integrative Pediatrics and strongly supports what I am attempting to achieve through my service learning opportunities.

" Children are society's most valuable resource and must be nurtured within the context of healthy families, communities, and environment."

Reference:

Culbert, Timothy P. & Olness, Karen (2010) Integrative Pediatrics. Weil Integrative Medicine  Library. Oxford University Press.

Another exciting opportunity

As I am working with my pastor on service projects we met today and a mission trip will be occurring to Zambia, Africa, November 28-December 11, 2014.  The trip will allow the team to be in Africa on National AIDS Day which will be interesting to be a part of.  The majority of the trip will be serving children with health events and Bible School event.  More details to come.  It is amazing how God uses you when you allow yourself to be used.

Another semester is here

I am continuing with my church as my service learning project.  We are currently working on a project to make families feel welcomed and secure in our church and be willing to share with other community members less fortunate than us.  We want to be family of families and this will work well with Safe Families for Children and finding resources for the parents.  Another project we will be working on is finding resources for a couple of volunteers who have been working volunteers for human sex trafficking in our community.  A desperate immediate need is a safe location for these gals to be able to go when they are seeking help from this life-style of being human sex traffic victim.  I could not believe how prevalent this is in my community and State.  It is very scary when the average age of victims is 12-14 years old.  I feel it is time for the church to step up to the plate and be the face of Jesus to others and be active in prevention and help for such issues.  More to come.

Safe Families for Children Update

Sunday after our church service I spoke with a member who in the past was interested in the SFFC program and become a mentor at our church but due to work changes she was unable to commit to the program so she reported "I had to let it go".  We discussed the program and both decided it was a wonderful program and something that our church could embrace and make a difference in the community.  We discussed the potential for her and I to tag team the position as program mentor for our church and we are praying about the opportunity and will determine the direction soon.  I also spoke with our Pastor and shared the opportunity with him.  He is supportive of moving forward with the program and we will arrange a time in the near future for the program director to come to our church and present to our church board members and then the entire church to gain support of the program.  I am looking forward to this opportunity to help families in crisis and allow our church the opportunity to become more actively involved in a community program.

Reflection on Information regarding the Safe Families for Children Program

After hearing the presentation on SFFC I could not get the idea that I could become involved with this program thorough my church which I am already very involved and like to connect my service learning activities to community activities that I am involved with through my church.

I plan to discuss the concept of the SFFC program with my pastor and arrange for the presenter to come to a board meeting at the church and share this information with the board to gain support for beginning a connection through our church.  I am a member of the board so feel very comfortable visiting with the pastor about this opportunity and share my ideas with him.  I find it amazing that our daughter church is participating in the program and one of our church members is hosting a child right now through a connection with our daughter church.  Our pastor has a focus on community and showing God's love to our community so I cannot believe that he has not already been presented with some of this information but I am willing to step out in faith and see what happens.

Being an adopted child and having an adopted son makes the SFFC program a deeper passion and interest for me.  I would love to be able to help a family in crisis by watching their children while they have time to sort things out.  I would love to be a mentor to them and provide support as able with other members of my church family.

I plan to discuss with my pastor this weekend and will update my blog with the results.  I will continue to pray that God continues to open doors of opportunities for me as I continue to grow in my DNP journey.

Safe Families for Children Project

Today I had a wonderful opportunity to listen to a presentation titled "Save Families for Children" program through our local Bethany Christian Services.  It is a program similar to foster parenting but much better.  The theme is to share God's love with families in Need.  It is a call to the local churches to step up and do what Christ has called us to do for those in need.

Safe Families for Children (SFFC) helps parents experiencing a temporary crisis by providing a loving Christian family with whom their children may stay until the crisis has passed.

Families helping Families
When a crisis strikes, many people rely on relative or friends for support but some families have no safety net.  Problems such as postpartum depression or unemployment can hit suddenly and be debilitating.  Children may then be at risk of neglect or abuse without some kind of support for the family in crisis.

Now, parents experiencing a temporary crisis can ask SFFC to find a Christian host family for their children (newborns through age 17) to stay with while the parents address the issues that led to their situation.  There is no charge for SFFC.  Volunteer Host Families are motivated by compassion and are not financially compensated.

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Host Families include singles, married couples with or without children, and empty nesters who make room in their hearts and homes for children in need.  SFFC volunteers can have a powerful, positive impact on the lives of others while practicing biblical hospitality, extending the love of Christ to the people in need, and sharing their faith--all from their own homes!

HOW DOES SAFE FAMILIES FOR CHILDREN WORK?
Referrals to SFFC come from a variety of sources, including schools, hospitals, state child protection agencies, churches, and social service organizations.  Sometimes, parents call us directly for help, SFFC Family Coaches work quickly to contact an available Host Family.

Volunteer Host Families undergo an extensive screening process, receive training, and agree to host children at their own discretion.  The average length of stay is 31 days, but it could be overnight or in some cases, one year depending on the individual circumstance.  Most children who live with Host Families are 6 years or younger.

SFFC is not adoption or foster care. Parents maintain full custody of their child and are encouraged to participate in decisions regarding their child's care while they address the issues that led to the crisis.

It is important that children and parents maintain their relationship as much as possible.  Parents are encouraged to remain actively involved in their children's lives during their time with a Host Family and are also encouraged to develop relationships with other families who volunteer to help in various ways through the SFFC ministry.  SFFC Family Coaches and volunteers also maintain contact with the parents to encourage them on their path to stability.

SFFC has a proven record of safely and successfully helping families recover from crisis.  Currently, 85% of all families served by SFFc are reunited, often in the most stable environment they have every known.

SFFC began in 2002, It has helped people in a variety of situations:

• Parents facing eviction and homelessness
• A mother who couldn't find childcare when her sudden illness required surgery
• Children whose mothers were undergoing drug rehabilitation
• A teen being rejected by her parents because of an unplanned pregnancy

Opportunities to Serve

SFFC is only successful when entire communities come together to support both the Host Family and the family being served.  Volunteers are needed at every level to help provide for the needs of our children.

As a Host Family caring for a child in your home, a Family Friend standing alongside a family offering wisdom and guidance, or providing essential support through material goods, you will impact your community for good and potentially help a family chart a course to sustained health and success.  You can get started today.

Volunteer opportunities in your area may include:

•  Host Families
• Volunteer families willing to open their homes to children in crises and provide a safe and loving atmosphere for them on a temporary basis.

• Providing Resources
• Most children come to SFFC with very few supplies and possessions and Host Families are not reimbursed for any expenses they incur.  Therefore, the donation of items including (but not limited to): diapers, formula, cribs, care seats, strollers, and clothing is essential.

• Family Friends
• Volunteers willing to provide care of children while Host Families or parents being served run an errand; befriending a parent in crisis who needs a listening ear; accompaniment to a medical appointment, or transportation.  A volunteer who also becomes like a mentor to a parent in crisis.

• Mentors
• Mature Christians serving in a mentoring role to connect with the family being served; assisting with and addressing the circumstances that led to their crisis.

• Professional Services
• A comprehensive network of professionals willing to provide services on a donated or discounted rate for the support of children in crisis and/or volunteer families.  Doctors, dentists, hair-care professionals, handymen, and house cleaners are just a few examples.

• Support Groups
• Groups of individuals providing prayer, encouragement, and support to Host Families and the family in crisis.  Examples include play groups, coffee talks, burger night, etc.

• Family Coaches
• Volunteers who help facilitate the co-parenting relationship between the SFFC Host Parent and parent being served during a hosting arrangement.  Their primary focus is ensuring the well-being of the child(ten) while coordinating communications between various agencies, Host Family, and the family being served.

Can the Host Family Adopt the Child?

The goal of the SFFC is to reunite children with their parent in a home that is more stable and healthy, in part, because of the contribution of the SFFC intervention.  Currently, 85% of all families in the project come back together, often in the most stable environment they've ever known.  If, however, the parent loses legal custody of their child(ten), we urge Host Families to contact a social services agency about the possibility of fostering or adopting.

This is an awesome ministry of Bethany Christian Services and I plan to bring the presenter of the program to our church and promote our church's involvement in this project.  I found out today that one of our daughter churches is already greatly involved in the project and has host families already in place and are serving parents in crisis situations.  I am passionate about this type of project due to my background of being an adopted child and having an adopted son.  What better way for the church community to live out our faith and show our Christ-like love to our community members in crisis.  I will keep you updated on the progress and look forward to learning more about the project and getting it going in our church.

Hosting for gym guests at my church

Basketball season for the youth in our community has come to an end and so has the youth events in our Church gym.  I was able to organize hosting of our church board members including myself on Saturday mornings until March 8th which was our last event.  We served coffee, gatorade, and donut holes each week and shared with the guests and family members entering our church doors.  It was a great time and if was fun to visit with others from our community that did not know about our church or denomination.  It was amazing to watch and hear the reactions from people about us providing and serving for them free of charge.  The kids of course loved the donut holes and gatorade, especially after they completed their games.  A lot of younger and older siblings also attended and shared in the fellowship.  We had multiple parents inquire about our church activities and service times which was awesome to be able to share with them.  We handed out postcard sized informational cards about our church and welcomed them to visit on a Sunday morning or Wednesday evening children's activities. On any given saturday we went through 600 donut holes, 5 gallons of gatorade, and 50 cups of coffee.  Each week I would arrange the hosts from the church board, make the drink, and get the donut holes from the neighboring HyVee Bakery and early on Saturday morning around 5:30am I would set up the items near the outside doors and on the way to the gym for all guests to see and partake.  It was a very successful event and something that we are planning to do again and also looking into other opportunities to provide a welcoming atmosphere to our community non-church attendees using our gym.  What a great experience to serve the community and share the gospel in a non-threatening environment.

www.linwoodchurch.org

Welcome

I am not sure if I have this created or not so here we go for the first test.