halfway point

well it's been 2 weeks since i arrived in zambia and i feel like so much has happened! i'm back in the capital city of lusaka because one of our team members left this morning to head home. tomorrow 4 more arrive (including my parents) and then on friday we will head up to the village again. i left my brother and andy in the village for a few days and i think they're enjoying some freedom. hopefully they figure out how to boil water so they can eat! haha! just kidding... they know how to boil water. :)

our time so far has been VERY relational which is great. after coming here for 4 years there are some deep relationships that require time while i am here and i am happy to give it! my dear friend agness just recently had her 3rd child (a baby boy named blessing) so i've enjoyed some cuddle time with him. you may remember me talking about her oldest daughter named gracie in year's past and how she was scared of me because i was white. well this year something changed and all she wants to do is be on my lap! i'm happy that she's no longer scared of me. i guess it's cause she's 4 now... you know how things change when you turn 4. ;)

that's her and i in the picture!

we were so excited to deliver over 50 books to the kaombe basic school. they were purchased with funds from the "soap for hope" project from last christmas. kids in coatesville made soap and the profits were to be used for the school. they were in desperate need of books so it was a blessing to be able to help them out! the teachers and students were so happy when we delivered them!

we've also gotten the chance to visit a couple surrounding villages who are trying to start different endeavors, such a goat project and a craft club. there's been lots of traditional food and dancing which always makes for exciting times.

one of the most amazing things so far has been seeing the completed water project in the village. there are water taps all over the place and you can tell what a relief it has been to the community. people no longer have to walk 1-3km to get water. for some it's now a super short distance. lots of people have started gardens in their yards where they're growing vegetables for their families to eat. now that they have access to plenty of water they can easily tend their gardens and now provide food for their families or even sell it to neighbors!

i was going to put more pictures up but the internet is really slow today so you'll just have to wait!

thank you for all the prayers! please keep them coming! on friday we travel back to the village for the last leg of our journey. pray for the remaining projects we have and the time spent with our friends- that it would be fruitful and that God would allow us to encourage them and speak into their lives.

miss you all so much!!!