Happy 4th of July

It's the 4th and we celebrated in Zambia with all of Family Legacy staff.  We had a cookout here at Am Com (American Complex) where Taylor and Amanda live.  It was fun getting ready this afternoon and preparing with Amanda and her friends for the big event.

I have had the opportunity to spend time with Amanda and her neighbor, Erin, and see what they do on a daily basis.  We've been to the Tuesday market where they purchased vegetables for the next 2 weeks, been to the grocery store and then today to the market to purchase fabrics for me a quilt and for Amanda a project.  It's hard to explain what it's all like, but at any of the markets you have street boys who will do anything for $, including saving you a parking place, watching your car and carrying your bags.  I took some pictures and  I will try to post those ASAP.  I never felt uncomfortable or crowded in, but there is just so much moving around.  And that driving on the wrong side of the street (if you can call some of them streets) stresses me out a bit.

Kevin & Taylor returned from their great adventure in Kasaka.  They had a wonderful time with the sights and stuff, and got home with some great pictures.  I think Kevin's going to post some of those on Facebook.

We head out tomorrow morning for the Tree of Life to begin setting up Blessing House.  There will be 4 new homes dedicated on Friday and we'll meet the children who will be living in the house that day. We will have an opportunity to visit them and share what all is in the house.  Then on Sunday we will return to worship together.  I am so excited and it's an extra blessing to have Taylor, Amanda and Lilly doing that with us.

Lilly has gotten pretty acquainted with us and even reached for me when someone else had her at the party tonight.  I also got to read to her and put her to bed.  It was a precious time and I'm treasuring each minute with her.

So what I've come to realize is that while our kids are living in a nice home inside a safe complex, just across their concrete wall and then another one lies a whole different world which is referred to as compounds.  A community where there may or may not be any electricity or water and no real streets.  And these compounds surround this city.  It's a city of the haves (wealthy) and the have nots (middle class and lower) and there's very little that bridge them.  Pray for the FM staff as they minister to the children of these compounds.