Gertrude...

My heart is extremely heavy as I write...sweet Gertrude passed away yesterday. She was taken to the hospital on Monday night with severe diarrhea and went to be with the Lord early Tuesday morning. Josh received a call from Family Legacy's health department yesterday morning with the news. She was buried yesterday as well. They do funerals very quickly here since they don't have a way to preserve the body. Her little body was so ravaged by AIDS that the diarrhea (and dehydration) was just too much for it to handle. I'm still trying to process everything. My heart is so broken, but I'm trusting in God's plan and timing for her life. I know that her suffering here on earth is over and now she is rejoicing with Jesus in heaven! Praise God for that! I just wish that there was more that I could do. Please pray for Gertrude's family, especially her parents, as they deal with the loss of a child. Pray that the Lord strengthens their bodies and keeps them healthy so they can care for their other 2 children. Gertrude's mom was in the hospital a couple of weeks ago with pneumonia. I'm hoping that I'll get to visit the family this week. My time here in Zambia is quickly running out! Family Legacy took care of the funeral expenses and provided food for the family.

Visiting Karen...

Two weekends ago I went to visit Karen, one of the girls that Josh and I sponsor through Family Legacy's child sponsorship program "Father's Heart." Karen was in my group at Camp LIFE 2008 and we started sponsoring her immediately after we returned to the states. Karen is doing fantastic....she looks wonderful ("fat" as they call it here in Zambia....which is a compliment) and doing great in school (grade 8). Our monthly sponsorship allows Karen to attend a private school here in Lusaka, so she is getting a very good education!

It was such a blessing to see her after 2 years! She didn't know that I was coming to visit her, so she was very surprised when she saw me. Josh was able to visit her last summer when he was here. We were able to spend about an hour and a half together at one of Family Legacy's Community Resource Centers before we went to visit her family for a food drop. I'm hoping that Josh and I will get to go see her one last time before I leave next week.

Outside of the grocery store after we purchased all of the food....Julie went to visit her sponsored child as well. Mom and Susie joined us for the visits and food drops.

Karen and I at the CRC...we enjoyed softies (cokes) and cookies and worked on some bible activity sheets. It was so much fun catching up with her!

Karen and I at her house with her mother, older sister and nephew. They were extremely grateful for the food! We had a fun visit (with a translator...Karen can speak English fairly well, but the rest of her family can not) and enjoyed a time of prayer together before we left.

Karen's house...

Karen and I with our moms...

24 Weeks...

There's no doubting it that I'm definitely pregnant now! My clothes are fitting MUCH tighter thanks to my quickly expanding belly...baby is a mover for sure...constantly doing somersaults inside me to remind me that he/she is there (which is making it a bit difficult to sleep)....and I'm thoroughly enjoying the last weeks (or probably days) of my belly button! I have loved being pregnant so far and look forward to the weeks ahead...it really is amazing to me how much my body is changing with each passing week! I will be so sad to leave Zambia next Wednesday, but I am looking forward to getting home and preparing for baby's arrival. I can't wait to start working on the nursery and registering for everything that baby will need!

I told Josh to turn on the "minimize the fat face" setting on our camera, but he ignored me! :)

A day of rest...

I've been going non-stop since we arrived in Lusaka 5 weeks ago! This morning I had a doctor's appointment, so I decide to take the afternoon off and get caught up on blogging, reading, laundry and some much needed rest! Below are 3 new blog posts from this morning and last week...enjoy!

23 Week Doctor's Visit...

This morning I went to Corpmed Medical Centre in Lusaka....I saw Dr. Christine MacDonald, an OB who is from Scotland. She practices part time and also runs an orphanage full time with her husband. They have taken in 26 street children from Lusaka. She is a neat lady and Josh and I really enjoyed meeting her today. Baby Rives is doing well. I had my urine, blood and blood pressure tested and everything looks perfect. Baby's heartbeat is nice and strong too. Dr. MacDonald had a hard time finding it at first because baby was moving around so much! Josh took a few pictures with his iPhone of the clinic...

The entrance...

Waiting area...

The room Dr. MacDonald saw me in...

Waiting to pay....my visit cost 450,000 Kwacha (about $90)...If only it was that cheap in Dallas!

We are extremely thankful for a good report today for baby and I! Baby Rives, you are extremely loved here in Zambia...

My girls love you...
And Agness loves you! She wants a baby sister really bad...

Best JOY Party Ever!

The JOY Party on Fridays at Camp LIFE is always the highlight of the week....but it was even more special last week since I got to share it with my family/friends and girls!

Mom and I getting our girl's blessing boxes ready...

Julie working on her blessing boxes...

Mom dancing for JOY with the girls...

Sweet Florence...

Nelson partying with his boys! Nelson works with me at DFW Events....his entire family came to Camp LIFE last week. It was such a blessing to have them here!

JOY Explosion!

Sarah and Eunice having fun in the confetti...

Our girls celebrating all of their blessings...

Mom and I celebrating the amazing week we had with our Zambian partners, Alice (left) and Sandra (right)! The Lord truly blessed us with an incredible team! Five of our girls came to know the Lord last week!!!

On the Summit at the TOL....

On Friday afternoons after the kids leave camp, we take all of the Americans out to the Tree of Life Children's Village for a tour of the land and to meet all of the kids who live there. The 200 acres Family Legacy owns outside of Lusaka is breathtaking, especially the view from the summit! The ministry is raising money to build a multipurpose center on the summit to hold Camp LIFE at....so hopefully next summer or the summer after that, all the kids who attend Camp LIFE will get to enjoy this beautiful view of their country too!

Me with my Aunt Susie, mom and mother-in-law...

With the Robinson family....Nelson, Ali, Campbell and Banner. They all had an incredible week at Camp LIFE!

Nelson and I...

With my honey...

And because I just can't get enough of her....here is another picture with Aggie! Everyone loved meeting her!

Dodge Ball...

On Friday morning last week, my girls played an intense game of Zambian style dodge ball (with a ball made out of plastic bags). I was truly blessed by watching them play together. For a few minutes, they were able to let lose and just be kids. These girls hardly ever get to enjoy their childhood...when they are not in school, they are raising their younger siblings, taking care of household duties and working to help support their families. Their lives are tough....but "the JOY of the Lord is their STRENGTH!"

How awesome is this...

My mom and mother-in-law on stage together at Camp LIFE leading one of the songs....I LOVE it!

Happy Monday from Zambia!

Sweet Reunion...

Last week mom and I co-lead a group of 13-17 year old girls at Camp LIFE. We had an amazing week....I'll post more about it this week when I have some time. Six of my girls from Camp LIFE 2008 were able to come back to camp this year. I definitely experienced a little piece of heaven last Monday morning when I got to see their sweet faces after 2 years of being a part. We had a very power week together!

Here is a picture of our group from Thursday....shoe day!!

Top Row: Mevis*, Florence, Lydia, Esther*, Prisca*, Me, Natasha*, Gladis, Mom
Middle: Eunice
Bottom Row: Maureen*, Sarah*, Onester* and Tina
{Those with an asterick next to their name are my girls from 2008}

Celebrating 5 Years...

Yesterday was our 5 year anniversary! When we got married, we said that we would celebrate our 5 year anniversary in Hawaii....but Hawaii will just have to wait until another year! It's hard to beat Zambia! Last night we had a date night and tried out a new Thai restaurant in Lusaka that was so delicious. The best part though was having a little alone time with Josh....we haven't had that in 5 weeks. We had a great time out on the town!

After dinner at the Thai restaurant...

This is an adorable ice cream shop that we had dessert at...

My chocolate almond ice cream was amazing!

Quite possibly the best flowers and anniversary card ever...thanks honey!

TOL House Openings...

Last Saturday we had the amazing honor of watching 26 children move into 2 new houses at the Tree of Life Children's Village! It was definitely one of the most memorable days of my life...words can not explain how overwhelming it was to see these precious kids literally walk from death to life right before our eyes. These kids come from the most awful living situations in Lusaka....many that you cannot fathom a child having to endure. And now, the Lord has richly blessed them with a new home, a new family, their very own bed, an amazing education, intense discipleship and so much more!

Getting excited for the kids arrival...

Josh and I with Julie...

The current TOL kids welcoming their new brothers and sisters...

Holly leading the kids to their new homes...

Welcome home!

New clothes!

Some of the precious new kiddos...

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a TREE OF LIFE!
Proverbs 13:12

22 Weeks...

Baby is growing quickly these days! My belly has definitely popped over the past 2 weeks...it's been pretty amazing to see it grow right before my eyes! I'm continuing to feel well, which we are extremely grateful for. We are so thankful and blessed for God's provision over our little one while we are here. I have a doctor's appointment with an OB here in Lusaka next Tuesday. She is from Scotland and came highly recommend by another American doctor who lives here full time in Lusaka doing Malaria research for the US Government. It should be an interesting experience....I'm be sure to post next week how it goes!

My mom and I are sharing a group this week at Camp LIFE....a lot of my girls that I had in 2008 are in our group. It was so amazing to see their faces on Monday when they got off the bus....it was like a little piece of heaven! They were so excited to see Josh and I again and to meet my mom. When I told them that I was pregnant, they all laughed (which is common occurrence when kids find out that I'm expecting...I'm not quite sure why they laugh, but they do). Anyways, the girls really didn't pay too much attention to my belly during the first half of the day. In the afternoon, one of my girls was asking our Zambian partner why we were so proud and excited about the baby. She went on to explain that most of the women and girls who get pregnant in Lusaka are ashamed of it and try to hide their bellies. Children here are seen as a burden and just another mouth to feed...and unfortunately, so many teenage girls get pregnant from being raped. Her comment provided such a great opportunity for me to share with them that children are a wonderful blessing from the Lord....and that each one of them is loved so very much by our creator. I explained to them that Josh and I are so happy about our baby to be, because God has entrusted us to raise this precious one to become a woman or man of God. You could just see their little minds turning as they were listening to me talk. When they were boarding the bus in the afternoon to go home, they all hugged me AND the baby. They told me to take good care of "their" baby. How amazing is that?! It made my heart so glad.