Before I write anything about Uganda I wanted to share with you some things about being back in Zambia last week. This year of Camp Life was very different from my time there last year. Not necessarily better, but a very good kind of different. Last year I went to Zambia with friends, this year I was with my family. Last year I had some of the oldest girls at camp in my group, this year I had 14 little boys. Last year my group was from a congested compound in the middle of the city of Lusaka, this year they were from a more rural village area. Last year I went home after Zambia, this year I’m still in Africa…for a while. No matter the differences, being back in Zambia even for just a little while was a kind of blessing that I can’t put in words. One of the best parts was getting the chance to serve, love, and share the Word of my awesome God alongside my family. But even if my mom, dad, and sister hadn’t been there with me, I still would have been surrounded by family. It is not Zambia that I love so much, it’s Zambians. I wish that each of you could somehow get the chance to hear a Zambian Christian pray out loud at least once in your lives…they pray loudly and boldly, fearing nothing and emanating nothing but thankfulness for the glorious gift of the life of Jesus Christ.
I don’t know where to begin describing my group of boys at Camp Life this past week…all I know is that they won’t leave my thoughts right now and I don’t want them to. They made me laugh so hard that I would start crying and I didn’t even know what they were saying so I have no idea how they were so funny. They had more joy in them than any group of people I’ve ever come across and they gave me more joy than I could ever hope for in one lifetime, let alone one week. I miss them terribly already. During a conversation with one of them I said, “Andrew, if you could change anything about your life what would you change?” He told me that he didn’t have Jesus in his life and now that’s all he wanted. After excitedly praying with Andrew I asked him when he had been the happiest in his whole life. He said (in English!), “When I got a new sister.” I immediately figured he probably had like 8 sisters, because my other little boy Nyambe did, but I still asked him when he got this new sister he was so happy about. Andrew pointed to his wrist and then looked up at me and said, “About one minute ago.” The love of an orphan child is unlike any other. You hug them one time, and they will never forget you for the rest of their lives.
On Thursday of last week we took our groups into their communities to serve the people there and share the gospel. My group and I were given the job of painting the inside of the Manacha Community School, which was the school where some of my boys go. Most of you would probably think it was a prison. One of my smallest boys, Ndale, is nine years old right now. I asked him on Friday if he went to school. His answer was that he had gone to a school yesterday to paint with me…after lots of translation and looking at his confused little face for a few minutes I figured out that before that Thursday, Ndale had never stepped foot inside a school building before. He’s nine years old. I’m not okay with that. Later that day all my boys were signing my t-shirt and I handed the Sharpie to Ndale, but he looked back at me as if writing his name was the most foreign concept anyone had ever presented to him.
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| Phinias and little Ndale |
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| My crazy Andrew |
I’m telling you these stories because I’m begging you to pray for these little boys. I believe in the power of prayer with every inch of my being and I’m confident that your prayers would not go unanswered. I’m also telling you this because for $40 a month one of my boys could be fed, clothed, and would get to go to school (in classroom that doesn’t resemble a jail cell). Please pray over their names and if you or your family or anyone you know has any interest in sponsoring one of them either comment below or e-mail me at baileygbritt@gmail.com. Also, my dad promised me that for every one of my boys that I get sponsored, he’ll sponsor a different one, so really by sponsoring one of my little knuckleheads, you’d be sponsoring two!
Richard Shikupa
Ndale Kalumwana
Nyambe Mwakamu
Jowao Banda
Supiwa Mubanga
Charles Kayolo
Andrew Masiko
Joseph Kayawe
Mulolo Mutale
Christopher Muleya
Phinias Shawa
Daliso Lungu
Isaac Musaikila
Alick Museteka
I’m safely in Uganda now! Nikukondani! (I love you all!)
