On Friday, it was our last day at MICS and it was so hard to leave the precious kids that I have gotten to know and love for the last 4 weeks. The morning started out with Joe giving the devotion and me and Joe and Sawyer and Joe thanking for them allowing us to be part of their life at MICS and we are so thankful for each of them. There are about 30 kids in all in the boarding program and I was able to get closer with those children more than the other at MICS. There are about 100 kids total in the whole school, so it was really special to form a special bond with the boarding kids. I think I developed the closest relationships with Lisa, Christabel, Lwindu, Prince, Loondu, Christopher, Blessed and Chibonwa. Christabel is in the 4th grade and I was able to teach her math for a week and help her with her homework each afternoon. Christabel has a really hard family life. Her family left her in Macha when they moved to Lusaka. She begged to stay in Macha so she could continue to go to school at MICS and they left her. She has a lot of deep hurts and did not have a home for a while. She needs the love of Jesus and the Lord allowed us to have a special connection. Lisa is one of the younger girls that is just plain adorable. She is in the 2nd grade and wanted me to play with her all the time. She stole my heart while I was in Macha and Sawyer’s too. She is such a joy and makes me smile. Chibonwa and Blessed are also younger. Blessed is in the 1st grade and Chibonwa in the 2nd. They always wanted to play with me and give me hugs. Lisa and Blessed were big buddies. Lwindu is a treasure. She is so precious and would always greet me with a big hug and “Miss Rachel!!”. We played the card game, “Old Maid” everyday and she always somehow, wonJ She loved me and I deeply loved her. She always wanted to be near me. Christopher is one of the oldest boys. He is in the 6th grade and has a really hard family life but is sponsored to come to MICS. He is really scared about what is going to happen to him after the 7th grade when he leaves MICS. He is very smart and has a heart of gold. I admire his attitude so much. Prince is my man! Prince is in the 2nd grade and is crippled. His legs do not work and are too frail for his body so he gets around in a wheelchair. He has the friendliest deposition and such a positive outlook on life and does not let his inability to walk get him down. He absolutely loves his mom and hates when he cannot see her. She is extremely sick with HIV AIDS and she has limited time. Prince is smart and always played “thumb war” with me and Mr. Joe. He is such a delight and I am going to miss him so much. Loondu is amazing. He is also in the 6th grade and has a hard family life. His family is extremely dysfunctional and is sponsored to come to MICS too. He has a calling to be a missionary when he gets older and has the most beautiful singing voice. He sang and lead the youth choir every Sunday. Every day he would serve the boys plates at lunch and dinner. His heart is pure gold and it so sweet and kind. He is precious and I wish I could take him home with me, but I think He is going to do amazing work for the Lord in Zambia.
In the afternoon, the children gave us a Farewell program. Each grade sang us a goodbye song and wrote letters, notes and drew pictures for Joe, Sawyer and I. It was one of the sweetest things and there were definitely tears shed and it was very difficult to say goodbye. The staff women also sang a song to us and each child gave a handshake and hug on the way out. I am going to miss their beautiful voices praising the Lord every morning and helping them with their homework in the afternoon and reading them Bible stories from the “Jesus Storybook Bible” But I know that the Lord’s timing is perfect and if He wants me to return to MICS I will. He has done so many things in my heart that I wish I could share with all of you but that would take weeks. He is forever faithful and holds me in the palm of His hand. Those children have blessed my heart so much and I will never ever forget them. There hearts are so pure and tender towards God and they do not have hardly anything and are perfectly content. I am in Livingstone now with Joe, Sawyer and Moses one of our friends that we made in Macha. We are staying here until Tuesday and then going on a Safari in Botswana until Friday, then staying in Livingstone for the weekend and then off to Lusaka for a couple of days and then America bound on Thursday, April 7th. I will be arriving in the states April 8th and cannot wait to see my family, friends and boyfriend. We are going to see Victoria Falls tomorrow and we were able to fly over them 3 times yesterday. It is absolutely breathtaking. I will try to put up pictures once I get back to the States. Thank you so much for the continous support and prayer you have given me. The Lord is forever faithful and His creation takes my breath away.
-rach
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