So, this post has been a long time in coming, but as we’ve gone throughout this process, the most common response I get is, “That’s great, but where is Zambia? I’ve never heard of it.”  Well, the geography teacher in me is very excited about this question, so here is a little geography lesson on Zambia…enjoy!

Capital: Lusaka (this is likely where we’ll likely spend most of our time)

Currency: 1 Zambian kwacha = 0.0002 US dollars (to put that in perspective, 1 dollar = 4,908 kwacha)

Geography:  Zambia is a landlocked country about the size of Texas in south central Africa.  The terrain is mostly flat (high plateaus) with some hills and mountains in the north.  The flat, dry plateaus are home to lots of wildlife and many tourists go on safari there.

Language:  English is the primary language of business, but there are 85 indigenous languages spoken there

Government: Zambia is a republic with an elected president and one house of elected lawmakers.  They are electing a new president this year, so please pray that that happens peacefully as it has in the past.

Economy:  Zambia is among the poorest nations of the world.  68% of Zambians live below their nationally established poverty line.  The major export is copper, so much of the national economy depends on the price of this on the world market.  There is a significant difference between urban and rural Zambia.  The city of Lusaka is bustling with many of the modern conveniences that we would know, including restaurants like Subway and Pizza Hut. However, once you get out of the major cities, the poverty is overwhelming and little villages populated by huts and a few farm animals are quite common.

Religion: 85% Christian, although for many, the Christian beliefs have been merged with indigenous traditions

History:  Many different tribes migrated there from throughout sub-Saharan Africa over centuries, making what is now Zambia a relatively diverse country in ethnicity.  In the 1800s, British explorers and later copper mining companies came to the area and it eventually became a colony of Great Britain.  In 1964, Northern Rhodesia became an independent country as the Republic of Zambia and was governed by a dictator with socialist/communist ties until 1991.  The government and social turmoil in the surrounding countries has caused many problems in Zambia over the last several decades and only in recent years has Zambia begun to recover.  There are thousands of people living in refugee camps in Zambia. About 15% of Zambian adults are infected with HIV/AIDS.

Climate:  Subtropical, inland.  Hot/Rainy season—September to April, Cool/dry season—May to August

Attractions:  Victoria Falls, the largest waterfall in the world, is Zambia’s largest attraction and is located in the town of Livingstone on the border with Zimbabwe.  The falls were made known to the European world by David Livingstone in 1855.  The falls lie on the Zambezi River from which Zambia derives its name.  Livingstone is about a 6 hour ride from Lusaka.

Hopefully that helps to give you a mental picture of Zambia, a country that was once unfamiliar to us too, but is now the focus of our every thought and prayer.  It is in this culture that our child is living and out of which we hope to rescue her soon.

Larry and Jeanne came over for dinner the other night. Big J proceeded to put on a show. Enjoy.

Child–

I don’t know if you are born yet or not.  I don’t know your name.  Each day I think of you and picure you in my mind.  I look forward to your hugs and kisses and to embrace you with all my love.  You are already loved beyond measure and as we awaited our Jeremiah, so we await our little girl with great anticipation and joy, knowing God is ever faithful.  Nan and I wish we were younger and could do as your new Mommy and Daddy are doing are doing, but our prayers are with you and all the children of Zambia.

My little sweetheart, God loves you and so do I.  You’ll look great in bib overalls on a little red tractor too.

I love you,
Pap

<aside> Pap is what Big J calls Kim’s dad. He gave us permission to share this letter with all of you. </aside>

A couple of nights ago, in a time of family worship, Kim, Big J and I were singing “Jesus loves the little children.”

Jesus loves the little children,
All the children of the world.
Red and yellow, black and white,
All are precious in His sight.
Jesus loves the little children of the world.

Many of us learned this simple song when we were kids and we are enjoying teaching Jeremiah those same songs we learned as kids. But as we were sitting there singing, that picture of God’s family really struck me. Revelation 5:9 declares that God is making a people for himself from every people, tribe, tongue and nation. All children – red, yellow, black and white – are all precious in God’s sight.

Such a simple song. Such profound implications. I don’t really have a deep point except to say this. People often ask us why we are adopting internationally. This song is the answer.

A few months ago, as we were announcing our plans of adopting from Zambia, Scott, the student pastor at Covenant Life, made the comment that one day we will have a black kid. Certainly, I knew that, but his comment really struck a new chord in me. That black kid is part of our family. We want our family to look like God’s family with red, yellow, black and white being precious in our sight because they are precious in God’s.

As we have shared previously, two months ago, we received a shattering email that the adoption agency we had been working with was closing their Zambia program effective immediately. We were left with two options: choose a different country or proceed with an adoption from Zambia on our own.

And here is where God has proven himself faithful to us: he never left us to proceed with the adoption from Zambia on our own. Yes, we are proceeding without the aid of an adoption agency, but we are not alone. We have been in ongoing contact with two families that adopted from Zambia this past summer and both couples have made themselves available to support us and help us however they can. Kim mentioned in her last post that I returned from traveling over Christmas to find a card on my desk with a money order for $500 to help us with our adoption. The card was simply signed “your Covenant Life family.” No, we may not have an adoption agency, but we have people around us who love us, care for us and are walking alongside of us. For that, we are forever grateful.

Yet, still, while those contacts have been an encouragement to us, there still seemed to be this big void when it came to on the ground logistics in Zambia. Honestly, we have absolutely no idea what it will be like: where we will stay, what we will do each day, what the process looks like. The families that have gone before us have painted a picture of their experience, but their first admission was that they walked this path with equally little direction.

Last night though, I spoke with Brian. Now, if ever we were unsure of 1) whether or not we should proceed with Zambia and 2) how we were going to do it, this conversation with Brian reminded me that though this is so foggy and unclear to me, God is faithful, good and knows exactly what is going to happen. Brian, you see, is the guy who cuts the grass at Covenant Life (the church where I serve as XP). It “just so happens” that Brian’s wife is from Zambia and that he grew up in Zimbabwe, just across the border from Zambia. His parents are still in that border town and heavily connected in the capital of Zambia, Lusaka. Lusaka is precisely where we will be going. I had heard Brian was from that area, but knew little else until that phone call last night.

After I called him a couple of days ago, he called back excited to hear about our adoption. In fact, he was jealous that we would be headed to Lusaka and wished he could stow himself away in our luggage. Unsolicited, Brian made mention of a mission guesthouse of which he was aware and of a missionary couple who has been in Lusaka from some 20+ years. But, according to Brian, his parents may know even more helpful contacts. He said he would speak with them and get back to me with some names/numbers/email addresses as recommended by his parents.

Do we know where we will be staying or what each day of our trip to Zambia will be like? No. But this we do know: God is faithful and, once again, he proved to us that he is leading this whole process. He even arranged for our grass guy to have contacts in Zambia. That is not an accident. That is the provision and blessing and our Lord. Our child is in Zambia waiting. We just can’t wait to go and wrap that precious child in our arms. And we will go knowing that the Lord has been faithful to us and to this child throughout.