City on a Hill

“Mzungu! Mzungu!” the children cry as they run alongside the car nearly getting run over in their excitement.  Conversation will be sparse with these little ones as they speak much less English than those in the city.  A village so far out and remote does not see too many white visitors.  It is quickly apparent what a big deal our arrival in Chirombo is.  A rapidly growing sea of faces is appearing from everywhere to greet us.  The women are gracious and welcoming here.  They are delighted to share about their children and their progress in school.

As we meet Feston and see his home, I feel for the first time the threat of tears pooling in my eyes.  Until now, I have been successful at turning off my emotional, sometimes overly-sensitive, mothering heart while in the villages.  His home is by far the tiniest I have seen here.  It is completely empty except for the blankets COTN has provided.  There are no stockpiles of maize flour to make nsima for him and his brothers in the coming months, no food at all. And, Feston—he was so very aloof and disengaged, no life or sparkle in his eyes like most the children here.  We finally figured out that part of the problem was he’d not eaten anything at all today.  Though I know it does nothing to help with the long term problem of hunger, I give him all the snacks I have in my purse.  I’m quite sure the Costco trail mix was like nothing he’d ever seen before!

I ask to pray for Feston and his family since I know that only the great, powerful God we serve can give Feston the kind of peace and comfort that does not run out.  I pray that though his belly might be empty that his heart would be filled with the love and grace of Jesus.  That God would work out his plan and purpose in Feston’s life.  We embrace his mother, then walk away.  Me with a lump in my throat and in my heart.

In Chirombo, Feston’s story and situation is not all that unique.  Many are doing a bit better than him, but it is a hard life for those in this village.  Chirombo is at the top of a steep, very rough dirt road.  The elevation is higher, and the views are beautiful.  It takes about half hour by car to reach from the main road.  This is also where the nearest market is for people from Chirombo to buy or sell anything.  As you drive, the road is busy with men on bikes.  I marvel at how they can not only ride on very rough terrain but also carry a huge load.  They might be bringing firewood or tomatoes they grew in their garden to sell at market.  Just to give you an idea of what they stand to make after a very strenuous bike ride of many miles, we bought a bundle of firewood the other day and it cost 30 kwacha.  This is about .05 US. 

Some of the stories I’ve heard of determined, hard-working students are about children from Chirombo.  There are a few teachers here from the states teaching a prep class for COTN kids that are going to take the high school entrance exams.  They told me of an eighth grader from Chirombo who planned to use his Saturday off to walk to his home village so he could get his practice book because he wanted to have more resources for studying.  Remember how long I said it takes to drive to Chirombo…uphill?!

Children in Chirombo are in need of sponsor parents.  Not just the finances to provide for food, education and medical needs, but perhaps more importantly to be prayer warriors for their future.  Someone to write letters encouraging them to work hard in school.  A mom, dad, sister, brother in Christ across the world sharing their heart for Jesus with a child in this remote place.  My view of sponsorship has been completely changed.  I saw it as an opportunity to check something off my list of “doing good.”  To be honest, I had a very worldly perspective on what it means to sponsor a child.  I understand now that there is a real chance to impact a little boy or girl's life for God’s Kingdom.  These children certainly need voices of truth and support as they endeavor to follow Jesus and work toward a life less defined by poverty. 

Would you consider becoming a part of the cheering squad for one of these precious children?  Maybe you already have a sponsor child…is it possible you could add another?  Perhaps your budget is tight yet you have the heart to be the hands and feet of Jesus to one of these little ones.  Are there friends or family members that could split the monthly cost with you?  Get creative!!!

Below, I will share about a few of the children I visited in Chirombo.  Please contact me via email (danijorgenson@yahoo.com) if you feel led to sponsor one of them.  If you have a specific age or gender you’d like to sponsor and one isn’t featured here, you can also contact me.  I will do my best to get you matched and go out to the village to meet your sponsor child and email you an update and pictures.

Bless you and thank you to the families who have recently signed up to sponsor a COTN child—Gary & Vernabeth Jorgenson, Chris & Judy Pruitt, Christopher & Karissa Strovas, John & Kelly Czech,  Jon & Pat Sween, and Ken & Pam Schuhs.

 Alinafe is a sweet 12 year old girl.  She was so happy to show her blanket from COTN--it's cold here at night! She is the youngest of six.  Her father wasn't able to provide for her family so he thought it better to leave and go to Zambia.  They've not seen him since Alinafe was three months old.  The third photo shows all that's left of her family's maize flour--only enough for a few weeks.  COTN provides food for sponsor children in Chirombo November-March when they cannot grow enough of their own.  However, this has been a bad year for crops so there is a proposal to start a year-round feeding program here.

On the far left is Idinasi.  She goes to ICA, which is right by where we stay so we've seen her around campus.  She is in Chirombo, her home village now for break.  She has five siblings and a home just big enough for all of them to have a patch of ground to sleep on.  There isn't room to store any food so they keep it at a friend's home. Idinasi's father passed away many years ago.  She would like to be a nurse one day.  One of the cool things about sponsoring an older child is that they really get it.  They understand that someone from the states cares about them.  I have sensed from many of the older COTN kids their strong connection with their sponsors and just how important those people are in their lives.

Finally, we have Feston.  I told you about his family's tough situation and living conditions.  Despite all that, his mom has a huge smile and is very warm and thankful for the support of COTN.  Feston would benefit from a sponsor family to pray for him and communicate encouragement through letter writing.

This little cutie is already spoken for on sponsorship, but I couldn't keep from posting her sweet pictures. Her name is Aisha, and she is four years old.