Come hear our visiting missionary!

I'd like to take a minute and invite everyone reading this blog to come listen to a wonderful woman speak at my church. Amy Morrow lives and works in Zambia, Africa where she and her husband run the Kazembe Orphanage. You read all about her family's story in Africa here or read up on the latest happenings at the orphanage on Amy's blog. Or if you don't want to read :) check out some of their videos.

Amy will be speaking at the Montezuma United Methodist Church in Montezuma, Kansas on Wednesday, May 8th at 7pm. The school age kids in our town will be lucky enough to get a visit from Amy the day before. How often do most US kids get the chance to talk to someone who has eaten hippo?

This will be the second year that Amy has visited our area and I have the immense joy at co-hosting her during her visit. I've enjoyed reading all about her kids and how they are learning and growing.



This picture of her boys Elias and Johnny just cracks me up...don't they just look like they are ready and waiting to get into mischief? Love it!

What a lovely smile!

The Kazembe orphanage is home to about 27 kids from newborns to first graders. Kazembe isn't in the business of adopting out children, rather these kids are busy raised and educated at Kazembe as a family, and as their mission statement attests, they are truly working toward improving Africa's next generation.

Our mission is to improve the lives of those in need. Because children and youth are the hope of the future, we believe in investing in them by providing education, training and leadership. As we supply instruction in values, morals and practical solutions, we will enhance the quality of their lives and give them the tools they need to succeed. (Kazembe Mission Statement)

Some days I feel like I can barely keep my three kids fed and clothed; they are always hungry and growing. Can you imagine what it must take to keep up with 27 growing, hungry kids? Kazembe is always needing financial support and volunteers. Volunteers from all over the world have visited Kazembe for a couple of weeks to many months. We all have some gift that we could share with Kazembe whether it's our money, time or a load of clothes.

If you are in our area on May 8th stop on in, Amy has a great story to share. Amy also has other times available to speak in Southwest Kansas to anyone willing to listen on May 6, 7 and 8th. Would you like to hear her at your church or community event? Leave me a comment and we'll get something scheduled!

If nothing else, take a minute to check out one of her websites above. You'll be so glad you did.

Amy Morrow and The Kazembe Orphanage.

What a wonderful week last week turned out to be! Not only because it was Holy Week and Easter was yesterday, those were great, but for a couple days I was hostess to a missionary from Africa! 

I first "met" Amy Morrow a couple years ago when we stumbled upon one another's blogs. Amy, her husband and her 6 kids moved to Africa 10 years ago and now run the Kazembe Orphanage in Zambia. When she mentioned on her blog that she still had speaking dates open for her fundraising trip to the United States I immediately invited her to our little SW Kansas church. I admire everything that Amy and her husband Tom are doing at Kazembe. They aren't just housing kids to be adopted out of the country but raising a family. The 22 kids currently at Kazembe will be raised and educated together as brothers and sisters until they "leave the nest." I just think that is awesome! 

I have to admit that I have been a bundle of nerves for weeks. I was worried that no one would come to hear Amy speak or that we wouldn't raise enough money for this trip to have been worth her time. (We raised sooo much more than I expected!) I was worried that all the speaking engagements that I scheduled for Amy, two at school and one at church, would fall through. (We did have to do a lot of juggling but it all worked out.) Selfishly, I was also worried about what Amy thought of me. Talking to someone online can be very different from meeting them in person and I kind of worried she thought, in person, I was a bumbling dork...cuz, that's how I feel sometimes!

Amy, on the other hand, is warm, personable, funny and so very easy to talk to. Amy also was so very flexible! We drove through a rainstorm (YAY) for an hour on the way back from the airport and it didn't faze her. Of course she said that rain in the States is great because she doesn't have to worry about the roads being washed out like she does in Africa! I had to cancel/reschedule three different appointments I had planned for her...no problem....she just went with the flow. 

I didn't get a chance to take too many photos during her talk at our church. Taking pictures of a slide show isn't the easiest thing to do!! But she had some fabulous photos of her kids to share with us. Every year during their trips to the States the Morrow's share an update video of what they've been up to in Zambia but being new to our area she shared clips from a few of them to catch us up on her story. You can find all their videos here.http://vimeo.com/missionaryfamily . Check out their 2008 video for some AMAZING images of before and after images of their orphanage building! I can't believe they managed to renovate anything from what they started with. 

Aren't these kids adorable? With smiles like that I can tell these kids are truly loved. 

During our three hour drive from Wichita back to my home Amy and I were able to talk a lot the struggles that they face in African culture. What struck me the most was the incredibly poor education system in Zambia. A "high school" education in Zambia is less that what American students are taught by third grade. Problem solving and critical thinking skills are absent. Most adults aren't skilled at any trade and those with jobs are rarely qualified for them. As Amy and I spoke I was literally speechless; I just did not know what to say until Amy spoke and said, "Yeah, you really have to see it to believe it." A life in Zambia for a native citizen isn't something I can even begin to imagine. 

I know that all you readers know how blessed you are to be American or living in the West. But really, we have no idea what so ever how lucky we truly are to have what we have and the ability to do what we do. We have clean beds and clothes; we aren't hungry or in danger of starving (in fact most of us could do with skipping a meal now and then couldn't we?) We have the blessing of worrying more about how our kids are doing than worrying about where our next meal comes from. In Zambia they are still living for survival and don't have the time to worry about nurturing. We are so blessed with college education debt!! Yep, we are because our kids have the opportunity to be educated, truly educated with the bills to prove it, where most Zambians don't. 

Despite all the words I just wrote about Amy and her orphanage I still feel speechless. I still feel as though I was given a great gift in meeting her and hearing her story. I don't feel obligated or guilted into helping Amy and her orphanage but rather, I feel truly blessed with the opportunity to help.

 I don't always say, or type, the right words to express how I feel about things and this post is no exception. I rather feel I've bungled it up but I hope you get some sense about the work Amy and her family are accomplishing. Take a minute to check out one of her many sites, help them out a little with few dollars. If we can all do a little, great things will happen. 

Airport and the African Missionary

I am heading to the airport right now and I am soooo excited!! 

Nope, I'm not going anywhere and no one is flying to see me. 

I'm going to pick Amy Morrow from the airport. 

Amy Morrow is a missionary in Zambia, Africa where she and her family have started the Kazembe Orphanage. 

Look at all those gorgeous kids! 

I first learned about Amy a couple years ago when I stumbled on her blog; Amy's Assorted Adventures. On her blog she shares stories about all these wonderful kids, the adventures of living in rural Africa which includes a 3 hour one way drive once a week to the grocery store! 

Amy is currently in the United States on her annual fundraising trip for the orphanage and she has agree to come to our little corner of Kansas to share her story with us. I'm excited to finally meet her and helping her spread her message. She'll be in my little town speaking most of the day tomorrow at the school and the Methodist church. 

I know that most of you reading this won't be able to come hear her speak but would you mind saying a little prayer for her right now? I ask that you pray for Amy's safe travels and that her trip to SW Kansas is blessed. Thanks!! 

Hopefully I'll have more of Amy's story to share with you next week!