Construction is coming along well…in my next post I’ll put up some pictures and explain a little of what’s going on. The Bible Study has been going great too! Many of the workers continue talking about it and other topics throughout the day, and they ask me questions about God, the Bible, and etc. as we work.

At the end of last week Novice and I distributed food to a total of about 150 orphans. The biggest group was out in Kamena, about 2 hours on a bumpy dirt road from Serenje. It was overwhelming to see so many children who had lost their parents. Novice has worked hard to try to get all the orphans with a good “caretaker,” so they can at least have a place to live. When we distribute the food, all the orphans come with their caretakers to collect it, so it was quite a big crowd. Before we distributed the food, I gave a brief message, so it was pretty crazy to stand on top of a truck and talk to over 200 people. I threw in a few Bemba words that I’ve learned along the way, so they really liked that. I think they liked the message I shared, and they were all very, very grateful for the help they were getting. The cuteness of the kids hasn’t faded at all.

I’m continuing to see the harsh realities of life here. I now know several workers who have lost parents, siblings, and their own children…with three more deaths this week. It’s difficult to watch, I’m definitely being challenged through it. I regularly have people ask me for assistance…I regularly have people ask me for a job…I regularly have people ask me for food. It can seem very hopeless at times…but there is hope. That’s why God brought me here, and why we’re building an orphanage, and why many of you gave to the cause…because there is hope.

Prayer Requests: My time is about half up here, there is a lot I want to do, pray for me to maximize my efforts and use my time wisely…for the Bible Study we have two mornings a week with the workers…for the parentless children, that they would be loved…for my growing friendship and discipleship with Sunday.