July 2024 Ministry Updates
We are so excited that God has been faithful in renovating the new property at Hands of Hope Trust School into an amazing building. We are preparing new classrooms to be used starting next year, creating office space for our ministry staff, and making plans for how we can utilize all the space for the benefit of the community. This new property has also made it possible to ensure a higher standard of safety for our students and staff, by having our reception be at the front of the new property with a security guard on-site at all times as well as an electric fence around the entire premises.
Our students have really been excelling in school! The school has started clubs that meet once a week to practice choir, poetry, drama, and higher academics. Our school continues to put importance on academic excellence as well as their faith, which is why they do daily morning devotionals and have one of their teachers give a word at Scripture Union, a time in which the whole school comes together to worship and learn about God once a week. We also have had many testimonies from parents and guardians, telling us that their children come home teaching the whole family what they have learned about Jesus. God is making an impact in every inch of this compound, and we are so honored to be a part of it.
Hands of Hope Trust School Students Singing Praise Songs
While the theme and scripture of the daily devotion is the same for the whole school, teachers are invited to choose their own way of doing devotionals. Some will sing songs, ask questions, have discussion, spend time sharing, and praying to God about the theme of the devotional. This sets the tone of the day for our students and allows them to remember that God is before them and beside them. They know that when they begin with God, they will remember the truth that is over their lives and be able to notice how they experience Him throughout their day.
An example of a daily morning devotional on July 10:
Theme: HOPE
Scripture: Romans 15:13
Reflect on how our hope in God can give us peace and joy, even in difficult circumstances. Trusting in Him can help us overcome any obstacle and find meaning and purpose in our lives.
For our children who are currently sponsored, we are hosting their caretakers in a program called Transformation Fellowship. It has been amazing to see so many people come to understand new things about God. They make their struggles and prayer requests known to the group, they worship God together, and they have one of our ministry leaders preach or teach on life skills. It’s been a blessing to be a greater part of the lives of these people and create processes that allow God’s truth to be known and for the Holy Spirit to transform and empower them and their families. We’ve heard stories and testimonies of miracles, healing, and the word of God changing their lives in real and immediate ways. Many caretakers, especially women, have not had the opportunity to finish school, and so reading (especially in English) can be very difficult to do. These times and Sundays where they are encouraged to attend church may be the only time they are able to truly understand what the word of God is saying and know the Lord’s character. This is also why it’s so crucial for the future generations to receive an education- they will be able to help their older family members read the word of God at home!
Transformation Fellowship Testimony Being Shared
Lusa with Hands of Hope Team in 2018
Sadly, one of our students who had graduated from our sponsorship program and had completed grade twelve passed away. We will greatly miss her within our church body and we pray that the family is comforted during this difficult time.
Our current sponsorship program has been successful here in Zambia, and we are praying we are able to get all of the children sponsored. Currently, we have 8 children who are in serious need of sponsorship. You may read more about them below.
If you’d like to sponsor a child, please click below!
Currently we are also constructing our Transformation Center in Mumbwa and have been making exciting headway! Soon enough we will be seeing a church meeting here and be able to use it during the week for our baby and reception class that has currently been started within the village.
As for our team on the ground, we are excited about all God is doing. We are currently hoping to get an employment permit renewal for the next two years. We believe God will make a way for us to continue being in Zambia and ask that you pray with us that we can do what God has called us to here in Lusaka! Marlow is growing big and strong and we thank God for our health and wellbeing. We are also excited that our church, Patmos Baptist Church, has been able to buy land to call home on. Our church partner, Cedar Creek Church, gave means to drill in a bore hole (well) to have clean water, which will even serve the surrounding community’s needs!
One big issue happening these days is lack of power. Right now, we are in a time of “load-shedding”, so we go most days with only a few hours of power (if that, and it may only come on in the middle of the night). This makes it difficult for people to work, cook, communicate, draw water (most water pumping is electric), and carry out daily life. This has really affected our school, our lives at home, and how we are able to do ministry. We are thankful for the provision of being able to have solar at our home (thanks to Newspring Church for their generous donation!). We are also so excited that we’ve been able to install solar power at our school and that we can continue to serve the community through education while also having clean water and sanitation, despite these power setbacks. Praise God!
As many around the world, we are experiencing economic suffering, as the drought, lack of power, and general inflation has really affected our ministry as well as all of the surrounding community. God has made a way for us to always have what we need as a nonprofit and He is always on time for providing. We believe that He will continue to help us help those experiencing poverty. During times like these, we are so thankful for our generous and faithful sponsors who make sure we can keep operating to help these children and their families.
While God has blessed all of these amazing projects, we remember that it is never by our own works, but by His grace that all of this is possible, and we are nothing without it. We pray that as these words are read, you are reminded of Jesus’ call to care for the poor and that our vision is to see transformation through the cross. We pray that all of the children and families we interact with walk with Jesus and know Him as their Lord and Savior. We are so grateful to all of our supporters, those who pray for us, and you who are reading this. We pray God’s blessing in your life and that you will be excited and propelled to pray and care for those who are suffering or experiencing poverty.
In Christ,
Luke and Savannah (& Marlow)
