Why Zambia?

At Family Legacy, we work exclusively in the country of Zambia. I am often asked why we focus so specifically on just one country.

Our goal is to focus our efforts on one country for as long as it takes to see transformation happen. Zambia is home to some of the most vulnerable children in the world. We desire to see change in their lives now and, through them, to see long-term change throughout the nation of Zambia.

Here are a few quick details on the conditions in Zambia -
 

 

Because of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the extreme poverty that breeds hopelessness and despair, Zambia has become home to the largest percentage of orphans of any country in the world. The children we work with can barely begin to understand life outside of their slums or dream of a living to be an old man or woman.

Since beginning our work in September, 2000, Family Legacy has been committed to one goal: transforming Zambia one child at a time.

Joy Will Come in the Morning

This is probably my very favorite Family Legacy video:


Joy Will Come from Family Legacy on Vimeo.

I love the song in this video by Desperation Band. It reminds me of Psalm 30:5, "For his anger is but for a moment,m and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning." Here is my favorite part:

What is this hope I feel?

It's helping.

 

What is this peace beyond understanding?

You fix the broken heart.

There's healing in Your wings.

The night should bring rest. But, for the orphans we work with in Zambia, all too often the night is the scariest time of their day. It is at night when they feel the pangs of hunger.

It is at night when they hear their mother, father, aunt or uncle stumble in from drinking too much. It is at night when they experience abuse.

It is our constant hope that we can impact their circumstances so that night time is truly a time for rest and not fear. But, we also have the great privilege of sharing with them the gospel of Jesus which literally promises new mercies and JOY every MORNING. The gospel we trust in brings light into the darkness - not only for a new morning but for a new life that leads to eternal joy.

That's why this video is my favorite! You can see this message taking root in the hearts and minds of the children we work with. Watch their eyes. Watch their smiles. That is joy that only comes from Jesus.

Blessings,
Anne

BIG Brother, Little Hot Wheels

I have a really BIG brother....

Don't laugh....I realize how crazy this is. And, no, I am not squatting. :)

I share this with you because my brother, Mark, is a really great guy. This summer, when I was preparing to leave for camp, he decided he wanted to send me with a special gift for the boys in my group.

His prized possession is his Hot Wheels collection - something he has been working on since we were kids! He has always been a car guy and these little collectibles remind him of what he is passionate about.

Before leaving, Mark hand picked Hot Wheels from his collection for each of my kids in Zambia. He brought them to me in perfect condition and in the packages (because he swears that a little boys life is NOT complete until they've gotten to rip open a brand new Hot Wheel).

Needless to say, these little cars were a BIG hit...

Thanks BIG brother for making this day a little brighter for these boys!

Meet Beauty

Beauty Mulenga is a precious 13-year-old girl whose parents both died when she was a young child. After her parent's death, Beauty lived with her drunkard aunt who has been very abusive to her on a nightly basis. One of beauty's aunt's boyfriends even raped her one night when he was drunk. Like many Zambian orphans, she was considered a burden instead of a blessing. Beauty also lives with the very painful disease called Sickle-Cell Anemia, where extreme pain will attack her body for several days at a time.

Beauty's story began when she attended Camp LIFE. It continued as her healing began through the Father's Heart Sponsorship Program. Today, she lives at the haven of hope and healing, the Tree of Life Children's Village.

At her new home, Beauty has FULL access to the highest quality medical care, as well as a balanced diet that is necessary to assist her in her condition. Beauty wants to be a doctor when she grows up and is thriving in school.

Hear Beauty share her story of hope and healing in the video below...


Beauty Mulenga from Family Legacy on Vimeo


Please pray for the many children whose names and faces we have yet to know but who share Beauty's story.


Blessings,
Anne

Zambia in the News

 Before coming to work at Family Legacy, I spent 5 years working for a Dallas-area non-profit, the Dallas Children's Advocacy Center. DCAC exists to fight crimes against children - namely child abuse. Over 80% of clients served at the Advocacy Center are sexual abuse victims. Many of them girls.

When I went to Zambia for the first time, I was burdened for the children there, because I knew they did not have an Advocacy Center to call on in times of crisis. Abuse was (and still is) a cultural norm in Zambia. Many girls and boys suffer the pains of not only physical abuse and neglect, but also horrific sexual abuse that steals innocence and forever changes the trajectory of a child's life. This issue needs advocates here in Dallas and it most certainly needs advocates in Zambia.

This recent news story (read more on the Family Legacy blog) is a great example of how cultural norms cause abuse to persist. The work we do can change not only the lives of a single child, but also their families and communities. Please join us in pushing back darkness for a community in need.


Blessings,
Anne

New Shoes

Every year at Camp LIFE, all of the kids get a new pair of shoes, a t-shirt and a bandanna. I cannot tell you what a difference this makes to them! 

When they arrive at Camp, they are wearing shoes that are likely completely worn out or too big for them.

After getting new shoes that have been loving placed on their feet and covered in prayer, they walk out with unshakable smiles and so much JOY!










































We are excited for another great summer of ministering to the hearts of Zambian orphans and blessing them with NEW SHOES!


Blessings,
Anne

Back to Zambia!

I am so excited to be heading back to Zambia this summer for a little over a month. I will be there during the month of July, coming home in early August. I cannot wait to meet so many new faces - both Zambian and American - and share testimonies of God's provision, grace, and miraculous power to transform lives.

Our ministry could not do this work without the support of friends and family like you. Please consider supporting me in this journey. To donate, please visit www.familylegacy.com/anne.

Blessings,
Anne




P.S. - These are the handsome boys from my group at Camp LIFE 2010. They look  so sharp after getting new shoes, shirts and bandannas!

FAMILY Legacy

One of the greatest things I have discovered since I started at Family Legacy is that this ministry desires to more than just transform the lives of Zambian orphans. The true mission of Family Legacy is to engage American individuals and families in this work and, in so doing, transform both the lives of the Zambian children and the American family.


This is what my co-workers call engaging families in the call of the great commission and they are passionate about this work. Camp LIFE is an amazing experience for the children. But, it also provides an incredible opportunity for believers who have been tremendously blessed to serve alongside one another to be the hands and feet of Jesus to children in need.

I have heard testimony after testimony of how God used the transformation of a single Zambian orphan to radically change a person or family. Addictions have been broke. Trust has been restored. Serving has become a priority. It is the powerful, and often untold, second story of our ministry.

Here are some testimonies from families who have been to Camp LIFE:

The Schroeder Family -
"Taking my wife and three kids to Zambia has been one of the top most impactful experiences of our family. Connecting with God's heart for the poor and needy and God's heart for the use of our money has profoundly changed our family. One of my kids stretched me quite a bit as she decided God wanted her to raise the money to build one of the orphan homes. Our whole family participated in that process which was very unifying. Our Camp LIFE experiences in Zambia gave my children an opportunity to see God use them to minister to others like they had never seen before....What a joy it has been for our family to be used by God and to be a part of changing the country of Zambia for the Kingdom of God!"

The Pipkin Family -
"When my son (17) and my daughter (14) went on their first trip to Camp LIFE in 2009, they came back spiritually transformed. An example of how the experience touched their heart and soul came at Christmas time. As typical Americans, we ask our children to write down the five things they want for Chirstmas. Without talking to each other, the son and daughter that went on this trip had only one request. They wanted us to sponsor as many of their campers as possible in their respective groups. I was astonished by this and immediately felt compelled to go to Camp LIFE the following summer. In 2010, I took my whole family of seven and we had a supernatural time."


This year, Family Legacy is taking 46 FULL FAMILY UNITS to Camp LIFE. Please be in prayer for spiritual transformation in the lives of these families and in the lives of the children they will serve!


Blessings,
Anne