Arise Africa ariseafrica.org

Homeward Bound

2012-01-08T14:35:00.003-06:00

Greetings from Zambia—for one more night!

As I pack my bags to head home tonight, I am filled with reminders of the Lord’s faithfulness to us. He has been so good to our team. It has been a busy few days and tomorrow is the day to go home.

On Saturday morning, part of our team began their journey home to America. We were sad to see them go! The rest of us, 18 to be exact, hopped on two flights to Livingstone, Zambia. After an incredibly fruitful stay in Lusaka, it was a treat to end our time in Africa with a visit to one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Our destination was the Zambezi Sun Hotel—a beautiful spot settled right next to Victoria Falls.

Livingstone is a really fun city, centered around activities that enjoy the falls and wildlife. Our team took advantage of it all! Activities for our crew included a lion/cheetah petting adventure, zip-lining, elephant riding and an early morning safari to spot animals. It was a quick trip, but it was certainly a memory for a lifetime to see Victoria Falls. They are spectacular and magnify the majesty and power of our Creator.

Tomorrow morning, the rest of our team will head towards London for an overnight. Tuesday morning, we will make our way home to Texas. Though I think we are all excited to get home and see family and friends, leaving Africa is bittersweet. This has been such a phenomenal trip. Dearest family and friends, having you on this journey with us has been such a blessing. THANK YOU for praying us through each and every step of the way. We can’t wait to tell you all about the Lord’s work in Africa. By His grace, He used this team to accomplish eternal things.

Robby and I are so proud of this team. We look forward to sharing details, pictures and memories. Thank you for entrusting us with the high privilege of walking beside these students. We are humbled and grateful.

Texas, get ready! We’re coming home!

Love from Zambia,
Ann

A New Hand

2012-01-08T03:08:00.003-06:00

A note from Alissa…

Yesterday morning I woke up early and took ALL PCPC kids and chaperones to the airport. We had a group headed back to the states and another group going to Victoria Falls. It was sad to say goodbye to the states group because they have become such great friends. We couldn’t have asked for a better group to serve with.

After getting all musungus on their flights I headed back to our place to get ready for our day. I must admit, it is a bit easier to travel around as only one white person and not with 30!

We spent the morning in a meeting with one of our community schools discussing sponsorship and future plans. After that we grabbed a quick lunch and I met up with Benson.

Benson and I got to go visit one of the families that Arise Africa helps. The Muvela family are special friends of ours that 4 different Americans contribute monthly to assist.

We arrived at their home in the compounds and the mother had just returned from her job as a housekeeper. The kids were running around but we couldn’t find one of them, Langford. We decided to go look in the market for him because he loves watching movies there. Benson and I headed to the market with a couple of Langford’s siblings.

Now let me tell you, a white girl in the market gets lots of attention. We started hitting up all the Zambian movie theatres in the market. Imagine a tiny dark room with a TV that is about 20 inches wide with a pirated movie from somewhere. People and kids pay about 20 cents to be allowed in the room to view the movie. There are as many as 30 people in these tiny rooms standing and watching the movies.

We finally found Langford in a movie room. He was watching Rambo, yes the movie from the 80’s! Langford was reluctant to leave the movie but I bribed him by telling him I would pay for 4 movies if he would come home with us. He agreed and we headed back to the house.

Langford, was in a terrible accident as a child involving a fire. Langford suffered severe burns all over his body, especially to his hands. He received no medical attention. Both of Langford’s hands healed as clubs, leaving him with no fingers.

We have been working with CURE hospital for months trying to see if anything could be offered to Langford. This past fall, an American doctor visited CURE and along with an Italian doctor they were able to operate on one of Langford’s hands and make three fingers for him. Langford and his mother endured many weeks at CURE doing rehabilation. He was a trooper through all of the pain.
I was shocked to see the difference in Langford’s hands. He is now able to hold a pencil, grip things, feed himself, and even zip up the zipper on his jacket. Both Langford and his mother commented that it has helped him drastically in everyday life.

Benson will be going to pay school fees for the kids tomorrow and for the first time, Langford will be gripping a pencil, just like other kids in school.

We are beyond grateful for our partnerships in organizations such as CURE hospital. Without the body of Christ working together Langford would have never received such great care. We thank Langford’s USA sponsors, CURE hospital, and our Arise Africa Zambian staff for the service and love you have shown this family.

The rest of the day consisted of cleaning out homes where we have been staying and hanging out with great friends of mine that live in Zambia.

More later!

- Alissa Hollimon

2012-01-06T15:24:00.004-06:00

Good evening from Lusaka!

Wow! What a great day it has been. We started out bright and early on the bus, heading towards the brand new Olympic Training Center. Arise Africa rented the facilities out for camp today. The children were SO excited about the adventure of riding on a bus to the training center. Some had never even been on a bus before, so this was a big deal! As they pulled into the parking lot, you could hear them coming a mile away: singing, singing, SINGING!! What joy.

Our American team prepared an entire morning of games and field day activities for the kids. To spice up some friendly competition, we divided the camp into four teams, complete with matching headbands and flags for each team. The kids thought this was hilarious—they rallied around their team and had a blast. After some chanting and cheering all together, we enjoyed playing net ball, volleyball, soccer and basketball. These sweet kids are fun to watch—they are athletic and gifted, no doubt!

After a few rotations, the entire camp gathered on the track field for an organized field day. I was so proud of our American team—they had every detail organized. Field day included an egg/spoon race, three-legged race, sack race and a relay including hopping, crab walking and spinning. Big and little kids alike thought this was so much fun. You could hear laughter and singing in every direction. The Lord really blessed our weather. Rain here and there, but followed by blue skies. From start to finish, camp has been fantastic.

By far, the hardest part of the day was saying goodbye to our precious friends. We all enjoyed lunch together and a chance to talk and pray one more time. But as the blue buses lined up, we had to hug our friends goodbye. The beauty of this week is that relationships grew fast and deep. Collectively, we have become attached to these precious kids. As a result, goodbyes are never easy. After seeing their lives and understanding their stories, it is sometimes hard to watch them leave. But we trust that the Lord will continue the work He began in each of them. At the end of the day, they belong to our Lord. Knowing that He stays with them is a beautiful and comforting thought.

Some of our team visited a cultural market after camp and enjoyed some authentic shopping. After that, we all gathered back at the Baptist Mission for a sweet time together as a group. It was awesome to process the past week together. Some moments have been incredibly sweet and others have been more difficult to process, but by God’s grace, we have been in it together. Going home is the next step and it is reassuring to remember that we take that together as well.

As a farewell and celebration of camp, we had a “fry” (or barbeque, as Texans call it). The dear Arise Africa staff joined us. What a delight to finish the week with people who are now our dear friends. We were treated to a performance by a very talented Zambian a capella group. They were phenomenal and serenaded us with beautiful Zambian songs and classics like Hakkuna Matata. We have been so blessed by the Arise Africa staff. Each and every moment of this past week was carefully planned and we are so grateful. They surprised each of us with a hand carved wooden plaque with our names on it. It is something that we will treasure for a lifetime. We introduced them to the greatness of s’mores. I think they were a hit!

When goodbyes are hard, it is evidence of a sweet friendship. Our friends here in Africa are dear and it has been an incredible week serving by their sides. As we return home, we go with our friends in our hearts and prayers. We spent a week with these children, but these leaders spend day in and out with them. The potential for impact is huge and we are encouraged to believe that the Lord is using them in tremendous ways.

Tomorrow our team will divide. Ann Carolyn and Ben are leading some home to America and the rest of us are heading to Victoria Falls! It’s sad to see the trip come to an end. What an incredible journey it has been! Friends and family, we are grateful for you. Please continue to pray for us—for travel mercies and grace to finish well. We can’t wait to tell you all about it soon.

Love from Zambia,
Ann

Joy

2012-01-05T13:34:00.009-06:00

The word "joy" captures camp really well. These campers are full of joy, and we can certainly see it when we're playing all kinds of games with them. I thought you'd enjoy seeing a few windows into this joy.

(Hunter Smith playing Zambian duck-duck-goose)

(Ben Williams and friends with a jump rope)

(Daniel Torres getting roughed up by his new buddies)

(Girls playing "Red Light, Green Light")

(Haley Morgan enjoying large group time with her campers)

We finished our camp at Destiny today, and we informed the kids that we'll be putting them on buses and taking them to the Olympic training center in the morning for a field day finish to our week. The crowd erupted when they heard the news. We'd appreciate prayers for a fun and safe day of playing sports and doing "field day" activities. Imagine never having a chance to go more than one mile from where you live. Many of these kids will have the adventure of their life tomorrow! We'll also have our last spiritual conversations with the campers. Pray for the Lord to guide our team members and to be with us in those hard moments of saying goodbye.

We'll keep you posted as we have more time to give updates. Thank you again for all your prayers. Our team is remarkably healthy, upbeat, and encouraged by the trip. We had a sweet time of singing together this evening, and we look forward to a great debrief time on Friday afternoon after we finish the fun day with the campers. We have so much to think about, so much to process together. Pray that the Lord would guide us to get all that he wants us to get from this trip.

"Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory,
because of your love and faithfulness." Psalm 115:1

Thanks,
Robby

Picture Post

2012-01-04T14:58:00.007-06:00

Just a few more pictures...

Wednesday on This Side of the World

2012-01-04T14:33:00.008-06:00

Dear family and friends,

It’s Wednesday night in Zambia. We had another incredibly beautiful and surprisingly dry day here in “rainy season” Zambia. The Lord has been kind to give us the best possible atmosphere to love on these kids at camp. We even talked about Noah on Tuesday…and the rains didn’t come!

Here’s a little window into camp today. We roll into Destiny School on our big bus, and the kids are already waiting for us. Remember, it’s about 7:30am. They’re waving and hollering, so excited to see us. Some of them even try to get on the bus when the door opens, and we have to tell them to get off so we can file out and greet the crowds. All the Zambian children are looking for their American counselor. We know we’re here to love these kids, but their love for us has moved us all.

(Leslie Catherine Wrightsman with a couple of her campers)

As we round up kids in each of our groups, counselors and their Zambian partners catch up with the kids, play games, dance, laugh, etc. The Zambian children are so excited about memorizing their Bible verse each day that many students have the day’s verse memorized before we actually “introduce” it in the large group meeting around 8:30 or 8:45.

(John David Newman teaching the kids his new dance, the "wop.")

(Allie Fersing with one of her little girls)

The students march into the Destiny church building (where we worshiped on Sunday). The more groups we get in there, the louder it gets. The cheers and songs fill the place, almost like someone took the top off a Coke after shaking it really well. The energy just explodes. The Americans do their best to learn and sing the Zambian songs, and occasionally we get a song or verse in English, which is great! After singing, we have a daily lesson on faith and we introduce the day’s memory verse. So far, the kids have learned Hebrews 11:1, 2 Corinthians 5:7, and Romans 10:17. During today’s meeting, a number of students came to the front, recited all three verses, and received great encouragement and applause.

After the large group meeting, the rest of the morning consists of small group time, outside games, and inside activities like drawing. We take a snack around to the kids during the indoor activities, and we have another large group meeting before lunch. The second large group consists of more singing, some fun competitions, and a skit performed by the Zambian leaders. The kids get a real kick out of the skit, but the Americans aren’t really sure what’s going on, which is funny, too. The skits are in Nyanja, so we just enjoy the ride!

After the second large group, kids sit in their groups and have a great lunch that they really enjoy. Sitting with PBJs and a nutrient-rich drink, the kids have a chance to hang out and talk more with their leaders. Lunch breaks pretty quickly, though, as kids are excited to get back into their games at Destiny. The play continues until we have to call it a day, and the next challenge is trying to figure out how to say goodbye and shut things down. Truly, we could go until sundown and these kids would still be going strong.

(Our team after camp at Destiny today)

As camp winds down, our team spreads out to different places where we serve in the afternoons. Ann has already mentioned Mother Teresa’s orphanage and the Buseco Market. Today our group went to “The Midge,” an affectionate name for another school in the area. We spent three hours in that area today. Some girls read to students in the three-room schoolhouse. Some boys played soccer out in the small yard, but the potholes and other obstacles didn’t slow these little guys down. The Americans had trouble holding onto the ball as all the Zambian boys ran circles around them. Megan, our friend who works for Arise Africa, gave us a walking tour of the city, but we were not alone. An army of little kids followed us the whole way. Many of the children grab an American hand and hold it the whole way. I had a little guy on either hand, and though I never felt in danger walking through the city, there’s something powerful about having a couple little boys escorting you around.

(Walking the streets with our little army)

Our friend Patson runs “The Midge,” and before we left, he shared the story of the school with us. Patson told us that he had “failed” in his education, but that he longed to help others to get an education. About ten years ago he tried to start by helping adults pursue an education. Again, he said he failed. He committed to praying and asking the Lord to give him a sense for what he could do. The Lord gave Patson a word. “You can’t change the past, but you can change the future.” Patson turned his attention to the next generation and has been helping children get a better education for eight years. In the most recent turn, his school hosted 78 students in the three rooms. If you think of Patson tonight, pray that God would provide more resources to hire new teachers and pay current ones. He’s doing a great work, and we were encouraged to hear about it.

(Robert Cannon at "The Midge")

I know this is a long entry, but hopefully it paints the picture. Thursday will be our last “normal” day of camp. Don’t tell the Zambian children (wink), but on Friday, Arise Africa will bus them to the new Olympic training facility in Lusaka. There we will try to give them the most fun field day they could ever imagine. Considering the fact that they’ve probably never even seen a beautiful turf field, I think there’s a good chance we’ll have an amazing time. On Thursday afternoon, our team will plan out all the activities for Friday.

Please pray that our team members would know how to encourage the kids in their group as they have conversations on Thursday. We would all love to give them the world, but we know the best we can give them is Jesus. We are so grateful for your prayers.

Grace and peace,
Robby Higginbottom

Light in the Darkness

2012-01-03T14:04:00.004-06:00

Good evening from Zambia!

The Lord has been so gracious to us with this weather. Today was another BEAUTIFUL day in Zambia. Bright blue skies with puffs of clouds scattered all around—such a blessing. AND another opportunity to practice sun safety with sunscreen. Our crew is a little red (some are really red), but learning to manage and share Aloe Vera.

Camp was awesome today. There’s something beautiful about getting to do camp on the second day. We didn’t feel as “new,” and things seemed to run with more efficiency. Contained chaos. As our bus pulled into the school grounds today, we were greeted by a crowd of jumping, smiling, and chanting children. They surrounded the bus and swarmed each American as we hopped off. That is a moment I never want to forget. Such unconditional, overflowing love. My sister Ellen once told me that my life would never be the same after I met a Zambian orphan. She was so right. I think everyone on our team would agree.

At camp today we continued our lessons on faith. We played games (Red Rover) and sang songs. These children LOVE to sing and dance. Sometimes I would stop singing, just so I could hear their voices. Surely, this is a picture of eternity with our Lord. The second day of camp is also really sweet because the children seem different. They are not apprehensive about “camp” and a strange group of “white people from America.” It is almost like watching a wall crumble to the ground. The demeanor of camp today was full of resounding joy—Zambians and Americans alike! As the children warm up to us, they also begin to share more about their stories. This is sometimes very real and challenging to hear. Zambia is filled with poverty, hopelessness and diseases that affect every single person. BUT (there is always a but), Jesus is Lord. And that changes everything for these children. Just like His Lordship changes everything for us back home in Dallas. So as we process these heart wrenching stories, please pray that we would not lose sight of the gospel and that we would be arrows pointing heavenward. These children need Jesus. Just like us.

As camp ended around 12:30, our team divided into our family groups for afternoon activities. We are on a three-stop rotation. Today, my family group visited the Buseco Market. Buseco is an area of Lusaka that is known for it’s lumber production. It is also renowned for a community of homes that are made of plastic tarps. Walking through Buseco is a dark experience, to say the least. Of all the poverty that we have seen in Lusaka, Buseco is really on a totally different level.

Our small family of seven was accompanied by our dear Zambian friends, Isaac and Omega. They stuck by our sides the entire way, just for safety measures. As I have explained before, white people tend to create a stir here. We walked through the community of plastic homes and were immediately swarmed by precious faces. There is an incredible beautiful innocence to these children. They grabbed our hands and proudly walked us through their home village. We stopped at one specific home, where a young boy from camp lives. His mother was gracious enough to invite us into their home.

As I folded back the plastic tarp door, I ducked to fit inside. Leaving the bright afternoon behind, I stepped into a dark hole, completely void of light. No electricity. I didn’t need to take another step. Everything was right there before me—the bedroom and the kitchen. This was the home to a family of nine people. The black tarp blocked out every ray of light, but I could tell that even the roof above me was made of plastic. It is the beginning of rainy season in Zambia. I cannot comprehend what Buseco must look like with rain.

Visiting Buseco will certainly leave a mark on my mind forever. One team member said it best, “I could never even imagine something that bad…and yet it was even worse.” It is heart breaking to see. And yet, we have hope in Jesus, who redeems even the darkest corners of the earth. Light shines in the darkness and always wins. Always. So as we walked away, I had to remind myself of these truths. We came to Zambia to walk in their shoes and learn their stories. And at the end of it all, give them Jesus. Lord willing, that is exactly what we are doing. And that is precisely why visiting Buseco Market will be one of the most powerful images in my lifetime. I am certain that my teammates would say the same thing.

The evening routine was normal tonight—fantastic pizza from a local mall and sweet team time as boys and as girls. Six of us, however, had a unique experience together. A group of girls (Ann, Ellen, Haley, Ann Carolyn, Adrienne and Meredith) went with Megan from Arise Africa to a Zambian Zumba class. Let me just say this: it was the BEST Zumba class I have ever taken. And I know Zumba! We had a blast and got quite a work out! Zambians know how to rock it. What a fun, funny experience! I never thought I’d be doing Zumba in Zambia!

Friends, thank you for praying us through another day. We feel carried. And we need it! It is easy to begin to feel tired at this point. But the Lord is gracious enough to give us mercies every morning. That is a mercy I rely on each and every day.

We love you all,
Ann

First Day of Camp!

2012-01-02T13:43:00.002-06:00

Friends and family back home,

Please note: two updates today! So keep reading ☺

This evening, I am reporting in on behalf of a very tired, happy and slightly sun-burned team! What a day this has been! Today was the first day of our “routine” while we are here in Zambia. It was the first day of camp! This is a bit of a long update, but hopefully, it will give you a window into our week!

Our morning started bright and early at 7:10am when we met at the bus. Camp will be held every day at Destiny School, where we visited Saturday and Sunday. We have come to know and love the community of children around Destiny, so showing up there each day feels like home.

In case you are curious, we travel in a large blue bus. Arise Africa owns several buses that serve the public bus route in between mission trips. A big blue bus, billowing with white, cheerful faces is quite a sight to behold in Africa! As our bus pulled into Destiny, children started pouring in. By 8:45, camp was under way. Each of our team members has been paired with a wonderful Zambian partner and assigned a group of children for the week. This morning was the first time we got to meet them. I can say with certainly that everyone quickly fell in love with their groups—boys and girls of all ages, 5-15.

Camp this week is based on the theme of “Faith.” So our time today centered on Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we can not see.” We worked with our children, with the assistance of our Zambian partners, to explain the significance of this passage and work on memorization. We used games to demonstrate acts of faith, such as the “trust fall,” which was a huge hit with the kids!

The Zambian children refer to Americans as “Aunt” and “Uncle.” So Uncle Robby worked with our dear Zambian friend Uncle Bwayla to lead the large group time. Our team learned new Zambian songs and dances—you should see the way that the children watch our team! They think we are hilarious as we sing and dance along!

Camp concluded with a lunch for all—peanut butter and jelly! Even though camp officially ended at 12:00, the children stayed around to play some more. What joy! So the festivities continued until our team had to move on.

Each afternoon this week, our team is divided into four groups to visit other ministries in Lusaka. We will see three very different locations this week, following our rotation. I will talk you through each stop according to what my group sees. This afternoon, my small group went to the Mother Teresa Home for Children. This is an orphanage run by Catholic Nuns in the middle of Lusaka. It was incredible. The orphanage is settled behind a guarded gate and covered in cool shade trees. Children are running everywhere—and they were thrilled to welcome us as guests. Our team divided up to love on the 76 children who call this place home. A nursery of over 40 babies was the first stop. After carefully washing our hands, we scooped up precious babies and took them to front porch to play. The children at Mother Teresa’s are there for varying reasons—some are orphaned, others have been removed from high-risk situations. Whatever the reason, these children are cared for and love by this amazing ministry. My group was really moved by the opportunity to show love to these precious kids. Boys played soccer and ran outside—most of the girls never left the nursery. We are all looking forward to returning for another afternoon at Mother Teresa’s later this week!

What a tremendous blessing it is to have such delicious meals prepared for the end of the day! Tonight we enjoyed spaghetti and garlic bread, salad and brownies. Alissa and her Arise Africa team have thought of every detail for our trip and we are immensely grateful.

I mentioned it at the beginning and it is true—we are a sunburned crew this evening! Pink faces, tired bodies and full hearts—what delight. I know our entire team joins me in saying, THANK YOU for praying. THANK YOU for sending us. THANK YOU for joining our team. We couldn’t be here without you. Tomorrow is another day of camp, and we can hardly wait!

Our love from Zambia,
Ann

Longings Fulfilled

2012-01-02T13:39:00.003-06:00

It was an amazing feeling when I finally saw Hope. She walked into church, her bright smile lighting up the entire room. I watched as my sister, Ellen, went running towards her. Hope came running towards Ellen with the same excitement. I knew immediately: THIS must be Hope. The girl I have prayed for. The girl I have longed to meet for such a long time. This must be Hope.

On Sunday, John, Robby and I had the privilege of meeting a young Zambian named Hope. Hope came into our family in 2010 when she befriended my younger sister, Ellen. Since that summer, I have thought and prayed for Hope as though she were already a dear friend, even a family member. Like many children in Zambia, Hope’s life hasn’t been easy. In fact, when Ellen met her in 2010, life seemed hopeless for this child. As Ellen learned her story, she was moved to take action on behalf of a little girl she barely knew. Ellen wanted to fight for Hope.

Hope’s story paints a stunning picture of the gospel and also the Lord’s work through my sister and Arise Africa. After a long journey, Hope now lives under the safety and security of Arise. This ministry has fought for Hope. My sister and Clayton have fought for Hope. Many of you have PRAYED and fought for Hope. I wrote a book based on Hope. And on Sunday, I finally got to meet her. This girl is amazing. I sat next to her at church as she sang and worshipped the Lord. She loves Jesus. She loves people. She adores my sister. A longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul. My longing was to meet Hope. How sweet.

Hope is one of many, many children who have been blessed by Arise Africa. Goodson is another one. Ellie Lewis is on our team and she came with a similar longing: she wanted to meet Goodson, the boy she has been sponsoring through Arise. I watched as Ellie got to meet Goodson and his family for the first time. I know what a sweet moment that was for Ellie.

Friends, lives are being changed in Zambia. And it has nothing to do with US…it has everything to do with the Lord. But what a sweet privilege it is to get to play a role. Longings are being fulfilled here this week—and it’s happening through the beautiful lives of children like Hope and Goodson.

It’s so good to be back.
Ann

Getting Ready for Camp

2012-01-01T14:56:00.003-06:00

Dear friends,

The night is winding down in Lusaka. Here are just a few thoughts from this evening.

There is some great Tex-Mex in Zambia. Our team had an incredible meal at a local restaurant. The place was supposed to be closed tonight, but they opened up just for us. Everything was going smoothly. We had finished eating. Then Alissa surprised John David Newman with a millipede. It was one of those "close your eyes and open your hands" moments, and John David was a trooper. He did great, but all the girls screamed at the sight. With the millipede on the loose, it was time to get the check and head for the bus!

Back at the Baptist Mission, the team heard all about camp. Each of our team members will have 10 children and a Zambian Christian as a ministry partner. Tonight we learned the kids' names and started making name tags and getting ready for day one tomorrow. If you do the math, that's 260 children who will join us for camp. I love the thought that 260 people may experience love and compassion like they have never felt before. We want to know their stories and point them to the hope that we have found in Christ.

We finished the night singing and praying together. We started with "How Deep the Father's Love for Us" and eventually ended with "It Is Well With My Soul," two songs that hit us right where we are. Thanks for praying for us. Pray that we would rest in God's love for us. Pray that he would remind us that he's with us as we dive in tomorrow.

It's around 11pm here, and we'll be on the buses to go to camp by 7:10am tomorrow morning. Time to get some sleep!

Grace and peace,
Robby Higginbottom

Meeting the kids and Worshipping the Lord

2012-01-01T08:14:00.006-06:00

Greetings from Zambia, friends!

Since arriving in Lusaka, we hit the ground running. Saturday (yesterday), was a long day for our team. We all battled to stay awake all day…and then crashed at the end of it! We welcomed in the New Year at 8:30 pm.

I wish I could paint a picture of our team from yesterday. We went into the heart of Lusaka, to Destiny school, which sits next to a community. I stood back and watched in awe as our students spread out in a community, looking for children to interact with. As news spread through the streets, children with bright smiles came running. Within minutes, we had a full-blown playgroup. Guys had kids hanging off of each arm and the girls were quickly whisked away for games and dancing. I followed as much as I could with my camera, so hopefully, we can give you a window into the fun. For the next 3 hours, the grounds of Destiny School were filled with laughter, running and excited singing. I was blown away by our team—it was so encouraging to watch them embrace these precious kids from Zambia. What a beautiful foretaste to the week ahead!

We enjoyed an early dinner, prepared especially for us—chicken fingers, French fries, watermelon, salad and brownies! After a short small group session, everyone disappeared to the cabins. According to the leaders, there was not a peep after 8:30—sound asleep to welcome in 2012! Through out the night, we heard Zambia ringing in the New Year with fireworks.

Sunday morning, we were a different team—refreshed by sleep! We were invited to join Pastor Peter and his church for worship at Destiny. What an experience! It’s beautiful and humbling to witness the worship of our God in a different country. Americans were scattered among Zambians, children were bouncing from lap to lap, and the Lord was praised. It was awesome to see! Zambians worship through song, dance, prayer and God’s Word. Our teamed jumped right in!

We also had our first taste of Zambian rainy season. Today we have had spurts of some big rain. After church, we went together back to the Arcades for lunch and shopping in the street market…and in the pouring rain! The market is filled with wonderful, handmade items. Shopping is also an awesome opportunity to get to know some people from the community. I’m not sure that the rain deterred the shoppers! We all found some great finds to bring back to the states.

This evening, we will take a leap of faith by enjoying some authentic Zambian Mexican food. We’ll see how our Tex/Mex tastes approve of how it’s done in Africa! I will report in tomorrow.

Friends and family, THANK YOU for praying. I can’t say that enough. We feel carried and loved by each of you. Tomorrow will be our first day of camp. Please pray for a great start as we look to be used by the Lord for big, eternal things. Our team is excited and would love your prayers. Robby and I remain SO PROUD of this group. It has been awesome to watch them love each other and the people the Lord puts in their path. We love you and look forward to sharing each and every detail upon return.

Our love and thanks to you all,
Ann

Traveling, London, and Arrival

2011-12-31T03:03:00.005-06:00

Friends and Family,

We have safely arrived in Zambia! Our team has had a FULL but great few days. Here's a little recap to paint the picture for you...

We gathered at DFW and successfully checked close to 80 bags and trunks. It felt great to drop the bags off and then not see them until Zambia. Our flight was on time out of DFW and we boarded a huge British Airways plane. Eight hours later, we landed at Heathrow. Most of our team struggled with getting enough sleep on that flight, so landing in London was a relief! We passed through customs with ease (it's amazing how the crowds part when they see a large group coming). Next stop: the city! We all hopped the Tube for underground travel directly into the heart of London. I was so proud of our team--navigating the crowds and train changes with ease. We stayed together the entire time...pretty impressive!

I arranged a bike tour for the group through Fat Tire Bike Tours, a renowned company run by friendly Aggies. What could be better! Most of the group jumped on bikes for the afternoon, while a small group decided to kick around the city. The tour was a huge success! We were fearful that the cold weather and potential rain would be a problem, but all things considered, it wasn't bad. We had a few sprinkles and some chilly wind. However, it was well worth the effort as we all enjoyed a guided tour of London's highlights: Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Parliament, Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, and Kensington Palace. It was a GREAT way to see the city!

The Lord really blessed each and every detail of the day...from the Tube to efficiency to returning to the airport. Everyone enjoyed a nice warm meal at Heathrow and tried desperately to stay awake!

Our flight to Lusaka was on time and we were all relieved (shockingly) to get on another plane with one goal in mind: SLEEP!! I'm proud to say that most of your weary travelers were able to get some shut-eye. I woke up to see the sun rising over Africa--pretty amazing!

Alissa and her wonderful team met us at the airport...as did each and every checked bag! Woohoo! It was impressive to watch the staff stack luggage into trucks, but they did it. We all rode in a large blue bus with Alissa. I must say, we turned a few heads as we drove through the city of Lusaka. Apparently a bus full of white people is a rare sighting!

Our accommodations will be perfect for the team. We are staying at a Baptist mission--a compound of sorts, settled behind a large stone wall with a friendly guard post. Boys are split up into several fully-furnished apartments with leaders. And the girls are enjoying a large apartment, big enough for all!

For the first time in days, we are all finally clean! A Zambian shower was the perfect way to begin our time here. In just a little bit, we will travel into city for lunch and some touring, followed by an early dinner and some much needed sleep in a BED!

I can't tell you how proud I am of our team. Robby and I remarked earlier that we feel like we are leading a trip of our little brothers and sisters. We LOVE your kids. What a gift to see Africa with them. Thank you for praying. We feel carried along, more than you know. Please pray for a restful night and some solid hours of sleep, as we all need it. For now, know that everyone is doing well and excited to be here. We will update as we go, so check back for more!

Our love and gratitude,
Ann

Arrived and Alive

2011-12-31T02:08:00.001-06:00

Our PCPC group have arrived and are all doing great. Everyone has showered and rested up and we are off to see the city!

We will post more later!

- Alissa Hollimon

Kershaw's Challenge update

2011-11-27T08:49:00.001-06:00

Please read our update letter and the website will be updated shortly!

We are so excited!!

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Kershaw-s-Challenge-Update.html?soid=1103609831636&aid=CN47GGlbjNY

Kershaws Challenge Creative Giving

2011-10-11T06:37:00.010-05:00

We received quite possibly the cutest card from a kiddo that helped raise funds for Kershaw's Challenge:

Nine year old Rowan Moore, is a big Dodger fan, in fact her whole family is. Rowan decided to help us out for Kershaw's challenge and raise funds by having a snack stand at her brother's baseball games this past season. Rowan had some great success and sent us a very nice check!

Rowan, we thank you for your effort and keep it up! God Bless!

- The Arise Africa crew and Clayton and Ellen Kershaw

Calm Elections!

2011-09-26T09:59:00.004-05:00

Last Thursday night Zambia time the election results were announced after over 48 hours of waiting. The winner was Michael Sata, and for the first time in Zambia's history a member of the Patriotic Front party has won.

Here is Sata getting sworn in:

We aren't really sure about what the dude next to him is wearing on his head but we will just ignore that!

We are beyond grateful for the way this election was handled. There was little rioting and violence. When Sata won, Banda stepped down from his office in a peaceful way and encouraged his supporters to do the same. We are so happy that Zambia was able to conduct themselves in a manner that is admirable.

We honestly are not sure of how Sata will lead Zambia. We are encouraged by his platform which says that stopping corruption will be a major part of his work. Sata also seems to understand that allowing foreign countries to come in to Zambia and own all the businesses and get all the governmental contracts makes Zambia a poorer country. Currently China runs all the major money making copper mines in the copperbelt region of Zambia. They treat their workers terribly and the Zambians working for them essentially are slaves to the mines. China also was able to get the contracts to fix the roads in Zambia which was through the government. They rarely hire Zambian workers and when they do, they do not pay them what is adequate. In fact, it is rumored that China gave the previous president Banda, over 50 million dollars to help him in his elections. That is ALOT of cash in Zambia folks! Sata has a vision for better education and more jobs for his country.

We ask you to continue to pray for this transition time. We also pray that Sata remains true to his word and that he can stand above bribes or anything else that might come to him. We pray Sata is able to help Zambia and not hurt them. We are hopeful!

On another note, Wangari Maathai, the first African woman recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, died after a long struggle with cancer. Maathai was an environmental activist that also faced and challenged many social issues within Kenya. To learn more about a very admirable woman please take a look at this video:

Election Day

2011-09-19T11:34:00.004-05:00

Tomorrow morning when you wake up (Tuesday Morning) Zambia will be voting for their next president. This is a highly controversial election this time and many people dislike the current president, Banda. In fact it was controversial how he got into office the first time. They believe he will rig the elections for his favor. There are discussions about riots and other things that might happen if he wins. His opponent Sata is also a rather powerful man.

Banda:

Sata:

To give you an idea of how elections run in Zambia here is a photo of the ballots for the country being shipped in an open bed truck on the streets 10 days ago. If you can imagine there is alot of room for corruption.

We ask you to pray for peaceful elections and all of our staff and partners to be safe.

We also pray for the leadership in Zambia.

Thanks!

- Arise Africa

Sweet Andrew

2011-08-17T17:51:00.003-05:00

This past visit to Zambia we became very concerned about one of our sponsored children, Andrew. Andrew is 12 years old and is HIV positive. He visits the clinic one a month and is on his medicine, (ARV’s ).

Andrew has always been a concern for us because of his illness. When Andrew entered in to our program he was malnourished and very lethargic. After aggressively feeding him for months, Andrew started to look better and actually be able to participate in school. I have never seen Andrew smile, and you can tell that life for him is about survival and nothing else. He doesn’t run around or play soccer or basketball. He has his head down in class because he is tired and run down. Here is a photo of Andrew in our container receiving food:

Andrew’s parents both passed away years ago. He lives with aunts and uncles in a tiny home with about 15 people. There is no food for Andrew at home and he comes to school dirty. He sleeps on a dirt floor and doesn’t have any help from guardians. We have worked hard to feed Andrew at school and give him soap and lotion. Brenda, who is in charge of Andrew through our child sponsorship program, sits patiently with him as he eats slower and needs more attention daily. We have treated skin rashes and worked hard to help this little guy. There are times that Andrew has tried to follow our staff home and he always is the last to leave school.

This past visit we noticed that although all that we had done, it wasn’t enough. Andrew is loosing this battle with HIV. He was extremely skinny again and slow to walk, slow to talk. There was very little life left in this child. We learned that Andrew has been having very bad stomach issues and cannot keep the food we are feeding him down. This is a sign that the virus is getting worse. It also is a sign that the medicine cannot work when the patient has no food in them. Brenda went to the clinic with Andrew and we received more devastating news, that his CD4 count was at 120. If a patient has a CD4 count less than 400 than the disease has moved from HIV to the AIDS virus. Anything under 200 is considered that the patient is very susceptible to any type of illness and ultimately death. We also learned that Andrew weights around 44 pounds, at 12 years old. This was crushing for us.

We realized that although we can try to feed, clothe, and take care of Andrew, we couldn’t in the conditions he is living in. How Andrew is cared for is out of our control when he walks out of the school’s gate everyday. We can’t monitor his medicine intake and if it is happening. We can’t keep him warm and clean at night. We can’t make sure he has food to eat for dinner with his medicine. And helping at school is not enough for him. It was a sobering realization to make. Our ability is limited and it wasn’t enough. Without a home to put Andrew in, we couldn’t help him.

After getting my act together and wiping the tears from my face, John and I talked and discussed with our Zambian team what to do. We approached a special home where catholic nuns take care of children in Andrew’s situation. They have a school, orphanage, and hospice center all in one compound. We asked them to take Andrew into their care. They were hesitant at first, given Andrew’s age, they like to take younger kids. After explaining how sick Andrew is, and telling them his weight, they agreed to take him for 6 months. This particular home is approached almost daily for kids to be allowed to stay with them; the demand by far outweighs the beds they have. We felt very blessed that Andrew was accepted.

Brenda and some of our other staff visited Andrew’s family to ask them if they could take Andrew to the special home. They agreed and were honestly relived. It was another body and mouth out of their home that they didn’t have to deal with.

A day or so later, our staff took Andrew to the home. We had him all packed up with his only belongings he has, clothes and a backpack we have given him. Brenda packed him soap and school supplies and a special kid’s Bible that she had been reading to him.

They arrived at the home and were met with wonderful people who were ready to help this kiddo. Andrew was overwhelmed when they showed him his very own bed and he whispered to Brenda that he had never slept in a real bed before. The other kids greeted him and gave them a tour of the home. There is a school that Andrew can attend if he feels well enough. We left Andrew and were told we could visit once a week and we would also be required to take him to the clinic once a month.

As I left Zambia it was the first time that I felt like I might not ever see one of our kids again. I thought about this on the plane with tears streaming down my face as John tried to comfort me and reassure me that we had done everything we can. Andrew is sick and has the odds against him. There is no doubt that he is in the best care possible. He is in a home where he is loved and cared for. He has food anytime he wants. He can truly be a kid, and not worry about the next meal or if he will be warm for the night. We can’t think of a better place for Andrew to be in this stage of his life. We are so thankful for this home and our partners in caring for Andrew.

Sometimes running a ministry is difficult because there is only so much you can do. And then you have to remember about your trust in God. It is a good lesson for us; we know that God is in control of this situation. We are called to do all we can do, but ultimately this is HIS child. We are beyond grateful for this home and for Andrew to have a chance at becoming healthy to where he can fight the disease and the medicine can work.

About a week ago we received an email in the USA titled “Breaking News.” When you run a ministry, this can be concerning to get an email from Africa saying this. Most breaking news is never good! But we were pleasantly surprised.

Bwalya informed us that he had just returned from visiting Andrew at one of our allowed visits. We learned that within two weeks Andrew was a changed child. His CD4 count was at 190 and he had gained 9 pounds. But most importantly Andrew’s smile is back! We received the following photo that made me cry, once again, luckily in my home and not in public.

We thank God for Andrew’s turn for the better. We thank Him for the home he is able to be at and the care he is receiving. We thank him for the smile on this child’s face, and we thank him for all the blessings he has shown us. We know that Andrew is HIS and we continue to pray for improvement.

NEw folks

2011-07-25T00:38:00.002-05:00

The rest of our team safely arrived in Lusaka on Saturday. Stephanie and Avery’s flight arrived almost 2 hours late so there was alot of waiting around at the airport (pretty typical for Zambia). But we got everything together and made it back to Shakespeare Lodge minus one bag which was full of donations and not personal items thankfully. Caroline and Michael spent the morning securing nesting boxes for the new chicken “fortress” at Destiny. In Caroline’s words, “Who are the natural predators of chickens in the chicken fortress? Humans and ants. This is hard to plan for.” Hopefully, with the well built fortress the chickens will be secure and live a long life. Shortly after we went to check on the progress that John and Bwayla were making putting up a basketball goal for the kids. We really tried our best to scale it to regulation height, but the goal was Zambian crafted and looked quite a bit different from a regular basketball goal. To begin with, the backboard was made out of wood and the inner square on the backboard was quite a bit smaller. To top it all off, the net was red, white and blue. A very interesting mix of sorts. The kids will have alot of fun with that once we teach them how to play. We also made a trip out to see one of our sponsored kids and his family. We checked in to see how schooling was going with the children and how the family was managing. They were also provided with new clothes for school (which everyone was extremely excited about). Our visit was short because we were due to pick Callie and Kelly up from the airport. At the time of their arrival, 100% of the electricity at the airport was out (also not unusual for Lusaka where there are regular rolling blackouts). After collecting everyone we made it back to the Lodge to make pizzas and get some rest.

On Sunday morning we headed to church and had a great time. We all were happy that one of the speakers was out and the keyboard was not working! Sometimes it can be a bit loud and it was great to hear just voices. After church we headed to the market and bought souveiners. We finished Sunday off having dinner with the Zambian and American teams.

Today is a big day and we will blog later tonight!

The crew

Arise Africa Engagement!

2011-07-21T12:53:00.001-05:00

Yep you heard it, Caroline and Michael (our chicken farmers) are engaged! Michael popped the question while they were in Victoria Falls last week. Caroline has received many questions from kids this week about her ring! We offered for them to get married this Sunday at Peter’s church but they kindly declined only because their parents would be upset. Caroline has received many suggestions and ideas given from Zambian women who are experiences Zambian wedding planners. It has been quite educational to learn about Zambian ceremonies. Also Caroline has been asked if she will have 7 or 8 children. She’s thinking more like 10 (jk)

Alright folks we’re tired but all is going well!

- The Crew

Turn right at the tomato stand…

2011-07-19T23:50:00.002-05:00

Well it is 5am on July 20th and I am up thanks to jet lag. But I slept much more than I did two nights ago!

Yesterday July 19th was absolute chaos. After sleeping for only two hours last night (hello jet lag) John and Bwalya and I headed out yesterday morning with a large list of things to try to accomplish. We first met with and scouted out a new school to maybe work with. We got a tour and met the headmaster and John found a tiny kitten that he couldn’t put down. After taking iphone photos of john and his kitten we went to our next stop.

We went to exchange our car for another one because the brakes were acting quite funny and when we applied the brakes it sounded like a dying cat was in the trunk of the car. Seriously it was damaging to your ears! We got a new car, (Toyota Corolla) which is so much better except for the fact the passenger door is the only one that will unlock with your key. So the passenger has to get in first, then reach in and open everyone else’s doors. I will take it over the dying cat noise!

Then John, Bwalya and I headed out of town to check out an orphanage we had heard about. We are trying to gather as much information about orphanages right now as we plan to start one in the next year thanks to Kershaw’s challenge! We haven’t met our goal yet but are getting there and are beginning to plan. We began driving and chatting and then realized that the directions that had been given to us said to drive down one road for at while and turn right at the tomato stand. Well, let me tell you one thing about Africa, there is a tomato stand about every ten feet on the side of the road. As we were driving we realized we had a problem. There were so many possibilities as to where to turn right! We kept driving and all three of us arguing about if we were going too far and had a great discussion on the Zambian stock market (of course I am with John and Bwalya!). We finally stopped at some shops (think mud huts in the middle of nowhere) for us to buy some phone time so we could use Bwalya’s iphone to try to look it up on the internet. After failing to find it on the internet and two cokes and a Fanta later, we were defeated. We turned around and stopped by another orphanage on our way home that we had heard about out there while asking for directions! We toured this orphanage and saw the homes and asked many questions.

Then the three of us ate a quick lunch and met with a realtor to help us look for land for the orphanage. Given that buying land over here is as complicated as possible, we know we have to have professionals help! This particular realtor wasn’t very helpful but we realized we were at the top realty company where they sell the big properties that are a bit pricey than our orphanage budget. That is when she politely told us that we should look in the paper or go to another reality company to help with what we are looking for. So we left and went downtown to another realtors’ office. We chatted with them for a while. We are pretty sure they thought the three of us were crazy as we emphasized the importance of a CLEAR title and that we didn’t want property that we had to beg some chief for. We made a plan to meet the next day to go look at some properties.

Then we headed to another development that we had been recommended to where they are selling plots of land. We briefly stopped at Pizza In to order dinner since it was buy one get one free night. John went inside to order and came back outside telling us that we needed to pray for him because he had gotten so frustrated with the woman at the counter he had walked out, without ordering the pizzas. This was at the end of a LONG DAY. Bwalya and I listened to the story, wanting to laugh, but we emphasized with John and patted him on the back and then I took the money in and ordered our pizzas.

We met with the developers of the land and saw two possible plots that would work for us. It was very encouraging to see that the land was in a great place in the city, and close to two really good schools we could send our kids to. It also is land in our budget. By the end of our tour Bwalya was asking about plots for himself to build on! He was drooling over this land! We made fun of him for a while and then took off to go pick up the pizzas we had ordered.

We got home to meet Caroline and Michael who had been at Destiny school all day working on their chicken-farming project. Let me tell you, chicken farming is more intense than the three pet chickens my dad bought me at the feed store (after I begged, and begged, and pleaded) when I was 11 in Devine Texas. They had been in town all day with Isaac and the rest of our team buying wood and all sorts of supplies. They have all these fancy drawings that they have made themselves about the construction of this coop. It is impressive! They were as exhausted as we were. We all ate the pizza and I took some drugs and went to bed.

One thing that was so great about yesterday was that John, Bwalya, and I spent a lot of time in the car together, I mean like all day practically. Once we got a car without a dying cat noise, it was quite peaceful. But it was a GREAT time to catch up and discuss EVERYTHING we needed to. We covered so many important topics and the conversation was very effective. As the day ended and John and I walked over possible land we will buy, I couldn’t help but be blown away at God’s work. I looked at John and said, “Could you have ever imagined we would be looking at land to build an orphanage on?” “Not in a million years, it is so awesome!” was his response. We are constantly humbled by the generosity and support we have received as Arise Africa grows. And we only wish that all our supporters, (especially Kershaw’s challenge supporters!) could be here with us to see the impact it is having! I am sure you too are jealous that you didn’t get to ride in the back of a Toyota Corolla for hours looking for the token tomato stand to turn right at!

Off to another day!

- Alissa

on the ground and rolling

2011-07-18T15:31:00.001-05:00

I arrived in Lusaka today and met the rest of our Americans who have been here for a few days.

John, Megan, Bwalya, and I wasted no time heading to the coffee shop and organizing all our calendars together for the next few weeks. It was complete chaos as we tried to coordinate so much we need to do. It was rather entertaining as I only had about two hours of sleep.

We all then split and headed to our respected places and started working on our lists! John and Bwalya and I headed to buy a basketball rim for a hoop that we are having welded for one of our community schools. (they don't make basketball hoops you can buy in Zambia, so you have to get one made) After John and I somehow managed to buy an $80 basketball only to have to return it, we headed to Destiny school where our other Americans, Caroline and Michael were already there and meeting with folks and working on their chicken farming project.

We hung out at destiny for a long time today and we got to see all our sponsored kids and other friends we have there. We left with Caroline and Michael feeling like they have a good plan for the next day.

We had a great steak dinner at an awesome restaurant and then headed to bed.

Big day tomorrow folks!

- The crew!

Buseco Market Fire

2011-06-22T22:23:00.004-05:00

Yesterday we learned that the local market in the area of one of our community schools had caught on fire. We had many kids that lived in the market, in their "homes" made of sticks and plastic tarps. This market is also where a lot of wood is cut and straw is sold. It was very concerning for us and our Zambian team spent alot of time finding our kids and trying to help. They immediately went to the market when they found out and started checking on and gathering our kids.

This afternoon we learned that only two of our children were effected and they are physically OK. Goodson and Frank, are two of our sponsored kids and were inside their home when the homes caught on fire. Considering their house is made of plastic and timber, it quickly caught on fire and spread. The boys were able to escape but were concerned that their younger sister did not. she was found and unharmed by one of our staff. Their mother left for the northern provence about 4 or 5 months ago and has never returned. They were living by themselves.

Both boys had received clothes and new shoes from us in May in a effort to prepare them for winter (which is happening right now). The items were lost in the fire and they were very upset by this. Our staff did a great job of taking them to school and resupplying them with clothes, school supplies, and other items.

Photo from May

As of now, the boys are sleeping at the school and we are unsure of the future and where they will live. Please pray for these sweet kids and Arise Africa as well as we try to help them.

Marriage Proposals

2011-05-17T15:59:00.002-05:00

Today was a great day. I woke up this morning and headed out quickly to meet our Zambian team member Isaac. Isaac was with me the entire day and we accomplished ALOT! Our first stop was at Greenhill School, where we built them classrooms back in January. We had forgotten to tell them I was coming so it was a major surprise! It was awesome to see everyone and kids were learning in the classrooms. They have so much more space and classes aren't having to share rooms. Their high school kids are using the new classrooms, and they were very grateful. We had given them quite a few classroom decorations and school supplies and I was happy to see them being used. I think we might need to give a few pointers on how to decorate classrooms but they are definetely enthuiastic!

This particular classroom really enjoyed the construction paper we gave them:

We stayed at Greenhill for a while, and did some video and hung out with the kids.

Then Isaac and I started our errand running and we were on the move. We went into town which is always an adventure in itself. People are everywhere trying to sell you pirated DVDs to belts and even cell phone chargers on the street corners. Parking is a nightmare so people will fight for parking spots for you and in return you must pay them. This is always entertaining to me and luckily Isaac did a great job making sure we weren't ripped off. We found a pretty good parking spot and started our shopping.

We first went and bought school books for our sponsored children. After that we had a list of things that our Zambian team had asked us for which we of course forgot. so we had to keep calling Brenda and Susan which I am sure they were thrilled at! We bought them some more cooking pots and plates for our feeding program for our sposored kids. This meant going to the plastics store. They have a whole store that only sells every type of plastic available. From plastic chairs to forks, you buy it here.

As Isaac was paying for the plastics I walked outside to find a man selling giant wooden spoons that you use for stirring Enshima here. The girls had asked us to buy some so I began to ask him how much and then start the bartering process. I thought I was doing pretty good on the spoons and was about to pay when Isaac came out and asked how much he was charging me. He then proceeded to tell the man just because I was white I would not be getting ripped off and we paid about one fourth of what I had him at. That is when I was politely told to not buy a single thing anymore because my skin color was a disadvantage. I took that advice and kept my mouth shut the rest of the day when it came to price negogiating!

Our next stop was to buy some large pots for cooking and knives. We got some great knives but the pots were very expensive and I think I can get better prices in the USA and they can be brought over so we will wait on that. Isaac and I then made our last stop to buy washing soap for clothes. As we were walking to the car I was stopped by a stumbling drunk and dirty man who asked if I would marry him. I am sure my father is devestated but I declined.

We fought the traffic and left town and headed to one of our community schools where we met Brenda and Susan and unloaded our gear. We did some video at this school and followed up on a loan we had given them a few months ago. They purchased some industrial sewing machines and now make clothes which they sell and use the funds for their school. It is going remarkably well and seeing 6 women who now have jobs was really inspiring.

The last part of our day we went back to the local market where many of our sponsored kids live in tarp homes. We visited a few of their homes and gave out more clothes for winter and visited with parents and grandparents. We shot some video and hung out.

As weird as it sounds, it was really cool to be in the market at the end of the day. The sun was going down and I looked around and realized how lucky we are to be loved so much. As we went from house to house and were able to distribute food and clothes to grateful parents and children, I was overwhelmed at how blessed we are. I was honored to be there with our great Zambian team and was proud of them. They knew all the parents and kids and their siblings. They were loved in this community and it was evident. And I stood out like a sore thumb and was loved just as much. Well maybe not by the small babies who were scared of me because they had never seen a white person.

While in the city market I was asked by another stumbling, drunk and dirty man if I would marry him. Once again I declined.

It was a perfect way to end the day! (not the proposal, but visiting folks in the city market)

Back in Zambia

2011-05-17T00:06:00.006-05:00

Well it's been a long time since we have blogged, and life has been crazy!

I arrived in Zambia a few days ago and have been checking in on our programs and kids and Zambian team. It has been great.

Yesterday I visited one of our partnering community schools where we have our child sponsorship program. Our American team had come in January and held a kids camp at the school and when I arrived I was attacked by kids hugging and asking me where everyone else was. They were definitely disappointed when I told them I was the only American to come!

Our child sponsorship program has grown since I was last here which has been a major blessing. Two of our staff members are at this school daily and help watch the kids, do Bible classes, help tutor, and feed them. They have done an amazing job at feeding them and watching the kids receive a great meal was really special. I can honestly say you see God's love for these kids. If you are a child sponsor we can't thank you enough.

We unloaded suitcases of childrens clothing I brought over because winter will be here in a few weeks in Zambia. A few of our bigger kids had not received any new clothing in a while because we didn't have their sizes or they were new to the sponsorship program. One child, Isaac, is new to our program and is one of our worse off. We got Isaac some clothes and visited his home after school.

Isaac lives with his father and his mother passed away about a year ago. They live in the local market where homes are made of tarps, cardboard, and a few wood posts. The homes are stacked on top of one another and you walk through a maze of people to get to where he lives. When we arrived Isaac's father was sitting outside his home of tarps making straw brooms, which he sells for about 20 cents each. There was a small fire going outside the home and we all sat on the dirt and began to chat. Isaac has a good father, who loves him and cares for his kids, the best he can. Our Zambian team had visited their home a few times and the father was beyond grateful for our help when we told him we would be covering Isaac's school fees for the term. Isaac's dad spoke English well and you could tell he was a strong man. He had a torn shirt on and thanked me for our help. Isaac had been to school with a dirty uniform the past few weeks so we had bought some soap for them. We also had bought a big bag of Mealie Meal, which is what they use to make their staple food Enshima. I joked with he father about how I have never met a Zambian who turned down Enshima. Isaac's brothers and sisters ran around as we all chatted and we drew a bit of a crowd with the white girl being in the middle of the slum. It is a rare occasion to see a white person in that area. As I sat and got to hang out I was so grateful that our team have cultivated these relationships with parents and kids that I get to come and be a tiny part of that too.

We also gave their family some clothes for the winter. I was lucky to bring over some great fleeces and coats that had been donated and Isaac also received a new pair of shoes, soccer cleats none the less but he LOVES them.

We were careful to bring clothes for his siblings.

As we handed over the clothes I couldn't help but notice the stark white t-shirts and the contrast of the dirty home and area they lived in. Although everyone has their homes as clean as possible, it is difficult when you have a dirt floor and barley any shelter. I was encouraged to know that Isaac will have a great fleece this winter that will keep him warm, because the "walls" of his home will offer little protection.

It is easy to get discouraged when you are in a place like the market visiting kids and people you love that live in plastic homes. But it also is extremely motivating and rewarding to offer aid and help and see the difference it makes in kids lives.

If you look at how Issac and his family were helped, it took a group of us. It took his American sponsor who monthly gives to support him, other Americans who donated kids clothes and shoes, and our Zambian team who commits themselves to knowing these children and families and loving on them daily.

We thank you for all your partnerships because that is the reason Isaac is helped!

- Alissa Hollimon

Unique Giving

2011-04-04T08:41:00.004-05:00

Our Kershaw's Challenge Campaign is doing great and Clayton pitched 9 strike outs on opening day for a Dodgers win! We currently have about $1,500 raised and are excited about the future possibilities.

We wanted to highlight the first "Unique Gift" donation we have received from Benji Tackett. Benji made a donation in his parent's name in honor of their wedding anniversary!

Then we learned that his parents, Gene and Wendy, have done overseas missions with the Peace Corps and other organizations. They have worked in Kenya and India.

And of course they have been long time Dodger fans!

Gene and Wendy, we congratulate you on your wedding anniversary and thank you for your support in Kershaw's Challenge!

Play Ball (and please throw alot of Strikes!)

2011-03-31T17:37:00.000-06:00

Arise Africa is excited to announce our new campaign called Kershaw's Challenge.

We have been blessed to partner with Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw in an effort to raise funds to build an orphanage. For every strikeout Clayton throws this season, he and his wife Ellen are donating $100 to "Kershaw's Challenge." Help us start this campaign and cheer on the Dodgers this season!!

Please take a look at Kershaw's Challenge and cheer on the Dodgers whose season opens in an hour!

Charity of the month!

2011-03-08T21:32:00.003-06:00

Today we received a phone call from, Sa Services, based in Houston Texas that told us that we had been chosen as charity of the month for their company!

We received a $1,200 donation as well as some publicity on their website!

Words cannot express our gratitude and thankfulness for our business partners.

And if you are ever in the need of a marketer of bulk commodities or shipment of some sulfuric acid, these are the folks to use!

We just can't wait until they start doing shipping to Africa! Because we got some "goods" in our garage that need to get over there! (and don't worry it isn't acid)

In the big leagues...

2011-02-27T11:25:00.002-06:00

Make sure to pick up a New York Times today (Sunday February 27th) and look in the sports section at Clayton Kershaw's article about going on the mission trip with us!

Or Click HERE to see online!

Shine Bright firefly, Shine Bright!

2011-02-17T00:21:00.007-06:00

This past January on our mission trip we were able to dedicate the three classrooms built at Greenhill School to various individuals/companies. We choose people or groups that stood for education, God's love, and service.

One of the classrooms was dedicated to our dear friend Sarah Chidgey Hughes. When we dedicated the classroom we spoke of Sarah's love for teaching elementary school in Houston Texas, and how great of a teacher she was, and how much she loved her kids and everyone. We also spoke about Sarah's spirit and how even at the darkest of times, she taught us to look to God.

Sarah had been fighting cancer when we dedicated the classroom in her honor in January, and this morning that fight ended and Sarah's pain is over. We are terribly saddened by Sarah's death, but we know there is a special angel watching over Greenhill School.

You can read more about Sarah's journey here:

www.sarahchidgey.blogspot.com

We thank you Sarah for ALL the lessons learned through you teaching and may God watch over your husband, family, and friends. You are already greatly missed!

Names with Faces

2011-02-06T17:13:00.007-06:00

It is one thing to send money to needy children in other parts of the world, but it is a whole other thing to actually see their faces, be in their situation, hear them speak, and hug their little bodies. You see it on TV and hear stories of the poverty in Africa, but nothing can prepare your heart to know them and then to see the homes they live in, the food they eat (or don't), and watch their tiny feet chase your bus as you drive half a world away from them. When stories connect with the heart of a person, change happens. This is true in any endeavor in life. Every person has hardship behind a smile, insecurities beneath their flesh, and a story behind walls. Once you get to know these parts of them, it makes sense as to why they are who they are.

We saw the faces of Charles and Shella for the first time on pictures when the first list of Arise Africa sponsorships became available last September. We then continued to build relationships with them through letters! Reading their stories and now knowing their daily realities has changed our life more than any amount of financial support could change theirs. We had the greatest privilege of seeing their faces in person in January on the first Arise Africa mission trip. We quickly sought them out to build relationships and love on them as much as possible for the limited time we were in Lusaka. Shella is a nine year old girl with a smile that will light up the world and warm your heart in one instant. Her tender and grateful spirit radiates and makes you want to lean down and watch her every move. She loves to dance and is not intimidated by any situation or person. Charles is a five year old boy that sees life as one adventure after another. He immediately saw my husband as his personal jungle gym. His house is only one block from Destiny school but he somehow manages to get lost on the way to school from time to time. We always wonder what exciting adventures he finds to explore on the way to school.

During the last part of the trip, we were able to see these children interact in their home life. As we were entering their homes, it was profound to think that this is their HOME: where they were born, where they sleep, where they interact with their family. The conditions were small and rough even by the standards of the Dallas projects. No electricity, no running water, more than five people in one tiny room, flies all around. The more time we spent getting to know these families, the more we realized that this world is not our HOME. HOME for the Sayles is not our comfortable, warm, clean house in Dallas, Texas. Charles and Shella's HOME is not the slums of Lusaka, Zambia. Because of their faith in Christ (and boy was that faith evident), their eternal HOME is with our Savior in Heaven! In hard situations, we as Americans are so quick to want to change the circumstances. We are so quick to find answers to our problems, NOW! Wow, the gift of a simple life is much! Arise Africa has given us the incredible opportunity to help these children have food, education, and discipleship in their faith.

One thing that we realized in being there is that the monetary need is great but nothing can change the situation except for the love of God and love from the community of believers. It has become quite evident to us how the greatest commandment to "love the Lord your God with all you heart soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself" can change people, communities, and the world from the inside out. No words can express the joy of watching the Zambian Arise Africa staff, school teachers, church pastors, and the community of believers come alongside these vulnerable, orphan children. We can try our hardest to relate to Charles and Shella but at the end of the day, I really don't know what its like to go days without food, weeks without showers, months without medical attention, and years without the love of an earthly mother and father. It is a delight to know that these older Zambian mentors have been there and walked their path. It is also comforting to know our Heavenly Father cares perfectly for each of these children, as he does for us.

In our minds, relational ministry is so crucial in the lives of Charles and Shella and these other children. The Arise Africa staff members work hard to make sure these kids are getting their daily nutrition, medical attention, and education, but they take it to the next level to know their hearts. This includes both the emotional and spiritual needs of these children. They want to know not just if they are eating but how they are doing, what they fear, how they hurt, and what they need both physically and spiritually! This is the great commission!

We thought we knew what it was like to love, walk with Christ, pray, and give. These things become such a duty, at times, and can feel mundane. They grow stale and the Christian walk mediocre. Before you know it, gratitude is nowhere to be found in your heart. You find yourself feeling that you deserve happiness, a nice meal and comfort. Seeing this place changes it all. Suddenly, your list of thankfulness to God cannot be stopped! Gratitude overwhelms your heart, and the stale cracker of your faith becomes as salty as the oceans! We are just grateful to get to be a part of what God's doing through Arise Africa!

With much Joy,

Rob and Kim Sayles

Note: If you are interested in sponsoring a child through Arise Africa please email alissa@ariseafrica.org to get a list of current kiddos needing help.

It all Started in the back of this minibus...

2011-01-20T09:31:00.004-06:00

I've been asked many times how Arise Africa started. And the story is a bit unconventional, which shouldn't surprise you if you know us!

In 2009 I was in Sudan and Uganda doing a photo shoot for the United Nations and after the shoot, I decided to go back to Zambia and see my old friends. I wanted to check in on kids and families that I had worked with the previous year on a photography project. I had asked an old friend, Bwalya, to take off work to help me locate the folks and work with me for the week. Bwalya and I hadn't talked much in the previous year and we can only say that God really brought us back together.

We hired Joe, the driver of this minibus to drive us and we spent the week visiting homes and playing with kids and talking to parents about their year. They were grateful to see me and know that I hadn't forgotten about them. They kept saying that to me, that they thought I would never come back or help again. And it really resonated with me. Bwalya was a natural with the kids and parents and his love for his country was really inspiring.

After each visit we would get in the minibus and Bwalya would begin to talk about how we could help those families get out of poverty for good, through his business ideas and educating the kids. And they were legit! He was throwing out business terms and numbers that I was impressed with. (not that I knew exactly what they meant, but I knew he did)

One evening we went to the US Embassy in Zambia to see my American friend, Jordan, who was working there at the time. We had spent the day in some pretty tough slums and had seen kids who weren't doing very well. As we pulled out from the embassy (Bwalya was frustrated he wasn't allowed inside the embassy gates since he isn't a U.S. citizen!) and we sat in the back of the minibus while we drove down a dusty dirt road it just happened. It was almost too perfect, the sun was setting and it was so pretty. And we started talking...(note: when you hear this you know something big is gonna happen in Arise)

We dreamed of being able to help the people long term whom we had been visiting. Bwalya threw out a few ideas of businesses he would like to open which the profits made could help fund the non profit. I talked about wanting to help with education in schools and work in the slums. We could feel God in that bus, and we were excited! We somewhat decided then and there to both go our ways and try to make something happen.

I returned to America in September of 2009 thinking about what I could do. I read alot of books about non profits and ministries and what worked and what didn't. I researched and took from my own experiences from working with various Non Profits. And I prayed, alot. And I kept feeling like God wanted us to do something.

In November I received a phone call from an old friend, John, who I had known in Zambia years earlier. He lived in Austin and said he had heard that I was still doing some work in Zambia and was interested. We talked about the trip I had just taken and Bwalya's ambitions and our dreams. By the end of our conversation John was encouraging me and helped me take the next steps to form a non profit.

We came up with the name Arise Africa from Isaiah 60:1-9 which reads, "Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. Lift up your eyes and look around; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far away, and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms. Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice, because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord. All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you; they shall be acceptable on my altar, and I will glorify my glorious house. Who are these that fly like a cloud, and like doves to their windows?

For the coastlands shall wait for me, the ships of Tarshish first, to bring your children from far away, their silver and gold with them, for the name of the Lord your God, and for the Holy One of Israel, because he has glorified you."

We then started the process of filing for a 501C3 in America. Which by the way is extremely daunting! I kinda feel like if you can achieve 501C3 status than you are ready for anything! Luckily we had a great attorney help us, and a cousin of mine who helped fill out alot of the forms to save us money. We filed in late March and were told that it would take 6 to 9 months to hear back from the IRS.

On April 20th 2010 I received a phone call from our attorney informing me we had received 501C3 status! It was the fastest he or anyone had ever seen. And we were pumped!

It hasn't even been a year since we received that 501C3 status. And so much has happened!

Take a look at some of our highlights:

We have a child sponsorship program where 21 kids receive clothes, school fees paid for, discipleship, medical attention and even food.

We had our first mission trip where 15 Americans came and built an entire additional wing on a school. The school now has three more classrooms and an office, providing a better education for 160 kids.

We also held a kids Vacation bible School for 170 orphan and vulnerable children and taught them about God's unconditional love. We fed them three meals and played many soccer games!

We delivered over 2000 pounds of school supplies and computers.

We have started a growing program and provided funds for a school to grow corn to feed their 500 kids that attend.

We have one of our Zambian staff members in college.

We have purchased land and are working on multiple business investments.

The coolest part of Arise Africa is seeing everyone involved. It takes MANY people to support us through sponsoring a child, giving to the school supply fund, going on a trip, and even praying for us. Watching people become involved and support us has been the biggest blessing for me.

We have learned alot this first year and have seen God's hand in all of it. We are learning how to grow well. We are learning what it means to take care of one another. And we are learning about patience (this one kills me!).

As 2010 wraps up we can't help but thank God for everyone's support and encouragement throughout this year. Who knows where Arise Africa will be in a few years. But if it is anything like this one, it will surely be quite a trip with alot of blessings.

God Bless!

- Alissa, John, and Bwalya

Goodbyes and Arrivals

2011-01-17T09:57:00.007-06:00

So the blog ended abruptly and we apologize for that! We lost internet the last few days at our lodge and then we were gone!

The last day of camp was amazing and saying goodbye to our kiddos was no easy task. There were lots of tears and sad goodbyes for both Americans and Zambian kids. The kids received a book bag and a pencil which were huge hits! Super thanks to Texas Wildlife Association for the bags!

We had a great team dinner Friday night at the local Mexican food restaurant in Lusaka. Don’t worry it is run by a friend from Texas so it is legit! Our Zambians had never experienced Mexican Food and they were very surprised. We had some issues with it being too spicy for our Zambian team and many glasses of ice water were consumed. But all in all they liked it, or at least acted like they did!

Some of our Americans left Saturday and other did a Victoria Falls trip and headed out Monday for the states.

We have been home for about a week now and miss Zambia a lot. I think everyone is struggling with re entry into the States and fully processing what they just experienced. But it is good struggles to be having, and God is working in everyone in different ways.

This trip went AMAZINGLY well. And I have to give credit to God foremost and then all the amazing people who participated on both continents to make this happen.

We were able to build three classrooms and an office that will help 156 kids receive an education.

We held a Vacation Bible School to 170 kids and taught them about God’s unconditional love, AIDS, and many other important topics.

We delivered about 2000 pounds worth of school supplies and clothes to two community schools.

We fed about 650 healthy meals to children and adults who were hungry.

God is working in Arise Africa, and we are blessed to be a part of it. Without your help and donations none of this would have happened!

THANK YOU for your support!!

- Alissa Hollimon

CAMP!

2011-01-06T13:03:00.007-06:00

There is nothing like the feeling of driving into Destiny School our first morning and being welcomed by 170 ecstatic Zambian children singing God’s praises. Each member of the team was paired up with a Zambian partner, either from our Arise staff, or a teacher from the school. Later on, we were each given 10 children to spend the next three days with. In these three days, we are focusing on unconditional love, knowing what a rare experience it is for these kids. We are instilling that the Lord loves them no matter who they are, no matter what circumstances they face, and no matter what they do. Our hope is for each of these kids to leave with these truths by the end of the week!

One of the more interesting moments of the day:
Sharing with 170 kids their first experience with Peanut butter and Jelly and a local Zambian “Super Shake”!!
Unlike many American kids, they will eat whatever is put in front of them, although not always to their liking; in need to fill their empty stomachs. Because their bodies often receive only one meal per day, our provided lunch of a PBJ gives them protein, and the super shake loads with vitamins and nutrients to give them energy. Let’s just say they preferred the Super Shake!

Just as we did at Greenhill, through donated items and the work of our team, we were able to better equip Destiny school with the tools to give each of their students a better education. The teachers sang to God in praise as they looked through the items, and we are exited about getting to organize and prepare them for the opening of the new school year! They are continuously amazed by all the fancy creations the United States has come up with for teaching!

Most of these children have never experienced the love we get to feel on a daily basis. We were quick to realize the impact a simple hug could have on the lives of these kids. Grasping at our arms and holding tightly to each of us, looking down at these smiling faces brings tears to your eyes. We are teaching these kids unconditional love, and yet they love us unconditionally. No matter who we are, no matter what circumstances we face, and no matter what we do.

Goodbye Greenhill!

2011-01-04T22:33:00.010-06:00

Today was another long, hard, exciting, & eventful day as we finished up our time at Greenhill School.

We finished 4 new classrooms for the school, complete with colorful paint, new chalkboards, and plenty of brand new school supplies to fill them!

Presenting the school supplies to the Greenhill teachers and students was an incredibly moving moment. The teachers were overwhelmed by the generosity of all donors! They couldn’t believe all the new supplies. New flashcards, magnetic boards, and an endless supply of writing utensils blew them out of the water! The Zambians were fascinated by the new concept of a “dry erase” board, magnetic board, and tic tac toe. We had fun explaining these new concepts to the Greenhill staff, and they assured us they would be invaluable in their classroom teaching. ☺

After putting the finishing touches on everything, we had a dedication ceremony with the Greenhill teachers and students and our Arise Africa team. We dedicated the 4 rooms and tried to offer some words of encouragement, but we were completely outdone by Mrs. Tembo when she thanked our team and expressed the ways the classrooms would impact the students of Greenhill and their futures for many years to come.

We grabbed a few “snaps” (Zambian for pics) of the finished product and our team before saying our goodbyes, passing out hugs, and listening to our kids sing us a goodbye song as we pulled out in the mini-bus.

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Even though we were exhausted when we got back to the Lodge, we managed to be lured in by the neighborhood kids hanging out outside the gates of the hotel. Within minutes, the guys had baseballs and gloves out and were introducing the local Zambian children to American’s favorite pastime. The guys played catch, Clayton helped with mechanics, and all were thoroughly impressed with the kids’ natural skills, seeing to how none of them had ever seen a baseball before today!

It was another fabulous day in Zambia! We continue to be so thankful for the ways the Lord is providing for us and how much fun we’re having! Today especially, we are reminded of all our supporters and donors back home who made this possible. The finished product at Greenhill School was certainly a blessing to both them and us.

HOLY COW WHAT DIDN’T WE DO TODAY?

2011-01-03T13:39:00.001-06:00

We are exhausted. EXHAUSTED! This morning we went to Greenhill School and saw the classrooms that we raised funds to build. And they are amazing. Our Zambian friends worked hard to do the bricks and mortar and finish the roof before rainy season. And WOW were we happy to have a roof today! Because it hailed! On us, in Zambia. And the Zambians loved it and were delighted at the sight of “ice” and were trying to eat it.

We painted, measured doors, cut wood, made cement, layed cinder blocks, installed window frames, blew up our power tool charger, bought new power tools, made two paint runs, and began to work on the chalkboards. We are exhausted! We hope to paint a lot more tomorrow, hand out school supplies, and hang out with kiddos.

One of our favorite parts of the day was when some of the kids danced for us, and then we had to jump in! They loved it and we certainly can’t dance like them, but we do look funny trying!

In the late afternoon the rain came and it was impressive. We were able to take cover in our new building and the roof is very well built! We all made a mad dash to get into the mini bus and drove home soaking wet.

The dinner crew tonight had fun at the grocery store trying to make a Mexican food casserole until they realized that they didn’t have any ingredients. They quickly changed their recipe and improvised and we had a great meal!

Sunday Funday

2011-01-02T23:14:00.003-06:00

Sunday Funday

Today we woke up and headed to church. We had a great time and met a lot of amazing Zambians, including many of the children that will be attending the kids camp this week. We loved the singing and had quite an experience learning the songs. They had visiting bishops; governmental representatives and even the local TV station came! This was a BIG deal for them!!

There were about 150 people that attended the church. Families and children from the community gathered to worship and they are “lively” for God to say the least! Their energy for Jesus Christ is so overwhelming that you cannot help but overflow with emotion and praise.

After church, they have a tradition of greeting every person that attended the service that day. Members made an incredible collage of authentic Zambian cuisine in our honor. It is unreal to see that these families come from such hardship and were concerned with making us feel at home. We were able to fellowship with everyone and the PRECIOUS children of Zambia.

We then headed to Arcades, a shopping center where we were able to purchase some souvenirs and eat a great meal. We ate at a local restaurant called La Mimosa or better known as “La Musungu” among the Zambians because that is where all the white people like to eat. (Musungu means white in their tribal language) After Arcades we had some time in the afternoon at our lodge to hang out, throw the Frisbees and football and watch Clayton throw some pitches. A few of our other guys attempted to throw and we ended up having to get our guard to help us retrieve baseballs that were in a yard over the fence. We also got experience a massive rainstorm that Charlotte managed to sleep through!

Dinner was great and chefs David, Kasey and Katie are rocking it in the kitchen. We introduced our Zambian kitchen friends to brownies and chicken Parmesan. They were impressed we know how to wash dishes despite the fact that we have dishwashers.

The Gilliams and the Sayles led our devotional tonight as we talked about Galatians 4, being one in Christ, and being adopted as heirs of the King. Through these conversations, we also had the opportunity to share our own stories of God’s sovereignty through this trip, the preparations before the departure, and our time here in Zambia so far. We continue to see the mighty ways that the Lord is working and continue to pray boldly against any ways that anyone or anything might try to slow down the great things He is doing.

Day two, we can already see the love of the Lord spilling over into our lives, and the selflessness of these beautiful people.

Arrived and doing well!

2011-01-02T09:40:00.002-06:00

We arrived!( loud applause and cheer appreciated) After 24hrs of air travel, the 16 member team is here, a bit droggy and excited, but fully present with all 2300 lbs. of bags. Katie and Nate even made it through a touch and go with the customs agent. It was a New Years miracle!

Upon arrival, we made no waste of time and got to seeing Zambia. Via bus, we traveled to compounds, markets, grocery stores and more. We even had an opportunity to play with the African children; their game of choice: Red Rover. IT was an amazing opportunity to our elementary playground days.

We spent the afternoon sorting supplies and preparing for the week. We definitely were EXHAUSTED and wanted to sleep but stayed awake. David made great pizzas for dinner and then we all crashed hard.

Some fun “Africanisms” that we have experienced so far is that the lodge does not have enough keys for every room! So Kim and Rob and Nate and Katie crawl through their windows. Ellen and Clayton were woken up in the middle of the night to thinking a machine gun was going off in their room to discover their air conditioner was breaking.

We will post more later!
- the team

Happy New Years!

2010-12-31T20:56:00.003-06:00

Today (Friday the 31st) was another filled day! David got his tour of University Teaching Hospital and loved it. He was impressed at the system and made some great friends with ENT Zambian docs. David has been invited back for clinic rounds on Monday.

After David’s tour he met up with the 2 peas in a pod (Bwalya and John) and they went to buy doors and windows for the classrooms we are building at Greenhill School. The discussions on prices for doors was a tough one, and in the end Bwalya’s bartering skills proved us well!

Somewhere along the way the guys ran into this fellow walking down the street. They came home so proud begging me to hire him.

I had another big day of meeting out at Greenhill and seeing the progress of the classrooms. What has been built is impressive. We haven’t built them one classroom, but three, and an office, and a secure room for official governmental papers. I was a bit taken back at this discovery! The classrooms aren’t as finished as I expected but I think it will give us an opportunity to actually get to help build!

I spent the rest of the day running last minute errands and getting our final schedule hammered out.

One thing I had impressed upon Bwalya on Thursday morning that was important was that we needed to get a stand made for Clayton’s pitching tarp before he got here on Saturday. We brought over the tarp that he can pitch into, but needed the frame welded. Bwalya well got a little busy yesterday and forgot so I was nervous about getting it finished in one day, given we are in Zambia.

Bwalya, John, and David took the tarp and their own engineering plans for the stand to a welder on the side of the road. When they arrived back at the lodge yesterday evening with the stand, they couldn’t have been more proud of their masterpiece! And I am impressed! It was like watching three little boys. We had to immediately put the tarp up and then spend the rest of the hour throwing rocks (from the driveway of our lodge) at the tarp attempting to hit the strike zone.

Or New Years eve John, David, and I headed to the Intercontential Hotel for dinner. Unfortunately the main dining area was closed so I opted to take us to another local restaurant with great Italian food. We had a blast. There are lots of fireworks in Zambia which was fun to see.

The team arrives in just hours and tomorrow is our first official day. We can’t wait and will update again!

In Him,
Alissa

How does one explain what toilet paper is?

2010-12-30T17:07:00.003-06:00

Well we are certainly off to a running start. John, David, and I landed in Lusaka on Thursday morning our time (11PM USA time) and had a huge day! We ran many errands, bought water, met with local schools and churches we will be working with,and had a great time with our Zambian team! John and Bwalya are long lost brothers and have discussed more business plans for Arise Africa.

We have laughed alot, been made fun of and thrown it right back, learned a few important songs in Nyanja, taught kids how to use a phone camera, and already been called musungu (white person) by kids in the compounds about a thousand times. David is butchering Nyanja but is definitely getting an A plus in trying!

We also have had some awkward cultural barriers such as trying to buy toilet paper and asking where it was located only to get a blank stare by the store attendant. Then trying to explain what toilet paper is can be very entertaining.

We already hit up the one and only Mexican food restaurant for dinner. Tomorrow (Friday) is our last day until the rest of the team joins us on Saturday morning. David has an official visit to the largest hospital in Zambia, to learn about medicine over here and we are really interested to hear about it. I will be doing last minute errands. (the beds are SO hard here at the lodge, I hope I can help do something about that!)

We will continue to update, and thank you for all your prayers. One last minute prayer request that is trivial in the whole scheme of things is that I have lost my voice as of this evening. Maybe God is trying to tell me something; but it would be really nice if I could rebound before our team arrives!

In Him,
Alissa

Zambia here we come!

2010-12-28T12:25:00.002-06:00

Well today is the day. The day our first mission trip team leaves for Zambia! Words cannot express the excitement that we feel!

As the group leader I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous. I am, about Heathrow, and the fact that planes are delayed, or maybe the logistics on the ground in Zambia, or maybe that we have over 2500 pounds of luggage that needs to arrive on time, (that is over 50 bags at 50 pounds EACH!, that’s why we have a flatbed truck picking us up at the airport) or so many other things. Or maybe that the Vic Falls travel agent just called me and told me she didn’t get return plane tickets for us in time. (No worries right?!)

But beyond the nervousness I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to take 15 amazing people ready to serve and love on those less fortunate whom I know so well and call my family. Our team is made up of enthusiastic, young, and ready people who know they are the guinea pigs on this first trip! Basically these are my close friends who have volunteered and gone above and beyond already! I am pumped to see the kids react at Laura’s read hair, or see Kasey and Katie cooking up a storm for our team meals! I can’t wait to see our guys building with materials in Africa and learning that power tools aren’t the only way! (don’t worry we have power tools packed too ☺ but pray for electricity) I am excited about seeing the kids faces when Clayton teaches them about baseball! And I know Greg is going to be friends with everyone within minutes or arriving. I know that Charlotte and Kate and Ellen are going to provide that loving touch and ability to explain things better than I can! I can only imagine what David will find on the medical side of things. And I can’t help but get a large grin on my face when I think about Kim in Africa, don’t know why, it just makes me happy!
Some of us leave today and others in the next few days. As of January 1st we will all be in Zambia, ready to go! We ask you to follow our blog posts throughout the week right here. No doubt, get ready for some great stories! I am sure we will have them! It will certainly be crazy! I can't even imagine how much we will laugh these next few weeks.

As we try to spread God’s love and his word please pray with us! We ask you to pray for the schools we and all the people we will interact with. As we distribute supplies that have so generously been given to us, please pray that those who receive these gifts know it is out of Christ’s love. Please pray for our kids vacation Bible School/Camp we will be holding! And pray for protection from illness, injury, or anything else that might happen. (No worries we got a doctor on this trip!) Please pray for our Zambian team, as they have prepared for MONTHS for these crazy Musungus. (white people)

We thank you for supporting Arise Africa, and what so many of you have sacrificed to make this trip possible. We pray that we will be good stewards of your money, materials, and love.

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and the kings to the brightness of your dawn. ” Isaiah 60:1-3

In Him,

Alissa Hollimon

We got T-Shirts

2010-10-27T15:52:00.003-05:00

Yep that's right we got merchandise!!

Shirts are $20 and all profits go to building classrooms in Zambia.

Order Here if you are interested

God's Grace

2010-10-20T19:19:00.007-05:00

The past few days our Arise Africa team has been nervously praying for God to help us find two brothers who are in our child sponsorship program. Brian (11) and Armond (7) live alone in a child headed household, that Brian is the oldest in. Basically they have no parents after watching their father stab their mother and then be taken to jail where he died months later.

When we started the child sponsorship program the headmasters at the school chose the kids who were most in need of help. And they were at the top of the list. The past month through our donors we have been able to pay for their school fees, start feeding them and tried to keep an eye on them. But they have nobody else at all watching after them.

The boys had not been at school the past few days and our Arise Africa team members and teachers from the school had started looking for them at their house and in the community. They had disappeared and were nowhere to be found.

We just got word from Zambia that they were found, in a market picking food from a dump. We are so grateful to know they are safe and sound. But yet just as our Zambians said, "the situation needs an alternative solution."

Please be praying for all of our team and most importantly Brian and Armond. As we navigate through these tough situations and try to do what is best we ask you to pray with us for solutions and stability for our kiddos.

It is easy to feel overwhelmed at times, but then I remember that I am blessed to work with some of the most driven and compassionate people on earth both in the USA and Zambia.

Playing for A Cause

2010-10-13T14:48:00.007-05:00

On October 23rd Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw will be holding a baseball/pitching clinic in Dallas to benefit Arise Africa. Please take a look and sign up if you are interested! And spread the word!

Clayton Kershaw Baseball camp 2010

What: Baseball Camp with L.A. Dodgers pitcher, Clayton Kershaw. Join Clayton (and the Varsity Scots baseball team) for two and a half hours of instructional pitching, hitting, base-running, catching and fielding! Followed by a Question & Answer session, and pictures with Clayton! Parents, feel free to stick around & watch!

When: Saturday, October 23, 2010 1:00- 3:30 pm

Where: Scotland Yard at Highland Park High School

W h o : Boys 1st-8th grade. Dress in baseball attire, and bring your bat & glove!

Cost: $60 per baseball player. Proceeds will go towards building & equipping 2 new classrooms in Lusaka, Zambia. Please make checks payable to Arise Africa.

Sign Up today: Spaces are limited, so e-mail us to save your spot!
Bring a friend and spread the word!

Register: ellenmelson87@yahoo.com

Questions? Call Ellen 214-906-3333

Links to Prayers

2010-09-22T13:15:00.001-05:00

My good friend, Sarah Chidgey, is currently battling cancer and fighting for her life. See her most recent post on her blog about our little ones in Africa praying for her!! And please join us in lifting her up!

http://sarahchidgey.blogspot.com/

Good hard day

2010-09-06T15:16:00.006-05:00

This morning we began the process of selecting kids for our child sponsorship program. I was so happy to be getting back to the schools and the kids after spending a few days doing the non fun stuff like car shopping and signing bank documents that Bwalya kept putting in front of me! I have learned alot about car shopping in Africa. First, don't ever trust the kilometers on the car. I learned this by looking at a car and commenting about the high number of kilometers on it. Then we came back to the lot a few days later and somehow it had about 50,000 less kilometers! Now that is a miracle!

As Bwalya so elegantly said "It's like God drove in reverse in the car for a few days to help us out."

I told him that doesn't work and i knew this because it didn't in the Ferris Bueluer movie. Then the conversation of who Ferris Bueler was started, which lasted for quite some time.

I've also learned that all the car lots and salesmen are related. So they just run from lot to lot as you try to make a deal. This is quite entertaining to watch. But I'm pretty sure it's one big conspiracy too! They also are terrible drivers themselves. We learned this by so naievely getting in one's car as he drove us to his brother's lot across the street to try to make a deal there. I thought I might have knocked out a tooth at the speed we were taking some pot holes at.

The last thing I have learned that if you throw in an iphone with the deal, you can knock down a substantial amount on the car. This is good information to have.

Needless to say I was happy to have today of just good old school!

So we began the child sponsorship process today.
We are working with great community school leaders and teachers who know the kids and work with them on a daily basis. Ruth, our discipleship leader was awesome in this process too!!! She really took charge and we got to follow. This is something I LOVE to do in Zambia, follow behind the folks who know how to run things!

We interviewed alot of kids and took photos for their bios. I am always shocked at this process or hearing the stories that break my heart. But I also was encouraged at the potential I saw in the school we were in and how we can REALLY make a difference. The teachers and head masters commitment to these kids was very evident. And Ruth was so excited about our program. Watching her work with these kids for the first time and seeing them naturally draw to her was awesome. I could see how with a little help, the school could preform even better. The hard work is there, they just need resources to really help the kids.

One particular story that stuck out to us were two boys Brian and Armon who live in a child headed household. This means that Brian the oldest, cares for them. Brian is 11 years old. The boys watched their father kill their mother years ago and then the father passed away in prison. The grandmother was left to care for them but leaves them to care for them selves for months and months at a time.

As they came in they were hesitant of us, for good reasons. Two white girls, a computer and Ruth all trying to talk to them. After some time of warming up and explaining why were are there, they began to open up. As I sat and spoke to Brian whose frame is tiny due to malnutrition I began to wonder how God chose me to be so blessed in this world. Brian is missing half his hair on his scalp due to a terrible ringworm infection and yet he still had a sweet bright grin as he held his little brother's hand while we talked. The bond between the brothers is palpable. And I understand why, at the ages of 11 and 7 they only have each other.

As Brian and Armon walked out of the room, I knew this is why we are there. With just $35 a month per child we can provide the basic needs and an education for these kids, and God will do the rest.

If you are at all interested in our child sponsorship program or want to sponsor Brian or Armon please just let us know through email at: alissa@ariseafrica.org.

Off to take a shower - it's been a few days folks!!

PTA Meetings

2010-09-01T02:30:00.006-05:00

This morning Katie and I ventured out to Greenhill school to have a meeting with the parents of the school. This is a big step in our process of helping them build a classroom. We wanted to discuss the process of building and ways they can contribute to the building.

Greenhill has done a great job of organizing the parents of the school and they are very involved. Although money is sparse their effort to help their kids and the school is not. They were very involved in the meeting and helpful. When we arrived they had already met with multiple builders who have quoted them I was given a sheet with the breakdown of the supplies and cost.

One thing that always impresses me is that these people want to help and work. They aren’t lazy and are willing to do anything to help make this happen. We looked again at the land that the school will be built on and they were already clearing it from shrubs and laying out the perimeter. Once again this was great to see but also scared me because our team in America is just getting started on the fundraising for the classroom. It is hard to plan and not get ahead of ourselves because God willing this will happen. I explained this to the Zambian parents and asked them to pray too for our fundraising. And trust me they are!

The block will actually have two small classrooms on it and will be built specifically to be able to hold government exam papers. Apparently right now the kids have to go to other schools to take their government exams because Greenhill school is not able to administer the tests because they do not have a “secure” classroom. The government requires a school to have at least one classroom and closet that is secure and enforced to hold these special exam papers. Wow, I am learning a lot! This is just one more step that we will help Greenhill become more of a renown school and recognized by the government.

We spent alot of time surveying the land:

After hanging out with the parents and surveying the land I got to chill with some of the kids. They are currently out of school and will begin classes in a week. A lot of the kids are not around but the orphans who live at Greenhill stay during the holiday breaks because they have nowhere else to go. It was fun to hang out with the older ones and talk about how things are going. These kids have been raised by Mr. and Mrs. Tembo for a long time and I am impressed at how polite and caring they are.

As we were hanging out I went in the dorms where the 50 kids sleep. There are two dorm rooms, one for boys and one for girls. And there is one toilet for ALL the kids. About 25 kids sleep in each room that has bunk beds everywhere. They boys dorm is tight, and some boys have to sleep 3 or 4 to a bunk bed. But they are so happy to have a place to stay that keeps them warm and safe. One 16 year old that I have known for a long time, Joe, showed me around the place.

He showed me his bunk bed and his one suitcase with all his possessions. I am always shocked at their living conditions even though I have seen these dorms many times and sometimes think we should be trying to improve the living conditions before the school. But as the Tembos have expressed, education comes first. You see, these boarding kids are fine in their rooms, although it is tight and cramped and certainly below American standards. But they need help with their education and their school. And that’s what we will do. I dream about being able to provide a room big enough for each boarding kid to have their own bed and a desk but know that right now we are building two classrooms and that is what is needed most.

OK that is all I got for now, off to more meetings and scouting out places for our team to stay in January!

Bike Day!!

2010-08-30T09:50:00.004-05:00

Yesterday evening I picked up my friend Katie from the States. As I was waiting for her the power went out three times in the airport, welcome to Africa Katie! We crashed last night and got up early today.

We spent the morning sitting in some Equipped To Counsel classes that Arise Africa is teaching throughout this week at a local church here in Zambia. We have two great American teachers that are teaching 30 Zambians from three different churches. Rachael and Renee are teaching through material that they have gone through themselves in the USA with Equipped to counsel leaders. The class is focused on training people how to counsel Biblically and it was really interesting to hear. There were great questions that Zambians asked about salvation, suffering, and predestination. I was glad I wasn't teaching the class!! Renee did a great job with that!

After checking in with our Equipped to counsel class, we took Jayrose in to town and got that kid a bike! and a big one! We spent a long time in town scouting out various shops that sold bikes and looking at their prices. Katie and I spent most of the time in the car because when a white girl shows up, the prices go up!

We got Jayrose a bike and boy is he happy! He wanted a blue one and I was concerned the size was too big. But after some time of discussion it was emphasized to me how important it is that it is big enough so he can grow into it. Well he certainly can and the kid doesn't grow much from year to year that I have seen!! He was so sweet and excited, this huge grin was on his face! We explained to Jayrose that he is getting the bike because he held up to his promise of going to school. We were told by his grandmother that he loves school now and doesn't ever miss it. And he doesn't even play in the city dump that much! Bonus!!!

I finished off our day with a long meeting with Bwalya about future plans and desires. We discussed our business projects we have ongoing and were really encouraged by God's work. We continue to meet people over here to help with our partnership and see God's hand in opening opportunities and relationships that are benefiting these kids and our Zambian team!

Tomorrow is another FULL day of meetings, and planning so please continue to pray for us!

- Alissa

Yes that is a TV you are carrying on your head...

2010-08-24T00:12:00.005-05:00

This has nothing to do with anything with Arise Africa but this woman was carrying a TV ON HER HEAD! That's awesome!

Today (Monday) was a great day.

This morning Joe, our driver picked up Benson and I and we were off to Greenhill school and orphanage.

I was beyond impressed at their progress from this past year and getting to see all my friends was so fun. The kids were singing and jumping all over me, like I had never left! It was awesome.

We had a long meeting with the headmasters at Greenhill and are beyond grateful for their commitment to these kids. They are boarding more kids than ever before and they are pouring out of their sleeping rooms. Literally some are sleeping on the porch! We prayed for their struggles and thanked God for their success and achievements. Their kids made some of the highest academic scores in community schools in Zambia. Unfortunately they didn't have enough funds to allow all their kids to take the government tests required to move to the next grades. It broke my heart to hear that lack of funding for a test that costs $30 American Dollars was what would hold these orphan kids from moving to the next grade of school. Not lack of commitment from the kids but just $30 that they don't have. We prayed about how to avoid this in the future.

Another major success that Greenhill has achieved is their sustainable growing. They have crops all over the place and are feeding their kids so much better! From corn, to cabbage, to red onions to even herbs they are winning agriculture awards and selling excess crops to the community to raise funds for the school. I mentioned that an American is interested in coming to teach more about sustainable farming and they were really excited.

We spoke of their needs and what they had been praying for. A major concern for them is that their school has run out of classrooms and they have moved the babies (grades 1-3) back to outside to the same tress that Greenhill School was started under.

That was when I was able to tell them that God willing a team of Americans would be coming early next year to build them a classroom. They couldn't believe it and Mrs. Tembo fell to the floor and started thanking God and praying to Him. It was overwhelming for them and myself! At that moment I realized that we are showing God's love in ways that I can't comprehend to these people. Then I almost peed in my pants realizing I just told them we are coming without all the funds raised for the classroom! I explained this and that our team is working hard in America to make this happen. They said they would be praying for everyone involved. We discussed the project and we will be having a community meeting with the parents in the weeks to follow to begin to get them prepared to be inundated by loud young Americans who are ready to build!

So if you want to help us make this classroom a reality (and make me feel much less nervous!) CLICK HERE and donate to the school fund! Every little bit helps!

I also was able to give Greenhill a laptop that had been donated by Vinson and Elkins law firm and they were PUMPED!

Ok guys I won't be around for a while but you will hear from me early next week.
Have a great week!

In Him,
Alissa

Arrived and Alive in Africa

2010-08-22T00:35:00.003-05:00

Well I arrived in Zambia yesterday morning and had the WONDERFUL surprise of getting all my luggage. ALL!! I was shocked and I am not so sure what to do with having so many personal items in Africa! (Note: for those of you who don’t know the story, I spent 4 weeks in Africa last year and NONE of my personal luggage ever arrived and I lived with a pair of jeans and three t-shirts that were Bart Zachry’s old school uniforms that were supposed to be donated clothing. And got a nasty stomach “issue” because of no food or medicine) I was laughing at myself as I set up my toothpaste, soaps and shampoo in the bathroom, I was like a kid in a candy store!

We had a full day even though I was jet lagged. I hit the ground running with Benson and Bwalya. I learned a lot more about some business investments we have going on and was overwhelmed at the work these guys have been doing for us in Africa. We also mapped out the next few weeks and what it will look like for all of us. We got a lot to do!

Another great surprise was that Benson had received his grades and did really well in college this past semester! In fact, the local newspaper had congratulated those with good scores and he made the paper! Go Benson, I sure am glad he can show me up with his academic skills. Let’s be honest I wouldn’t say my name has ever appeared anywhere for an academic award! All you 4.0 overachieving Chi O’s in college can be quiet.

Last night I had dinner with my close American friends who live over here in Zambia. Their hearts and openness to help Arise Africa and me is amazing, we couldn’t do it without their support. It was a blast and we had quite a fun time even though the back patio was taken over by yellow jackets. The guys took care of them after I recommended the trusty Peter Hollimon tactic of soap and water. Thanks dad for teaching me those good old ranch tricks!

I’m excited, overwhelmed, and blessed. We ask for your prayers in big decisions, partnerships, and relationships we will build, strengthen, and continue to pour into these next few weeks. Pray for our Zambian team and pray that I listen well and together we continue to glorify Him!

And did I mention I am going to Namibia for a little VACAY too?!?!

Thank you for all your help and support!

Alissa for Arise Africa

2010-08-11T15:14:00.007-05:00

Meet my friend Jayrose

I first met Jayrose in 2007 in Zambia. He was probably about 7 or 8 at the time and is tall and all bones. It was evident that he wasn’t fed much at home. In 2008 when I was in Zambia for 5 months, I got to know Jayrose and learn his story.

Jayrose and his brother live with his grandparents who are amazing. His mother does live somewhere but it is unknown to them, and his father they have never known. It is believed he has died. Although they are extremely poor and not in the best health the boy’s grandparents try very hard to care for their grandsons. Jayrose’s grandfather does day labor at a local farm when his health permits. During the time I was in Zambia, they were going to have to move out of the house they were living in. We spoke to his grandparents who informed us they would be moving across the Lusaka near a city dump. They owned a plot of land out there and they didn’t have a house but the land was theirs. They were so proud of the land and that they owned it.

A few weeks after they have moved we went to check on Jayrose and his family at their new location. I am not sure what I was expecting but it broke my heart at what I found. His grandparents had done the best they could to “construct” a home for them. The home was made up of tarps and metal that they had collected in the city dump which was a couple hundred yards away.

They had a few chairs in their “home” and a mattress on the partial dirt floor.

Right next to their land was an open field, with overgrown weeds and bushes. I decided to explore a bit and began walking through the dirt field. I noticed that it was rather uneven ground and there were a lot of dirt mounds and trash in it.

This is an actual photo of the field!

This was when the stupid American (that would be myself) began to ask questions to Benson, who was with me.

“Hey Benson this field is so bumpy whoever owns this land should farm it or something but they need to get these bumps out.” I said as I walked across it stepping from hump to hump.

“Yes Lissa well you see this field is a cemetery and that is why it is bumpy because you see the bumps they are the graves.” Benson so calmly replies.

“Dude Benson! I am walking on GRAVES!” I say.

Benson gets the grin on his face that I know all to well. “Yes Lissa I thought it was funny you wanted to walk out here” He responds once again so calmly.

“You could have told me earlier!” I exclaim as I turn around and try to get out of the field. We headed back to their house while I looked like the stupid white girl walking on dead African graves.

Over the next months we visited Jayrose and his grandparents often. We helped Jayrose enroll in his new school and I still had a broken heart every time we left their house of tarps and sticks. I began blogging about the issue and decided I wanted to help them build a house. After lots of prayer and donations through people reading the blog, we built them a house, costing roughly $1,500. And it was amazing to watch the process. His grandparents had tears in their eyes every time we showed up and could not stop thanking me. It was overwhelming to try to explain to them that it wasn’t myself but other people in America who had read their story and wanted to help and were praying for them. When I left that summer they were settled in their home.

Last year I visited Jayrose and his grandparents and his brother. They have been in the home for a year at that point. I was so proud of them when we saw how great they were doing. They had banana trees planted and had built a fence made out of sticks to protect their chickens from running away. And they were growing plants of some sort I’m not really sure what they were you would have to ask Benson. And there was the cemetery, which I stayed out of this time. I am sure everyone was happy about that. I had so much fun chatting on the porch and catching up on all the events in the past year.

We heard that Jayrose hadn’t been so stellar in school. In fact he didn’t like school and wanted to stay home and play instead, in the city dump. Seriously! So we got on that boy and explained to him that school is the most important thing. His dream is to be a cab driver one day and I always love encouraging him to work for that. And maybe even beyond it. Jayrose commented that his school was really far away to walk to and maybe if he had a bike he would go. Which we told him that was a lame excuse. (Well that is what I wanted to tell him but Bwalya and Benson of course handled it better!) You see there is no such term as “too far” in Zambian in terms of walking. They can walk for HOURS and still not think it is very far. I have been a victim of this and been told things were “just around the corner” when really that’s like 6 miles away. So I wasn’t buying the “too far to walk to” excuse from Jayrose.

But I did tell him that if he attended school and had good grades when I came back in a year that we could go look at bikes and get one. That’s a BIG deal for a kid whose playground is the city dump. Throughout this past year Benson has been checking on Jayrose and his family and helping with school fees and providing extra protein in their diet.

A few months after our visit, Benson did walk to school with Jayrose and sent me a text explaining that school was actually REALLY far away. Now when a Zambian tells you that something is FAR away, you better listen. Because their idea of far is probably like 30 miles or something ridiculous like that! We discussed options and Benson found a government school closer to Jayrose’s home, which also provided a better education. The only problem was that Government schools require a uniform, which would cost around $75, which they could not afford. Arise Africa paid for Jayrose’s school uniform and we got Jayrose in the school. And he has gone everyday and loves it. Benson checks in on them very often and I love the updates.

Here is a picture of Jayrose at school.

A few days ago as I prepared to go back over to Zambia I remembered that promise I made to Jayrose, and you know what, he has gone to school and is making good grades! I texted Benson about the promise made and he of course remembered.

So in just a few weeks I will have the honor of taking Jayrose in to town and purchasing a bike for him. I don’t think he has ever ridden one. Do they have training wheels in Africa? I am sure not. I am excited about having the opportunity to love on such a special kid and continue to be a part of his life. I thank everyone who gives to Arise Africa to make this possible.

Special Shout Out

2010-08-01T09:37:00.002-05:00

We would like to give a special shout out to Courtney Hollimon who has by far won the contest for collecting the most hotel soaps, shampoos, pens, and writing pads! All of these will be great to hand out to kids and people in the villages and surrounding areas we work in.

Who is up for this challenge in trying to collect more than Courtney did?

Thank you Courtney for your due diligence while traveling!

Dollar Days!!!!

2010-07-23T16:58:00.004-05:00

TARGET Dollar Aisle!

OK folks, literally with just a dollar you can help us out. The dollar aisle at your local Target store is LOADED with great school and education supplies right now! Please take 20 minutes out of your day to go and stop by your closest Target. We would love anything you could purchase! There are great puzzles, flash cards, dictionaries, thesaurus, pencils, and coloring books.

The school supply aisles also have great bargains right now! Crayons are a major need as well as markers and pencils.

We will gladly pick up your purchases (if you are in Austin, San Antonio, or Dallas)!!

OR if you are too busy or would rather have a personal shopper for you than
DONATE TO THE SCHOOL SUPPLY FUND and we will purchase for you!

- Alissa on behalf of Arise Africa
arieafrica.org

Meet Benson

2010-07-21T18:00:00.011-05:00

Meet one of our team members, Benson. When I was in Africa for 4 months in 2008, Benson was my right hand guy. Benson spent almost every minute with me working on a photography book project (it is in the publishing phase don't worry you will know when it is released!). His job was to integrate me in the culture and pretty much convince them to accept me so I could take photos. This is not an easy task, to show up with a white girl and huge cameras and not only protect but convince people to accept me!! We traveled to remote villages where he had never visited but had no issue having people accept and like us after talking to Benson.

We laughed ALOT those 4 months! We talked about culture, both of our dreams and God's plan in our lives. Benson taught me patience, how to interact with his culture, what was right and wrong, and most importantly how to love. I saw Benson's true heart and spirit for the kids we were working with daily. And I saw how much he desired to be a part of the changing force in Africa. You see, Benson steps up, and makes more happen than you think you can. He takes a task and the resources and makes it work. He is passionate about leading kids in the right direction and promoting education. He can play games with the little ones, and get through to the teenagers. I watched Benson interact with many people some of whom he had never met and he has a natural connection with people and they feel comfortable with him. This is how I was able to do my job. He made it happen. Benson is a listener and slow to speak until he has the facts (something else I learned!) Benson learned about how picky I was when it came to eating, or how to work on my computer and download images for me, he learned all about the video camera, and how to read a map! He saw elephants and monkeys for the first time. He saved us from a dead smelling rat. And he took a 4 wheeling trip through Vic falls. Most importantly I saw how God works through Benson with his interaction with everyone we met.

Benson at Vic Falls

Benson is currently attending college through Arise Africa's Scholarship Program.

You might ask how much it costs to go to college in Zambia and his tuition is around $2,500 annually. He is getting his degree in social work with hopes of continuing his career in changing the lives of the people in his country. As Benson attends school full time, he works for Arise Africa and gets a small stipend to cover his living expenses. This means everyday after school he does what we need him to. He disciples kids and goes out into the communities on the weekends. He literally works almost 7 days a week. About a week ago I texted Benson at 4AM his time, thinking he was asleep and would get the text in the morning. But he was up studying for his exams that are this week.

Benson is the type of person we love to work with. He is passionate, serving, and ready to do a job. He loves his country and culture. We cherish the opportunity to work with our brother, Benson.

I want to help pay Benson's Tuition
(This will direct you to a secure online donation page, please click on the "African Team Scholarship Fund" when it asks you where you want your funds directed. You can put Benson's name in the comment section.

The Beginning

2010-07-20T18:33:00.003-05:00

Well here is our first blog post... I can't even describe what the past few weeks have been like for all of us involved with starting this non profit ministry. I think I can say we are all overwhelmed at the amazing support we have received.

Let's just highlight a few of the past week's awesome developments:

We have had 20 laptops donated to us, 20!! Thank you David Hornberger and Vinson and Eklins law firm!

We were able to purchase over 120 books for $1 each at the DTS (Dallas Theological Seminary) bookstore. AND when I arrived Greg (who had called and gave me the heads up about the great sale) had somehow managed to get them to give us 530 Bibles. GIVE US 530 BIBLES people. Do you know how crazy that is?? Now we need to figure out shipping! hmmm... anyone wanna drive a boat full of books to Zambia for free?? Here is a picture of the poor girl who had to check us out and Greg holding one or our receipts.
We have an incredible group of people ready to go to Africa at the beginning of 2011 to help us build a classroom and paint a current school. In accordance to this we have had many teachers donate school supplies, posters, wall art, and children's books for this trip. Please read our material donations page to learn how you can help us too!

Our African Team is pumped and moving forward very strong! Between juggling jobs, school and doing things completely voluntarily for us until we have profits to hire them, they are sacrificing SO SO much for the people in their country. I'm so proud of them and can't thank all of you enough for your support!!

So here we go, let the games begin!!

Thank you for your support in all the ways it has come!

- Alissa Hollimon on behalf of Arise Africa

ariseafrica.org