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Visit by the United Kingdom of the Lord Prior and Dame of the Venerable Order of St. John to the WellSpring School
“Eat all of your food, little children are starving in Africa.” Most of us while growing up in the USA have heard this at one time or another. You probably wondered, in your child-mind, how eating all of your peas or rice would help a little child, starving in Africa! What your elders were probably trying to convey to you was that you were blessed to have a plate of food in front of you, a place to sleep, a school to go to and nice clothes for the changing weather. They were probably trying to get across to you just how blessed you were to have all of your basic needs met all rolled up in a nice hot steaming plate of food!
Well, you are no longer a child having your needs met by others, but are blessed to be able to provide for your own needs and the needs of others. Deuteronomy 8:17-18 (NIV) says, “You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.’ But remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth ...”
Today, since your needs are being met without a reminder, many have a tendency to forget or just ignore that children all over our world are living in crushing poverty and have dire needs. Little children here in Zambia, Africa are still starving - starving for food, education, housing, clothing, basic life necessities.
You’re probably asking yourself, “How can I, just one person, help all those millions of children?” Well, we are not asking you to help a million children, at least not yet! We want to start with a few hundred and lay a very solid foundation for education, provide a simple but healthy meal, and teach some basic skills-capacity building!
Over the past two years, we have been working through our WellSpring of Faith and Hope Community School (WOFAH) project witnessing great results and changing lives. The WellSpring Community School, located in the Kalikiliki compound of Lusaka, was recently blessed by a visit from the United Kingdom of the Lord Prior and Dame of the Venerable Order of St. John. Earlier in the year St. John’s Ambulance of Zambia did a workshop at the WellSpring School to teach our children about hygiene and health. The WellSpring School, in addition to teaching hygiene and health, focuses on teaching the basic Zambian primary and secondary curriculum, along with teaching the Gospel through religious education classes which the Zambia government mandates. How great to know that you can be such a vital part of these children’s lives by strengthening their faith and by giving them an excellent start in their education.
We have three great partners who help by sending books, a school that is pen-pals with our WOFAH children,where some send support for the children and some send financial support to enable us to remain on the field. We thank and are grateful for these who give, but we don’t have nearly the amount of people and money we need to stay on the mission field to continue this life changing work. We have been contacted by several other groups of volunteer community teachers in rural settings with pre-school and elementary-aged children who want to come under the WellSpring banner to help the children in their communities, leading to potentially thousands of children getting a basic education, changing their communities, changing their country, changing their lives.
There is a theory in Social Psychology that speaks of “Diffusion of Responsibility.” This theory says that there is a decreased tendency of any one individual in an emergency to assume personal responsibility for providing help if there are multiple bystanders. They feel that someone else will help. Well, please don’t assume that because there are others who know of our great need for support or that we have all we need. In fact, the opposite is true. The WOFAH children’s education project, our ministry with women’s Bible study and literacy, our work providing theological training for pastors, and our evangelism and outreach ministries, have many needs.
Do you want a chance to be a blessing to others? Do you want to start the New Year off in a more meaningful way by deepening your discipleship and being the hands and feet of Jesus? You ask yourself: “How can you help us help those who have no hope? What can I do from the first of this year to make a difference in the lives of these children?” Proverbs 3:9 (NIV) says, “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits …”
As Christians we are not under the Old Testament obligation to give a First Fruits offering, but can you imagine the rest of your year if the beginning of the year is dedicated to cheerfully and liberally giving to help others? 2 Corinthians 9:6–7 (NIV) says, “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
May God richly bless you and yours,
Charles and Sarah in Zambia
See a video and photos of the WellSpring of Faith and Hope Community School: www.westinzambia.org
Donate on-line to the WellSpring of Faith and Hope Community School: http://www.internationalministries.org/projects/28g2_itemId=118
Well, you are no longer a child having your needs met by others, but are blessed to be able to provide for your own needs and the needs of others. Deuteronomy 8:17-18 (NIV) says, “You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.’ But remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth ...”
Today, since your needs are being met without a reminder, many have a tendency to forget or just ignore that children all over our world are living in crushing poverty and have dire needs. Little children here in Zambia, Africa are still starving - starving for food, education, housing, clothing, basic life necessities.
You’re probably asking yourself, “How can I, just one person, help all those millions of children?” Well, we are not asking you to help a million children, at least not yet! We want to start with a few hundred and lay a very solid foundation for education, provide a simple but healthy meal, and teach some basic skills-capacity building!
Over the past two years, we have been working through our WellSpring of Faith and Hope Community School (WOFAH) project witnessing great results and changing lives. The WellSpring Community School, located in the Kalikiliki compound of Lusaka, was recently blessed by a visit from the United Kingdom of the Lord Prior and Dame of the Venerable Order of St. John. Earlier in the year St. John’s Ambulance of Zambia did a workshop at the WellSpring School to teach our children about hygiene and health. The WellSpring School, in addition to teaching hygiene and health, focuses on teaching the basic Zambian primary and secondary curriculum, along with teaching the Gospel through religious education classes which the Zambia government mandates. How great to know that you can be such a vital part of these children’s lives by strengthening their faith and by giving them an excellent start in their education.
We have three great partners who help by sending books, a school that is pen-pals with our WOFAH children,where some send support for the children and some send financial support to enable us to remain on the field. We thank and are grateful for these who give, but we don’t have nearly the amount of people and money we need to stay on the mission field to continue this life changing work. We have been contacted by several other groups of volunteer community teachers in rural settings with pre-school and elementary-aged children who want to come under the WellSpring banner to help the children in their communities, leading to potentially thousands of children getting a basic education, changing their communities, changing their country, changing their lives.
There is a theory in Social Psychology that speaks of “Diffusion of Responsibility.” This theory says that there is a decreased tendency of any one individual in an emergency to assume personal responsibility for providing help if there are multiple bystanders. They feel that someone else will help. Well, please don’t assume that because there are others who know of our great need for support or that we have all we need. In fact, the opposite is true. The WOFAH children’s education project, our ministry with women’s Bible study and literacy, our work providing theological training for pastors, and our evangelism and outreach ministries, have many needs.
Do you want a chance to be a blessing to others? Do you want to start the New Year off in a more meaningful way by deepening your discipleship and being the hands and feet of Jesus? You ask yourself: “How can you help us help those who have no hope? What can I do from the first of this year to make a difference in the lives of these children?” Proverbs 3:9 (NIV) says, “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits …”
As Christians we are not under the Old Testament obligation to give a First Fruits offering, but can you imagine the rest of your year if the beginning of the year is dedicated to cheerfully and liberally giving to help others? 2 Corinthians 9:6–7 (NIV) says, “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
May God richly bless you and yours,
Charles and Sarah in Zambia
See a video and photos of the WellSpring of Faith and Hope Community School: www.westinzambia.org
Donate on-line to the WellSpring of Faith and Hope Community School: http://www.internationalministries.org/projects/28g2_itemId=118