Immensely Inspired

I've been really up and down since I've come home from Zambia. It's been wonderful to be back with Mike and Rachel and to see all my friends. But it's been hard to accept our crazy western lifestyle and all it's entrapments.

There have been many wonderful conversations with people who wanted to know all about the trip; and I know these will continue. But lots of other people have been uninterested or treated it as if it was a penance I was required to undertake. I am mostly ok with this; not everyone has the passion for Africa that I do. But I feel sorry for those people who don't understand what Africa is like; they miss the immense inspiration that the people and cultures give me.

Today I want to share the inspiration I revived for church expansion.

I'm sure I blogged about the women who sew the little quilts to sell to raise money for their new church. But it was just one part of an amazing day and so today I want to inspire you as they've inspired me.

Your church is made of wood.
It is well made but rickety.
There are gaps in the walls and roof.
In the rainy season it's wet.

You hold services and groups inside.
You'd like to do more in that place.
The community could use it.
You know you need a better building.

There is space on the land around.
You could build on that land.
But you need concrete and bricks.
Those materials cost money.

There isn't any money.
Most people barely feed themselves.
But hope does not die.
All is possible in faith.

There are bits and bobs of material.
You can make and sew them.
Quilts would be great to sell.
That money is a start.

One quilt becomes ten.
Ten sewers become twenty.
A hundred quilts become cement.
And Cement builds the foundations.

Now bricks are needed.
So the seeing continues.
More are made and more sold.
And a church is built from them all.

Have you ever heard "it's too expensive" or "we'll never raise enough money" or "it'll take too long" or "there's only a few of us"?

That community in Chifubu near Ndola in Zambia would never accept those words. They know the truth about starting small, aiming high, taking time, having faith and keeping going.

I will forever be immensely inspired by this project; this one project of many. No longer will I accept that anything is impossible.

1 becomes 16 becomes 256