You have been called.

"Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished." Acts 4:13

We, much like Peter and John, are uneducated, common men. We have no title or ranking. We have no birth rights making us superior to others, but do we not see Peter's example? So how can we ever give the excuse that we couldn't possibly speak up when proclaiming God's name to others? How could we possibly think that it's not important to step up in boldness? How could we possibly think that it's ever ok to not share the truth we know?

So here's the truth. There are a million children orphaned in Zambia right now. They're living without homes, food, clothes, and parents. That's one million little hearts that have been broken because they have been abandoned and forgotten about. Do you hear?

Here's even more truth. Those kids, the ones that the rest of the world discarded, God has a plan for them. They are heirs to His kingdom. They are royalty by blood-- The blood Jesus shed because God so boldly loved us.

Friends, you have been called.

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Matthew 28:19

It is written, every single one of you has been called. So be bold. Step out. Speak up. Gather friends. Reach others. Love fully. Answer the calling.

Our works verify our faith.

"God is not man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Has he said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not fulfill it?" Numbers 23:19


This week I'm learning a lot about faith. I just joined an "organic" community group at Watermark. It's organic because we put it together ourselves. Whoop for meeting new friends through the summer and coming together to keep each other accountable. We decided to start our group off by reading through the book of Acts. What better way to dig down deep? Anyways we're up to chapter 3, but something in 2 really struck a chord with me.

2:37-- "Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart."

To give you some context, Peter is preaching to the people who have gathered together. He spoke of Jesus and the promise He has for the people who believe in the One who sent Him. He spoke of the people who denied Him and crucified Him. Finally, their ears were opened and they were burdened with what they had done. The Bible says they were cut to the heart. Other versions say they were pricked in heart, and even that their hearts were pierced.

What did it take? It took Jesus dying and then Peter, who had denied Jesus in the past, to speak publicly about Christ.

As for me, what will it take? Jesus already died for me. I already know the Truth He came to share. Shouldn't this be the part where my heart is pierced? Shouldn't I be repenting right now? Instead, I continually crucify Christ when I don't believe that He can take care of me. Or how about when I cling to what little money I do have and give the excuse of I need it to pay bills. So what, maybe I do. Oh ye of little faith. Have I forgotten that God blesses those that lend to the poor? I need to stop hiding behind the excuse that I am the poor. Look at what the Bible says next:

2:45--"And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need."

That's it. They figured it out. They have faith in God and their actions reflect that faith. They need nothing else.

This morning at church, I heard something that resonated with me. Listen here, if you wait until your schedule clears to help others or until you have enough money to give some away, you'll always be waiting. God WILL provide.

Trust Him and show your faith.

There will be chills.

so this past week it's been all banquet all the time. Getting to work at 9am and staying past 11. Why?

All for the Glory of God.

This banquet is not about me. It's not about staff or the things we have done to put it together. It's about God and the love He has for His children. It's about taking care of them. It's about being God's hands when my boys need a hand to hold. It's about being His feet when they need a friend to race them. It's about being His arms to carry the sacks of food He freely gives.

The stories that will be told at this banquet are going to be mind blowing. Greer likes to keep things a surprise, but from what I do know, I'll tell you this: There will be chills.

And so in anticipation of Saturday night I'll leave you with a short story of my boys. It's just a sweet story of their love for me. As we're in the communities, sometimes we have to jump big rocks and over holes and through some bushes. Now, if you're Zambian this is no big deal. They fly over the holes with the all the ease in the world. But if you're American.. sometimes it's not so easy. It takes a running start to jump rocks. It takes extra effort to climb them. And it takes a few more hands to find the path through the bushes. Praise Jesus I have boys who love me to death because I think every time we came up to a hole all of them stopped to help me over it. I think all of them were willing to push me up hills. Every single one of them helped me balance when walking on narrow paths.

As much as I try to take care of them, they are doing the exact same thing for me. Oh my heart. It breaks to not be with them, but I know that the reunion will be even sweeter than before!

Find your Calcutta.

This very minute, it is the middle of the night for my precious boys. I wish I could say they were tucked into their comfy beds, with a mother's love warming their bodies from the room next door. But the truth is, they don't have beds. The truth is, the don't have houses big enough to have rooms. The truth is, the don't have mothers.

The first time I met them, back in 2008, they were what we call "the walking dead." They were lifeless. Their eyes were empty and hollow. BUT I knew that I was sent there that year to show them the life they were always meant to have. They didn't trust me at first because they had no reason to. Nobody in their entire lives had ever taken the time to earn their trust. So I started from the beginning. And I poured every ounce of love onto them until I was physically and emotionally exhausted. In return, I got hugs that were so tight that my insides were undoubtedly squished. I held hands for so long that I had to run along side of the bus because they wouldn't let go as they were leaving. I got tears from young men who were taught to never show emotion.

Year by year I kept going back because the Lord kept telling me His work wasn't done. I became employed by Family Legacy this year because He needed me to give more than just a few weeks to the place He has called me to.

This year when I asked my boys what they wanted to be when they grow up, do you know what they said? They wanted to work for Family Legacy too. I've loved these boys for 2 full years now, but God, He's loved them for an eternity. He only used me to be a tangible image of that love. And now there is an evident glow deep inside each of their souls that radiates out to others as they shine the Light.


Mother Teresa dedicated her life to the people that the rest of the world has forgotten about. She cared for the lepers and the widows and the destitute in Calcutta. She gave her life to Christ, and therefore devoted her life to the people who have been outcasted by worldly standards.

She always said, "Calcuttas are everywhere if only we have eyes to see. Find your Calcutta."


Friends, go seek your own Calcutta. It may be across the world, or maybe just across the street. Go and pursue it.

Oh, my child.

I've officially been in the real world for 2 1/2 months now. On one hand it seems like the summer flew by, but on the other hand it feels like years ago that I was in school. I think since I moved up to Dallas right after I graduated and started work, I was forced to change my mindset as a college student to real world very quickly.

But let me tell you, my real world is incredible. In my world, I get to stare at the faces I fell in love with in Zambia everyday. In my world, I get to help them get sponsored. In my world, I get to work with people who actually understand where my heart is, because their hearts are there too.

Finally, Africa isn't just a summer trip. I don't have to think about homework, tests, meetings and papers first. Africa is now first. Joseph, Gracious, Steven, Brian, Lyson, Blessings, Peter, Chrispin, James, Matthew, Alick, Alex, Francis, Smart and Anold are first. The children at the Tree of Life Village are first. The Community Resource Centers are first. Christ at the center of all of these things is first.

On the last day of camp my baby boy, Joseph, looked at me with all the longing in the world. He said, "Please, Auntie Kailee, promise me that you won't forget about me." Oh my child, how could you not know that I think about you everyday? How could you not know that I love you with every ounce of me? Don't you know that you mean everything to me? Don't you know that I will NEVER forget you?

But then that made me think. We're all a little like Joseph. Daily, the Lord pours His love out on us and yet we question whether or not He will remember us tomorrow. I didn't understand how Joseph could doubt my devotion toward him, but it became an all too familiar feeling when I later asked God the same question. He answered me, "Oh my child, how could you not know that I think about you everyday? How could you not know that I love you with every ounce of me? Don't you know that you mean everything to me? Don't you know that I will NEVER forget you?"


"And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, nor angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow-not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below-indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39

Our actions betray our testimony.

"And let us not grow weary of doing good for in due season we will reap if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9

"For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another." Galatians 5:13

"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness." Phil 2:5-7


Over and over the Bible tells us how we should behave. Over and over we repeat those words to others. Over and over we forget those words pertain to ourselves as well.

Our actions betray our testimony.

If we don't have actions to back up our words, what good is our word?

"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently as his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like." James 1:22-24


This is a call to action. We know what we're supposed to do, now let's act on it. Don't worry about what you can't do, but be faithful about what you can.

You were given a week, what did you spend it on? What will you spend next week on?

A boy who lives up to his name.

Let me tell you about a boy who stole my heart over a year ago. His name is Gracious. One look at his face and you can't help but light up inside. When I close my eyes, I can see him running up to me with a giant smile, wearing his cute little checkered button down shirt and his arms spread open wide, ready for a bear hug. When he agrees with what you're saying, he answers in his precious voice, "yeah sure." He has been my little translator for the boys who don't know English for two summers now and he is always the one who jumps the highest when dancing to our songs.

Last year Gracious lived with his Auntie and Uncle so when I asked him how home was I wasn't expecting much of a change. But then he told me that he moved back in with his mom. I asked him why and as he hung his head, he looked at me with deep sorrow in his gorgeous brown eyes and said, "because, it's better if we suffer together."

Gracious. A boy who lives up to his name. He gave up a life where he was able to get by for a life where he has absolutely nothing. A life where he has MAYBE one meal a day. A devastated life. A life where he has no reason to smile, but because he knows the Lord loves him, he does. And he shares that smile with his mom, who can't afford to send her child to school. He shares it with the men who daily chase him away since he hasn't paid. He shares it with friends, strangers, and store keepers.

He shares it with me.

Every memory I have of Africa this year ends with this thought: I am honored to have gotten to spend the past three years LEARNING from the most beautiful and gracious souls I've ever met.