Friday, August 21, 2015

five loaves and two fishes


He was washing his jeans in the gutter right next to where we held outreach.
Colleen was getting a language lesson 
Today was the first day of outreaches for the Times Square Church team.  It was an amazing day full of so many miracles and plain ol’ rock your face off awesomeness!  These ladies have proven themselves to be so committed, so sweet and so available to what ever the Lord would have for them!
Seun was teaching the kids how to sing a song. 
Some kids we saw this afternoon.
Autumn and Titus....friends for life

One miracle that deserves mentioning happened tonight.  We went out to feed 30 kids hot food tonight and up walked 65!!!!!!  SIXTY FIVE KIDS SHOWED UP!!!!!!!!!!!  I quickly ran around to everyone and said PRAY FOR A FIVE LOAVES AND TWO FISHES MIRACLE!!!!!  You  must understand something…..just this past Wednesday, at the regularly scheduled outreach we went prepared to feed 30 to 40 kids.  We feed 35 and there was not a drop of food left. 

Tonight, we brought the same exact amount of food.  AND THERE WAS SOME LEFT AFTER FEEDING 65 KIDS MORE THAN ENOUGH FOOD EACH!!!!!!!!!  My camera battery was dead and we were in the middle of our customary power cuts at the moment, or I would have taken a photo of the event.  

IT WAS ROCK YOUR FACE OFF AWESOME!!!!!!!!!  

After everyone had eaten one of the ladies on the team who is a nurse took Jacob into the van and cleaned his feet and bandaged him up.  Jacob has a terrible fungal infection that is causing horrible pain.  So, Jackie took what she knows to do and poured into the boys life.  To me, it was such a beautiful example of the love and tenderness Jesus has for us.  She was so sweet, so gentle and so loving.  It was beautiful to watch.   Jacobs needs were ministered to, not only on a physical level, but also on a spiritual and emotional level as well.  




























Please pray for these ladies as they continue to pour out and serve these precious kids.  Please pray that God would continue to direct our steps and guide us while they are here.  Pray for divine protection, wisdom and unity.  Pray that they enjoy themselves, enjoy one another and that they walk away from their time here carrying the burden for these precious kids on the streets back to their homes.

ROCK ON!!!! 


If you are interested in giving to us here in Zambia you can go to tscnyc.org and click on GIVE and follow the menu prompts to MORALES FAMILY / ZAMBIA 

Thursday, August 13, 2015

musings on being a missionary

My head is spinning from the events of June and July.  It has been a whirlwind of goodbyes and hellos. 

Many of our friends and our kids friends have left Zambia.  The community here is very transient.  So, most likely you are going to have someone in your life for around 2 to 3 years and then they move onto a different job in a different country.  Much of June, being that it was the end of the school year, was spent in saying bye to those folks.  

Then in July we went to America.  That was a whirlwind in itself.  Loads of HELLOS!!!  Which was really great.  It is always good to go back and see our families and friends that we have known for so long!  My girls built some pretty special memories with their Nana and Papa and aunts, uncles and cousins.  That was pretty groovy.  Then just a few short weeks later it was a whirl wind again of goodbyes and tears and sadness. 

Now we are back in Zambia and trying to catch our breath.   I have spent my first week staring at the wall and drooling on myself simply attempting to process it all.  

I don’t think before now I have felt split between two worlds as I do now.  Being home was great, but where do we fit now?  Kids grow, friends have life experiences that have had nothing to do with you that have changed them.  I have had life experiences that have had nothing to do with them and have changed me.  How do we make those two perspective mesh?  Being here is great but where do we fit with all the goings and comings that seem to happen on a week to week basis.   It is hard to gain a sense of consistency and stability living in a world like this one.  It is part of it though and we have chosen to accept it.  Does it make it easier?  No, it is hard, but it is the life God has called us to and we trust Him daily for the ability to walk with joy in our hearts. 

On top of feeling like a wandering Jew in the desert, Zambia is experiencing crippling power shortages.  The water levels at the Kariba Dam where the power is generated is now at dangerously low levels due to the fact the rainy seasons for the past few years have been relatively dry.   Everyones power gets cut off for about 10 hours daily.  The ripple effect this is causing has the potential to be catastrophic to the entire country.  Small businesses are being badly effected, especially those in the food industry and hair salons.  Our friends had to shut down their small chicken farm, diary farmers are suffering as well.  How do they keep the milk cool?  The availability of propane gas to use for camp stoves and the like is either unavailable or the quantities are being brought in such small amounts, there isn’t enough to go around to meet the demand.  More and more folks have to resort to using charcoal that is locally made using the countries forests.   The hot season is coming quickly.  It September and October and parts of November the temperature reaches record breaking highs.  It is not unusual to have days where it is 115 to 125 degrees.  Our concern for that time is that tempers will start to rise when folks can’t cool themselves down and we might see some real issues then.  Rumor has it that by November the entire country will be in a total black out.  

You get the picture…..It is BAD!  

Please pray for Zambia.  We are in a situation where we have no choice but to trust God for EVERYTHING!   Pray that our faith doesn’t waver and that we can be the light of Jesus in a very trying and testing time for everyone.  

Would you also pray for our family?   Pray that the joy of the Lord is our strength.  Pray that we grow closer together as a family through this and that our girls will learn to call on Jesus in their heartache and pain.  I want them to learn about the beauty of Jesus in the valley.  

Would you pray for Streetwise?  I will write more on that at a later time,  But please pray that we right behind the cross of Jesus in everything that we set our hands to.  


If you are interesting in giving you can to to tscnyc.org, click on GIVE and follow the prompts to MORALES FAMILY / ZAMBIA .  Thank you SO much!!!  

meet John

Meet John.  We don't know much about John other than he was a child living on the streets of Lusaka.    John represents the face of cou...