Stones that Last.

The first time I came to Zambia in 2008, I never thought that just two years down the road I would be living here. I never thought that God would call me to more than just that week. And as my heart was swept away by my group of Zambian little girls, the last thought in my mind was that I would one day live within walking distance of them. I never knew my investment would be longterm.

Throughout the very few and insignificant years of ministry that I have had, there is one thing that the Lord has told me over and over--"Build in stones that last".

From what I knew of building His kingdom, I did just that. I tried to build what lasts for eternity, not on shifting sand.

It wasn't until He called me to Zambia and I spent time here that I understood what He had been engraving into my life...the stones that last.

I spent the better part of this Saturday with "my girls". I invited them over for a birthday party to celebrate each and every one of their birthdays. It was epic. Beautiful. Magical. A huge and fantastic blessing to me.

I cannot help but sit back and be in awe of the tapestry that God has woven in my life.

In all of the fun and happiness and playing, I just stepped back and watched all of these grown up girls running around my house, here in Zambia.

Then one would call to me, "Auntie Mary" and I returned to the moment.

The stones that last are mentioned in Revelation Chapter 21.

The walls of the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, will be built on 12 foundations made of precious stones, gems, jewels. These stones are of the highest value, the most astounding beauty, the greatest strength, with un-ending durability.

Memory, Grace, Fridah, Yvette, Elina, Yvonne, Mary, Beatrice, Christine, Elizabeth, Veronica, Sarah.

These 12 are the stones that last.

They are the beautiful gems in which I am building the things of eternity.

These girls were the first Zambian children I fell in love with.

These girls were the first call God placed on my life to be here.

These girls were my first taste of the ministry He had in store for me in Zambia.

All the way to Africa for these 12. And it's far more than worth it.

This good day is coming from Jesus. Yes it is.

School bags full of goodies from Lisa.

Here is a personal "THANK YOU!" to Uncle Arthur and Aunt Laurie for donating the money to make the party possible. All of the girls had one of the best days of their lives.

Lisa Meets Sophie

Just a quick update--

My mom is here and it's GREAT.

I just had to create a post describing probably one of the top three funniest things that has happened to me while in Zambia and, of course, it involves my mother.

I have written several times about a tiny little chubster named Sophie. She is three years old. She is mostly always naked. And she positively always has a little mischief up her sleeve, her face being the dead give away.

So, on the way to church Sunday morning my mom met Sophie for the first time.

We passed her house and all the children came running, so we stopped for a short visit.

Sophie's mother was sick. As we stood by her, I couldn't help but look back to the dirt road at my mom, who was kneeling down beside little Sophie.

This bundle of a trouble maker was one of the children I was the most excited for my mom to meet and I just stood and watched them interact.

Kneeling in the dirt beside her, my mom let Sophie leaf through the pages of her Bible.

While this seemed like a sweet moment, Sophie was never interested in the Bible at all.

She fanned through all of the pages until they fell open at a certain spot.

Sophie had found what she was looking for--my mom's offering for the basket at church.

As soon as she saw the 10,000 Kwacha note, she snatched it and held it above her head.

Lisa was a tad bit surprised by this three-year old's recognition of the money and the instinct to grab it. She said "Well! You know what that is, don't ya?"

At this point, my attention moved from the humor of this scene to praying over Sophie's mother.

With the conclusion of the prayer I looked back to my mom, now standing alone.

I asked her if she got her money back to which she replied, "I didn't have the heart to take it back from her".

Well, that is not true of me. I know this little rascal and I've seen some of her best tricks.

So I looked for her.

I scanned my eyes just a little further down the road and there she was.

Sophie, the mischief maker of all time, had toddled her way down to the corner snack shack.

And there she stood at about 2 feet tall, with an arm full of Jungle Snax and fist full of change.

Within seconds, she took the money and marched right down to buy barbecue corn curls.

I said "SOPHIE!" and walked right over to her and put my hand out.

With that classic half-smile and twinkle in her eyes, she handed me the change.

Swindled by a cute face and chubby cheeks.

My mom was here for less than 24 hours and was robbed by a 3 year old.

favor.

In my recent study of scripture, I have taken note of five groups of people that arouse the mercy and stir the compassion of God. The first and foremost being the sinner, which includes all of humanity.


The following four hold my focus here in Zambia: the child, the fatherless, the widow, and the alien or foreigner.

Let the little children come to me, do not get in their way.

Be disciples. Give them a refreshing drink in my name. Do not deprive the alien or the fatherless of justice, or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows is God in his holy dwelling. His heart is undeniable.

Matthew 10:42 Psalm 68:5 Deuteronomy 24:17 Matthew 19:14

And all of these ponderings also come to mind when I think about what happened last night.

I struggle so inherently with the idea of being provided for. Instead of trusting, I beat myself up for not having a career with an income.

I worry that the money will run out, that I will be stuck here in Zambia without means to live.

I wonder if one day this world and the people in it, that constantly tell me that I can't survive by doing work for the Lord, will be proved right.

I wonder if our month-to-month living will one day see the last payment of a faithful supporter.

But more than that, I fail to see God as a faithful supporter.

Even in my untrusting, unbelieving, and anxious heart, He blows me away.

Whatever I need, it's there two-fold with a little extra on the side.

Last night when I skyped my family, I was informed of a hefty blessing.

This blessing was not placed in my hands, but in my bank account.
Without naming any names, an angel handed my mother an envelope with $2,000 cash in it. That is a sum of money that fits into the miracle category for me.

What could it be for? I'm sure I will find out.

I always wonder.

I wonder "Why me?".
Why do You speak to me?
Why do You show me your secrets?
Why do You answer every request I lay at your feet?
And why do You do it so promptly?
Why do You protect me from evil?
Why do You even pay attention to the smallest of details and bless me in those as well?
Why does your divine favor absolutely drown me?

It could be just because He's that good.

It could be just because as He gazed upon me, His compassion and mercy were aroused.
Because I'm just a child, His child.
Because He is my Father.
Because I am a foreigner in a strange land.
Because he is that good, not in general but to me, Mary Leslie...

Today, I'm just dancing in His divine favor. Not questioning, just trusting.

heritage.

A marvelous vision is being planted in me for the kingdom—
Of seed planting and promise,
Of fruit and generations,
Of heritage and the Saints.
From groups of people to pastors and leaders, in every situation the commending of the kingdom is being presented to me. From one generation to another, it must be handed down. It’s beautiful.

Hebrews Chapter 11: By Faith.

Enoch. Abel. Noah. Abraham. Isaac. Jacob. Moses. Rahab. Egypt. The Red Sea. Jericho.
The world was not worthy of these.

These are the “great cloud of witnesses”.
These ran and won.
These had visions of the kingdom.
These did not see all of the fruit of their labor.

“They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance…God had something better planned for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.“ (Hebrews 11:13,40).

They ushered in the promises of God by faith. By that same faith they received and welcomed the Kingdom Vision of the Lord.

So what is the “something better”?
That these Saints would not be able to stand alone and finish the task.
There is steadfastness among believers.
Old and new, we will be glorified together.
We are united in life and in death through the body of Christ.
The previous generations encourage us by their faithfulness.
They have run the race and commended to us the kingdom that they strived for.
They spur us on towards a great end.
Just as Moses saw the Promised Land but never crossed over into it, I will not finish my race. Those in whom I have planted seeds will finish it. Only together.

Our lineage is nothing other than royalty and victory. What an incredible heritage we have.

little faces.

This is the promising class that is our current project in the village.

As you can see, some of them are not actually pre-schoolers.

This only about half of them. We have our hands full.

Here are a few of their cute-as-a-button little faces.

dirty.

We do not do well with days of rest around here.

After a morning of "resting" around the house, that rest began to feel more like a prison sentence for a couple of lazy slobs.

We were itching to get out of the house and venture into the great outdoors.

We needed to get out. We needed to get a little dirty.

There are few adventures around here that involve nature.

We made a grand effort at going on a hike through a big cornfield behind our compound.

That "hike" ended up being a meet and greet because as surely as we stepped out of our gate we were met with person after person that we know.

We were invited into sitting rooms, asked many questions and even greeted by a girl whom we did not know but approached us saying, "Hey. You look like Sophie and Mary". It's true. We are.

The end of this tiring little excursion left us right back on our street for the best part of the day by far...our nieghbors.

For refreshment, for a moment of excitement, for a breath of fresh air....

To be adventurous, to get away, to get dirty...

We don't have to find an adventure like the ones at home, we just need to go next door and visit the nieghbors.

generations.

The longer I intern for GEMS, the more closely I connect to the purpose in their “Call to Africa”.

The more I catch the vision, come alongside the ministry, carry out the goal, and see the fruit, the more I understand the heart of God and the hearts of the women who have stayed with us for the past two weeks.

We have been working hard—training counselors, investing in CIT’s, teaching women, and reading to preschoolers. We do all of these things for one reason: to see girls around the world actively and enthusiastically expressing love for God and others—girls equipped, motivated, and passionately engaged in living out their faith. This is the vision of GEMS and the things I desire in my own life--a living, dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ.


I walked behind these seven women who turned the dream of The Esther School into a reality as they hiked through the 25 acre property that it is being constructed upon. A dream they had for the kingdom was rising up out of the dust in Chongwe village right before their very eyes.

As I heard them talk of all this school would mean for girls, for families, for leaders, for churches, for the kingdom, I realized that these were all visions of the future, the ripples yet to come from this drop in the Zambian ocean. It dawned on me that I would one day see the fruit without them walking in front of me. They carried the vision this far, and eventually it will be handed down to the generation following behind.

GEMS is becoming a cause that I can truly stand behind, walk beside, and move forward with. It is becoming an investment that I can give my life to and give up everything for because I believe in the vision so strongly:

Teaching young girls to love God, love others, and love themselves.
To act justly, to love mercy, to walk humbly with our God.