It has been a busy time at Project Samuel, but very fulfilling! We have children on the project, at last!  Our first six came on April 11, so we have spent the last few weeks getting clothes, shoes, school uniforms and food, food, food!

We now have twin girls, seven years old at the project.  They are Susan and Sylvia, and what a pair they are, full of laughter and smiles from the beginning.  In addition, there is Dorothy, 9, who still  suffers some from homesickness, but seems to be getting better everyday.

Zavier is 12 years old and the perfect little gentleman, never a problem, and very gentle of spirit.  Castro, who is 9 years old, came to us in poor condition both physically and emotionally. He has recovered physically and has become part of our noisy, happy gang.  Webby is 9 years old and small for his age, but somehow manages to be the leader of the pack.  Isaac, who is also 9 years old, is our newest addition.  He is very bright and seems to be accepting of all the others.

At this moment, I am spending my last evening, before a trip back to the U.S., watching them play soccer in the yard.  The sound of the children laughing and playing is one of the special gifts from our good Lord and it makes me so aware of why I want to be here.

I offer a special thank you to each and every person who gave to make this vision a reality.  It would not have been possible without the faithfulness of God and the generosity of those he moved to contribute to Project Samuel.  I wish you could be here to share my joy in this moment.  And truly...we have only just begun!

It is so awesome to be working alongside Missions Possible here at Project Samuel.  Missions Possible, like Project Samuel, is a department of Relationships for Christ Ministries, inc., and recently they brought a team of missionaries to Zambia to work on building a roof for the next children’s house at Project Samuel and filming a new Project Samuel video.  James  Clayton, a world class carpenter, missionary and founder of Carpenter Ministries inc. arrived at project Samuel ready to do something for the people of Zambia and the orphans at Project Samuel in particular.

During Brother James’s stay at Project Samuel, He managed to put the entire roof support up and install the roofing tin.  He taught our guys how to build trusses on the ground using a pattern and then install them on the house to speed up the time spent on each roof.  He also worked with our guys on installing the lathes between the trusses and the tin, along with ridge caps.

Seeing the roof on the house is a huge motivation to me and the Project Samuel team.  It is just another sign that God is at work all around us and that nothing is impossible if his people come together and unify.  Besides, this is a giant step for Project Samuel because as the first children’s house is now occupied with our first eight children.  It is time to finish another house so we can bring on the next eight children!

I remember Brother James preaching at one of the local churches and he quoted the scripture in Genesis 11:6 where it says, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them.” God knows that if we as the body of Christ would unify, nothing can stop us.

As I got out of the car after arriving at the Project the only thought on my mind was, “where were the children”.  For the first time in over twelve trips I had a different purpose in traveling to Zambia and visiting Project Samuel.  In times past I pulled up on site to see construction or to check on some part of the development of the Project, but for the first time since 2005 I was coming to see Project Samuel "do" what it was called to "do", touch the lives of orphaned children!

As I rounded the corner of the children's house there stood Christina our House Mom and playing at her feet were two cute, little, 7 year old twins, Susan and Sylvia, the first two orphans to arrive at Project Samuel.  There is no way I can describe the joy of seeing so many years of praying, working, fund raising, and plain ole worrying come to fruition.  Christina introduced me to the other two children that were there at the time, Dorthy a quiet 9 year old and Zavier, an 8 year old boy full of energy and a love for football (soccer). Over the next few days two more children would come to live in the children's home, Webby, a 10 year old boy and Castro a 12 year old.

It was Castro that especially touched my heart.  Scott and I went to the home where Castro was staying to interview his caregiver, his maternal grandmother who was taking care of several other orphans besides Castro.  The living conditions were some of the worse I have seen in the village and in spite of the fact that Project Samuel was like heaven in comparison, Castro couldn't help the sadness he felt leaving the only person he had know since his mother’s death.  For several days Castor walked around in silent sadness, struggling to adjust to a new family in a new home.  Everyday Christina, the house mom would update me on how Castro was adjusting.  The first couple of nights were hard ones, but after a week he was running and playing with the others...still a little quiet, but not as sad as before!

The word tells us that we are justified and receive salvation through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ, and like us these little children are rescued through faithfulness...your faithfulness.  In fact, I have come to realize that that is just one more way in which we are found to be Christ-like...being faithful. Thank you so much for your faithfulness to this ministry.  And like Christ, let us all be found faithful to the end...till the last child is given a home and the last soul receives the rest it so desperately needs!

Congratulations on bringing children on site! Watch the latest Project Samuel video here!

There are over 800,000 thousand orphans in Zambia alone, not including the rest of southern Africa and the world. For the purpose of sharing our vision here at Project Samuel, I want to throw out some numbers for you to ponder.

Considering that farming is the largest occupation and second largest export in Zambia, let’s say that 400,000 of these orphans receive training as farmers. Now, say these 400,000 farmers worked their way up to farming 50 acres because they had also received life lessons on how to budget for their business. With the reserved estimate that these farmers will bring in about 100 tons of maize a year, they will introduce 40,000,000 tons of maize into the world’s food reserve each year given they chose to grow maize. None the less, that is 40,000,000 tons of some sort of needed food around the world.

The workers at Project Samuel are doing a great job and from the pictures I have seen, the maize is looking great.  However, being here in America makes me anxious to get back and see how they and the project are doing. Zambia has become home away from home for me and I find myself missing the friends I have made there.

At Relationships for Christ we have decided that three years is too long for people to have to wait, struggling week after week, before they can enjoy a place of worship!

The word says that faith without works is dead and profits us nothing, but it is faith, not works that brings us salvation.  Why would the word say these things that seem to be so different? 

Many Christians believe and have faith, but they believe with their mind.  When the mind believes in something, it does not require change and is content with just believing.   But it is not the mind that needs salvation. It is the heart and when the heart believes, it is compelled to change for it is no longer our heart but His in us.

When we believe with our mind, we are concerned with what we look like to others and to God, but when believe with our heart, we are concerned with who we are to others and to God.  We are no longer worried with others seeing our works, but rather experiencing our works and our actions transform from being self gratifying to God gratifying. 

Do you believe with your heart or do you just “THINK” you believe?

Every year my fellow Christians begin to complain about Christ being taken out of Christmas, and then that leads to Prayer in school, and then God in the Pledge or on the court houses.

I couldn't help but ask myself if this might be God rather than non-believers. I mean if you really think about it like this you might agree. Christ is being taken out of Christmas because many Christians have forgotten the real reason for the season. Prayer in school is being removed because many Christians place the value of education above the value of their relationship with God. Homework time is more important than prayer time. The pledge, because we would rather pledge allegiance to a country rather than to pledge faithfulness to God and our court system because we have forgotten that the greatest judge of them all has asked us to show grace, mercy, and love to all those who wrong us, but we would rather use the judicial system to seek revenge.

If you were God, would you want your name affiliated with any of this?

We as Christians need to step it up and remember that Christ's or God's name is not affiliated with these things because of a bunch people who demanded that it be, but rather a bunch of people who allowed God to work through them to accomplish education, faithfulness, grace and worship not only only during these holidays, but in life.

I challenge you to commit with me a life that will put God's name back into the hearts of people rather than buildings and pledges.

It is a great feeling when Project Samuel gets an opportunity to work with the local village and do the ministry we came to do in Zambia!  To know that we are building relationships within the community, and that we have such positive relationships at that, is something I am truly proud of.