The Dance of Joy

The mission team’s first day started at Grippis Farm with a walking tour from Heroes Farm to the Mango Grove Community School. The reality of the horrible living conditions touched their hearts and many of them were crying as they approached the school. The students were anxiously awaiting their arrival. They lined up in the sunshine by grade and sang their hearts out for all the visitors. They sang praise songs, and worship songs, and performed a skit and poems for us. The team sang two songs for the kids and did a skit and we ended with the children in a big circle so we could greet and take photos with them. They loved the attention, and it was hard to get the team to say goodbye!

Later that evening, after our welcome dinner with the team, the teachers, the school board and the government officials, I certainly didn’t expect the living room of Heroes Farm to erupt into spontaneous praise dancing! Older white ladies joined in with the young Africans, old Africans bobbed and weaved with young white kids – hands clapped the African rhythm, the harmony rang out strong, the fever pitch built. The joy broke loose, and we were caught up in it together. Praising God, laughing, moving to our own singing. Poor village women wearing chitengas with babies on their backs, danced with seminary professors straight out of their classrooms, women dressed in evening wear swayed with others in jeans and t-shirts, the government officials of Grippis lost all their inhibitions in the middle of the circle of joy. These were rare moments of unity, when we dropped all that was different and fused into a oneness of spirit.

The build up was gradual, with one person after another sharing about how good our God is. Trials, hard times, character shaping, life molding experiences all under God’s hand led us all to this place, at this time to bring about the will of God. The focus was on God’s work in the Grippis community. Dr. Nelipher Moyo gave the history of God’s work from the beginning of the school and led up to the present. Mr. Sachika took the floor and preached a sermon right out of the depths of his heart, sharing his testimony of tribulations and loss that has led to something better than he ever had when he was an important employee of B.P. with every comfort. “If a person isn’t ready to walk the path of thorns, they aren’t ready to be a Christian,” he challenged us. We spent time in passionate prayer for the school and the community – for the transformation of hearts, minds and spirits. The sound was a roar of languages calling out to God for help.

The teachers, the school board, the young community members shared their gratitude for the team coming, for raising the funds to put in a new well and start their new school building. The Zambian law says that if you buy land and do nothing with it within a few months, the government can take it back, so by building this storage building and putting in the well, the team has given the community the security of knowing that their land will remain with them. The team presented 60 brand new soccer uniforms to the teachers, who were so moved and happy. Now the students can actually join a league and play other schools- before they were restricted from participating because they had no uniforms.

I closed by reminding the teachers that when we first came to Zambia and saw the heroic efforts of local teachers at Grippis, we wanted to name our organization after them so we named it Grassroots Heroes International . I presented them each with a Grassroots Heroes T-shirt, the government officials joined the spirit and accepted one as well, even Dr. and Mrs. Moyo wanted t-shirts to wear. They left with their shirts on, their smiles beaming and their hearts buoyed by the marvelous experience of worshipping God for what he has already done, and what is yet to come!

Your purchase of a Grassroots Heroes t-shirt will help support these heroic teachers efforts to educate the vulnerable children in the most extreme poverty. Or, a donation can help us give them a higher salary than they currently receive. Or, you could help finish the new schoolroom and drill the well for the community.Log onto http://www.grassrootsheroes.org/ to continue to join what God is doing in Zambia.
Blessings,
Tanya