"Different"

Greetings from Zambia!

I spent part of the first three days of this week doing something "different." (My children will attest that doing something different is not all that "different" for me.) I took each of the older three boys from the Lighthouse Children’s Home out to lunch. John is 6 months away from his 18th birthday; Dickson has 10 months to go until his 18th birthday; Shadreck will turn 18 in 16 months. This means that all three boys will make a decision about what they want to do in the next few months. We have said that the children can stay in the Lighthouse Children’s Home after they reach their 18th birthday with a few conditions:

First, they must continue in school thought the 12th Grade. All three of these boys will be older than 20 when they graduate from 12th grade. They will become legal adults at 18, but if they want to stay in the home, eat our food, sleep on our beds and go to schools that we pay school fees for them to attend, then they have to stay in school – and pass their exams. At 18 they go from "wards" to "houseguests." All have agreed to this condition.

Second, they must not drink alcoholic beverages. The legal drinking age in Zambia is 18 years so most of the boys and many of the girls who are still in high school at 18 are allowed to go into bars and drink alcohol (and most 18-year-old young people in Zambia are still in high school if they passed the exams to get into high school). The result of this freedom is a general failure of most grade 12 students to get passing grades on their final exam. Some retake the exam the following year, but most simply consider themselves as having "completed" grade twelve. Sadly, many of them do foolish things while under the influence of alcohol and the cemeteries are proof of that fact.

Third, they must obey the rules of the house including care of the property, helping with kitchen duties and working in the garden. While they will be "houseguests" on paper, they are still responsible for their chores around the house. They will continue to make their own beds, wash and iron their own clothes and polish their own shoes.

Again, all three boys have agreed to these rules and want to stay in the Home to finish their education.

I asked each of them several questions: What they wanted to do. (Electronics, Engineering. Mechanics and Rugby were mentioned) What were their biggest concerns. (What happens after grade 12.) What would they change about their lives if they could. This last question stumped them. They would not change anything. All three said they realised they had been given a chance to succeed and the did not want to disappoint "Auntie Sherry" or me. I was humbled by these three boys who felt that their lives were "as good as it gets" because of the care and love they had received at the Lighthouse Children’s Home.

This does not mean they are perfect by any stretch of the imagination. They are boys and they do the dumb stuff that boys do. I remember being a boy (vaguely) and I remember raising two more. We have issues from time to time and I have had to walk between two of them now and then when tempers flared. Still, they have grown tremendously in the past 10 years physically, emotionally, academically and spiritually. They have learned to rely on each other for moral support and they know they can lean on either of us when times are difficult.

Sherry and I are very appreciative for your prayers – and support – for this particular ministry. Even in these troubled economic times the funds have been available to supply their food, pay for their school fees and provide for their basic needs. The lives you touch will someday lead Zambia.

Together in His Service,
Patrick & Sherry