Acts Initiative...a Journey

Over the past 12 months Acts Initiative Coordinator Philip Kazhingu has been building relationships with local church leaders in Southern Africa, for the purpose of encouraging them in their ministries to children living in extreme poverty. After traveling throughout his own country of Zambia, Philip’s next trip would take him to Lesotho and Malawi.

Traveling through Southern African countries was something that really captured the attention of my heart, so months were spent in prayer, thinking through and preparing for these Southern African trips. As the days drew closer, the excitement increased though with a lot of uncertainty on the back of my mind. Knowing that I was going to people of different language and culture, I was not too sure of what to expect and my mind was locked up in the world of imagination. Trying to figure out what the place looks like, the problems facing the children and just what to expect in these countries? I am glad to report the fact that what seemed to be so fearful and uncertain, has now turned out so promising. The future looks so clear and brighter than when we first began, because relationships have been created and are being strengthened.

The time had come to leave for Lesotho and as I got into one of those big luxurious buses while the bus engine was warming up in readiness to hit the road. I saw little children trying to reach out the bus windows to beg for food and money and suddenly my heart sunk low as I realised the fact that this was the very purpose of my trip – Orphans and Vulnerable children. I believe you would agree with me that the attention of every tourist in the given country is focused on the wonders that nature displays and on the different species of the animal kingdom of that particular country. On the contrary, my whole attention was completely absorbed into the plight of children not only in my own nation but also in the region of Southern Africa. The purpose of my trips has given me a great sense of humility.

While I was awake on the bus, as we traveled through from town to town and from country to country, I kept gazing through the bus window. I notice how beautifully the weather changes and how drastically the scenery changes too. Indeed the language and culture change as well. Unfortunately, one thing though seems unchangeable and this is the poverty stricken children. They look the same starting from my hometown Ndola through Zimbabwe to Lesotho, Malawi and across the whole region. These kids look the same. They are dirty and hungry, have frowned faces and always move with an out stretched arm for begging. Though they live in different cultures, speak different languages and live in different environments yet they have one enemy in common and this is poverty. It has destroyed their God given esteem and shattered their hope for a better future.

Upon arrival in Lesotho, I was not only welcomed by Love in Action staff, but also by the unfriendly and terrible cold winter of that mountainous country which left me so cold and tired. Furthermore, poor and cold children stood by to welcome me too. Of course, they did it in their usual way of begging. What a humbling welcome. Though I could not respond to their begging, deep down in my heart I knew very well that they were the reason I was in that country. You don’t need any one to interpret the meaning of an out stretched arm of a dirty poor boy or girl on the streets. You may try to pretend like you have neither seen nor understood, but the meaning of that arm almost haunts you.

Visiting all the villages where Love in Action Lesotho is reaching out with their programs was a mind-blowing experience. I physically witnessed how HIV/AIDS epidemic and poverty has dehumanized the lives of these precious souls.

In Malawi, my heart was so compelled to the point where I had no choice but to do what the government is discouraging and this I gave some money to a beautiful little girl on the street of Lilongwe, who was hungry and dirty. The Malawi experience was quite different from Lesotho in the sense that I spent a lot of time on the streets interacting with the local people. During this time, I was able to see for myself the plight of children in Malawi. This experience helped me to speak to church leaders with a lot of passion and confidence since I wasn’t just speaking from what I had read in books but from what I had physically seen in the streets of Lilongwe.

I wish to thank Eagles Wings Staff for their prayers and all the people who are supporting the Acts Initiative program. It is you who have made it happen. As for me I am just the shoes of grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Above all I thank the Almighty God for the wisdom He gives in moments of predicaments and the strength and joy He gives in moments of stress and disappointments.