Dear Friends,

When planning this year's long summer trip, I had every intention of keeping in regular contact with those of you who care and pray for the children, and for me. But since the middle of May I managed to send only one update. :-( So much happens at the House of Moses every day, and at the end of the day there is no day left!Today was different because the house was quiet and so I treated myself to a can of salmon I have been keeping for a treat and I took time to write.

Let me share some good news about a new special learning classroom at the Kanyama House of Martha Crisis Nursery. As you may know, the children that we care for in Kanyama are among the most traumatized and abused. Many of them were just left somewhere by a relative. Others have been abused and almost without exception they have seen their parents die. Sometimes it is weeks before they even feel safe enough to begin to talk. Because of their emotional, and often physical state it is impossible for them to go to one of our Community schools. School is more than they are able to deal with, although some have been to school before coming to us. But, at the same time they need to be learning and certainly need to have all the extra one-on-one time we are able to give them. There is also quite an age span in the home with some of the children as young as three years and some as old as 12 (yes, the home is supposed to be for children up to 6 years, but when the need is there and we have the capacity to help we do stretch the rules!) To address the special needs of the children we are opening a classroom at the home. The children will have little desks and chairs, books and a trained teacher. This place of special learning is a memorial to our good friend and long-time supporter, Dr. Terry Wood. Joining us in the project are Jane Graham and Lori Strehler from Chosen Hope Ministries in Michigan. Nellie, the housemother at the nursery is overjoyed! So are we—and so are the children.

This week an artist from Phoenix, Kendra Lane, is here and has started painting the classroom (walls and ceiling) a bright, light blue. Kendra is a "space designer" and creates environments that reflect cultures and personalities. The children will be "helping" with their own small paint brushes. I can hardly wait to see the finished project on Saturday.

Another BIG job is underway. Flushing toilets and a potable water tank are being built at the Garden Hill school with a Hope for Children team from the UK working alongside our own maintenance manager. For the 636 children in this school this will be a huge blessing, to say nothing of a giant step forward in hygiene.

Finally, I am getting ready to host our last two teams. (We have had over 40 visitors already.) One of their contributions will be in the Faith Works Schools sports program. We will have an inter-school girl’s soccer competition. Even after the World Cup, soccer is still a passion here in Zambia.

I am planning to leave for home on August 1st with James and Lucy, two children from House of Martha who are being adopted by a couple in Montana. Pray that all of the paperwork and other details are in place. And pray for me as I have been entrusted with them over such a long journey. As soon as they are safe and secure with their new family we will be writing full stories about these two children and the miraculous way our heavenly Father is placing them into a new family.

There is much more to share, but this is getting long, and someone just knocked on my door!!

With love and thanks...

Sandra