Laura inspires Laura

I hope you can someday meet Laura - could be either Pastor Laura from Chicago or Laura, a widow from Tanzania. What are the chances of two women named Laura encountering each other in a traditional Massi boma in Tanzania? Here is Laura, pastor of the LaSalle Street Church in downtown Chicago meeting and ministering to Laura a mother of seven and caretaker for another 8 children and one grandmother. Pastor Laura’s passion and deep caring spirit was amazing. Wherever we were and whomever we met she reached in such a genuine spirit and deep love to the people around her. What an amazing woman. A real inspiration. You need to meet her.

Seeing Africa For The First Time

By the way, I viewed Africa for the first time in 1963 from a freighter sailing into the harbor of Cape Town. Table Mountain lay in the background towering over this beautiful old yet modern city. We had spent 21 days sailing from New York. I remember that moment very clearly but only a few other things: Driving on the other side of the road made me dizzy, experiencing apartheid for the first time - seeing different entry doors for whites, coloreds and blacks, seeing baboons when we were atop of Table Mountain and zebras south of Cape Town.

Drs. Horace Smith and Lisa Thornton were visiting children with me in northern Zambia in November 2005 when they spotted a child with a badly burned foot. As doctors they, of course, immediatly began to ask questions about how it happened and what treatment the child was receiving. We had to leave for another appointment and when we arrived at the other village some distance away the local World Vision manager was late. When she arrived she said that she had been notified that a "sponsored child" and had put her staff to work seeing that the child received treatment. Later we traveled to the local clinic and when we arrived we were met by two nurses eager to talk to the doctors about their recommended treatment. I was so impressed by the efforts by so many World Vision staff to intervene on behalf of one child but then that is what sponsorship is all about. I returned to the area one month later and took this picture of the child - able to walk and the foot healed. That's sponsorship for you.

A Man of Depth

I first met Wampembe Lukonde in October 2003 when he was a area development program manager in Eastern Zambia. He is now Operations Director for World Vision Zambia. He is highly qualified and experienced in Community Development. Good and sustainable community development depends on community volunteers who take ownership of their own destiny. Wampembe was the first to point out that the community was dying and he was now learning to take care of orphans - 400 at that time and surely many times that now. Wampembe is a strong leader and a man of real depth and the laughter of a child and the discernment of a Solomon. When I was in Lusaka in June he and his four sons and one adopted daughter shared dinner with me (his wife, a nurse was at work). What a joy it is to work with him.

Maasia Warrior

What's So Funny?

The Real World of World Vision

Last month I had the opportunity to visit Kisongo Area Development Program in Tanzania and met a remarkable woman, Mary Lema. Mary is the World Vision area manager. After visiting with a widow taking care of 15 orphan children the widow called Mary aside. She was obviously weeping profusely. Mary put her arm around her and comforted her. I snapped this picture because I saw the real world of World Vision. Whatever your job might be you are enabling Mary to be there, today and tomorrow. While I am comfortably seated at my computer Mary is out and about doing the work - serving the widow and orphans. Thanks for supporting Mary.

Africa Travel Log

2010
South Africa/Zimbabwe/Zambia/Tanzania
2009
Zimbabwe/Zambia/South Africa/Swaziland/Lesotho
2008
DR Congo and Zambia
June/July 2007
Senagal/South Africa/Zambia/DR Congo/Botswana/Zimbabwe
March 2007
Kenya/Uganda
October/November 2006

Kenya/Tanzania

June 2006

Ethiopia/Malawi/Zimbabwe/Zambia/Botswana

March 2006

Zambia/Botswana

February 2006

Zambia/Botswana

November 2005

Zambia/Botswana

February 2005

Zambia

February 2005

South Africa/DR Congo

February 2004

South Africa/Malawi

October 2003

South Africa/Malawi/Zambia/Swaziland