We were greeted by the Vice President of Zambia today!

We just arrived in Zambia this afternoon and to our surprise were escorted by a government official straight from the airport to the Vice President's office! We had hoped to meet him sometime during this trip but really had no idea if that would be possible. Needless to say that those of us who were wearing t-shirts and jeans quickly changed into our shirts and jackets in the back of the bus! The Vice President and several cabinet members greeted us and wanted to hear about our visit to their country. We were able to share much of our vision about working with the poorest of the poor and empowering them with the principles of Jesus. He was so excited about this that he has invited us to come to his house for a special meeting on Saturday and he has others who he wants us to meet. We left that meeting as giddy as school girls! God is good! Even the king's heart is in His hand!

The last 3 days we have been in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. We arrived on Saturday after 24 plus hours of flying. We were graciously hosted by Marta and Demi who I spoke of in an earlier blog. Also staying with Marta and Demi was our friend Sean Sheridan and two of his friends/film crew who are shooting an HD film about the struggles in Africa. I had a great time catching up with Sean and gaining two new friends, Brian and Michael.

We were able to visit the community that Marta and Demi serve in out in the country. What they are doing is remarkable. They started by going to the Muslim leaders of the community in Yetebon with a heart to just serve the people there. The leaders knew that they were believers but the community was in such great need that they welcomed them. The idea was to start a school and health clinic. This couple 12 years later has imparted Jesus into countless people, with 1400 kids being fed and educated in their school just this year. They have not tried to create a program, but have taken care of needs as they have come. During a nationwide drought, Mart and Demi's ministry fed over 200,000 people! What an incredible couple! We had hoped to visit their ministry to get an idea of a very successful work in Africa, and we left with novels of information and excitement in our hearts!

We also met others in Addis who are doing great works with orphans, street youth, and others as well as seeing a program that is educating people with skill training. We learned so much and met so many great people in just a few days that it felt like we had been there for much longer.

Each day so far has been so full of excitement that we all have been hitting a wall at different points during the day. I am hitting that wall as I write and so I think I will head off to bed.

Prayer Request: Tomorrow we head for Mongu, Zambia and the school of orphans that we are hoping to work with. Pray that we will have open eyes and ears to see and hear what God is already doing and how we are supposed to support that. Also for continued favor with everyone we come in contact with, from the taxi driver to the Vice President!