Forward.

I know I’m a few days late, but I just wanted to say Merry Christmas to all my friends and family!  This year was my first “fully-Zambian” Christmas since the past 2 years I have been with my family, and it was a wonderfully simple reminder of what’s important.  For most Zambians, Christmas is just another day.  Yes, it’s a holiday and yes, they celebrate Jesus, but there are no Christmas trees or big dinners or presents or cookie decorating.  It’s mostly just a day to be with your family and reflect on the miracle of Christmas itself.  As they often do, Zambians continue to teach me the beauty in simplicity and I am forever grateful.

As I look back on this past year, I am in awe of how far God has brought me.  As many of you know, this year was very difficult at times and I struggled with a lot of loneliness and uncertainty of my role here.  But there have also been moments of extreme joy and triumph that make all the pain worth it.

I finished my second year of full-time teaching a few weeks ago, and I could not be more in love with my students.  As we have three teachers for 6 classes, we split into morning and afternoon sessions.  I teach Grade 2 in the morning and Grade 4 in the afternoon.  My Grade 2 class astounds me each and every day.  I have never met a group of children more eager to learn than these 17 students.  When we started 2014, most of them could only read simple sight words like “the” and “we,” but now they are reading entire books.  I often catch them “sneaking” into the Grade 4 classroom to get books from their library basket.  They make me laugh every single day. They are growing up so fast, but they are still just little kids who long for my attention.  “And me, teacher!” are the words I hear most often as another student wants to read for me or solve the math problem on the board.

My Grade 4 students are maturing every day.  We were given 25 Bibles when the team came to visit in June, and they LOVE that there is one for each of them to read from.  They had a blast reading all about Abraham’s family tree and the crazy, broken people that God chooses to bless throughout the Bible.  This class is my “rabbit trail” class that often gets sidetracked with all sorts of interesting questions.  This year they’ve asked about everything from America’s fight for independence to how makeup is made.  They are so eager to learn and I find myself praying on a daily basis that I have the right answers to give them.

I am constantly reminded how lucky I am to be living this life.  I know there are so many people who go on short-term mission trips and dream about doing it long-term.  I also know how difficult it is to make those dreams become a reality.  I remember how challenging it was in my own life to get here, and I sit in awe that God allows me to be here every day.  I can’t tell you how often I think about YOU, the people who make sacrifices and read my updates and spend time praying on my behalf so that I can do this ministry.  I am humbled by each and every one of you and I pray that God blesses you for the way you have blessed me.

As many of you know, the other highlight of 2014 was my engagement to Christopher Zimba!  Chris is a wonderful, godly man whom I met at church shortly after moving here in 2012.  We were friends for a long time, started dating in January of this year, and are now busy planning an August wedding!  If you had told me when I left for Zambia 3 years ago that my story would end up like this, I would have thought you were crazy.  I am still amazed at how God brought everything together, but I am so incredibly grateful. 

As I look forward to 2015, I can only imagine the testimonies that will come of God’s unending grace.  There is still so much I want to see happen at Haven of Hope, and I know that our directors and sponsors will be working hard to make sure those dreams become a reality.  There are still many battles to fight in 2015, but I know that if God brought us this far, He will not abandon us now. 

At the end of 2013, my church family gathered together to write down our dreams and prayers for 2014.  After writing, we planted them in the ground with faith that God would be working on each and every one.  In preparing to start another school year at Haven of Hope, I want to share some of my big prayers for 2015 with all of you.

1)  I pray that each of my students stays at school this year.  Every year we have students leave because of family situations or lack of commitment.  I don’t want to see that happen in 2015.

2)  I pray that I come to school every day with Jesus’ eyes.  That I forget my own worries and exhaustion and truly SEE my students.  That I look for ways to pour into their lives on a deeper level.

3)  I pray that the school building in Ndola is completed in 2015.  I can’t even begin to tell you how important it is that we have bigger facilities so we can offer hope to more children in Zambia.

4) I pray that our students continue to excel in their studies.  I pray that they become proficient in English, their comprehension skills improve and that they learn to think critically about all subject matter.

5)  I pray that I can raise all the finances I need to continue with this ministry for another year.  My yearly goal is still $18,000 and thanks to my amazing monthly sponsors, I am about 40% there.

Thank you for reading all of this and for journeying with me another year in Zambia!  I have full confidence that 2015 will be another year of God’s wonder and I am so ready to see what He has in store for us all.

In Christ Alone.

-Amy Munn (soon to be Zimba J)