Connecting Points Magazine Fall 2017

CLACHURCH.COM
BOXES OF LOVE
BY REBEKAH MAZZEI
As a church our mandate is to support
local and international missions.
Our vision is to reach beyond the walls of our church and make an impact on
our world in practical and spiritual ways. One of our key partners is Villages of Hope
Africa (VOH).
Once a year, the congregation of Christian Life Assembly and participating
churches fill shoeboxes with various items (school supplies, toys, soap, clothes,
etc.) for the children in the Villages of Hope located in Kitwe, Chongwe, Mongu and
other regions across Zambia. The boxes are also distributed to street children, AIDS
orphans and needy families in the rural areas.
On May 10, 2017, a team of 17 traveled as ambassadors with Christian Life Assembly
on a short-term mission. Our primary focus on the missions trip was to
deliver the Boxes of Love. I was one of the blessed. The team traveled for two days
to reach our destination: Zambia, Africa.
My experience was remarkable and far exceeded my own expectations. I was
witness to an organization that facilitates remarkable holistic care by providing
education, health care, food, housing, clothing and spiritual nurture in a supportive
and safe community to children in need, as well as a place to live for those who
have nowhere else to go. Their mission is to bring lasting hope to children at risk
so that they can embrace adulthood as independent and contributing members
of society. I can confidently say that VOH is raising-up the next generation of
equipped leaders and world changers for the beautiful country of Zambia while
leaving a legacy of hope.
I thought I would be subjected to poverty and people in absolute anguish because
of their social status. I thought I would find unsheltered, loveless and broken
children. Instead, I witnessed the exact opposite. I was witness to African people
reminding me over and over again that it is well, my God is sufficient enough for
me and that He is my joy. I was exposed to love and laughter every single day. The
questions were consistent for me: How could this be? How could people in such
desperate situations cause me to doubt my own joy? The answer: Jesus. In Africa,
the people are taking the good news of hope and living daily by this promise. They
are not fixated on social status, wealth or prestige. They don’t aim for superiority.
They truly understand that success is in three things: God, family and friendship.
Without them, only then is your human nature questioned.
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