Thank you for listening to "illuminate" the Advent podcast from Hands at Work in Africa. Throughout the year in Africa we focused on a different Bible story. In the first week we read from the Gospel of Luke in chapter one - Gabriel's message to Mary, the soon-to-be mother of the Most-High. Each week leading up to Christmas, we will hear from African leaders. They will describe how the scripture is seen in their context and on the ground in Africa. This week we are hearing from Cecilia. She is a coordinator in the local hands office in Chisamba, Zambia. Most of the time, when God asks us to do something for him, something that seems impossible, we say, "How am I going to do it?" Now, let us look at the story of Mary. Mary was engaged to Joseph and she was supposed to get married to him, but the angel appeared to her to say, you're going to have a child, and this child will be great. Then Mary answered, "How is it going to be, because I'm a virgin?" So, if we read further, we'll see that Mary at last obeyed the voice of God. She obeyed the voice of God. So, same to us. You know, we are taking care of our children in our, different Care Points and when God tells us to do something for Him, maybe He tells us take care of that child. We ask, "How am I going to do it? Because even me, I live in poverty. I don't have enough. How can I help that child?" Sometimes maybe you are told to go and bath the child. Saying, "That child is very dirty. Can you get your soap at home and bath the child?" It's like, "How can I do it because I don't have enough? Even my family needs some soap. How am I going to do it?" So, let us learn from the story of Mary. Mary was supposed to get married and she was told that she's going to have a child. Now she did obey the voice of God, because she knew that the angel came from God. Most of the time, we miss the blessings of the Lord, because we might think, "Ah, but why is God telling me to take care of that child? In the community where I live, there are rich people. They have a lot of money. Why can't God speak to that person who has a lot of money?" Look at Mary! All that time there were many people with good names. Rich people. Well-known people. But God chose Mary! She was not known. God chose her to say, "You are going to have a child and this child will be great." Children of God, let us obey the voice of God. When God tells us to do this, we shouldn't ask "How?" God knows better than us. So, we are here - different Care Points. We are chosen by God to be here. In the communities where we are, you don't have enough. You're not rich people, but why did God choose you? He chose you for a purpose, so that you can take care of the children. You know, in this story of Mary, I've learned a lot of things. If people knew, they were going to say, "Hey, come here! Come here, come!" But they didn't know. Same with the children who are taken care of. Well, you can look at this child, say, "Ah, she's dirty. He's dirty. He's poor." But you don't know the plan of God upon that child. You don't even know. Only God knows. If God tells you that this one will be the President of Zambia, we are going to take care of the child very well. Now it is a secret of God. So, these children we are taking care of, how are they going to remember you when they grow up? Are they going to remember you as a person who was chasing them away, or a person who embraced them, showed them love, cared well for them? You bathed them. You gave them food. You gave them love. How are they going to remember you? One day I was going to Capiri. As I was walking, a boy ran to me. He said, "Auntie, auntie, auntie!" Then I said, "Auntie? Here in Capiri? Do people know me? Do I have a relative?" Who was this boy calling me Auntie? Then I continued walking. The boy continued running towards me and said, "Auntie! Auntie!" Then I stopped. Then he came near and he said, "Auntie, you don't remember me? I'm Michael from Chisamba! You remember how you took care of me? Now I completed grade 12. I stay here in Capiri. I'm staying very well." So I said, "Oh, Michael!" I greeted him. I hugged him. Then, I learned something. If I was chasing him or maybe using bad language to him, he was just going to look at me, and tell his friends, "You know that woman? I know her. You know what she used to do? You know how she used to talk to me? She's a bad woman, that one!" But he ran to me and I was blessed in my heart. So same with us. Let us take good care of the children God has given us. These children were given to us by God so that we can take care of them. The how belongs to God! Remember how Jesus came into this world? The Bible says nothing is impossible with God. If he tells you to do, you have to do it. You know, there's a song in Zambia which says, "The one who gave me teeth, is going to give me what to chew." So, God knew that these teeth are supposed to chew something. Even when you are given something to do, God knows how you are going to do it. He's going to give you strength. He's going to provide. Let's believe him and let's obey him. Hey, I tell you this work we are given is not an easy task. If you are coming to the Care Point as a Care Worker, just with your mind, you are going to fail unless you have that heart for the children, you have that love inside you, then you are going to do it. Before coming to Chisamba, my husband was at Bible school. When he completed, different churches came to us to say, "Come and join us. We're going to take care of you. We'll be buying suits for you. Then your wife, we are going to give capital for business." Then another church came to say, "If you join us, we are going to take you to the USA. There you are going to learn about our doctrine. When coming back we will give you a car, and we'll give you a good house." So, we were taken by those things, especially going to America! Hey, I've never visited America. We talked to say, "No, we are not going to pray about it because hmmmmn! Now, if God tells us, "No", what are we going to do?! I think this is a good thing." Then, at night, we said, "No, no, no. We can't go anywhere without asking God." We prayed to God and God said, "No, you are not going there. Where I've sent you is Chisamba." By that time, the executive for our church did not tell us where they're sending us. Then they said, "We are sending you to Chisamba." We said, "We knew this." We had a small book where we were writing some processes. Then we showed them to say God spoke to us that we're going to Chisamba. When we reached Chisamba, my children cried, "Why are we here, mom? Why can't we go back to Luanshya?" The day we took them to school, they said, "There are no desks at school. So we were sitting on the floor." We started in 2006 taking care of the orphans. For six years, we had no support. We were using the little we had. When God tells us, "Do this", we were not asking, "How?" We started with Isubilo in 2006, 2008 Miswa. We have Mutaba, Kamaila, we have even a Service Center. We have seen that obedience to the word of God brings blessings. Hands at Work has touched many souls in Chisamba because we obeyed the voice of God. So, children of God, let us obey the voice of God as Mary obeyed. She was not a rich person, but she obeyed the voice of God. It is because Mary obeyed, that a saviour would be born through her. We are enjoying the presence of God. You've been listening to the “illuminate” podcast by Hands at Work in Africa. If you haven't already subscribed to the podcast, please find us on Spotify, Apple or Google Podcast by searching "Meanwhile in Africa..." Learn how you can give the gift of hope. Visit www.handsatwork.org/JoinUsThisChristmas.