In the Heart of Zambia: A Tale of Hope and Resilience

Join me, Andy Howard, in a heartfelt journey that changed my life and will surely touch yours too. In this podcast, meet the extraordinary team behind Family Legacy that has been pivotal in changing the lives of kids in Zambia. They don't just provide meals; they provide safety from the dangerous world outside the school gates and a promise of hope for a better future.

Picture this: kids with radiant smiles, brimming with joy and resilience, despite the hardships faced in their everyday life in Zambia. We didn't just get to experience this palpable joy when they received their new camp t-shirts.  We also got to experience a true work of God when six out of ten kids we ministered to, found solace in Christ for the first time. A moment that was nothing short of miraculous. 

We managed to sponsor 40 kids to attend school and camp, but there are many more who need our help.  What if you could bring about a significant difference in the lives of these children? For as low as $48 a month, you can sponsor an elementary-age child, and $72 a month can sponsor a high school-age child. Imagine a world where every child gets to go to school. That's exactly what Family Legacy aims to achieve. They also have their own medical staff and farm to cater to the well-being of these kids.

Let's join hands in this noble cause, be it through sponsorship, or by participating in the upcoming shoe and food drives. If you can help us reach our goal of sponsoring 100 kids, I would love to send you a signed copy of my book as a thank you for your generous donation!

Volunteer: https://familylegacy.com/getinvolved/go-to-zambia/camp-life/

Sponsor a Child: https://give.familylegacy.com/sponsorachild/legacy-academy

Once you have sponsored a child and to receive your free book, or to receive more information about Family Legacy, please email me at: info@andyhoward.com

Follow on Instagram & Facebook: @AndyBHoward
Buy the book on Amazon: www.amazon.com/When-Words-Dont-Come-Easy/dp/1955362084
Listen to the first chapter: soundcloud.com/andy-howard-788712319
Learn more at AndyHoward.com!

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Hey, what's up everybody? Hey, today's episode is gonna be fun. I say fun, I get your Kleenex is ready. I'm gonna try to pull on your heartstrings, but I just share a little bit of the story of some of the kiddos I met in Africa in Zambia, africa, and some amazing kids. But stick around to the end, because you have an opportunity to change some lives today. I mean, talk about really making a difference and I want you to, want you to stick around and I want you to see how you can even get a signed copy of the book itself For you, just as a gift For your donation, if you're willing to help some of these kiddos. It's something that God has. God has stirred up in me and moved me to do and Tiffany are Helping 40 ourself, but he's give us a number of a hundred kids that he wants us to help and I'm gonna explain why Over the next few minutes. All that more after this. Hey, welcome back to the way.

Speaker 1: 1:06

Words don't come easy podcast. I am Andy Howard. If this is your first time joining, welcome. This is a podcast about hope and it's just a very casual conversation, just like the book. If you had a chance to comment, I'm perché. I would really appreciate it if you could tell you that. If so, thank you, randy, for Knock On my Bad Bang. If not, thank you so much for watching, just like the book. If you had a chance, maybe you found the podcast from the book. Maybe you've never heard of the book, but the book when Words Don't Come Easy came out this past September and it's just a conversation between me and you and I hope my story will help you. This podcast, I hope, will help you. It's a podcast about hope, and we live in a world where hope is hard to find. Just being real, being honest, it's very easy to get distracted and to lose focus, and I hope here, with this podcast, that I can point you to Christ. He is my hope. And I also want to point you to some inspiring stories of others who have overcome things Like myself, overcoming depression, or others who have overcame various things. But this is just a podcast to bring point out the beauty in the broken. The beauty of the broken simply means there is positives in every negative that we face. There will be hard times. That's part of life, right, there will be hard times, but there's always something beautiful through every hard, hard trial that we face and sometimes we lose sight of that. So that's what this podcast is about, and welcome, welcome here. So, with that said, I do want to jump in here and bring you some hope.

Speaker 1: 3:11

Today from our latest trip. I wanted to kind of take you behind the scenes. This has just been on my heart and, please forgive me, I'm just recovering from the flu. My voice is still shaky. I think I picked it up on this trip from probably from one of these beautiful kids and just even breaks my heart even more, knowing what they have to contend with with their conditions there and their lack of everything. It was just amazing.

Speaker 1: 3:43

We got to go to Africa, and more specifically, the country of Zambia in Africa, in the area of Lusaka and many of the communities there. In Lusaka for those who know it Well, some of you, just hearing Africa is big enough, wide enough lens for you, and then a really detailed one to know exactly where, and so that's why you would right now in the country of Zambia and then Lusaka within Zambia. So such a beautiful area and I'm talking about the people, just talking about the people the country was beautiful as well. It really was just some beautiful scenery out there. But Tiff and I were overwhelmed by the beautiful people of Zambia and what I noticed by these beautiful people, it wasn't because they had, you know, the best clothes, because these were some of the poorest of the people that I will probably ever meet in my life, literally people who had nothing sweet kiddos. I had absolutely nothing. And we went through their, their towns and their homes and and most of them didn't even have running water, and so they would either have to buy a bucket of water from their friends who did have running water, because if they tried to get it from the government they couldn't even afford to buy it from them.

Speaker 1: 5:25

It was, it's just very sad, very sad area, but ironically, some of the happiest people I've ever met in my life, smiles that would just light up a room and their eyes and their, their smiles were just so beautiful and I kept telling Tiff, these are just. I'm just fascinated by how beautiful these people are and I met that literally and figuratively, like from their spirits, but literally they were happy people and when you see happy people they're beautiful, right? You see someone walking down the street and you see them down excuse me, downcast or sad. They just lose a little bit of that joy. You don't see that true beauty. And then you see someone just truly happy, for sincere, right reasons. Their beauty just shines through them and these people had nothing, man, nothing. It was heartbreaking, like on the very first day of this camp.

Speaker 1: 6:33

We were at this summer camp the very first day. It's a small thing, but I'm putting on this sticker on this kid because it was one of the gifts we're giving out. Like each day they get like little things, like we had stickers and I'd put a sticker on his shirt and then the next day is the same thing and that's what I realized, because he wanted me to put it on the shirt that had like an O in it and it was a circle sticker and it fit right inside the O and it was all perfect. And then the next day I realized that was the same shirt with the same sticker and he had the same clothes on and I realized throughout the week he wore the same outfit and many of the kids did, and it's just what they did. It was their clothes. And even throughout the week, like for for one of the last days of Camp, they got a brand new camp t-shirt and oh my goodness, just the exuberation that they're so excited for, and for many of them, maybe that's the first time they've ever had a brand new shirt.

Speaker 1: 7:46

Because I got a brand new camp t-shirt and I remember going to camp as a kid and even here as a youth pastor, and we used to get our camp t-shirt and very first thing we do rip the sleeves out. You know where Bandanas make bandanas out of over, cut the sides out and you're making like you weren't planning on keeping the camp shirt. It was just a I don't know how to explain it, not that you're not grateful, but it was something you could do without because it was just a camp shirt. It was never meant to be a keepsake, but the value of these T-shirts for these kids and it touched me, touched me so much and so just to go full circle with it, I wanted to explain how cool God is.

Speaker 1: 8:39

There's this one kid I met, named white son, and and I don't know the meaning of his name, but it's it is how it sounds white son, white SON. But I I did ask him Well, I like your name, you know just said that's all the kids and what's your? What's it mean? He said it was my dad's name and he says, yeah, my, my mom and dad, or no longer alive. He didn't say how they died. He said they're no longer alive and I lost. I lost my mom About seven years ago and I lost my dad when I was about a year old and come to find out that's the story for so many of these kids that they have nothing. There's a huge gap Because of the HIV Problem that happened. There's a huge gap between grandparents and kids. So many kids with no, no parents and just for the other medical diseases. There are so many issues. But he, by the end of the week I really built a good relationship with this kid and by the end of the week he told me he wants to be a pastor when he grows up.

Speaker 1: 9:59

And what was cool is, as I was praying over him and our one-on-one time with one of the sponsors there and the kids with with our team in each group, we we got to do one-on-one time with each of them and I was praying over him and and he asked if he could pray over me. And as this kid is praying over me, I Just have this vision of and this don't happen a lot. This doesn't happen a lot for me, but he's praying over me and All I could see was him on the stage. It was so sincere as this earnest prayer, as he was praying, crying out to God, and I could see him on the stage with his huge lights and all you could see was see a see of people Surrounding the stage and I. It was very unclear, I didn't know if this is all the people he would affect in his lifetime or If he will one day be speaking to this multitude of people you know, in one setting like that, but I just shared it with him and and as I'm sharing it with the translator, you could see tears in his eyes. It was so special, just such a special moment, and Through each of the kids I got to minister to.

Speaker 1: 11:18

Six of the ten accepted Christ for the first time. There was some that were really young and I don't know that they fully comprehended it, but they all said they knew Jesus, it had a relationship with Jesus and wanted to go to heaven. So I'm gonna accept that. I don't know if it's the first time they ever heard it, but I know that, that I will see them again. If, if not next year at camp, I will see them again at heaven. But it was just special, such a special week.

Speaker 1: 11:47

What my challenge was in Tiff and I did Each of these kids that come to these particular camps, this, the school there, it's like camp legacy. It's a program that I'm gonna give you some more info on, but they're the guys that are putting this together and it's family legacy sorry, camp life family legacy and they have been doing this for 20 years. I mean, a lot of these kids don't eat if they don't go to school. A lot of these kids are in trouble, literally if they don't go to school because of their family, because of the streets. So by going to school for eight hours a day, they're safe at least for eight hours a day. I can tell you story after story, and I'm gonna have Tiff come on and share some of her girl's stories on another episode, but it was heartbreaking. So we have an opportunity to help these kids get into school.

Speaker 1: 12:58

And so what Tiff and I did? We sponsored every single one of our groups. So our two girls got a group as well. We didn't know they'd be leading a group, but they loved it. They loved every minute of it, but they loved it. They loved every minute of it. They didn't expect that going into it, we thought we had one group as a family and so our girls ended up getting a group and they loved every minute of it and in fact they were crying. They didn't want to say goodbye. In fact, friday one of the kids had pulled one of the workers there from family legacy aside and he said you know what Friday is? And he said no, what he said Friday is the day the Americans cry. And I guess they had been to camp before and they knew that. And it is true, you build such a bond with these kids it's just so hard to say goodbye, but our girls absolutely loved it. So, with that said, we ended up sponsoring 40 kids and I had on my heart to find a hundred sponsors. I don't know why that was the number that came to mind because many of these kids won't get to go to school and gosh, I think there's 14,000 kids right now currently over their 22 or 23 schools, and we'll get more detail on that one. We had this CEO of family legacy on with us, super great guy, and he said he'd come on and share on the podcast and he's going to be coming on in a few weeks, but just a phenomenal dude, phenomenal man and I love his heart.

Speaker 1: 14:46

But these kids were making a huge difference. So when these kids get into school, they get a meal every day, so they're guaranteed a meal every day. You're like, oh wow, what's the big deal about school food? What you don't understand is even the poorest of the poor here we have it so good here in the States, the majority of us I know there's still problems here as well, don't get me wrong while aware of them, but so many of these kids literally do not eat at all. Do not eat if they don't have school. So that brings on so many different problems, so many different nutritional problems and infection and disease and so many challenges. And then the safety. They have no safety. They're different things If they're not at school. The more they're not at school, the more often they're left at home in a chance for who knows what to happen. So it's just very, very huge.

Speaker 1: 16:00

It's hard to explain. It's almost like taking a picture of a beautiful sunset or mountain range and trying to show you and you're seeing it, but you weren't there. It's hard to explain. I just want to express how good God is man this whole time we were there. I just think it's wild. But I said in the beginning that I was going to go all in, right, I got there on Sunday and our orientation found out. We were getting separated as a family, right? I'm a very introverted guy. I know a lot of you guys may see the podcast or make it to see me speak on stage and I come across different, but one-on-one if you were to meet me on the street or meet me somewhere. I am very introverted. It's hard for me. It's just I don't know why God wired me this way, but it's something I contend with and I'm working on to get better.

Speaker 1: 17:06

And here's another challenge. Right, we show up at this camp. I'm thinking it's easy, I'll be Tiff's sidekick. She's so extroverted that she's got plenty to go around for all of us Another three. We can just sit back and kind of relax and do whatever's needed. And now we show up and they pass, they split us up and say here's your group, here's your group, andy. Excuse me, sorry about my voice today, but here's your group, andy. And here's your group, tiff. Here's your group. Sorry, peyton. Then go Parker and Presley. Here's your groups. All four of us are like deer in the headlights, like what is happening, but it ended up being the coolest thing ever.

Speaker 1: 17:53

And so, as I just began to pray over these kids and I was praying, man, god, give me something I can help them with. Can I knew? On Sunday I'm meeting these two. They're called partners and they're local as Ampians and they helped translate for the kids, who some spoke English, some didn't, so they would help translate so we could reach them. And I'm meeting two new guys that I've never met before. So once again I'm being tested right off the bat. I'm uncomfortable, but I had to make a decision right there to go all in right. So we're learning these dances for songs, the camp songs, doing the hand motions, all the stuff for a six foot three white man who has been diagnosed with WRD, which is white man rhythm deficiency. It's true, I do not dance.

Speaker 1: 18:55

I'm in an uncomfortable situation, meeting two new guys for the first time, learning new dances for the first time, feeling very awkward, and my choice was do I, do I fold or do I go all in for these kids who I may be? The only Jesus they ever see, the only representative of Jesus they ever see, who knows? So I decided to go all in. I went all in and I may look like a fool, but I danced my hardest and we had so much fun together and it broke down walls because they said, it easily takes days for the boys at least to break down their walls and from the get go they just, they love me and I love them. It was just amazing.

Speaker 1: 19:51

And with that said, I started praying over them. And I was praying this one scripture came to mind and I even shared it with them early. And I have five days to show you as much love as I can. But I know Friday is coming and I talked about the woman at the well, the Samaritan woman, and how Jesus said if you drink from the living water, you'll never thirst again. Just share that and then I'm going to do my best to love on you with all my heart. But I know that I can't give you everything in five days. But if you just get Jesus, man, that's all you'll ever need. It's all you'll ever need. Here's the irony.

Speaker 1: 20:34

I prayed over each kid. I would pray. It's a simple prayer that I pray over a lot of people as I minister and as I speak and as I travel. I'll pray this prayer to Lord just reveal yourself to them, wrap your loving arms around them like a warm blanket, just around them with your presence. I pray that prayer all the time over hundreds of people, and I'm praying this over these kids. And so here's what's wild, where I'm going with this. The very last day, the very last day, the Bible study is this exact portion of scripture. Talk about irony.

Speaker 1: 21:21

And then each day, they received a gift. The last day was their biggest gift, their most prized gift. They were so excited to get and it was winter time over there, which is so bizarre as we were having our hundred degree streak here in Texas. It was winter there. They received a blanket. They received a nice or blanket in that coal. I mean telling God didn't have this lined up. So, anyways, it was just the coolest week. Man, there's story after story that I could tell you, but I'm just gonna wrap it up there. I am gonna spend a few episodes over the next upcoming week. So, on this, because it is so powerful for me and I know there's people that are listening that could, that could help a lot of these kids. So, briefly, if you want more info, I want you to To reach out at info at Andy Howard comm. Feel email info at Andy Howard comm. Oh, I will. I get you more information.

Speaker 1: 22:31

But the jest of it for 48 bucks for the for the kids who are who are in elementary, it's a simpler, it's cheaper, but it's $48 a month Gets them into school. Many of them will never go to school because even the public schools are free but they cannot afford the uniforms. Even more importantly, they can afford to get them to the school because many of the schools they have to travel and Many of the parents Would assume use them as a babysitter for their other kids so that they can work or do whatever they can to find money. So school is not a priority. So many of them won't go. But if for $48, for $48 For elementary school kid, it guarantees that they will get sponsored For school there at legacy.

Speaker 1: 23:26

Legacy schools, which are private schools where they'll learn about Jesus and they'll get fed and Even it's a very cool thing and that's why I want the CEO to come on explain. But it's like a they. They have built this massive community there. They have their own doctor. A lot of these kids can't even go to the doctor, right? So they have a doctor on board with I don't know how many of the nurses and staff Maybe 30 or so and they do everything there, from Anything major things there like he can even run pick lines there for those who Know that how deep in the medical field or whatever, that's not just your normal IV, it's, I believe it's an artery. Anyways, I know it's very important that they run very, very big things there. They had their own farm so they're having, they're producing their own meat, chickens, vegetables, eggs, all the things. They're producing it right there. So it's just very, very cool.

Speaker 1: 24:39

So they're providing for these kiddos and then they're providing education and so $48 a month would sponsor a kid, change a life forever, and so I want you to pray about that. And that's elementary age kids as they get into high school. I believe it's 72 bucks a month and that's it gets a little more expensive because they're getting more teachers involved, more classes, and I just hope you'll pray about it and I can give you more info at info at Andy Howard calm, and my goal is a hundred. We've already done 40 ourself. I Need 60 more. That's just what my heart is. But at the same time, why stop at a hundred. So we're gonna be doing some shoe drives coming up, we're gonna be doing food drives. We have a lot of stuff playing for the future just to help and I pray that you'll, you'll jump on board with me. I promise I would never. I would never Push an organization I haven't Spent time with and these, this is good soil, these are good people and they're doing it right. So I would recommend them. I Would highly recommend this group. So again, info at Andy Howard calm, and I Would love to help you with that. I there's so many miracles happen this week and it's just touched my heart and it's changed my family's life forever and I pray it will Will change yours.

Speaker 1: 26:19

Something special about doing this for others. You know, in scripture talks about that. When I was thirsty, you gave me drink. When I was hungry, you gave me food. When I was naked, you called me All those and you're like well, when? When did you do that? He said when you done that for the least of these, you've done it for me. That's Christ's heart. It's hard as for us reaching out to others with help and others as hard as for the for the children. You have an opportunity here to be moved and to do something and to do something, and I think, as we do for others, god sees that, man, you want your business to be blessed. Bless others. You want your family to be blessed. Bless others. I've seen it firsthand. He's. He's done it for us and so I pray. This, will I Pray this will be a blessing to you.

Speaker 1: 27:19

And before we go and I can, I apologize so much for my voice today and Pre-fighting through this. I know it's got to be annoying, especially if you're wearing earbuds, but I just thanks for bearing with me in here in my heart, but I want to pray for you as a as we wrap this thing up. Lord, I love, I love these people, I love these kids so much. Thank you for the opportunity that you gave to Fina and the family to go, for the impact they had on my life and for the impact that they're having on all these listeners lives and God. I pray right now that whoever's even considering it maybe they don't even have a way and they're like man, I want to do this, but that God, they don't even have the way to provide. You see their hearts. It's totally cool.

Speaker 1: 28:15

You don't expect anyone to do anything that they can't, but if it is their desire to help, lord, I pray that you provide a way for them to do the 48 or 72 dollars a month, whatever they choose. You would provide, away from father and those who have Lord, that you would just earn their hearts to have a compassion to help some of these kiddos out. God, I know for some reason you laid on my heart a hundred. I pray that you will put a number inside each of their hearts for what they can do, because we all can do more. Father, and thank you for your goodness and as they give and as they are so moved to give for you, father, I pray that you open doors and you, you bless them mightily for their faithfulness to you and Lord, you provide a way for these kiddos. Could you care for them when you provide a way for for all of us as well? Thank you for your goodness and for your faithfulness for what you continue to do in Jesus name. Amen.

Speaker 1: 29:22

Guys, thank you so much for your time today. Appreciate you so much. Wow. Thank you guys who have already decided hey, I want to sponsor, I want to be a part of the kids, I want to change the kids history, his future. I want to change his life and I thank you for that because I know God's already starting on some of your hearts.

Speaker 1: 29:42

For those who decide to sponsor a kid, I would love to send a signed copy of my book to you. Is it worth the 48 bucks? No, I'm sure God's gonna bless you in ways beyond your measure, but I pray that this will just be a little token for anyone who decides to sponsor a kid and I'll send it to you. Even if you already have the book, you can bless someone else with it. My story is about helping people and giving hope, and and so, if you know, if someone in need of hope today, whether it's through depression like myself, or there's so much more in the book about overcoming and finding beauty in the broken, and I pray that that, as I send that to you, whoever it's for, that it will bless somebody. So, please, same email info at Andy hour calm if you sponsor a kid, or yes for more info. Once you get that taken care of, I will ship you a book to you signed if you'd like it signed.

Speaker 1: 30:47

So thank you, guys for joining it if you're interested in finding out more about me or where I speak, or even booking me to come speak at a church or a camp. I would be honored to come once I'm better and not coughing up a lung every five seconds. But you can do that, andy Howard, calm. Also. The book is available there as well, or Amazon or audible, or even, for you candle people, it's available there as well. Thank you guys, so much for joining. God bless you. Thanks so much for tuning in. If this episode helped you in any way, it would mean the world to me if you would leave a review and share it with somebody else. Thanks so much. I'll catch you next time.