Breath of Heaven Childrens Village Opens 01/28/2010
 Note by Ted Lawler, Executive Director
What joy my wife Judy and I, Michael Devine, the children and the staff experienced as we celebrated the grand opening of our Children’s Village on January 28, 2010! Many dignitaries and officials attended, but we were especially blessed to have a government cabinet member, Lt. General Ronnie Shipkawasha, dedicate our first homes. He is the Minister of Information and Broadcasting for all of Zambia. His presence and support of our work were much appreciated. Many of our orphans lived in small homes, some with eighteen people crowded just into two rooms. When they arrived at the Village, they ran and jumped and laughed. One little girl, Racheal, ran into her room and jumped up and down on her bed and shouted with glee, “It’s my room! This is my bed!” Add Comment Orphans Express Their Gratitude 10/26/2009
Update by Pastor Ted Lawler, Executive Director, Breath of Heaven Childrens Ministries
One thing that impresses me about our children is their feelings of gratitude for the care and provision you, the sponsors, have given them. On my last visit, I was given a letter by one young man who had come to us through the Bible Gospel Church of Africa. Lazarus was fifteen years old when the church found him, was suffering from tuberculosis and had never been to school. He is a double orphan, meaning both parents are deceased. Life Lessons in Loving Well 10/20/2009
 By Kelly Fudge
I had the privilege and honor to participate in the Breath of Heaven Vacation Bible School for a week. As we taught through the Fruits of the Spirit, our primary goal was simple: to give the children the best time of their lives. I was nervous at first about how I would even be able to connect with them since our life experiences were worlds apart. It did not take long, however, for their child-like spirits to venture out from underneath the tough exteriors. I found out that they just wanted to be loved like any other child! A Day to Remember 04/10/2009
 Narrative by Judy Lawler
We had no idea it was a water park! Last July when we rented a bus, piled all of our kids into it and headed outside of the city of Lusaka to a destination that a Zambian friend had recommended, we were anticipating just your typical day of fun at the park. We had packed about 80 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (enough for 2 apiece) along with 40 bananas and drinks, so that we could have a picnic as well as enjoy the playground activities. When we pulled up to a well-manicured parking lot and noticed a line of people with beach towels waiting to get in, our suspicions were aroused. Our surprise was complete when we went through the gates and entered into a tropical paradise with lush vegetation and pools of water of various depths and shapes, all beckoning to us to jump in! A Boy Named Joseph 12/19/2008
 Narrative by Kareen E. DelConte
I wasn‘t really sure what to expect with this whole ―interviewing process Judy and I were embarking on. I was concerned that the kids would be shy and closed-off emotionally—and understandably so. They had already been through so much in their young lives. What were they supposed to do—just flip a switch for 15 or 20 minutes and start pouring-out their innermost thoughts and feelings to a couple of complete strangers? Spotlight: Meet Racheal! 09/05/2008
 Narrative by Judy Lawler
Racheal, age 11, is a tiny waif of a girl whose story typifies the plight of many of the children here. Her dad died several years back, and when her mother eventually remarried, her new husband refused to take in this child from her first marriage. Therefore, Rachael was left behind to live with her grandmother, who is very destitute and is not able to care for her properly. What started as a vision of one pastor, continues to see growth and exposure. What better place to share the vision than at the largest, multiple day Christian music festival in the Southwestern United States. From May 23-25, 2008, Breath of Heaven Children Ministries sponsored a booth at Spirit West Coast in Delmar, Ca.
 By Bob Lathrop
The Lord gave me a clear picture last year that I was not only going to go to Zambia, but I was to raise money to help with the construction. GULP!!! I don’t know how to raise money, at least not that type of money. So we got together with some of the people who are going on the trip from Grace Chapel in Oceanside to brainstorm. I was thinking ‘tens of thousands of dollars’ and car washes and bake sales just can’t raise that kind of money. Construction Update 05/13/2008
 Progress continues to be made in the construction of the childrens village. We have now completed one children's home, the guard house and the director's house.
In March, two foundations were poured for two more children's homes. Out contractor reports that both homes will be ready for concrete beams for the roof construction on each home by the end of April. A Mother's Heart 04/14/2008
 By Carrie Arcos
The team from Mosaic spent a day at the Avila Orphanage (supported by Breath of Heaven donors), interviewing and photographing the children to learn their stories. They took the next day to follow-up with some of them by going to the neighborhoods where they had lived before. One member of that team wrote the following article as she reflected on that experience. Her eyes were not on me but on her daughter who played in the small dusty yard, which extended from the winding dirt road in front of the home. Loveness held a small orange ball in her hand and threw it high into the air. “Wouldn’t you be sad to see your daughters leave?” I asked the mother. “Sad?” She said the word as if it were foreign to her, continuing to watch her daughter. “There is no such thing as sadness,” she simply responded. |
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