Challenged and humbled after Zambia 

The Nottinghamshire-based Daybrook Baptist Church report from their two week mission 

The 18 strong team, including Daybrook Baptist's two ministers, set out to build a rescue centre for girls called Vision for Hope, in Zambia's capital Lusaka.

By the end of they had made good progress with the building work, as well as catching a glimpse of the challenging conditions there and being inspired by the humbling work of local Christians.  
 
Elaine Burrows, one of the ministers, tells of her experience. 'Working with the team from Daybrook Baptist Church was a wonderful experience. There was such a sense of community, great support for each other, fun and shared experiences.'
 
'Many of the team carried heavy bricks whilst others set to work cementing the bricks into walls. By the end of the trip we had made really good progress and were all very satisfied with what we had achieved together alongside the Zambian builders.'
 
'Some visits we made were challenging,' Elaine continues. 'One afternoon we visited people in their homes. Their dwellings were basic with no power or running water. Some we visited were HIV positive whilst others were carers of orphans who had lost their parents to AIDS.'
 
'A visit to meet street children in Lusaka was also challenging - meeting boys as young as eight who lived in a car scrap yard was quite shocking. We had opportunity to engage with these children living in such awful conditions, invite them to visit Fountain of Hope (a centre for street boys) and again to pray with the boys.'
 
Ultimately, the team were inspired by those they came to serve. Elaine explains, 'During our trip we visited many 'partners' of Mission Direct - Zambian-run, Christian groups who were serving the poor, vulnerable, orphans and widows.

'All these visits were inspiring. Though many of those who worked for these Christian groups received little or no income, they gave willingly of their time and energy to serve God. Their Christian faith was real and alive, their love of Jesus so evident. '
 
Since landing, it seems that Zambia has gripped Daybrook's hearts. Elaine and Dave, husband and wife ministry team, have already started planning to return during their sabatical in 2016. They aim to raise the money for this over the year, saying, 'We hope and pray that God will make it possible for us to return to Zambia.'