Friday, January 15^th is the LAST day to apply for Camp LIFE at the $4,000 price. Starting January 16^th the price for Camp LIFE is $4,300.  Don’t delay, click here to submit your application TODAY.

We still have some availability in each of the 8 weeks of camp.  All you have to do is pick a week and submit your application.  This year is going to be great; you won’t want to miss out.  Tell your friends…NOW is the time to sign up for Camp LIFE 2010!  See you in Zambia!

Donations

We are so very grateful to all the ambassadors who throughout the year drop off or send donations to our office.  It is always a joy to get to see and reconnect with those who are able to bring their donations by in person.   When a box arrives by mail or UPS we get equally excited to see what is inside.  The donations are always so well received as we distribute them to the children throughout the year in Zambia.

We have noticed that we receive a large majority of the donations we get each year in April and May as people are preparing to go to Camp LIFE.  That is great except that we have to sort the donations and then redistribute them out to Ambassadors that have extra room and WEIGHT in the luggage they are packing for camp.  At times this can be quite difficult and time consuming.

The BEST time for us to receive donations is actually RIGHT NOW!  At the end of this month, we will load and send to Zambia three containers full of new tennis shoes, t-shirts, supplies for camp, furnishings for homes at the Village and other donations we have received throughout the year.  The easiest and least expensive way to get your donations to Zambia is on these containers.

So if you have anything you want to donate, please bring it by our office between now and Friday, January 15.  There is always someone at the office during normal business hours but if you need to drop stuff off at night or on the weekend, please give us a call and we would be happy to make sure someone is there to meet you.  If you can’t bring your donations by the office and need to mail them to us, please have them arrive by the 15^th as well. Our address is:

5005 West Royal Lane, Suite 252
Irving , TX 75063

Items needed include: new or gently used children’s and adult clothes, new boys and girls underwear, new boys and girls socks, school uniforms, towels, sheets, blankets, rugs, cloth diapers and pins, toiletries, lotions, soap, school supplies, children’s books, bibles, over the counter medications, soccer balls and equipment, games, toys, dolls, stuffed animals, Christmas decorations, and basically anything new or in good condition that you feel orphans in Zambia could personally benefit from (or even to fill houses and our Community Resource Centers).

As a side note, each container costs us approximately $20,000 to ship.  To help donate towards the shipping of our supplies over to Zambia, click here.

Volunteers

Because of all the donations that have been coming in and will continue to come into the office over the next few weeks, we really need a lot of help sorting, organizing and boxing up all of your donations.  This is essential before we can load them onto the containers and send them on their way to Zambia.  If you have any available time over the next two weeks, we would just love your help!  You can work during the day, at night or on the weekend.  Whatever works for your schedule, we can make work for us.  There is plenty to do, and even a couple hours of your time would be greatly appreciated.  This is a great opportunity to serve together as a family, small group or bible study.  To schedule a time to come and help, please email Andrew Knight or call him at: (972)620-2020 ext. 131.

This year there was Christmas in Zambia, but next year there will really be CHRISTMAS IN ZAMBIA!!!  When our supply containers leave for Lusaka at the end of January they will have A LOT of Christmas decorations on them.  Lighted Christmas trees, ornaments, and many other decorations are being sent to Zambia so that next Christmas EVERY house at the Tree of Life Children’s Village and EVERY Community Resource Center will be properly decorated.  We want the children living in those homes to experience Christmas like never before.

As you take down and store away your Christmas decorations this weekend consider donating some of your excess supplies to the orphans of Zambia.  Decorations that never make it out of your attic could bring so much joy to the children living at the TOL and CRCs.

If you are looking for an excuse to go shopping, feel free to take advantage of all the end of the season sales and purchase Christmas decorations for us to send over.  We had so much fun buying (and saving money) on all the things you see in the photo above.  We are excited to see what the decorations we take for granted will mean to those precious children.

All donations must be received in our office by January 15^th in order to make it on the containers.  If you have any questions please email Paige .  We hope all of you have a very Happy and Spirit-filled New Year!!

]]> http://familylegacy.com/fathers-heart/christmas-in-zambia/feed/ 0 http://familylegacy.com/camp-life/ambassador-profile-chris-erin-phillips/ http://familylegacy.com/camp-life/ambassador-profile-chris-erin-phillips/#comments Mon, 21 Sep 2009 23:51:44 +0000 clay http://www.legacymissions.org/?p=3681 The Camp LIFE Ambassadors of Week #3 this summer completely fell in love with a little girl named Selah.  Selah has a particularly tragic story that horrified all who heard it.  Her sponsor, Brooke Bassinger, and other Week #3 Ambassadors worked with Family Legacy, and soon Selah had been removed from her extremely abusive situation and moved into one our Community Resource Centers (CRCs).  She is living there until a place opens up for her at The Tree of Life Children’s Village.  The Ambassadors from Week #3 made it their personal mission to raise the $72,000 necessary to build “Selah’s House” in honor of her at the Tree of Life.

When Chris and Erin Phillips returned from Week #3 of Camp LIFE, they got straight to work organizing a unique golf tournament called “Birdies for Selah”.  Chris was able to convince 7 other men to join him, each playing 90 holes of golf in one day on August 31^st at the Hollytree Golf Club in Tyler, Texas.  The premise was simple — make as many birdies as possible!  Chris and Erin solicited pledges for every birdie made by the group.  They asked everyone they knew and some people they didn’t know to make a pledge.  Anyone who pledged $5 per birdie or made a straight donation of $500 or more was entered in a drawing for 4 tickets to the 2010 BCS National Championship at The Rose Bowl.  The media in Tyler were notified of the event, and covered it very well.  Click the media links below to see how God was glorified through the Phillips’ efforts!

When it was all said and done, all 8 men survived the day and made a total of 179 birdies (their goal was 150).  The drawing for the BCS tickets took place live on the air of the local CBS affiliate’s morning show on Friday, September 4^th and John Lookenbaugh of Coppell, TX was the lucky winner.  Once the pledges and donations had been totaled, Chris and Erin raised just over $35,000 to go towards the construction cost of “Selah’s House” at The Tree of Life Children’s Village.  God truly blessed their efforts and HIS HAND was all over this event!  Family Legacy would like to sincerely thank the Phillips for their hearts in desiring to bring restoration to the Zambian orphans who need it most — way to live out your faith through being active and vocal Ambassadors for these kids!

Watch all the great media cover the Birdies for Selah event received –

News story a few days before the event…

Live on air story the morning of the event…

Sports coverage the night of the event…

Live on air drawing of the winner of the BCS National Championship Game tickets…

- Camp LIFE t-shirts and supplies have been mailed to all Ambassadors outside of the Dallas/Fort Worth area.  We ask that all Dallas/Fort Worth area Ambassadors please come by the office to pick up their t-shirts and supplies by Wednesday, May 27th. Contact Sommer or Rebecca to schedule a pick up.

-Every Ambassador should receive (or should have already received):

o   Their Camp LIFE t-shirt order

o   A Camp LIFE 2009 binder

o   An Evangecube

o   4 luggage tags (per person)

o   A bracelet

o   A Camp LIFE Song CD

If you have not received ALL of your Camp LIFE supplies by Monday, May 25, please let us know so that we can get you your missing items.

-Every Ambassador should receive a binder and must bring it to Zambia (Alumni, please use this binder even if you still have the one from last year).

-It is VERY IMPORTANT to use your LUGGAGE TAGS as these will help identify your bags in Zambia.  You should use one for each checked bag and one for your carry-on.

-Read the Evangecube message and instructions (located inside your Evangecube) and be able to present this message.  (Who knows, you may even have a chance to share it before you get to Zambia!)

-PRAY! PRAY! PRAY!  Pray that God will use YOU this summer to communicate HIS love for the orphans and vulnerable children of Zambia.  Pray also that He would reveal His indescribable love for YOU in a way that you have never experienced before.  We sense that God is up to something BIG and life-changing and anticipate that this will be a summer unlike any other.  Get ready!

Gift Phiri’s Story

Gift Phiri is a gentle-spirited and soft spoken 17 year-old Zambian girl that I was blessed to meet last summer at Camp LIFE. On first meeting Gift, her appearance did not hide her deprivation or circumstance in life; her sunken stature and down-turned eyes made it clear that her burdens were more than she could bare alone. I immediately wanted to hold her in my arms!

When I was able to share time with her and talk about her life situation, she explained to me the little that she seemed to know about the condition of her fragile heart. She told me that because it was enlarged and had moved, she was unable to do much physical activity; speaking for too long was even difficult.

Throughout the week of camp, she desolately and quietly watched the others dance and play games while she had to sit out. Watching this was almost more than my heart could handle. When she handed me a stack of cryptic medical records, trying to soak the tears that filled her eyes with a sponge she keeps in her pocket, I was burdened by her hopelessness and silent desperation. I touched her delicate hand, unable to hold back my own tears and prayers, and it was then that I knew I was being called as an advocate for this precious Gift!

The Need

God is so faithful and already providing a way for Gift. She is currently being sponsored in Family Legacy’s Father’s Heart Program and living in a LifeWay home. She is receiving monthly injections to help her with her heart condition. This means she is getting the proper nutrition, education, and care she needs. Not only have her living conditions improved, but her spirit has as well.

Later, after further tests and examinations, doctors were able to tell us she has a damaged mitral valve that is leaking and thickening, which causes the opening to close. While her heart is enlarged, it is managing to work well enough for now with the appropriate drugs, but this will not last. In order to have a chance to live, Gift needs to have mitral valve replacement surgery. Currently efforts are being made to ensure and arrange the most efficient and beneficial way to provide Gift with the necessary medical treatment, but we still need the funds. It is expected that all of this will cost at a minimum $10,000 and probably much more.

The Solution

Pray and Join the cause. Join us and Gift in praying for healing and resources.

Donate. We are so blessed here in this country. By making a tax deductible donation, you can help ensure Gift gets the medical attention she needs. Each of us has a chance to offer Gift a better life, show the love of Christ to Gift, and become a witness to her community. I am asking for your help to share the love of Christ to someone less fortunate. Will you send a tax-deductible “Gift to Gift” for her surgery today? You can donate online by clicking here and selecting Gift Phiri’s Heart Surgery. You can also write a check made out to Family Legacy and have Gift’s Heart Surgery written in the memo field. Checks can be mailed to:

Family Legacy Missions
5005 West Royal Lane Suite 252
Irving, TX 75063

Thank you so much for your help and for being a blessing, and for your continuing prayers for Gift.

Heaven Sent Children’s Boutique is selling these exclusive “Hope” t-shirts for $15 each. To get your shirt go by:

Heaven Sent Children’s Boutique
420 E. Round Grove Rd #113
Lewisville, TX 75067

You can even order a shirt by calling them at (972) 459-9400 or sending an email. They will ship them you for an additional $5.
Orders will be taken through Friday, May 8th.

Thanks, Shawnee, for loving the orphans of Zambia the way you do!

Press Release -

During her team’s upcoming head-to-head battle with Lamar University on Feb. 25, University of Texas at Arlington women’s basketball coach Samantha Morrow is opting to go toe-to-toe instead.

The Lady Mavericks head coach will patrol the sidelines at Texas Hall in her bare feet in an effort to raise awareness for impoverished children around the world. Morrow is teaming up with Samaritan’s Feet and Family Legacy to go “Barefoot for a Cause” during her squad’s 7 p.m. game against the Lady Cardinals.

To participate in this campaign, UTA students and fans are encouraged to bring new child-sized athletic shoes and monetary donations to cover shipping for Samaritan’s Feet and Family Legacy which will be collected upon entry to the game. To further support the cause, they are encouraged to join Morrow in going shoeless during the game.  Fans will have the chance to sponsor Zambian orphans through Family Legacy’s Father’s Heart Child Sponsorship program.

“The partnership between Samaritan’s Feet and Family Legacy is something I want to be a part of,” Morrow said. “I am lucky to have the things I have … others aren’t so fortunate. I hope this brings more awareness to the needs of these children. Anything we can do, we should!”

The UTA coach is joining basketball coaches around the country who are helping to shed a more visible spotlight on the plight of individuals in need of shoes to protect their feet from injury, infections, and disease. On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, three hundred AAU, high school, and college coaches pledged to coach one game barefoot this season in order to drive donations of shoes from fans and corporations alike. According to statistics, approximately 300 million people around the world are without a pair of shoes.

Through its Shoes of Hope distribution program, Samaritan’s Feet’s goal is to provide shoes for 10 million people over the next 10 years. Family Legacy Missions will take the shoes collected along with thousands more to Zambia this summer and place them on the feet of the orphans.

Family Legacy Missions International is very excited about partnering with UTA, Coach Morrow, and Samaritan’s Feet.   As an organization, Samaritan’s Feet has been able to bring awareness of the issue of extreme poverty throughout the world.  Their focus on putting new shoes on the feet of the world’s poorest children parallels with Family Legacy’s mission of serving the needs of the Zambian AIDS orphans. With the help of Samaritan’s Feet, and through efforts such as UTA’s ‘Barefoot for a Cause,’ we will be able to put shoes on more than 28,000 Zambian orphans this year.

Morrow and other coaches are following in the footsteps of IUPUI (Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis) head men’s basketball coach Ron Hunter, who in January 2008 was the first to coach a game barefoot. Hunter’s goal-to raise 40,000 pairs of athletic shoes to commemorate the 40^th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s death-was surpassed almost three-fold. More than 100,000 pairs of shoes were donated during the game and as a result of the publicity that followed.

Family Legacy hopes to rally more Dallas-area coaches to the cause this coming year by expanding the campaign to schools and teams throughout the Metroplex.  Our desire is that next year we can do it again in conjunction with the coaches nationwide and have many local high school coaches join Coach Morrow and coach a game in their bare feet.

When: Wednesday, February 25, 2009; 7 p.m.

Where: Texas Hall, UT Arlington Campus

Paige Baten-Locke grew up attending St.  Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church and Day school from 3 year old pre-school to 6^th grade.  It was in daily chapel time that her personal relationship with Jesus Christ as her Savior was sparked in her 4 year old kindergarten year.  Moving on to Highland Park Junior High and High School, Paige enjoyed many fun Episcopal Young Churchmen and Young Life ski trips.  A lot of great memories at various New Mexico and Colorado slopes occurred.  Upon graduating from high school, it was on to the University of Texas at Austin where she enjoyed wonderful fellowship and a deepening of her faith.  Moving on to graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design from the University of North Texas in Denton, she has experienced running her own interior design firm since 1979.  She still appreciates and enjoys having her practice today.

Paige is also a wife to Coach Chuck Locke, the Athletic Director and head coach at The Shelton School in Dallas.  Paige met “Coach” while her precious daughter, Katie Leigh, attended Shelton.  Katie Leigh is now a Baylor Bear.  But, it was during her years attending Shelton that spurred her on to tell Paige that she wanted to go on a mission trip for her graduation present from high school.  In 2007, Paige and Katie Leigh went to their first Camp Life session and the rest is history.

Andrew grew up in Dallas and attended Baylor University where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in the University Scholars program with an emphasis in Russian Studies.  After graduation he interned with Global Missions Fellowship (now E3 Partners) for eight months before enrolling in The George Washington University in Washington, DC where he received a Master of Arts degree in International Affairs.  He and his beautiful wife Cynthia have three children and live in Mesquite.  (Andrew’s campaign to relocate the office to the east side of Dallas has been to no avail.)  Andrew enjoys sports, reading, writing, juggling, and unicycling.