These Are The Whitfield's

Luke and Elise walking with Avery, I'm on the right.

While in Zambia, we met, lived with, and worked with the Whitfield family. Immediately, I knew they were something special.

Luke and Elise are the parents and they moved to Zambia 10 years ago with 3 young kids, to simply follow God's call even though they had no idea what it would look like. Five years ago, they moved from Lusaka to Mazabuka, where they currently live. They have 6 kids now and their mission is called the Eleeo Project (eleeoproject.org/#anewthing). Luke and Elise live life in Zambia and their family showed me what missions and ministry really is.

I had this misconception that missionaries always move to a country with a "mission" in mind. Such as to build a hospital, start an orphanage, plant a church, etc. And that missionaries put everything they have into that and their ministry and God's workings come out of that. While I'm sure that's how it is in some situations, oh did I find out quickly how wrong I was.

Missionaries really just follow where God leads, into the unknown, seeking Him, leaving space for the Spirit to start moving how He wants to. The Whitfields live life in Zambia, doing their thing, raising their family, and their ministry opportunities have sprung up from that. By simply living in the area, they have met people and made connections. Through that, they have created the opportunities that their ministry now entails, including relationships with local schools and orphanages. By living in the area and spending time in the village, they have been able to build a mission station in the village (where we stayed), build wells for the locals, and have continuing relationships with the schools and families of Ngangula. Luke and Elise moved to Zambia with not a clue of where God would take them or what missions would look like, so they decided to just live life and the rest has fallen into place because they created space for God to move. That's what missions is and that's what we got to be a part of.

And their kids are some of the most amazing children I have ever gotten to know.

Macie and I on top of a mountain

Macie and Emma are 16 and 14 but they act like they're over 20. They quickly became my friends. Macie is an old soul in a teenage body. She is wise and mature, but so goofy at times. Macie is down for adventures through the fields and trees and also for staying put by the fire and just talking. Macie has an understanding of the world and of life that doesn't make sense to me because of her age, but shows that age is seriously just a number. Emma is a steady chill. She's calm (for the most part) and keeps her cool in most situations. She is so caring and quick to make sure everyone is okay and has what they need. Emma is sacrificial, whether it's a sweatshirt, a pair of gloves, anything. If it's hers, she's willing to give it up for someone else.

Payton and Chichi are the only two boys but they carry it well. I wasn't around Payton a ton but I know he is a helper. Payton is always there to help his dad build a house, or start a fire, or grill some chicken. However he can help, he's there. He's fun and a total boy in all ways.

Walking with Chichi

Chichi is a life changer. He's an 11 year old boy with a faith and trust in God that I don't see in most adults. He has Cerebral Palsy, is in a wheelchair, and is relearning to walk but when you spend time with him, you don't think of or see any of that. His personality of gold is so much bigger than what the world considers a disability. He is not disabled, he is inspiring. He's all about asking questions, getting to know people, and having deep conversations.

Tazie and Avery are the youngest, ages 9 and 4. Both of them have spunk, Tazie a little more shy. Tazie has such a sweet heart and a soft spoken spirit but is so much fun to be around. She's an amazing musician, and I don't just say that. She blew me away with her singing and ukulele playing around the fire. Tazie is kind of like a mom, but in 9 year old form, she just makes you feel loved and special and cared for all the time.

Avery the African child

Avery takes all of 15.7 seconds to warm up to new people and before you know it, she's learning your name (probably calling you the wrong name for a few days though...I was known as "Celery" for a while), and asking you to do EVERYTHING with her. She's a little African child with no cares and no worries. She's 4 and she shows the world that racism has to be taught but that love is natural.

This is a family that has shown me more in the few days I spent with them than anyone else has in that amount of time. This is a family that considers every team member one of their own children/brothers/sisters. This is a family that is not perfect by any means. This is a family that is still trying to navigate what missions in Zambia looks like, yes, even after 10 years. That's life, friends. This is a family that lives their life in Zam and leaves the rest up to Him, oh and what incredible things have come of it. This is a family that trusts God and steps into new seasons and adventures with boldness. This is a family that feels like home, even from 8,500 miles away.

These are the Whitfield's.