Display Name: Scott Hord
Hometown: Nashville
Homechurch: Christ Church Nashville
Ministry Region: Africa

What's Happening:
--- Saturday 13th of December 2008 ---
Test

--- Tuesday 30th of September 2008 ---
Wow! It is the last full day in Africa. Tomorrow our plane will fly out of Ndola at 1:00pm and then we will arrive in Nashville the next day (Friday) at noon. On Tuesday we went to the markets and bought the children more food. We picked up Gracie for lunch, and she is becoming more and more comfortable with us. I think it has something to do with the icecream and french fries we feed her when she goes out with us. She is adorable!! After spending sometime alone with her we took her back to the orphanage and played games with the kids. When we got back to Kitawa orphanage lastnight, this is where we sleep each night, the electricity was out. So I grilled hamburgers for all the guys on what they call a "brazer". A "brazer" is a small metal device that you can create a fire within. The boys loved the all American hamburger. We also bought the kids a basketball yesterday. They love the basketball! We heard them bouncing the ball at 6am this morning and they were bouncing it when we left. These guys are so appreciative for anything they recieve. We have learned much from them! Today we have a full day. We are going to meet with a group called Seeds of Hope Water Wells, to see what we can do to get fresh water into the Kinini Orphanage, where Gracie stays. We are then going to look at possible preschools for Gracie, to help her learn English before she comes to the U.S. Then we will meet with a lawyer to sign some papers. Then we are going to do an outreach with the American missionary that lives here. Tonight we are going to "decompress" with Gracie at Bill and Marcie (missionaries) home. We forgot to tell you lasttime that Bill and Marcie have two guards that stay at their home 24 hrs a day and they also have two mean guard dogs. It is safe during the day for American, but during the wee hours of the night it can be dangerous. So most homes have big walls surrounding them with barbwire at the top and broken glass with electricity flowing through the barbwire. Most all homes have steel bars inside the glass of the home. Because criminals have been known to freeze the steel and break it. So if you put the steel inside the glass you should be able to hear the glass break before they get to the steel. So we feel very safe in the missionaries home. We have discussed, what will we say when we return home and people ask, 'how was Africa?' I don't think we can fully put into words what we have seen and experienced.. We have shaken hands with ones dying of Aids (including Gracie's birthfather)... We have sat in the living room of the slums of Africa (Gracie's grandparents) and drank fanta, that we bought from a local market. And listened through an interpreter of how they have lost 4 out of 5 children from Aids (including Gracie's birthmother). They are so thankful to God for the opportunity God has given Gracie... We have had children run from us out of fear because of the color of our skin... We have had others think that we are rich because of the color of our skin...(as our American friends and family laugh at that one...). We have played and loved on the ones that Africa says aren't worthy... We have been able to provide food for the orphanage because of the love our friends and family have for these children. It has been a good trip...it has been a difficult trip...But God has been good and has given us more favor than we can imagine. We look forward to seeing you guys soon... Scott and Lynde

--- Monday 29th of September 2008 ---
Update from Friday to Monday. On Friday we picked up Gracie and went before the courts. God gave us much favor and the judge gave us the ok to move forward. The next step in the process is to meet with the lawyer, which we will do tomorrow and began the last leg of the process. Saturday morning we jumped on the bus in Ndola at 5:30am and took off to Kafue. We went to Kafue to visit a Pastor Boaz who has been a great help to us. The bus ride was about 4hrs and the bus was very crowded. Once we got to Lusaka we had to get off the big bus and get in a little mini van thingy!! This van was really small, and they won't leave unless the van is PACKED!!!! Once it was packed I counted 22 people in this van and I had the worst seat of all. My toe was under a seat that bounced and the back of that seat was jamming my knee and my foot was crammed up my backside. So I had to have an out of body experience for about 30 minutes until we reached our destination. Of course Lynde was laughing at me as I suffered. I can't really put into words the minibus station, but put it this way it would freak everyone of you out! Once in Kafue we meet Pastor Boaz's family they were very nice and they treated us very well. The living conditions in Kafue were difficult for Lynde and I. There was no running water, all toilets were broken, the heat was very hot, and many critters were roaming our bedroom (big roaches, spiders, mice, and who knows what else). Beside the living conditions the people are awesome and very warm towards us. They know how to survive! Pastor Boaz was very appreciative of what they have. He was very thankful for his home. He even said that it was a miracle that they were able to live in their 3 bedroom one bath home with their five children. The African people don't have much, but they make due with what they have. I saw two boys in the orphange share a bowl of rice for dinner. Neither of them complained they were just happy to have some food to eat. It's amazing! Saturday afternoon we went visit Pastor Boaz's church and a bridal shower was taking place, African style. There were probably 300 women dancing, playing drums, and do the unique African call yeyyeyeyeyey. Lynde and I were able to go in and watch and it was fun to watch some of their beautiful traditions. On Sunday we visited Pastor Boaz's church. I had the opportunity to preach with an interpreter to translate. It was a lot of fun, and the people were very receptive. Their church services are a lot of fun. They pray with great intensity and they sing and dance with much passion. We had a great time. Today we caught a bus back to Ndola and we are tired. We are getting ready to go by the orphanage and see Gracie and play with the kids. We will update again before we head back to the states. We miss you all greatly! Scott and Lynde

View All Entries

History:
Scott, currently works with Christ Church Nashville. He is the director of the Men's Ministry and the Hardwick Activity Center. Lynde stays at home with their 6yr son, whom we adopted when he was five weeks old. Jordan is currently enrolled at New Hope Academy in Franklin, TN.

Interests:
We enjoy the outdoors. We go on family hikes. We also love sports and watching Jordan get his game on. We have a great desire for racial reconciliation within our church and community.

Active Prayer Requests:

VIEW GALLERY