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What first connected you to Mission Direct?

Back in 2008 our church in St Albans had a fire, and our church hall burned down. As our church started raising money to rebuild, we knew we wanted to bless others at the same time – if we were being given a new building, we wanted to help be part of someone else’s building journey too.

We asked, “Where do we even start? Who can we partner with?” Three different people in my church, independently, suggested Mission Direct. That caught my attention.

I got in touch and asked, “Is there something that needs some money – and can we be part of that story?” Mission Direct told us about a couple in Zambia whose church was full of over 250 children – 120 of them orphans/vulnerable children desperate to go to school. They had a vision to open a school but no means to even buy land to build on. Just as our church in the UK was praying for the right project to give money to, this couple and their friends were praying in Zambia for a miracle to be able to build a school. Mission Direct were responsible for our finding each other and a long distance relationship that is still strong over 15 years later.

Initially our church gave £12,000 to purchase a plot of land. In 2010, we gave money to build classrooms and 23 people from our church went with Mission Direct to Zambia to help build the classrooms. The effect on those that went was so great that more church members and their friends quickly signed up to go later in the year and the following year and the year after that – each time providing more money to help build more of the school.

Today, the Crown of Life School teaches over 650 children from nursery through to the end of senior school in multiple classrooms and provides a free lunch for those who need it and so much more.

What surprised you most once you got involved?

I think I knew from day one that Mission Direct’s attention to detail, organisation and commitment to partnership was phenomenal, as I coordinated the early support from our church. My daughter, Shan, and I were able to join a trip to Zambia in 2023.

The trip deepened my love of Mission Direct and its vision for long lasting change to transform lives – in our case this was shown by providing access to free education for children who would otherwise not be able to go to school.

Can you share some moments that have really stayed with you?

One rhythm on trips is that we spent time working on the building site in the mornings then visited projects in the afternoons. We spent one afternoon with street children who came to a centre for a meal, meaning a couple of hours off the street for them and time to play.

We had fun playing rounders, hopscotch and skipping. For a while, it just felt like any other group of children having fun – but then the bell went and it was time for them to go back to the streets. I genuinely wanted to weep. These were young children living alone on the streets in Zambia.

I learned how incredibly hard it is to get children off the streets once they’re there. What I really loved, though, was seeing how the Crown of Life School – and so much of Mission Direct’s work – is

about reaching children before they ever get to that point. It’s about helping these children when they are young, before they end up on the streets.

Another afternoon, we visited homes near the school and an HIV/AIDS clinic. I vividly remember a teenager looking after two small children. The mum came back from the clinic whilst we were there, and we sat with her for about an hour listening to her story. It wasn’t her house; she was house sitting in a building site to protect it. Her husband had died of AIDS and she had been rejected by her family. There was no food in the home. She was boiling water so the children would think a meal was being prepared and hopefully fall asleep before they realised there was no food to be had.

We told her about the school: “Come to the school today and we will give you a parcel of rice, margarine, basic staples – and clothes and shoes for the children.” The aim was simply to get her there, so she could meet the school and understand that her children could attend the school for free; I was so pleased she went and this encounter has stayed with me.

What was the most challenging aspect of your experience?

One of the biggest challenges for me was fundraising for our building project. However, by asking for money for bricks we were also raising the profile of the work of Mission Direct. We found people were very happy to give money once we were brave enough to start fundraising, either by selling at car boot sales or cleaning toilets. It reminded me that in order to bless others we also need to be willing to be vulnerable, to ask, to trust that people want to be part of the story too.

How has the experience influenced your life since returning home?

The woman boiling water for her children so they would think food was coming is never far from my mind. It makes me question my own needs and wants – “Do I really need this?” – in a very practical way.

I’m encouraged by sharing good news stories and Mission Direct gives you a lifetime of good news to share. My daughter and I will always remember what we did and the sense that we were part of something that has, and continues to, change lives.

Just the other Sunday a man in our church, Pete, who has been on a Mission Direct trip, shared that a past student at the school has recently been selected to stand as an MP in Zambia. This is a child who without the Crown of Life School would never have been able to afford to go to school.

What would you tell someone considering getting involved?

I would say, without doubt, that you couldn’t choose a better organisation to partner with and put your trust in. Mission Direct know how to look after you. Not just with beds and food but with pastoral care, spiritual growth and plenty of fun and enjoyment thrown in too. Everything is so well organised, but with enough flexibility to adapt if needed.

For some volunteers, it might be their first time leaving the UK, which can feel daunting. Mission Direct offers a safe, carefully planned trip where you’re supported every step of the way – from your initial enquiry to returning home and reflecting.

Whether you’re able to travel yourself or want to support through your church like we did, there are ways for everyone to be part of the Mission Direct vision. It will be a positive life-changing experienced that you’ll never regret.