Let us introduce you to some people who have joined Kershaw’s Challengeby creating one of their own:

Jim Murphy: This is the second year for “Murphy’s Challenge,” in which Jim donates $1 for each one of Clayton’s strikeouts!  We are excited and humbled by his partnership to come along side of us, watch the game of baseball with a greater perspective, and believe that the Lord is mightily at work when Clayton is on the mound!

**Join the Strike out to Serve campaign by donating here for each strikeout!

Simon Tse-Harris: Simon has a heart and passion for children with special needs in China. Simon is completing many charity walks & runs to raise money and awareness for a non-profit called Rainbow Missions. Simon has witnessed many kids with special needs from his visits to China while adopting his daughter. We love Simon’s personal investment in these children’s lives & know that every mile, walk and run is changing lives for the better. 

Trevor Staffieri: Trevor is a baseball player to root for this season! He is 14 years old and in the 8^th grade. Trevor wants to donate money, given by his friends & family, for every strikeout HE makes this season. Like Clayton, Trevor’s favorite Bible verse is Colossians 3:23- which he has stitched into his glove. We’re praying and rooting for YOU this season, Trevor! Rack up those K’s!

Justin Hanson: This story is incredible! Justin, his youth pastors, and church members are hoping to raise $100,000 running 100 miles in 4 days! Their donation is going towards helping Burmese refugees who have had their villages attacked, women raped, children & families killed, and everything stripped from them. We are praying for you every mile of the way Justin & crew! We believe that you all are making a dramatic impact for the Lord’s kingdom. Lives are being changed… because of you. 

Teddy Carson: Teddy loves her grandson, Keaton, so much that she and her husband are pledging $1 for every hit Keaton gets during this baseball season! We have witnessed the Lord’s blessing when baseball is played with a greater purpose, and we will be praying for Keaton to play for Him this season! Keaton loves Jesus, and is graduating from Coronado High School in Lubbock, Texas. We’re proud of the godly man you are becoming, Keaton. Always remember Colossians 3:23.

Garrett Zambros: Garrett is on a mission that is unlike anything we have ever heard. He is bike riding 12,000 miles around the USA speaking about human trafficking. His inspiration comes from his college track coach who said, “God’s desire for your life is at the crossroads of your talents and your passions.” His desire is to end modern slavery by doing what he loves to do, which is ride a bike, and spread the world about something he is deeply passionate about. Garrett- we’re so proud to call you a brother in Christ. We’re pulling for you and praying for you every mile of the way with every conversation you have.

Tell us about what YOU are doing to make a difference by filling out the form here!

6.5 Million are children under the age of 16. 

1 Million of those children are orphans. 

Hope is One in a Million. 

April 1, 2013 will forever be a day we remember. Opening Day was a tremendous success and we are so thankful for all that YOU did to support and encourage the beginning of Kershaw's Challenge 2013. We are already off to a great start!

Of course, it's hard to look past the awesome day at Dodger Stadium--thank you to all who came out to cheer on the new season. Hopefully, we have 161 more games just like it to look forward to! If you are in LA, come on out--if you're somewhere else around the country or world, tune in! We are pumped to share this new season with you.

Kershaw's Challenge 2013 is off and running. Enjoy the new additions to our site--we'd love for you to join our efforts any way. Represent with a new KC t-shirt, make a pledge per strike-out, create a challenge of your own and tell us about it. Every little bit makes a HUGE difference and we couldn't do it without you.

We are grateful to the Lord for the opportunity to be a part of something bigger than ourselves, and even bigger than baseball. Come alongside for the journey ahead!

We have just returned from an unbelieveable trip. Surrounded by our dear friends and family, we traveled to Lusaka to celebrate an incredible event--the opening of a new home for 8 precious children. Our trip is catalogued here on this blog--starting with the last day and moving towards the beginning. Please enjoy it from the beginning! We look forward to recounting the stories and the Lord's mighty work in the days to come.

Thank you for rejoicing with us in this exciting step. A beautiful, completed home stands proud in the middle of Lusaka, Zambia. 8 joyful, LOVED children run through the open back yard--enjoying their new and sometimes startling reality--a place to call HOME.

"The Lord has done GREAT THINGS for us and we are filled with joy." Psalm 126:3

Gratefully, Ellen and Clayton Kershaw

Our crew didn't waste any time. We planned afternoon acitivities and set out immediately to see the falls. There is a pathway around the front of the falls, as well as upstream behind the falls. It is incredible to see the rushing water from both sides. You get soaked by mist as you walk the paths and take in the views--spectacular from every angle. After seeing the falls for the first time, we went to the famous bridge, which reaches between the two countries. It is most famous for the bungee jumping and other high-adventure activities. We had a few brave souls--bungee jumpers and gorge swingers! Most of us enjoyed the view from the bridge.

Monday afternoon, most of our group went on a favorite activity: the Lion and Cheetah walk. What a lifetime experience! We got to pet and walk lions--brown lions and while lions--and play with cheetahs. These African cats are HUGE and stunning. It was humbling to be so close to such powerful creatures. Exhausted from a long day of adventure, our team enjoyed dinner all together that night.

Tuesday started early with a sunrise game drive. We were picked up by three open air jeeps and taken to a national park near the hotel. It was an amazing three hours--filled with every African animal you can imagine (excluding the predators such as lions, etc). But we saw so many awesome animals--giraffs, water buffalo, hippos, impalas, wart hogs, elephants and white rhinos. Every turn, we saw something new. Amazing! The tour was complete with breakfast tea overlooking the Zambezi River. This was the perfect cap to our African experience!

The afternoon was spent around the falls and with a few more activities--including more bungee jumping! We made it back to Lusaka late on Tuesday afternoon...exhausted, but satisfied by our time at Vic Falls. It was the perfect end to our trip.

View from our plane as we flew over the Falls.

We will be making our way HOME to the states on Wednesday. It is hard to believe our time here in Zambia has come to a close. In every manner, the Lord has been gracious. We have seen more--learned more--and seen His grace in more ways than we will ever be able to recount. Thank you for praying--thank you for following our trip. We hope that you have been encouraged and reminded of the Lord's goodness in new ways. We will do a final wrap up upon return. 

The afternoon was spent in the Arcades, an area of town with restaurants and most importantly, the Zambian market! Hundreds of vendors from the city spread out their works of art--from handmade bed spreads to hand-carved wood items to unbelieveable paintings of Africa. Our Zambian friends joined us in helping us shop and come away with fun treasures, commemorating our time in Lusaka.

The day concluded with our final team dinner. A wonderful American family, the Showells, welcomed us into their home for authentic Zambian Mexican food and fellowship. Our friends from Arise Africa came to celebrate with us--what an incredible trip this has been! We have been immensely blessed by their friendship and dedication to Hope's Home and Kershaw's Challenge. As a "thank you" to our team, they presented us with beautiful hand-carved pieces of wood with the Kershaw's Challenge emblem. What an amazing reminder of what the Lord has done here, through our team and by His grace.

We have taken so many pictures this week--so we wanted to share some more of our favorites. On Monday morning, we will be heading to Victoria Falls. Thank you, once again, for your continued prayers for our team. The Lord has been so gracious towards us and our mission. We look forward to telling you more about it.

Our friend Peter from Hope's Home loved watching Clayton and Shawn throw each day.

Sweet Charles, our friend in the Matero compound.

Clayton hard at work, digging ditches at Hope's Home.

Ellen and Hope, working on her reading in the library at the new home.

Our new friends in the Ngombe compound--all smiles and excited to follow us around!

The growing--and flourishing--garden at Hope's Home!

Jim was our resident handy man on the trip--he turned the walls at the home into works of art!

Josh and Andrew at Hope's Home.

Leslie and her little friend at Grace Community School.

Peter enjoying lunch at home.

Shawn and Armond washing hands after mixing cement.

Proof that the rainy season continues in Zambia!

Team girls and Hope's Home girls

John and his friend at Grace.

American bubbles were a huge hit with the kids!

**To see older posts, click "Next post" below. Thanks for following us!

Our team arrived early at Hope’s Home this morning, greeted by our dear friends once again. We spent the next couple of hours getting ready for the main event: the orphanage opening ceremony. Half of our crew loaded into the big blue bus to pick up 100 balloons for decoration and the rest prepped the home for visitors. Around 11:00, we welcomed many people from the Lusaka community into the home. The guests covered a range of different people—all who have played essential roles in the home process. It was such a privilege and JOY to meet them and thank them for their hard and prayerful work. We enjoyed an authentic Zambian lunch and were serenaded by a local singing group—complete with interactive dancing! The ceremony concluded as we released 100 balloons, marked with scripture and prayer, into the sky over Hope’s Home. It was a sight we will never forget.

Today marked something incredibly special—the “official” opening and celebration of the home. So many of YOU have played a critical roll—through support, prayer and encouragement. Thank you! As we watched 8 beautiful children run around their new home, surrounded by so many loving, supportive community members, we were filled with gratitude to the Lord. What an amazing beginning!

We were sad to leave our friends at Hope’s Home today, as it will be for the last time this trip. Yet it is impossible to leave with heavy hearts, as we KNOW the care and love they are receiving in their new home. Our afternoon activity led us to Mother Theresa’s—another local orphanage run by wonderful Catholic nuns. We were greeted by more precious faces—from newborns to toddlers—and immediately jumped in. All of these children have been orphaned and live full time in the orphanage. Our team held babies and played games with the kids for several hours. It was such a sweet afternoon.

Time here is flying by. We are thankful beyond measure for your prayers—we feel carried each and every day. These pictures should give you a window into our day. The Lord is at work today and in Zambia. What a privilege to be here.

John 1: 5,14, 16

Sometimes pictures are worth a thousand words. We wanted to paint a picture of our day through pictures for you. It was an incredible day in Zambia. In brief, we spent half the day at Hope’s Home, continuing with our projects. The girls took the 8 precious kids to the mall to go shoe shopping for school (starts on Monday)—what an experience! We got to experience their first escalator ride, too! Hilarious. 

For the second half of our day, we went to Grace Community School, another partnership with Arise Africa located in the middle of a compound. Similar to yesterday, children from the community came flocking towards our big blue bus, squealing and running with delight. We spent several hours in and out of rain playing games, soccer, and singing with an amazing throng of beautiful, joyful faces of all ages. Our team ate it up!

Enjoy the pictures—we hope that they make you feel like you are right here with us. In closing, we have been so encouraged by God’s Word—reminding us that LIGHT shines out of darkness. In a place where there is profound darkness, there is incredible LIGHT—the Light of Christ. We are reminded that darkness never wins—EVER—because light penetrates even the darkest corners of this earth. In Zambia, there is a profound juxtaposition of light and dark. There is poverty, illness, and need. Yet there is LIGHT—God on the move, breaking through darkness with His sovereignty and might and overwhelming love. Here, we see redemption happening every single minute. You see it in the faces of precious children, whose lives are defined by a belief and HOPE can that only come from Christ. 

Truly, friends. We are seeing God’s fullness here in Zambia—grace upon grace. Light shines in the darkness and by His mercy and promise to redeem, darkness will never win.

** To view our past trip posts, click on "next" below!