The Rodgers Tribe

Chipata Compound

2012-01-25T21:50:00.000+02:00

We have been working out in Chipata compound for the last several months. Each Sunday we will visit a different church in this huge area. This particular church is without a pastor at this time. This past week there were about 250 people there! This is also the place where Kevin meets one Saturday a month to train church leaders and pastors.

Chipata Baptist Church

This is the area beside the church, within the property.

These ladies fixed our lunch after church. We had chicken, nshima, cabbage, and kapenta. Kapenta are small whole dried fish. This is one of Kevin's favorites. So glad he could enjoy that by himself.

You'll find little girls carrying babies on their back all the time.

The road in this compound is just chaotic. Cars, minibuses, trucks fill the road along with lots and lots of people. These 3 guys were pushing their car right in front of us. They were just smiling at people as they pushed like they were in a parade. As you can imagine it took us a while to get around them in this traffic.

All along the side of the road are many shops and stands where people are selling food, charcoal, and just about anything else you may need. This woman had been selling roasted corn.

Above and below are pictures right in front of the church.


We have a volunteer team coming to work in this area the first week of April. Please pray that God will be preparing the hearts of these people between now and then to hear the gospel and respond.

Since we had a bit of time before church started I went across the street and talked to some of the women in the market.

Kitwe

2012-01-22T15:27:00.000+02:00

This past weekend we went to visit Daniel and Grace Kim in Kitwe. Kitwe is a pretty large city in the Copperbelt Province of Zambia. The Kims have been serving there since 2000. They have mostly been focusing on the rural areas around Kitwe all these years but this year they are trying to focus some on the city. While we were visiting them Daniel taught at his first bible school in Kitwe on Saturday. He was only expecting 10 to come but there were 21 instead. Pray for Daniel as he continues to meet with these people in bible school every other week throughout the year. Pray for the students to be teachable and that they would take all that they learn and apply it to their lives.

Kevin met with the leaders of the churches on Saturday. It was a great time for Kevin to hear from them and get to know them better.

Grace and Daniel

Please pray for Grace as she ministers to women and as she goes out with Daniel doing personal evangelism and training. She is a great helpmate to Daniel and a very godly woman. Their two sons are both in California finished with school and working at this time. Pray for this family as they are apart from one another. It can be very difficult to not see each other for several years. So thankful for skype!

We were able to go to Kitwe Central Baptist Church while we were there. It was a beautiful time of worship with several choirs!

Kevin preached

This picture was taken after the service as people were shaking hands leaving the church.

We are so thankful for the Kims and their ministry in this huge area for all these years. There have been a couple of other families which have also served there several years ago. Now, the Kims are the only imb family there. Please pray for someone to be able to go and join them in this work.

Kindle

2012-01-19T15:15:00.000+02:00

When we first came to Zambia back in 1997 one of the first things we became aware of was the lack of bookstores or libraries. Where were we going to buy our books from for those two years? This was a big problem since we all like to read. The solution at that time was that whenever we would go to South Africa we could visit lots of bookstores, buy used books, or go to a Christian bookstore which was my favorite. Over the past 14 years, Lusaka has become a bit more modern and has several bookstores now. Still waiting on some Christian bookstores though. The problem is that the books are just expensive since they come from SA. Sometimes books may be at least double what they would be in the US so as you can imagine we don't buy many new books here. For Christmas, Kevin got me a Kindle Fire. Let me just say that the one who invented the kindle really came up with something great. I'm sure in America where there are a lot of bookstores or libraries in every city or the fact that you can order from Amazon or other places and have it sent directly to your home it may not seem so great. However, in a third world country where there are a lack of books or they are expensive and companies from the US will not ship to you, a kindle is a great invention. Of course, internet is not as fast here as in the US either but so far we haven't had a problem downloading anything. So, on behalf of missionaries and others who love to read who live in far off places I just want to thank Amazon for inventing the Kindle.

Great Books

2012-01-19T14:21:00.000+02:00

The Hunger Games, written by Suzanne Collins, is fiction in the young adult genre. I know I don't exactly fit into that category but it wasn't until after I read the book that I heard which genre it was geared towards. I did however, find myself unable to put it down. Then when I got to the end of it was upset at my friend who loaned it to me because she had let someone else borrow the second book and it would be a couple of weeks before I would be able to get it. So thankful for a husband who bought me a kindle for Christmas and I could get it quicker! The books combination of nerve-racking tension, thrilling action, and love story kept me wanting to read more and not wanting to put the book down.
"When the book opens, North America as we know it has been destroyed and is now divided into 12 districts, ruled by an oppressive government located at the Capitol. Katniss Everdeen, a 16-year-old girl from District 12, takes her younger sister’s place as one of 24 “tributes” selected every year to participate in the Hunger Games at the Capitol.
The Games pit children from ages 12 to 18 against each other in a fight to the death in a giant, treacherous arena. Everything is televised and highly publicized all over the country. Katniss must not only survive the Games, but deal with a romance between her and another tribute from District 12, all the while deciding if she is willing to kill strangers her own age as a pawn of an oppressive government."

The Hunger Games is the first book in the trilogy, and it was released in 2008. Catching Fire was the second book to be released in 2009 which I really enjoyed as much as the first one. However, the third book, Mockingjay, released in 2010, was not as good as the first two in my opinion. I guess most of the book was good but it just wasn't up to par with the other two. I really did not like the end of it either because it wasn't how I thought it should end-but hey, I'm not the writer! I guess I shouldn't say too much about it because I don't want to spoil it for you if you have not read these books. I would highly recommend these 3 books especially since there is a movie coming out in March about it. I am happy that I was able to read these books all at once and not wait a year between each one!

Teaching

2012-01-17T14:34:00.000+02:00

Hannah and I have been going to Ng'ombe compound every other week to teach these last couple of months. It has been so neat to see Hannah teach the children herself. This week she had about 22 kids who came. She told them the bible story of Noah, they colored a picture, and then acted out the story. Hannah said the kids all had a good time acting out the story especially when they all got off the ark. They began dancing around and were happy.

They played a game.

The camera was not on the right setting so this picture didn't turn out too well but I still wanted you to see a couple of pics. of the ladies I am teaching. I had 12 ladies come this week. It has been a little difficult because each week there are several who have not been before and then some who have been coming will be missing. I just have to make sure I review really well all that we have been talking about. This week I taught on Gen. 3 and told the story of Adam and Eve disobeying God. We talked about how we all have the choice to obey or disobey and that there are always consequences to each and how our sin not only effects ourselves but out families and friends as well. Please pray for these ladies as they are being challenged to examine their lives to see if there is anything that they are doing that is not pleasing to God. Also, pray for their salvation if there are any who don't know Jesus.

MK Camp

2012-01-17T12:07:00.000+02:00

Missionary Kids from all over Southern Africa gather together once a year for camp the last few days of Dec. and the first couple of days in Jan. They look forward to this all year long. For many of them they only see each other this one time a year but they still remain close. We are so thankful as parents that the imb offers this for our children aged 12 and up. It gives our children the opportunity to be with their friends who understand them and know where they come from. There are volunteers who come from the states to lead in worship and bible study too so it gives our children the opportunity to grow in their relationship with Christ along with other youth believers. I just have a few pictures that I got off of Fb from friends so I thought I would share a few here. Thanks to all who helped make this years camp a big success!

Dr. Rodgers

2012-01-09T11:34:00.000+02:00

I finally got all the pictures from Kevin's graduation so I thought I would go ahead and post them. For those who do not know, Kevin just finished his PhD in missions and graduated December 16th. He has worked really hard on this degree which he started on back in 2005 on one of our furloughs and then finished up in the last 3 years in a Cohort program with Southeastern Seminary. We are so proud of him!

We are so glad that Kevin got to spend time with Zach while he was in the states.

Kevin was also able to spend time with his family. The above picture is with his mom and below is of his mom, dad, and sister.

I am special!

2012-01-03T18:07:00.000+02:00

Yesterday I had the privilege of teaching on Jeremiah 1:5-12 and Psalm 139:1-18 to some women in Ng'ombe compound. These verses have always meant a lot to me so I was excited to share them with these women who oftentimes because of their culture and circumstances are devalued in society. Women here in Zambia have a hard life in my opinion. They are often beat by their husbands and treated like children. They work hard in the home and in the field. Then after a hard day of work they receive little appreciation. Even in the church women often times feel like they don't have the ability to do a certain task because they may not be able to read or write. They fear stepping out of what they know as comfortable which I guess we all do from time to time. I shared with these women that God appointed Jeremiah for his time to be a prophet. Jeremiah did not feel like he had the ability to be a prophet. He was afraid but God encouraged Jeremiah by saying, "do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you." I told them "the Bible says that God knew YOU before you were formed in the womb, and has set you apart for a purpose. You may not feel like you have the ability to fulfill any purpose. You may feel unimportant or even afraid like Jeremiah did. God just wants us to be available to Him so that He can work in our lives and transform us or change us into who He wants us to be." After I taught I asked the women what they had learned from this lesson. One lady shared that because of the things I had taught that day she realized that she was special to God and that no matter what she felt like in her life she knew that God loved her and had a purpose for her. Another lady said that she had learned from verse 14 in Psalm 139 that she needed to praise God because she was fearfully and wonderfully made. Another lady said that now she knew why she was here on this earth after coming out of a terrible sickness where she almost died-God had a purpose for her life! Then when I asked how it made them feel to know that God knew them before they were even born they all said it made them feel special! I don't think I can communicate to you how important this lesson was for these women. For them to come away feeling like they are special and loved and have a purpose in life is BIG! Please pray for these women as they come every other week to learn what God's Word has to say to them that they would have wisdom and understanding as they learn. Pray for any who don't know Jesus to come to know Him in a very real way.
As I was teaching the women Hannah was teaching the children who had come for the day. Hannah's good friend Evie who lives several hours away was in town so she spent the day with Hannah and also came along to help with the kids. They did such a great job teaching these kids. They got started before I did so I kept looking over at them watching to see what they did. They both looked very comfortable like they had been teaching up in front of others for a very long time. Hannah read them the story of Adam and Eve and then they both asked the kids questions. The kids made a name tag again and they got to color a picture about the story too. After their lesson they sang lots of songs and played games. I'm not sure how long Hannah will want to go out with me and do this but for now I'm just so happy at how I see God working in her life and how He is using her all on her own without me.

New Year Possibilities!

2011-12-31T17:10:00.000+02:00

I love this picture first of all because I love the beach and secondly because it makes me think about how 2011 is about to be finished and 2012 will start a new. 2011 was a good year for our family but it was also a difficult year. We had to say bye to our son Zach as we left the states to return to Zambia and he remained to go to college. Justin was homeschooled for most of 2011 which he did not enjoy therefore making it difficult. Then he went back to boarding school this past August. When we came back to Zambia we moved from a rural area to the city which was a big adjustment. These are just a few of things that have been tough for our family this past year. 2011 is about to be over but there are many memories and good things that I will be able to cherish about this past year as well. Then with 2012 being new there are so many possibilities for the future. I'm just glad that I have a personal relationship with Jesus and that no matter what happens in 2012 He will be right there with me all the way!

I found this online and took portions of it to share on here.

I believe that we can find an answer in God’s word for any question or situation of life if we would just look. So what is there in God’s Word about New Year’s Resolutions? Well they are not called New Year’s Resolutions but I don’t think you could do better. In the book of Proverbs chapter 3 we find one of the wisest men that ever lived with some good advice for us.
Solomon starts off this 3rd chapter with a very matter of fact statement.
1 My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, 2 for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity. Then He gives very specific details of 10 precepts or principles that we should live by in order to have long life, prosperity and peace. Some of these are rather simple, in fact all of them are simple to talk about, but when it comes to putting them into practice it becomes more difficult. I think if each of us would adopt these principles and conscientiously live them out in this coming year that it would change our lives. I’m not talking about giving lip service to them but conscientiously live them out. Every day make it a part of your life. I believe that it will change our lives.
Resolution 1. LET LOVE AND FAITHFULNESS NEVER LEAVE YOU v 3-4
Resolution 2. TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL OF YOUR HEART. v 5-6
Resolution 3. DO NOT BE WISE IN YOUR OWN EYES v 7-8
Resolution 4. HONOR THE LORD WITH YOUR WEALTH v 9-10
Resolution 5. DO NOT DESPISE THE LORD’S DISCIPLINE v 11-12
Resolution 6. SEARCH DILIGENTLY FOR WISDOM AND FIND IT v 13-24
Resolution 7. HAVE NO FEAR v 25-26
Resolution 8. DO NOT WITHHOLD GOOD FROM THOSE WHO DESERVE IT v 27-28
Resolution 9. DO NOT PLOT HARM AGAINST YOUR NEIGHBOR v 29-30
Resolution 10. DO NOT ENVY A VIOLENT MAN OR CHOOSE ANY OF HIS WAYS v 31 - 32

I challenge you to look up these verses and see how they can impact your life in 2012!

Good -bye 2011.... Hello 2012. Thank you God that we don't have to wait for a new year to start over; Your mercies are new every day-Great is Your Faithfulness!

Christmas Memories!

2011-12-30T15:17:00.000+02:00

We had our big dinner Christmas Eve that way I did not have to cook at all on Christmas day. Kevin baked the turkey and then I cooked all the other goodies.

After dinner Kevin told us the Christmas story of the birth of Jesus. I ready the book The Crippled Lamb by Max Lucado which makes me cry everytime! Then we each opened one gift which is one of our Christmas traditions.

I baked cinn. rolls for Christmas breakfast. Sorry I didn't get a pic. of them after they were baked and iced. I guess I was in too big of a hurry to eat one!

We went to church at Woodlands Baptist here in Lusaka. There was a baby dedication, an anniversary celebration, we sang, Kevin preached, and had communion. It was a beautiful Christmas service. After church Justin took these pics. of me, Kevin, and Hannah.

We opened presents and then enjoyed the afternoon.

Unfortunately Zach was not able to be with us here in Zambia. He spent Christmas with my family and then a couple of days later traveled to be with Kevin's family. We are so thankful for him and we missed him being here with us so much!

I thought I would include these two pics. too because while Kevin was in America for his graduation he and Zach were able to buy a new mailbox for my mom and dad and put it up for them.

Justin got an ice cream maker which looks like a ball. You put all the ingredients in and then shake, roll, toss, or kick it until it is done.

Hannah was so excited to get this fancy diary with a lock.

Hannah in her new shirt, sunglasses, hat, and with a purse.

That afternoon Justin and Hannah tried out the ice cream maker. Our dogs didn't know what to think about this red ball thing being kicked or tossed about. The ice cream turned out good.


My sister had foot surgery a couple of days before Christmas so Zach drew this picture for her. This is how he imagined her acting. Not sure if you can tell or not but she has her foot up, her nails being polished, a diet coke within reach and she is ringing a bell in her other hand. I feel sure it is pretty close to the truth!

What did you get for Christmas?

2011-12-25T22:55:00.000+02:00

I remember when I was a little girl as soon as our family opened up all of our presents I would rush to call my friend who lived right next door to see what she got for Christmas and then we would visit each other to see everything. It seems those first few days after Christmas everywhere you go people are asking you what you got. Why not, what did you give? After all, it is not our birthday that we are celebrating. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with getting or giving gifts we just need to make sure that our focus is on Jesus. Anyway, as I reflect on the true meaning of Christmas I am reminded of what this world is like and how we can try to change the mindset of people along the way especially our children about what it means to give. So instead of telling you all the wonderful things I received this Christmas let me tell you about the favorite gift that I gave.
My favorite gift that I gave was given to Justin and Hannah who in turn gave to someone in need. Last week I gave them each a certain amount of money and told them they couldn't keep it but had to find someone to give it to or to buy something with it to help someone else in need. It couldn't be someone they knew. When Hannah and I went to teach last Monday in the compound we found out about a little boy named Emanuel who is 11(but looks like he is 8), a double orphan, and is HIV positive. The woman in charge of the school said he needed a back pack for school. She did not want us to just give him the money because she said the aunt would just keep it for herself and it wouldn't go to the child. So Hannah bought the back pack and Justin bought him some school supplies. I added some cookies and banana bread. He had the biggest smile on his little face when we gave him his gift and of course I had tears in my eyes.
Merry Christmas Everyone!
Suzie

Do you always pray before you teach?

2011-12-19T18:27:00.000+02:00

When I go to teach the palliative care women in Ng'ombe compound the plan is that Hannah will go with me and teach some of the kids that go to school there. So together we head off today to do ministry together! On the way, I say, "Let's pray." I then pray for our time out teaching and especially for Hannah because she is a little nervous. She has taught just a couple of her friends before but not a big group. Anyway, after I prayed she asked me, "Do you always pray before you go and teach?" "YES!" I told her. What a great opportunity to talk about the importance of prayer with my daughter! We get to the compound and the women and children are busy handing out some mealie meal and beans for all the children to take home so we wait for a while. As I was waiting I had a good talk with one of the women who is SDA. She began telling me that she has 4 children and that she is a widow. Her husband died from AIDS 11 years ago and she was also tested at that time and found out she was positive too. She has been on ARV's for almost 11 years and she is still doing well. I told her that was a real blessing for her to have these ARV's and how good that it is that it has extended her life. She said, "No, it is not the ARV's that has extended my life it is because of the Grace of God." Wow!! I was touched and I stand corrected!! Pray for Mary as she takes care of her children and others in her household. Pray for God's continued grace in her life as well.
Today I storied Gen. 1 and 2. Then I talked about how God wants us to know how to pray and study His Word so that we can grow closer to Him. I used A.C.T.S. to talk about prayer-Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication-as a guide for them to use when they pray so that we aren't always just going to God with our hands out asking for things. After that I taught them how to have a QT by choosing a portion of scripture to read and then asking them to think about 1-what are these verses saying? and 2- what do I need to obey from these verses I just read? We then chose a portion of scripture in Matthew and practiced. It was neat to hear what they thought the bible said and also how they thought they needed to obey. They did well applying it to their lives.
Hannah's group made name tags made out of suns. Then she also taught on Gen. 1-2. They colored a pic. from each of the days of creation. They memorized Gen. 1:1, sang some songs, and played a game. I am so proud of her for doing this. She seemed to really enjoy it and is already talking about next time. Pray for her as she plans for the next time. Amai Esther said that next time there would be more kids!

Real Faces/Real People

2011-12-12T21:52:00.000+02:00

Everyday they pass me by,
I can see it in their eye.
Empty people filled with care,
Headed who knows where?

On they go through private pain,
Living fear to fear.

Laughter hides their silent cries,
Only Jesus hears.


People need the Lord, people need the Lord. At the end of broken dreams, He's the open door.

People need the Lord, people need the Lord.
When will we realize --people need the Lord?

We are called to take His light
To a world where wrong seems right.


What would be too great a cost For sharing life with one who's lost?

Through His love our hearts can feel
All the grief they bear.

They must hear the words of life
Only we can share.

People need the Lord, people need the Lord
At the end of broken dreams, He's the open door.

People need the Lord, people need the Lord.
When will we realize that we must give our lives,
For people need the Lord.
People need the Lord.

This month I just want to keep before people all over the world the need to give sacrificially towards missions. There are people all over the world that need to hear about the Love of God and how He sent His son Jesus to earth. How Jesus grew up and later died on a cross for our sins because He loved us! The problem is that we are separated from Jesus because of our sin. If we will just repent and ask God to forgive us of our sin and ask Him to come into our hearts -He promises to do that. How can people in the far reaches of the world hear this plan of salvation unless someone goes and tells them this Good News? The International Mission Board has around 5000 missionaries that Southern Baptists have sent out all over the world to do just this. We can't do it all by ourselves though. We need your prayers on a daily basis. We need you to come join us for a couple of weeks on a short term volunteer trip. There may even be some whom God is calling to be full time missionaries. He may want YOU to serve HIM in another country- away from the comforts of your own home. As missionaries we also need you to give financially to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering which is taken up this time of year in Southern Baptist churches. If you would like to give online, look in my sidebar and you'll see an icon you can click on to do that. Your gifts make it possible for us to live in a third world country, have a nice comfortable home, have a truck to drive in difficult places, for our kids to have a good education, to have our medical needs met, and so much more, all so that we can share the love of Christ with others! We try to be His Hands and His Feet but we can not do it alone! We need you to do your part! Please prayerfully consider how you can do your part and join 5000 other missionaries all over the world and let's make a difference in the lives of mankind!

Hannah Turns Eleven!

2011-12-10T15:16:00.001+02:00

I can hardly believe that Hannah turned 11 this past week on the 8th! These pictures are taken over 3 different days because she had 3 different celebrations! These first pics. were taken Thanksgiving day when she had some girls from our mission come for a sleepover. These friends of hers live in other parts of Zambia and only come to Lusaka a few times a year. It is so nice when they all come in at the same time. We had choc. cupcakes. My friend Marci decorated them for me since I was cooking the food. Thanks Marci!

They painted nails, watched a couple of movies, played, and ate!

The girls singing "Happy Birthday" to Hannah.

Hadassah

Taylor

Emily

These next few pictures were taken on her actual birthday. We had plans to go to a water park but when we got there the power was out so the slides would not work so we decided to go the next day. For dinner Hannah requested for us to have chicken strips, french fries, and peaches! Then after dinner we had a choc. cherry cake!

Hannah was so excited about her presents. She loves to give hugs! Justin gave her a lava lamp aquarium thing.

She was so surprised to get a cell phone from us.

a necklace, candy, and a wii dance game

The day after her birthday we actually got to go to adventure city and the power was working! We were the only family for about 1 hour and then only one more family came so we basically had the whole place to ourselves! It was a fun day!

A peacock wandered over to where we were! They are so beautiful!

Here are a couple of pics. of presents her Gram sent her.

Psalm 139:13-17 LB “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous — and how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God! They are innumerable!”

We are so thankful for Hannah!

Happy Birthday!

A new baby!

2011-12-09T18:46:00.000+02:00

This is a picture of Matilda, the woman who works for us, about 3 weeks ago. As you can tell she is pregnant in this pic.and was due to deliver at the end of Dec. said the doctor. She stopped working last Thursday and then had her baby Sunday night. I feel just awful that she worked right up to the time she had the baby but she says it made her fit and made the labor better. Ha! We are so thankful for Matilda and all she does to help our family at home but also she helps us in the kitchen with 40/40. She is such a blessing to so many people!

Wed. we went to visit her and see her new little boy. He weighed a little over 7 lbs. and has a head full of hair. He is just precious!

He slept the whole time we were there until we were about to leave and then it was time for him to eat.

Holding little babies brings back so many memories of our 3 little ones who have all grown up!

A New Outreach

2011-12-07T12:17:00.000+02:00

I'm beginning a new outreach in Ng'ombe compound with some palliative care ladies. These ladies work in this huge compound helping those who are sick and most likely on their death bed. This is volunteer work for them, they are not getting paid. Anyway, these women get together a couple of times each month and discuss their patients or make some kind of craft that they can sell to help raise money for those in need. The only thing they are missing is spending time in God's Word. Troy Lewis, another missionary, in Lusaka has been working in this compound already and even with these women as they distribute the BGR buckets(see sidebar for more info.) for those with HIV/AIDS. He has developed a bible study called "Stewardship of Life." So, I'm teaching through this as a pilot program. I'll be meeting with these women every other Monday in the afternoons. These women are not all baptist but come from many different denominations so things could get interesting. Ha! I went this past Monday for the first time. I shared my testimony so they could learn more about me. Then I answered some cultural questions about how America is different than Zambia. That's always fun! Then I taught my lesson, "God cares that you know Him." We talked about what it meant to be a steward and that we needed to live our lives in such a way that will please God. We also discussed how the Bible was written by prophets many years ago so that people could know God better. How exciting to know that the God of the Universe loved us so much that he had the bible written down for us! We also talked about how God created the Spirit world and that He is ruler over the Spirit world. I shared with them about how Satan, demons, and angels came to be. So basically, I started at the very beginning. In two weeks I'll go back and the lesson will cover Gen. 1-2. Pray that I will be an encouragement to these ladies and that I'll be able to point them towards Christ as they come each time. Pray also for any who do not know Jesus to make that decision to follow Him. Hannah is planning on going with me next time and teach the little kids. Pray for her as she plans this time and also that the kids would be well behaved and listen to what she has to share.

"For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 15:4-6

My Hope Zambia-Ministry of Billy Graham

2011-11-30T11:18:00.000+02:00

Many people are fearful and some have lost all hope. The difficult economy, corruption, loss of jobs, violence and natural disasters have broken their spirit. All of us face death, and many have no hope. But the Bible says, "No one whose hope is in you(God) will ever be put to shame." (Psalm 25:3)
The vision of My Hope Zambia is to make disciples of Jesus Christ throughout the nation, using TV, radio, and dvd's in 60,000 homes of believers, trained in 6000 churches, using the Matthew and Friends strategy. This strategy comes from the Bible in Matthew 9:9-13, Mark 2:13-17, and Luke 5:27-32 where Jesus called Matthew to follow Him, and then Matthew invited his friends, family and neighbors to his home for a meal to meet Jesus.
This Thursday, Friday, and Saturday My Hope Zambia will be broadcasting on TV and radio stations 30 min. programs which will feature African music, testimonies from other Zambians, and a brief message of hope by Billy Graham or Franklin Graham. Zambian believers all across this country will use these programs to share messages of hope with guests they have invited to their homes or other locations. I know they will be on two different TV stations these nights(Thurs.-Sat.) at 6:30pm and 7:30pm. Please pray for this huge event that is taking place in Zambia. This is such a great opportunity for many to hear the truth of God's Word and have an opportunity to pray to receive Christ. Those who pray to receive Christ will receive follow up and they will be directed to a nearby church which teaches the Word. Pray that many will hear these programs, that the Holy Spirit will convict their hearts, and that they will trust in God and decide to follow Him.
I have been passing out a few brochures to help promote this and I gave one to our night guard. He came back the next night and said, "I have done what the brochure says to do. I thought of some people who do not know Jesus, I wrote their names down and I'm praying for them. I invited them into my home to watch this program." I am so excited!! This is going on all over Zambia! Please pray!

Bauleni Baptist Church

2011-11-29T11:40:00.000+02:00

Phil. 3:10 says, "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead."

This past Sunday Kevin was asked to preach at Bauleni Baptist Church in Bauleni compound. The pastor and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Zulu, have been friends of ours since 1997 when they were students of mine at the Baptist Theological Seminary of Lusaka. I taught Samson English grammar and his wife ESL. Since graduating from seminary the Zulu's have been serving at Bauleni Baptist Church and doing a great job. They have planted several churches within Lusaka and in other parts of the country. He has helped in many of our bible schools in the eastern part of Zambia too. Now, they are doing a discipleship program in their church called One on One with God. He trained some leaders in his church in this program and then they are now each training different groups within the church. After they finish, those who went through it will teach others. Sounds like multiplication to me!! I asked him, "After everyone in your church is trained, what will you do?" His answer was, "Then we'll start teaching outside of the church." Sounds like a good plan to me!

"And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others." 2 Tim. 2:2

We enjoyed a good lunch after the service with the Zulu's and had a good time catching up with them and hearing about all that God is doing in their area.

This is just part of the Bauleni Baptist church. You can see they are trying to build and add on to their existing church. I'm guessing there were around 350-400 there this past Sunday.

It had been raining all morning. On our way out of the compound we took a few pics. of the flooding. Many times in most of the compounds there is not good drainage so you'll find lots of flooding during the rainy season. What is so sad is that many children drown in this flooding because you can not tell where a big ditch is and as they walk through the water they fall into a ditch and can't swim.

Life is difficult in the compounds but this man stopped his work and gave us a big smile and thumbs up as we drove past.

There are many compounds in Lusaka where the living conditions of the people would just stun you. Please pray for Bauleni Baptist church as they try to reach the lost in their compound that peoples hearts would be receptive to the gospel.

Justin is Home!

2011-11-28T19:28:00.000+02:00

Justin was supposed to fly in around 11:30 pm this past Friday night. His flight was delayed because some of the crew for the flight was stuck in Nairobi traffic. Anyone who has ever been to Nairobi can totally see that happening! Anyway, his flight touched down around 12:05 and we waited for him to come out. It is much more exciting to go to the airport to pick him up then it is when he has to go back to school as you can imagine. We reached home around 1am and went to bed. The next day the kids slept until 12:00! Meanwhile, I'm up fixing a thanksgiving feast trying to be quiet so they could sleep. As we were waiting for the food to be finished Justin went out to play with the dogs. He missed them very much and I think they missed him too!

I love this action shot!

Here we are about to eat our meal. I made a turkey, gravey, mashed potatoe casserole, veg. casserole,
carrot souffle, and rolls.

Here are a few pics. I took of Hannah.

Thanksgiving

2011-11-26T19:09:00.000+02:00

Rejoice in the Lord always! I am so thankful that so many of our missionaries in Zambia were able to gather for a Thanksgiving feast on Thursday. Everyone made such delicious foods! After we had eaten and all the dishes washed we had a time of prayer for each family who served in Zambia.

Hannah waiting in line to get her food.

Marci and James

Taylor, Zoe, and Hadassah

Lesley holding her daughter Kenley.

The men did even did the dishes! That is certainly something to rejoice over! Thanks guys!

Mark holding his son Matthew.

Psalm 100

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

Worship the Lord with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs.

Know that the Lord is God.

It is he who made us, and we are his;

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;

his faithfulness continues through all generations.


The day after thanksgiving our guest house manager, Ellen, planned a fun time for the kids. She rented a jumping castle which the kids really enjoyed. Above is Matthew and Zoe.

The little ones especially enjoyed jumping!

Here is a pic. with most of the kids.

Zoe and Hadassah


Hannah and Matthew

After playing outside we came inside and the kids decorated cupcakes to look like turkeys. They used candy corn for the feathers and then a pumpkin candy corn for the head.

Hutch enjoying his creation!

Abigail and Emily with their turkey cupcakes. Aren't they cute?

Happy Birthday Kevin!

2011-11-23T20:43:00.000+02:00

Kevin decided that he would like a steak for his birthday dinner tonight. So, we decided to go out and get a small grill so we could grill it instead of cooking it in the oven.

You can't see the dogs in this picture but they were close by trying to figure out what was going on and how they could get some of what they were smelling!

Everything was delicious!

Kevin isn't big on deserts so I made his favorite cookies-oatmeal! We are so thankful for Kevin!

Happy Birthday!

Graduation

2011-11-23T10:52:00.000+02:00

Yesterday we had the privilege of going to an afternoon tea to celebrate the 9 students who will be graduating from the Baptist Theological Seminary. Some of the faculty prepared some different foods for us to enjoy and then we had punch. Even though it is called a tea it is just a little too hot to drink hot tea this time of year. After our refreshments we sat outside on the porch and each graduate went around and shared their testimony of how they had seen God work in their lives throughout their time at the seminary. Over and over again most of them talked about God's provision and His faithfulness! They all were so thankful for the teachers, the other students, and their families for their support and encouragement over the years. They have learned much and even had opportunities to put into practice all that they have learned. Now it is time for them to leave the seminary life and head out to where God is leading them. Two of the couples are going back out to our old area east of Lusaka so we are very excited about that.
Saturday is the graduation day for the Baptist Theological Seminary of Zambia. Please continue to pray for the families as they leave the Seminary and adjust to new places of service. Also pray for the new students who are preparing to come to the Seminary in December.

Rain drops keep falling on my head.....

2011-11-15T14:36:00.000+02:00

The rainy season in Zambia usually begins in November and ends sometime by the end of March or beginning of April. The rest of the year it will not rain at all. Zambians depend on a good rainy season so that their crops will grow well and produce enough food for them for the whole year. If the rains are not good and their crops fail they experience hunger.

We have been waiting on the rains to come so it could at least cool things off a bit here. We were so excited when it rained this past Sunday for about 25 min. Monday it rained for about 10 min. Then today it rained for only about 5 min. We are thankful for whatever rain falls because it cools things off quite a bit and gets rid of all the dust(for a while).

Please pray that this will be a great rainy season and that all over Zambia the people will have successful crops.

Sometimes when the rain first comes we let the kids play out in it. Hannah is enjoying jumping on the trampoline in the rain.

Let the rain continue to fall!

You know it is hot when....

2011-11-13T16:29:00.000+02:00

Have I mentioned before that it is really hot in Zambia right now. We are trying to patiently wait on the rains to help cool things off a bit and get rid of some dust but it is difficult at times to be patient. Please pray for the rains to start soon!
Today after baking in a tin roofed church for two hours we decided that we must be WELL DONE! Then when we got home we discovered the power was off which meant no fans. As we were just sitting still in front of some windows which were not producing any breeze I decided to come up with some ways which you know it is hot when. So here is my list:

You know it is hot when.....

-ice melts in your drink before you sit down to drink it.

-if you are young you just walk around in your underware.

-if you have to change your clothes at least twice during the day.

-if you have to take a cold shower before bed just to bring your body temp. down so you can sleep.

-if you wear antiperspirant and deoderent but the antiperspirant doesn't work and you wonder what is the point anyway.

-Baby powder is your friend.

-if you discover it only takes 2 fingers to drive your car.

-you turn on the cold water tap and only hot water comes out.

-you have to stare hard at the fan to confirm that its working, since it does not produce a cool breeze at full speed.

Leadership Training

2011-11-06T16:18:00.000+02:00

This is written by Kevin:

One of the apprehensions that I had about moving from our former ministry in Chongwe to our present ministry in Lusaka was finding ways to serve the Lord outside of the office. Before, I was more of a frontline missionary involved in evangelism, discipleship, church planting and leadership training. Now, my role is more administrative, and while I don’t like to call it a desk job, I do more supervision and mentoring of other missionaries than I do directly engaging Zambian nationals. I constantly tell myself that in the big scheme of things I am having a greater impact than ever, but I still sometimes miss the kind of ministry that we used to do. In addition, there aren’t a lot of missionaries who are serving here in Lusaka and it is a city of about 2 million people. This has caused me to seek areas where we can have a regular ministry with Zambian nationals, outside of the work I am doing as the Associate Cluster Strategy Leader for Zambia. Witnessing opportunities are everywhere, but I have been wanting some consistent type of discipleship or training ministry as well. A few months ago I met with the associational leader for Lusaka and asked him to identify some needs that they might have, or some areas where new churches need to be started. He directed me to a group of churches in the Chipata, Kabanana, Chazanga and Independence compounds. We have started visiting these churches on Sundays and have also offered our help in any way that might be needed. This has evolved into several things over the last few months. First, I am getting to preach in different churches every Sunday which keeps me fresh spiritually and also helps me keep up with my language skills. Also, I am meeting people, making friends and developing a vision for other kinds of ministries and new churches in these areas. However, what has really excited me is that I am getting the chance to do leadership training with all of the church leaders in this area. The Lord has worked things out so that on the 1^st Saturday of every month, about 50 of these men and women (Pastors and Deacons as well as secretaries, treasurers, Women’s leaders and Youth Workers) are gathering together and I am leading a series of leadership seminars for them. It has been wonderful to be able to engage in “real” ministry in addition to my leadership role in the mission. My job is important and I like it, but being able to be involved in one on one ministry with Zambians is more like a gift the Lord has given me on top of the other things I do. Yesterday was the first time of the actual training and 33 people were in attendance. These 33 people represented 9 different churches from these 4 different compounds. Please pray that this will evolve into further training, more effective churches, more people reached for Christ and more new churches planted in Lusaka.

This is just a very small view of Chipata Compound where Kevin is holding his leadership training. Just imagine, there are 3 other compounds just like this one(total 4) that are represented during this time. I would say it is pretty important that these church leaders get some good biblical training.

Sorbet

2011-11-05T13:45:00.000+02:00

This past week I made a blueberry, strawberry, and banana sorbet. I thought I would share this recipe for others to enjoy on a nice hot day. This is a modified version of the recipe I followed.

Sorbet

1 cup sugar

1 3/4 cup Mazoe-instead of straight mazoe I used 1 cup mazoe and 3/4 cup water

1/2 cup lemon juice

4-6 cups of frozen fruit (any fruit will do)

Heat sugar, mazoe, and lemon juice over med. heat until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil for one min. stirring constantly. Let cool a bit.

In a blender add 1/2 of your fruit and 1/2 of the mazoe mixture and blend. Repeat with other half of fruit and mazoe mixture.

Pour into a glass or metal dish and cover. Freeze. Then Enjoy!

My Day

2011-11-03T18:04:00.001+02:00

I often times have people who will write and ask what a typical day is like for me as a wife, mother, and missionary. I guess no two days are alike really so it is sometimes hard to answer that question. I thought that I would write about what I did today so you could get an idea of what my life is like.
-I woke early to the sound of rain and praised God for it knowing this day would be cooler.
-had a QT. I studied in Psalms today.
-exercised for an hour
-showered
-did school with Hannah until 12:30
-did 3 loads of laundry
-talked to two friends on the phone
-made sorbet out of blueberries, strawberries, and a banana- we will enjoy that on the next hot day.
-oversaw some men coming in our yard to remove some branches from a tree that had been cut down. They were loading all of these branches in a minibus(van)-interesting.
-a young 17 year old boy came by our gate today just to tell me a praise. We first met Stewart a few weeks ago when he came by our house stranded in Lusaka and needing to get back to Mazabuka which is about 3-4 hours away. We don't usually give out money but felt impressed to on that day to help him. We did not have any money at the house at the time so I didn't know what to do. Hannah heard the story and said she had money and she would give him transport money. You know I cried and even Stewart had tears in his eyes when I told him the money was from our 10 year old daughter. I really didn't think we would see him again but today he came by to just tell us how he was doing so well now and he is back in school. God had answered our prayers and had provided money through the government for him to help with school fees. You know lots of people come to our gate and ask for something. This is one of the first times that someone has returned to say thank you and given a praise report about it. I witnessed to Stewart and although he believes he will one day go to Heaven he has not yet repented of his sins and asked Jesus to come into his heart. Pray for Stewart to even today get this most important decision finalized.
-I baked banana bread and oatmeal cookies.
-I delivered the cookies to some friends.
-I went to visit with my neighbor and took her the banana bread. Hannah got to meet her daughter who is 11. This is a big praise because we have been praying for a friend for Hannah. We thought most of the houses on our block were businesses and have just recently learned there are some homes along this street also. Isn't that funny, we have been praying since before we moved here for a friend and she has been here all along right next door! (There are walls around all of our homes so you can't see in) Please pray this will be a good friendship for Hannah.
-I answered email and checked facebook.
-I also fixed breakfast, lunch, and I'm about to cook dinner.
-After dinner I imagine we will watch a dvd and then go to bed.
Tomorrow will be different. Some things will be similar to today but then it could look totally different. Here is one of the Psalms I read today. Hope that it will minister to you as it did me.

Psalm 100

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

Worship the Lord with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs.

Know that the Lord is God

It is he who made us, and we are his;

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving

and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name,

For the Lord is good and his love endures

forever;

his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Can't believe it!

2011-11-02T12:31:00.000+02:00

Last night Kevin and I went to see a movie. The theater had about 25 people in it so it was not too crowded. Right before the movie started a little South African girl came and sat two seats away from me. After about 30 sec. she moved over right beside me and began talking. She was a little girl so I thought she must be in the wrong theater because this was not an animated kids movie. She told me that her mother had just dropped her off to see this movie while she went somewhere else. So, she was in the right place after all. She also told me she was 7 years old. Within the first 5 min. of the movie she kept talking to me asking me questions about the movie or just making comments and she was not whispering. Finally, I told her she was going to have to be quiet and watch the movie. The whole time I'm watching the movie I am wondering what kind of mother would just drop her 7 year old daughter off at the theater and leave her unattended. At the end of the movie she said, "It was so lovely to meet you. I wish I had a pencil to get your number." I did not have one. As we are walking out I noticed she didn't have on any shoes. So thinking she had left them at the seat I asked her about it and she said she had just not worn any. I asked her if her mother was supposed to meet her outside and she said she had to just wait for her outside. I leaned over to Kevin and said, "You know I can 't leave this little girl until her mother gets here." Evidently the woman who takes the tickets knew of the little girl because she told her that her mother was waiting at the restaurant across from the theater. I asked her if this had ever happened before and she didn't know if it had or not. I explained to her that this was not right just letting a little girl go by herself to the movies. Thankfully, I was a nice person but what if she had chosen to sit beside a not so nice person. I don't even want to think about that!! The little girl asked the ticket woman for a pencil so I wrote down my number for the girl. Then the girl went to wait at the restaurant. After about a min. the mother came out. She was dressed nicely and was obviously well to do. The girl ran up to her mother and told her that she had sat beside me in the movies. The mother thanked me and didn't say anything else. I turned to walk away. I was just so upset and angry over this situation. Why in the world did that mother do that? Then I was upset that I didn't/couldn't say anything to that mother because I hate confrontation. I am not very happy with myself!

Fudgesicles

2011-10-30T15:08:00.000+02:00

I know this post will not be very interesting to those experiencing cool weather right now but for those who live in hot climates such as us you may want to try this. October is the hottest month here in Zambia. There are no clouds, it's dry, and it is very hot! The other day Hannah came to me and said, "Mom, I just want something cold." So, I looked up a recipe to make something cold and we landed on fudgesicles. Here is the recipe:

Fudgesicles
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tblsp.cornflour
3 Tblsp. cocoa
2 1/2 cups milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 Tblsp. butter

Cook sugar, cornflour, cocoa and milk until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; add vanilla and butter. Freeze in small paper cups or popsicle molds. (Makes 6 1/2 cup popsicles)
Then enjoy on a hot day!!

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering

2011-10-17T12:15:00.004+02:00

The 2011 theme is “His heart, His voice, His hands – I am Southern Baptist missions.” It reminds us that as followers of Jesus, we – the Church – are called to be the body of Christ. We are His heart, His hands and His voice in the midst of a world filled with unreached peoples. We are part of the task to fulfill the Great Commission. And although we Southern Baptists have been praying, giving and going for 160 years, the task is far from finished.

Now is the time to take a fresh look at the challenges ahead and be ready to finish the task of reaching all peoples. Here’s a global snapshot of the work ahead of us:

6,744 people groups are considered unreached (less than 2 percent profess a personal relationship with Jesus Christ; as reported April 2011)
3,789 people groups are not engaged at all with the Gospel (as reported April 2011)
More than half the world’s people live in cities. Most unreached people groups likely are represented in the world’s urban centers.
1.5 billion Muslims make up 22 percent of the world’s population

There is much work to be done. With more than 45,000 churches in the Southern Baptist Convention, the task is doable, but it will take all of us – starting with our your church!

Think your gift to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering® won’t make a difference? Every penny given to Lottie Moon is used to help support about 5,000 Southern Baptist missionaries serving overseas. Last year, those missionaries reported 360,876 baptisms and 29,237 new churches! That is great news! Don't you want to be a part of that?

The 2011 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering® goal is $175 million. That was also the goal for 2010 and 2009, but receipts for those years totaled $145.6 million and $148.9 million, respectively. These offering shortfalls have resulted in restriction of new missionaries being appointed.

I know it may seem early to be thinking about giving to The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering but really it will be here before you know it. Please prayerfully ask God what He would have you to give this year to this offering.

To give online you can visit:

https://netcommunity.imb.org/SSLPage.aspx?pid=229

What is your Giant?

2011-10-07T14:05:00.000+02:00

For most of us, we go through seasons in our life when we are insecure about who we are, what we look like, or maybe we worry about what our future will hold. We learn from the Bible that God has a purpose and plan for our lives. We all face trials and challenges in our faith. Being a Christian does not mean we will not have problems. We don't get a "pass" on trials and neither should we want to. It is through these trials that we grow closer to God and become more like Him. Yesterday, I went to Bethlehem Baptist Church in one of the compounds of Lusaka. I was so excited to be teaching women again. It is something I have really missed since moving from Chongwe. There were 20 women in attendance. As we sang together I couldn't help but smile. I was where I was supposed to be!
I shared the story of David and Goliath and talked about how we as Christians are sometimes like the children of Israel in that when we hear threats of evil we often cry and retreat so we do not have to face our problems. I tried to portray to these women that God is in control of each day of our lives and he can empower us to defeat any enemy which comes against us. We only need to cry out to Him and trust that He is able to deliver us.
The bible says that Goliath was 9 ft. tall. That is a huge giant! I can imagine that the children of Israel were afraid of him. I would have been too! However, David made the choice to not look at the size of the giant but at the size of His God. So, instead of running away in fear, he went out to meet his enemy. We all know that because David did not run away, Goliath was killed. So, if God was big enough and powerful enough to bring down David's giant, He's still big enough and powerful enough to bring down our giants. God has not changed. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow! If we choose to focus on the giants in our life-we will stumble and fall but if we focus on God-our giants will fall.
I had the women write on a piece of paper whatever they felt like was a giant in their life and they brought them up and placed them face down. I taped them to a box and read them out loud. We then all got on our knees and prayed for God's strength and help to defeat these giants in our lives. After we prayed we went outside for a little visual and hands on reminder. I brought with me a slingshot and some stones. We then all took turns aiming at the box with all of our giants taped to it. As you can see from the pictures below we drew quite a crowd of kids. The women loved doing this and they were so funny. They would cheer for one another when they would hit the box and slap hands with one another. Then if they missed they would say, "second chance, second chance." What a beautiful picture of how we should be as Christians encouraging those around us to face those giants and not run in fear or give up. Let us cheer one another along in our Christian journeys.

The women wrote down things like poverty, sickness, alcohol in the family, worry, and fear for their giants.

They were so excited when they would hit the box!

As a side note I wanted to share something that happened earlier in the day before I went to teach. As I was preparing to go I needed some good stones to take with me so I went out in our driveway and asked Anton are yard worker and man who just prayed to receive Christ a few weeks ago if he would help me to find some good stones for a slingshot. I'm sure he thought I may have been a little weird so I did what I normally do and started talking to him explaining what I was doing. I asked him if he had ever heard of the story of David and Goliath and he had not. I then shared that story with him. Here are his words to me after hearing the story. "Can you tell me where it is in the Bible so I can go and read it again. This is a very good story. I see from that story that God used a young boy to defeat that giant. That means even me, I can be strong in the Lord if I put my trust in Him. David wasn't old or well educated and he was able to bring down that giant. I am very encouraged by this story." Praise God!! Please continue to pray for Anton to grow in his relationship with Christ. Also, pray for these women of Bethlehem Baptist Church to remember that mental picture of using a slingshot to bring down their giants the next time they find themselves face to face with another giant.

Visit to the Western Province

2011-09-30T13:55:00.000+02:00

Recently we traveled out to the western province of Zambia to visit the missionaries out in that area. Our first trip was to visit the Lowes who serve in Lukulu which is about a 7 hour drive from Lusaka during the dry season but about a 10 hr. drive during the rainy season. After we left there we drove about 3 hours to Kaoma where the Smiths live. We visited with them a few days and then traveled on another 2 hours to visit with Melissa Frady in Mongu. While visiting these different places we are able to experience a little bit of their lives in the places that they serve. Below are some pictures that I took while we were in the western province. Please pray for these 3 units of missionaries as they plant churches, disciple believers, and live in community with others. Pray they would be a light in the darkness and that others would see Jesus in them.

Robyn teaching all these kids who come to their home every Wed. afternoon to hear bible stories and play a game. Sometimes they have as many as 80 kids show up. Imagine the impact this will have in that community as these children grow up and perhaps one day follow Jesus as a result of hearing these bible stories.

Jeff holding a little boy named Junior. He was sacked out. Jeff handed him off to Kevin during the game time and then Kevin handed him off to me. He slept through it all!

Robyn telling a bible story

After the bible story time the kids played a game called sharks and fish. The kids seemed to enjoy it as you can tell.

Hannah, Hadassah, Zoe, and Levi

The Lowe family-Levi, Jeff, Hadassah, Robyn, and Zoe serving in Lukulu, Zambia.

I love this sign! "The town of plenty"

This is the Smith family-Mike, Amy, Evie, and Tyler. They serve in Kaaoma, Zambia.

The girls went swimming down at the river and had a blast!

Chipango, Hannah, and Evie all wrapped up after swimming.

The Smiths built this bathroom for their guests and the family that lives on their property with them. They did a great job!

This is a little guesthouse that the previous missionaries built on their property a few years ago. Kevin and I got to stay in here.

We were able to go to church with the Smiths while we were in Kaoma. We had a great time of worship with this small church. The inside was packed and people were sitting outside as well.

Melissa Frady serves in Mongu, Zambia. There is another single lady, Gerri Helton who also serves in Mongu but she is on her stateside assignment now. She will be back in Zambia later in October.

As you travel around in the states there are so many places to pull over and grab a drink, a snack, or even a meal. Traveling in Zambia is not like that at all. I took a couple of pictures of where we stopped. We bought some bananas here and got Hannah a drink below. We did stop at another place in a very small community and had to pay 1000 kwacha(a little more than a quarter) to use the toilet. It was just a hole in the ground but at least it had walls. At this place we also bought a little bag of popcorn and a couple of small bags of chips.

On our way home we had to drive through a game park for about 2 hours. We were hoping to see something big like an elephant or lion but instead we just saw Kudu(which is above), impala, and warthogs. When this big Kudu walked in front of us we had to stop and take a picture of that. Kevin really wants to kill one of those one day.

Here are 3 out of the 6 Kudu we saw walking through the bush.

Blueberries!

2011-09-17T10:46:00.000+02:00

Recently when we were visiting our friends in the Northern Province of Zambia our host made us some blueberry muffins. I couldn't believe she had blueberries so I asked her where she had gotten them. She had gotten them in the freezer section at Shop Rite in Lusaka! Funny, someone who lives a two days drive from Lusaka had to tell me about where to find blueberries! I don't usually buy things in that section because in the past when I did you could tell that the things had thawed and had been refrozen again and tasted funny so I usually steer clear of that area. So anyway, I bought some frozen blueberries and made these wonderful blueberry muffins last night so I thought I would share the recipe here. At the bottom I put a recipe for lemon blueberry pancakes. I have not tried that one yet but in the next couple of days you can be assured we will be trying that one too. Happy cooking!

To Die For Blueberry Muffins

"Big blueberry flavor warrantsbig muffins, so fill the cups right up for oversized muffins that will pleaseeveryone. The cinnamon-sugar streusel is the crowning glory."

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

1 cup fresh blueberries

1/2 cup white sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup butter, cubed

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.
2.	Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.
3.	To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.
4.	Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done. LemonBlueberry Pancakes Ingredients 1-1/2 cup Cake Flour 1 Tablespoon (additional) Cake Flour 1/4 teaspoon Salt 1 Tablespoon (heaping) Baking Powder 3 Tablespoons Sugar 1-1/2 cup Evaporated Milk (more If Needed) 1 whole Lemon (more If Needed) 1 whole Large Egg 1-1/2 teaspoon Vanilla 2 Tablespoons Butter, Melted Zest From 1 Lemon 1 cup Heaping Blueberries Extra Butter Maple Or Pancake Syrup PreparationInstructions Heat heavy skillet or grill overmedium low heat. In a medium bowl, mix flour, salt,baking powder, and sugar. Set aside. In a separate bowl, mix evaporatedmilk, juice of 1 lemon (more if lemon isn't very juicy), and lemon zest. Allowto sit for five minutes, then add egg, vanilla, and melted butter. Mix tocombine. Pour wet mixture into dryingredients. Stir gently to combine. Splash in more evaporated milk if mixtureis overly thick. Stir in blueberries. Again, check to make sure mixture isn'toverly thick. Melt butter in heated skillet. Dropbatter by 1/4 cup measures and fry pancakes on both sides until golden. Serve with softened butter and warmsyrup.

Who will it be?

2011-09-14T21:54:00.000+02:00

This is the week of the national elections in Zambia.Voters will be electing a president, members of parliament and local governmentofficials next Tuesday, Sept. 20th. Please, Pray that the people of Zambia will seek the Lord’s willas they cast their votes. Pray for the candidates as they campaign in differentparts of the country. Pray for the election officials. Pray for peace in thedays surrounding the elections. Lastly, Pray for God’s blessing on the people ofZambia.

Love, Laughter, and Happily Ever After

2011-09-10T18:17:00.001+02:00

Kevin and I met the first day of our freshman year at UNC-Wilmington at a party. I was dating someone else at the time so we just became friends. Knowing that I was in a long distance relationship, Kevin decided to stick close because he figured it wouldn't work out. After a few months his theory came true. In Feb. of our freshman year we started dating. I was a carnal Christian and Kevin was not even a Christan at that time. I became friends with a girl named Kim Freeman(below) who most definitely was a Christian. I could tell that her life and my life were not too similar. She invited me to a Campus Crusade for Christ meeting and I went. Everyone was different and seemed to have something that I didn't. I ended up going to Daytona Beach Florida for spring break with CCC. While I was there I realized why I was different from most of my friends. They all were walking with the Lord and had a strong relationship with Him. I had prayed to receive Christ when I was 16 but I was trying to be in control of my life at this point and not allowing God to be in control. It's like I was putting God in a box and just getting Him out when I needed something. I rededicated my life to the Lord at this time. When I got back to school I broke up with Kevin since he was not a christian and I knew that I wanted to follow Christ. He could tell I had changed and wanted to know what had happened. I shared the four spiritual laws with him(tract) and a few days later he prayed to receive Christ. We stayed broke up for a couple of months and then got back together after I felt sure he was not just doing it to get me back. We dated throughout our four years of college and then got married Sept. 10th 1988.
Growing up I was like most girls dreaming of my prince charming sweeping me off my feet and us living happily ever after. Never would I have imagined 23 years ago what my happily ever after would look like-in the ministry, Kevin pastoring, having 3 wonderful children, and then being a missionary in Africa!. That is just like God though! I'm glad that I didn't know 23 years ago what my life would look like. Perhaps that would have been too boring. Instead, I have been on an incredible adventure with the man I love! I'm thankful to God for bringing us together and keeping us together throughout all these years. Of course, our life has not been without difficulties, no life is, I'm just thankful for a loving, faithful God who helps us when we need it most.

Below are some pictures of our wedding day. Hope you enjoy!

My bridesmaids-Kelly, Angie S., me, Angie-my sister, Kim, and Eileen

Kevin's ushers and our dads-Grady, Todd P., my dad, me and Kevin, Kevin's dad, Todd B., and Ray.

We are so thankful for great friends and family that came out to support us on this special day.

As we were waiting to go in my sister realized she did not have Kevin's wedding ring. There was a moment of panic but then we found it on the train of my dress. The music started and then we started the processional. I love this picture of me and my daddy!

They kissed and lived happily ever after.....

Luapula Province-on the way home

2011-09-08T15:57:00.000+02:00

On our way home from Kaputa we drove through Luapula Province. The first day we drove 12 hours until we got to a lodge to stay in for the night. The first 4 1/2 hours were on a dirt road and there were people everywhere. We passed village after village on this road. We were amazed at how many Jehovah Witness churches there were. I'm not lying, I bet we saw one every 5-10 kms.and no evangelical churches in sight until we got to Nchelenge and then there were just a handful. Please pray for this province to come to know Jesus! It is a very dark area of Zambia and someone needs to go and be a witness among these people.
The second day we traveled 4 hours back to Lusaka. It was a great trip but it sure is nice to be home!

Here is some info. on this province:
Luapula Province is one of Zambia's nine provinces, and is located in the north of the country. The provincial capital is Mansa. Luapula Province was named after the Luapula River. It extends along the northern and eastern banks of the river from Lake Bangweulu to Lake Mweru, including waters and islands of those lakes, and is inhabited by Bemba-speaking peoples. The major economic activity is fishing.
In the 19th century the valley was dominated by the Lunda kingdom.The province is bordered along the Luapula River, through Lake Mweru and to its north by DR Congo which at times has led to disputes and conflict.

Kevin and I said we would love to have a home right here where we stood to take this pic. This was on the left side of the road and to the right was huge lake Mweru. It was very picturesque. I just think this is a beautiful view!

After many hours we came to an area where there was a very long bridge and miles and miles of flood plain. We crossed over the huge bridge and saw some interesting things on the other side of it.

These raised up areas are where there is a giant ant hill underneath the grass.

These are termite hills! We have seen many termite hills throughout Zambia but never like this. Usually, the ones we see are spread out and bigger than these. As far as we could see on both sides of the road there were termite hills, like tiny rows of daggers or dragon's teeth. I took a close up below so you could see better what they look like.

This was taken just on the side of the road.

We stopped to buy two bags of charcoal because it is much cheaper out in the bush than in town.

I love this pic. of these kids. As we were waiting for Kevin to get the charcoal these children asked me, "How are you?" at least 15 times.


This is the Luapula province which we traveled through to get from Kaputa to Lusaka.

This is the Northern Province where Kaputa and Mbala are. Right now we just have those two missionary families that we just visited and one other family in Isoka which is also in the Northern province. 3 families for this whole province!

Northern Province, with a total area of 147,286 square kilometers, is the largest of Zambia's 9 provinces. It shares borders not only with three other provinces - Central, Eastern, and Luapula, but also with three countries as well - the Democratic Republic of Congo in the north, Tanzania in the north-east, and Malawi in the east.According to the 2000 Census of population, Northern Province has a population of 1,407,088. This represents an increase of 481,233 from 925,865 in 1990. The annual population growth rate is 4.3%, which is the highest of all the 9 provinces. 50.5% of the total population is female and 49.5% is male. Children below the age of 15 make up 49.5% of the population in the province.

Pray for God to do an amazing work in this province through our 3 missionary families-The Adairs, the Schwarz, and the Kimbroughs.

Kaputa, Zambia

2011-09-08T14:51:00.000+02:00

After we left Mbala we traveled to Kaputa, Zambia. From Mbala we drove 8-9 hours to get to Kaputa. The first hour was on paved road and the rest was all on dirt road with lots of pot holes. We drove through Mporokoso and stopped on the side of the road and ate a sandwich Rita had made for us. We also drove through the market area and visited with a man named Borniface who is a baptist leader there. We have a request for a missionary to come there and serve in Mporokoso so it was good for us to see it. We finally arrived in Kaputa late in the afternoon to visit with the Adair family. They have been living in Kaputa for 5 years. They live the most far out of any of our missionaries in Zambia. It takes them a full two days of driving to get to Kaputa from the capital city.

I took this picture because out in this area most people paint some kind of design on their huts which is a lot different than in other parts of Zambia which we have been to.

One of the things I love best about Kevin's new job is going to visit other missionaries and seeing where they live, meeting the people they work with, and learning more about culture and life where they live.

James was walking over to this hut before church on Sunday. We were able to go to church with the Adair family which met in a small school room. James preached in Bemba which is the language they speak in the Northern province.

James, Mary Margaret, Hutch, and Lulie and one is on the way in October.

It was much warmer in Kaputa than in Lusaka so we spent a lot of time outside in the shade.

Lulie was watching a baby gecko in the above pic.

Their well pump broke as soon as we got there so we had very limited water. James and Kevin spent a lot of time working on the well and by the grace of God it began pumping water again the night before we left.

I love this picture of Hutch looking up to Hannah.

Hutch decided to sit in his block container and then wanted me to take a pic. of him. He is so cute!

Hutch took this pic. of me and Lulie on their back porch.

We had a great time visiting with the Adairs and seeing where they live. Please pray for the Adair family this next month as Mary Margaret and the kids fly to South Africa in a couple of weeks as they await this new little baby that will come in Oct. James will join them there in a few weeks.

Also, pray for them as they live in this far out place away from other Americans and in a difficult area. Their closest grocery store is 8 hours away! There are many Jehovah Witnesses and Seventh Day Adventist in their area, both cults, which make it hard to work and start churches. By the grace of God a few churches have been started in Kaputa. Please pray for these churches to continue to grow and to be a light in such darkness.

Mbala, Zambia

2011-09-08T13:59:00.000+02:00

This past week we traveled to the Northern province of Zambia to visit two different missionary families in that area. These families live very far from the capital city of Lusaka. On the first day we traveled about 4 1/2 hours to Mkushi and stopped at a lodge but there were no rooms available except a drivers room which was about 6 ft. by 10 ft. with just two single beds in it. We were going to just take it since it was already 6:00pm but when Kevin called one of our friends they told us about another lodge 15 min. down the road. We called to see if there was room there and there was so we left and went to Loza lodge for the night. The next day we drove about 8-9 hours to get to Mbala where we visited with the Schwarz family. Sorry, I didn't get a pic. of the whole family together. One day we went to a museum which was pretty nice and Kevin went out with Steve to see some of his work, meet some of the people there, and to witness. The next day we went to a water fall not to far from their home and celebrated Steve's birthday. Below, are some pics. from the trip.

It's not Victoria Falls but it sure was beautiful. Kalambo Falls is the second highest waterfall in all of Africa. Isn't it amazing?

Heather, Lane, Hannah, and Seth

Hannah had so much fun having some kids to play with. The Schwarz family has 4 children but Tobias, their oldest son, didn't come with us this day.

Across from where we were was Tanzania, this man was washing a shirt in the water.

Lane, Hannah, and Seth

These next few pics. Kevin took from the Tanzania side. Kevin decided to wade through the water to get to the other side since the Kalambo river was so low and he could safely cross.

This is right where the waterfall goes over the edge! If one of these kids had fallen off the rock they were sitting on, well, let's not think about that!

me and kevin

Steve, Lane, Seth, and Heather

Steve celebrated a birthday while we were there. Rita made choc. cake with a peanut butter icing and also some homemade ice cream! Yum! So glad we got to be there to help celebrate with the Schaffer family also who serve in Mbala.

Please pray for the Schwarz family as they serve in Mbala, Zambia and try to start churches. They have been in Zambia for just a couple of years and are still trying to learn Bemba in addition to starting churches. Rita homeschools the four children which takes most of her day as you can imagine. Pray for them as they develop relationships with nationals and as they seek where God is working so they can get in on what He is doing in Mbala.

Molly

2011-08-25T17:35:00.000+02:00

Meet Molly, the newest member of our family! She traveled a long distance to come and live with us. She is from Malawi. The Hootens dog had puppies and since Hannah's jack russel ran away while we were in the states she was wanting another one. The Hootens were passing through Lusaka and brought her to us.

Hannah and Molly

As you can tell Hannah is already loving her new puppy!

She is cute!

Wildebeest hunt

2011-08-23T16:45:00.000+02:00

Kevin took Justin hunting to shoot a wildebeest this past week. He shot it at about 150 yards away. The wildebeest was on Justin's list of animals he wanted to kill.

Kevin and Justin

They brought it back home to skin it.

Our friend, Jeff, was in town so he came over and was a big help!

This is where he shot it.

Not only do we now have meat in our freezer but have tried to make biltong(like beef jerky) too. It has to dry for several days.

School in three different countries!

2011-08-20T16:00:00.000+02:00

Hannah has just completed her first week of 5th grade. She started last Monday with lesson 1. At the beginning of the year it seems so overwhelming to think you have the whole year ahead of you still to go. Pray that Hannah would continue to grow in wisdom and stature this year. Pray for me as I home school Hannah to be a good teacher, to be patient, and loving as I guide her learning.

Justin will be going back to Rift Valley Academy in Kenya on the 29th of Aug. to begin a new year of school. Pray for him this week as he prepares for that and for all of us as we have to say bye to him for a few months.

Zach is back at Liberty to begin his sophmore year. He begins classes this Monday. Please pray for him as he gets back into the swing of school to do well in all his work.

For all of our children pray that they will grow in their relationship with Jesus, that they will be men and a young lady of integrity, that they will be pure in their heart, minds, and bodies, and most of all that they will be a witness for God where ever they are and in whatever they are doing.

"God bless the missionaries"-Is this your prayer?

2011-08-12T20:04:00.000+02:00

We appreciate so much all of you who pray for us on a regular basis. Below is something that a friend of mine got from David Platt on how to pray for missionaries. Sometimes we don't exactly know what to pray so we just pray, "God bless the missionaries." Here are some specific prayer requests and scriptures to pray for us and other missionaries all over the world.

Pray that they would be confident in God's Word. (Acts 13:4-6)
Pray that they would be filled with God's Spirit. (Acts 13:7-9)
Pray for their victory in spiritual warfare. (Acts 13:9-12)
Pray for their success in gospel witness. (Acts 13:12)
Pray for peace with other believers, in their homes, and marriages. (Acts 13:13)
Pray for favor with unbelievers that they would be open to the gospel. (Acts 13:14-15)
Pray that the gospel will be clear through them (Acts 13:16-48)
Pray that God will open hearts around them. (Acts 13:48)
Pray for their joy in the midst of suffering. (Acts 13:49-52)
Pray for their kindness in the midst of slander. (Acts 14:1-2, Matthew 10:22)
Pray for supernatural power to accompany them. (Acts 14:3)
Pray for Christlike humility to characterize them. (Acts 14:4-18)
Pray for their patience. (Acts 14:18)
Pray for their perseverance (Acts 14:19-20)
Pray that God would use them to make many disciples. (Acts 14:21-23)
Pray that God would use them to multiply churches.

Churches filled with people who know the Word of God. (Acts 14:22)
Churches led by pastors who teach the Word of God. (Acts 14:23)

Reunited

2011-08-02T09:52:00.000+02:00

This week we have the privilege of having Greg Queen and his daughter Meredith visiting with us. Greg is the connector for our affinity group. He connects churches in the states with missionaries and people groups in Africa. After a church prayerfully chooses a people group to adopt he trains them to come and serve among those people. He is visiting this week to get to know some of the missionaries in Zambia and hear about the work that they do. This past Saturday Kevin was invited to go to an associational meeting in Chongwe and speak on stewardship so we took them along with us. It was so good to be back in Chongwe for a little while and be reunited with some of our closest friends. We were able to catch up with many of them since we had not seen some of them in over a year. It is neat to see how much God has been working in their lives. We are truly blessed to serve here in Zambia.

Amai Mwachamota preparing lunch-nshima, chicken, and cabbage.

During a short break a few of the women went to draw water and bring it back for lunch.

Hannah and Meredith out walking waiting for the service to start.

Romans 12:10 LB “Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.”

I love these ladies! Amai Mwachamota and Betty Chipboa are some of my dearest and best friends. They have taught me so much about zambian culture and humility. I have known them the whole time we have been in Zambia. I miss working with them since we are now in Lusaka and they are in Chongwe. It was so good to see them on Saturday and catch up.

Kevin and Greg talking during the break.

Kevin teaching

We were also invited to stay and have lunch. We couldn't turn down this chance to eat some delicious food! Greg and his family served in West Africa for several years. This was their first time to have Zambian food. They seemed to like it!

Pray for Kevin, Greg, and Meredith as they are traveling this week in the Southern part of Zambia meeting our missionaries serving among the Tonga people.

Hallelujah

2011-08-01T22:03:00.000+02:00

Someone just told me about a group called Tenth Avenue North. I know, I'm sure I'm way behind and they have probably been out for a while but hey, I live in Zambia so I don't keep up with music. Anyway, I really liked this cd called Over and Underneath. Here are the words to one of their songs called Hallelujah.

HALLELUJAH
MIKE DONEHEY, PHILLIP LARUE, JASON INGRAM

At first I am afraid
But not because of fear
But the holy of holies is drawing me near
Your voice like thunder
Shakes the ground I’m on
HIDE MY FACE IN THE SHADOW OF YOUR WINGS, OH LORD
HIDE MY SIN FROM THE BEAUTY HERE BEFORE YOUR THRONE
HALLELUJAH FOR THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB THAT WAS SLAIN
HALLELUJAH FOR THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB THAT WAS SLAIN
AND SO WE ENTER IN TO SEE YOUR FACE
ENTER IN TO SEE YOUR FACE, OH GOD
I’m falling to my knees
I feel the earth beneath
With the weight of my sin and this
crushing unbelief
Could You really love me
With all that I’ve done?
You spread Your hands
And made a refuge for the weak
And blessed the weary bruised and broken
Took us in
Inside Your wounds we hide away
Inside Your wounds we hide
You spread Your hands
And made a refuge for the weak
And blessed the weary bruised and broken
Took us in
Inside Your wounds we hide away
Inside Your wounds we hide

Tennis Lessons

2011-08-01T15:03:00.000+02:00

A local international school here in Lusaka has after school activities that the students can take part in. They even let people who homeschool their children participate also. So this past term Hannah took tennis lessons. She had started late into the season so when they finished they allowed her to have private lessons to make up for the time she had missed. I think she did really well and she seemed to enjoy it. Her lessons are over now so we will see what the school offers at the end of Aug. so she can see if there is anything she is interested in then. I only got a couple of pics. of her with her teacher Lawrence.

Side Trip to see Livingston

2011-07-28T11:14:00.000+02:00

After being in the bush for several days the team went to Livingston and saw Victoria Falls.

Lindsay

Krista

Colin bungee jumped!

I wouldn't do this for any amount of money!

He did it!

Lindsay, Colin, and Mason

David enjoying God's creation.

They also got to go on a game drive. They were able to see a lot of animals just out in the wild.

warthog

A week of ministry for a volunteer team

2011-07-27T16:23:00.001+02:00

Wouldn't you like to give one week out of your summer to go and do mission work somewhere in the world?

There are many like this little boy above who need the opportunity to hear the Good News about Jesus!

We have had a great volunteer team come from NC this past week to work among the Soli people. Many people were saved and two churches were started. This past Sunday 9 people met in Kanakantapa D village and then 15 others met at Mphango to begin church. Please pray for the leaders at Kanakantapa Baptist Church since they will be going there on Sundays for a while to help both of these two new church plants.

Hope you enjoy these pictures from their week out in the bush.

Pastor Kamanga praying with this woman.

If I could play music on this blog I would be playing the song by Casting Crowns called, "Until the Whole World Hears." So, since I have not attempted that before I'll just put the words to the song on here.

"Lord, I want to feel with Your heart

See the world through Your eyes

I want to be Your hands and feet

I want to live a life that leads

Ready yourselves, ready yourselves"

"Let us shine the light of Jesus in the darkest night

Ready yourselves, ready yourselves

May the powers of darkness tremble as our praises rise."

Until the whole world hears,
Lord, we are calling out

Lifting up Your name for all to hear the sound

Like voices in the wilderness we're crying out

And as the day draws near

we'll sing until the whole world hears.

"Lord let your sleeping giant rise

Catch the demons by surprise

holy nations sanctify

Let this be our battle cry

Ready yourselves, ready yourselves."


"Let us shine the light of Jesus in the darkest night."

The girls had the opportunity to play netball with some of the girls.

Lindsay and Mason sharing at one of the schools. In both locations where the team went they were able to minister in both schools. They were able to share their testimonies and the gospel.

They gave each school a couple of soccer balls. The kids were very excited about this gift.

One of the schools with their balls.

Each night they showed the Jesus film. They took turns sharing a message during the film. Above David is sharing on their last night out. Many people prayed to receive Christ this past week.

Two ladies from Kanakantapa Baptist church came along too this past week to help cook for the team and be translators.

Each day the team went out to invite people to come to see the Jesus film and to witness to people.

They had the opportunity to help draw water.

and cook!

Haley having a QT.

Nshima, cabbage, and chicken-Yum! This is a traditional meal here in Zambia.

Les out sharing with people.

Kevin looking snuggable

Jimmy shaking hands.

Someone in the village died so Kevin and two others went to the funeral. They had to walk 3 miles there and back so they were gone for a while. Most of the people at the funeral were in a cult. They asked Kevin to share so of course he shared the gospel. All those people at one time were able to hear the Truth! Praise God!

One of the schools challenged our team to a soccer match. Our team gave it a good try but they lost 2-0.

I don't think this pic. though is from the actual soccer match.

They had a good week of ministry and then packed up and headed to Livingston. I'll post pictures from that part of the trip later.

Church and Camp Set Up

2011-07-17T22:29:00.000+02:00

Today our volunteer team from Highland Baptist Church headed out east of Lusaka to the Chongwe area where we used to live. We took 2 trucks plus the one I was driving which carried a few more people from the church to camp.

Once we got off the main road it just took about 10 min. to get to the church and then another 45 min. to get to the camp.

We visited Kanakantapa Baptist Church today as a group. All the children got up and shared the bible verse they had learned in SS. We heard from a couple of choirs which of course was really good. Then Van Thompson who had also come with us preached the message.

After church we all file out of church and shake everyone's hands.

David, Kevin, Les, and Colin is in the above pic. shaking hands.

The choir is also singing as they go through the line.

Kanakantapa Baptist Church

After church we walked to the pastor's home to have lunch.

Lindsay, Colin, Mason, and Krista waiting to start eating.

Les, Jimmy, and Colin

Here you can see how the table was set up for us.

Pastor Kamanga helped us to wash our hands by pouring water over them while we washed. He is such a servant.

Mason washing his hands.

Amai Kamanga cooked chicken and rice for us. It was delicious!

After we finished eating we traveled about 45 more min. until we reached the place the team would be camping, showing the Jesus film, and ministering until Tues.

As soon as we got there everyone jumped in and started unpacking and setting up the tents.

These are the two ladies that will be cooking for the team this week. Praise God for their sacrifice to come and stay with the team this week and cook. This way the team can be busy out sharing their faith.

The kids and I had to leave before the camp was completely set up so this is the last pic. I took. I left the camera with Kevin so hopefully he will take pics. this week. Please continue to pray for the team as they minister among the Soli people this week.

A Blessing!

2011-07-17T21:05:00.000+02:00

Saturday morning we had a time of orientation for the team at the guest house. Afterwards we went to eat lunch. Most of us ate at Wimpy's which is a local hamburger restaurant. It's not McDonalds but it will do! After lunch Kevin had to run some errands and pack up the trailer. I took most of the team to a local market so they could buy a few things. They got to try out their bargaining skills too! Then I dropped the team back at the guest house so they could rest some while I went and cooked dinner for that evening for the team. What a blessing to have the team in our home! We had Mexican food and then sat around and talked. We had each one go around and tell how God had led them to come to Zambia and how He had provided for them to get here. God is so amazing!! I love to hear stories of how God provides in situations like this. God has each of these 9 team members on a very special journey this week. I can not wait to hear all about it when they get back.

Above: Les, Mason, and Krista

Hannah was pretty excited that they did the dishes since it was her night.

How in the world David fell asleep with everyone around him talking I'll never know!

We have been so impressed with this whole team but especially the youth that are on this trip. There are four young people on the team with a definite heart for missions. I guess we normally have teams with mainly adults so it has been really neat to have these young people around. May God work in and through them all this week!

Volunteer Team

2011-07-15T19:09:00.000+02:00

We are so excited that a volunteer team from Garner, NC have come to Zambia. We are especially excited because they are from our home church in Garner where we stay during our furloughs. This will be the first time for Highland Baptist Church to send a team to work along side of us. They arrived today and will be here until the 25th of July. I have put some prayer requests below if you would take the time to pray for them this next week as they minister among the Soli people. I'll try to update along the way if I can.

Prayer Requests for the team:

-Friday-July 15th-Arrival day. Pray for a good nights rest. Praise God for a good trip and that all their luggage arrived with them.
-Sat. July 16th- Orientation day-Pray for the team to be able to listen and learn from the orientation so that they will be better prepared for their week of ministry.
-Sun. July 17th-We will be traveling about 45 min. outside of Lusaka to the Chongwe area where we used to live and work. We will worship with Kanakantapa Baptist Church and have lunch with the pastor and his family. After lunch we will travel to Kanakantapa D village and set up camp, go out and invite people to come see the Jesus film, and show the Jesus film that night. Please pray for good heath, good attitudes, Jesus film equipment to work, and many people to come and watch the Jesus film and give their lives to Christ. Pray for the one who will be preaching and that the translator will understand what he is saying and accurately translate the message to the people. Sometimes when going into new areas we will find more witchcraft and demon possession. Pray that people will break free from the bondage of both of these and that the team will handle these situations well. Since the team will be sleeping in tents each night pray they will stay warm since this is our cold season.
-Mon. July 18th-Tues. July 19th-The day will begin with follow up with the ones the night before who prayed to receive Christ. Pray for the ones who will be doing discipleship to clearly articulate the truth of God's Word. Part of the team will go out hut to hut witnessing and the other part will stay at the school and do ministry there with the students. Sometimes when you get a lot of kids together with some people from the states it can be a little chaotic. Pray for the children to be good and to really listen. Pray for the team to shine the light of Jesus so that others may want what they have-a relationship with Christ. Pray they would be challenged with the Word of God to follow Christ. Pray for hearts to be prepared and ears to listen as the team witnesses each day. Pray for another good crowd of people to come and watch the Jesus film. Sometimes large crowds also draw drunk people. Pray there will not be any disruptive people during the film, preaching, or invitation.
Tues. July 19th-around 2:00 the team will have packed up their tents and will be moving to another location called Mphango. They will set up camp again and start the same program as before until the evening of the 21st. Pray just like you have on the days before this.
Friday July 22nd the team will pack up and head to Livingston to see Victoria Falls and some animals. Please pray for safe travel and a good trip.
Sunday July 24th the team travels back to Lusaka. Again pray for safe travel. Pray for a restful night.
Monday July 25th around lunch time they will head to the airport and begin their travels back to America. Pray their hearts will be full and that they will have time to reflect on all that God has done in the past week in their lives and in the lives of Zambians.

A busy day

2011-07-14T12:14:00.000+02:00

This past Sunday was a very busy and long day for us. We started off at 10:00am and didn't get back home until 6:00pm. A very good friend of ours has gone to Korea to go to seminary so Kevin is preaching at Matero Baptist Church once per month for a while to help out. We always enjoy going to Matero when we have the opportunity.

This is the pastors wife and family.

Outside at Matero Baptist Church

After leaving Matero we headed to Agape Baptist Church for an ordination service for their pastor. This past week Kevin was asked to serve on the ordination council which he really enjoyed.

We had to wait a bit before we got started so I took a quick pic. of Kevin.

The ordained men came and layed hands on this young pastor and prayed for him.

Here he is proudly holding up his ordination certificate.

Towards the end of the program the church had a time of giving gifts to the pastor and his wife. People would sing and dance to the front and either put money in the bucket or put the gift in front of them. I'm sure they were very blessed that day. After the ceremony the church had prepared food for everyone. They had fixed chicken, rice, potatoes, cabbage, and cake. They even had soft drinks for everyone. There were at least 125 people there. This was a huge sacrifice for this small church.

Even though this was a long day it was a very good day! We are so blessed to be serving here in Zambia!

Life in Lusaka

2011-07-11T11:40:00.000+02:00

Many people might think that since Lusaka is the capital city of Zambia that it is really nice. It is true that there are parts of Lusaka that are quite nice but there is another part of Lusaka called Compounds that many people never see. Lusaka is a huge city with many different compounds. It seems that the Lord is directing us to work among some of the churches in these compounds to help encourage them and do leadership training with them. Some are even without pastors and could really use some help. Recently, we were in what is called Chipata compound and I took some pictures as we were driving through.

For most of this compound there was an actual road which is very uncommon. Normally, as you drive through a compound there are many pot holes and not much of a road. You can see there is lot of activity in the compound. These are mini buses in the above picture which is one mode of transportation in Lusaka.

There are several people in the compound that sell charcoal for a living as you can see in several of the pics.

The small houses are very close to one another.

This time of year many people are buying charcoal because it is so cool. They use it for cooking and to keep warm.

Throughout the market area you will find lots of people trying to sell things. In the above pic. they are selling popcorn.

The compound is very different from the village where we worked before. A village is very clean but as you can see the compound has a lot of trash just lying around.

Hope you have enjoyed this little tour of a compound. Please pray for these people who live in the compounds of Lusaka. Pray for good health, safety, that they would stay warm at night, and especially for their salvation. Pray for us as we discern exactly what God would have us to do among the compounds.

Our Crate Arrived!

2011-07-08T16:26:00.000+02:00

If you will remember back at the beginning of March we packed up our crate and sent it on its way to Zambia. I believe it actually didn't leave the states until after we arrived in Zambia on March 21st. It traveled all the way across the ocean to South Africa and then by truck to Zambia and finally to our house this past Sat.

Hannah and Evie watching as the door was taken off.

Nothing broke but we did have a couple of liquid things leak. Nothing was ruined though so that is good.

It was so much fun to unpack everything although a bit overwhelming as to where to put everything. Now, almost a week later almost everything has finally found a spot.

We learned how to pack many years ago when we first came to Zambia. All this in this picture was stuffed in a queen size box spring. Amazing!

It is so nice to have some things from America!

Coming and Going

2011-06-22T17:52:00.000+02:00

As missionaries we see a lot of people come and go in and out of Zambia. Some are volunteers that come for a couple of weeks and then leave. Other times we have people come for a couple of years and then when their term is up they head back to the states. Then we have those who come and invest there lives here in Zambia and stay a long time. So there is quite the spectrum of people coming and going. Without fail we always get attached to these people so it is always difficult when they have to leave. So as you can imagine we don't always enjoy going to the airport because a lot of times it is to say good-bye. Especially when our boys were leaving to go to Kenya for school-those were the worst days! Anyway, I wanted to write about a particular time that is especially special for missionaries and one that I got to experience recently at the airport. We were at the airport welcoming back some of our friends/missionaries who had been on their stateside assignment and were returning to Zambia. Before they came through the doors some other friends of ours were having their families from the states come on the same flight. As we are all waiting outside the door you can feel the excitement grow as you know their family is about to walk through the door. They haven't seen their family in almost two years. Our friends child was about 11 months when they first came and is now almost 3. So these grandparents had not seen their grandchild in two years. Can you imagine?? I'll never forget seeing my friends mother come through that door and her and her daughter hugging and crying for a long time not wanting to let go of each other. It was simply beautiful. For those who know me know that I was crying right along with them. I could feel all the emotion in that moment. Many people think that as missionaries we sacrifice a lot by living in another country. We love where we live and feel blessed to have the opportunity to live in another country. The biggest sacrifice on us is that we do not get to see our families much. We are so thankful for skype and good enough internet that we can at least talk to them and see them from time to time that way. But to be able to be face to face and be able to hug and reconnect has got to be amazing. It is also a sacrifice for our families back in the states to not see us or be a part of their grandkids lives like I know they would like to. Today would you please pray for missionaries all over the world who are separated from their families in the states for long periods of time.

II Chronicles 16:9 LB “the eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.”

Friends

2011-06-16T22:41:00.000+02:00

Some of you may recognize these kids from when we lived in Chongwe. The back two girls are Dorcas and Deborah who are good friends of our daughter Hannah. This week Hannah had the opportunity to go and spend two different days in Chongwe while Kevin did some preparation work for a volunteer team coming in July. Dorcas and Deborah did not know Hannah was coming and she said they were so excited that she was there to spend the day with them. She took her bag with her bible and coloring sheets and told them bible stories just like she used to do. They went and got ice blocks and she also got to eat nshima and relish with them too. Hannah has been missing her friends so I'm thankful for this opportunity this week for her to go and play with them.

While we were in the states Amai Mulenga had another baby in Feb. They named her Hannah. So now they have 4 children-Dorcas, Deborah, Mapalo, and Hannah. She is the cutest little baby!

Dorcas carrying her little sister Hannah on her back.

Our Garden

2011-06-11T17:12:00.000+02:00

Since moving to Lusaka we have planted a garden in our back yard since there was already a space set aside for one. We planted lettuce, cabbage, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, and strawberries. Above is our garden about 3 weeks ago.

Anton, our yard worker, is holding our first head of lettuce. We have enjoyed several heads of lettuce since this first one.

Here is a shot of our garden this past week. It is neat to see everything growing so fast.