A Sad Afternoon

Late yesterday afternoon the kids wanted to take our Labrador down to the river for a swim. Kevin was out during the afternoon but had said he would come down when he got finished if we were not home. For any that know our lab she is very fat and lazy so it was a feat in itself just to get her to walk down to the river. We crossed the bridge where we only saw maybe 7 people hanging out and then proceeded back even further where we knew that Sierra could swim. We were only back there about 30 min. and decided that Sierra had had enough and was getting tired. From a distance I could see about 20 people standing on the bridge and wondered why so many people were there. As we started going across the bridge Justin turned around and said Daddy is down in the water. I looked and sure enough he was swimming in the water and diving down. I was wondering what in the world he was doing swimming in this cold water when he had a really bad head cold/cough. By now, there were even more people standing over on the side. Justin ran over to find out what was going on and came back and reported to me that a young man around 18 years old had drowned and that daddy was looking for the body. When Kevin had arrived some young boys ran up to him and asked if he knew how to swim because their friend had just drowned. One of the friends had dove in to save his friend but hit his head on a rock and split it open. By the time Kevin had gotten there the young man had all ready been under about 15 min. Kevin dove again and again but couldn't find him. The water is at least 15 or more feet deep and with the current there was just no way to know where the body was. As I left the river I felt so helpless and sad. It must have happened right after we passed the bridge the first time. If we had not have had our dog we would have stayed in this spot for a while before moving on. What if I had been there when it had happened? Would I have been able to save this life? Then I thought about this boys family and in particular his mother and how they would be hearing this news soon and how much this was going to change their lives forever. Life can be so short and you just never know when yours is about to end. For this one boy he just went down to the river to hang out with his friends and probably drink some beer(that is what they usually do) and he ended up not going home. More than likely he wasn't a Christian either. Time is short and we need to make the most of every opportunity that we have to share the hope of Jesus with those around us before it is too late. Pray for this family and the friends as they deal with this loss of life. Pray for us as we deal with the "what if's?"

BQ 2009

As the sun began to set, the junior and senior classes of Rift Valley Academy prepared for Banquet 2009. All the ladies curled or straightened their hair, applied make up, and put on a fancy dress. For the guys it was putting on a suit and tie. Some having never worn one before, not knowing even how to tie it. I suppose some were nervous but all were excited about the big night ahead. One by one the guys went to pick up their dates. After exchanging corsages they began the walk up the hill to their banquet. Along the walkway lined the other students and staff of RVA cheering as each couple was introduced. Excitement was in the air, it would be a night to remember!

Zach is a junior this year at RVA. I know he is my son but doesn't he look handsome?

These are the junior boys in Zach's dorm, Chui.

Zach in his dorm room before going out.

This is Zach and his roommate Kevin Keller.


In the middle of this picture is Zach's dorm parents from last year, Mr and Mrs. Reincheld. They came over to get a picture of all the boys that had been in their dorm before. Zach is on the far right.

Zach and his date Karina.

As they were being introduced to the crowd below.

Kevin was able to go to Kenya this past Saturday and stay the whole week helping the parents and juniors make the set for banquet. The theme was Willie Wonka as you can tell from some of the pics. below. Kevin had a great time working alongside of Zach and seeing him interact with his friends. It was an experience he wouldn't trade for anything in the world.

Zach and Kevin built this bench by themselves. I told them I would like one myself, of course without the big W on the side of it.

Kevin and Zach helped build this part too.

The Junior and senior students get to eat and watch a play for banquet. Some sophmore students are chosen to serve the food and others help with washing dishes. The play is put on by some of the juniors as well.

On the Lunsemfwa River

During the month of Feb. and March Kevin is working on the Lunsemfwa River. He drives 2 hours east to the Luangwa Bridge and then puts his boat together. He drives the boat about 1 hour to the village of Lisongwe . He is teaching T4T there which stands for Training for Trainers. Basically, it is a series of about 12 stories which he shares with the people and then they go out and share it with others during the week. At their next session together Kevin holds them accountable for going out and sharing. Please pray that these people will claim this for their own and run with it. They don't have to have a missionary come and do everything for them; baptize, teach, start other churches. They can do these things for themselves too.
A couple of weeks ago James Adair, a missionary in Kaputa Zambia, went with Kevin twice to this area. Kevin really appreciated the help and I think James had a good time too. They even got to see some hippos going and coming back. They ended up going to two different places because the people just begged them to go to their church also. Kevin ended up sharing about Pauls conversion experience and then shared about his own. When he asked if anyone else had ever received Jesus and if their lives had changed-meaning they could see how they were before they trusted Christ and could then see that afterwards their lives had changed. No one could raise their hands. That day about 20 people prayed to receive Christ.
This past week our son, Justin, was able to go out with Kevin too and had a great time. They saw a pod of about 5 hippos on the way. After so many prayed to receive Christ the week before there were still about 60 in attendance. Please pray for Kevin's protection as he travels by boat twice a week-Tuesdays and Fridays. Pray that he will not grow weary in this big task. Pray the people will really grow in their relationship with Christ. Below are some pics. that James took when they went out together.

Lunsemfwa River

This is a Hippo sticking his head up out of the water.

Kevin driving the boat.

People sitting on the bank.

People hearing the Word of God.

Kevin sharing the Word of God.

A Zambian Snack

Hannah just loves Fritas that the Zambian women sell on the side of the road. She has been begging me to make them for the last few days so today I made them for her and her friends. It is kind of like a not so sweet donut. The Zambian people eat them plain but we like to dip them in powder sugar or chocolate. Here is the recipe if you want to try something new.

Fritas

2 cups flour
2 Tblsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup warm milk or water
Mix together for 5 min. Drop into hot oil until brown.
Enjoy!

Happy Valentines Day!

Happy Valentines Day from our family to yours! Each year we make valentine holders and each member of the family fills it with a homemade valentine. We started this tradition after being at our friends house, the Davis', on a Valentines Day. We had joined in with their fun and now we do it ourselves too. Kevin left today for Kenya so he will take Zach his packet. Hope you all have a wonderful day filled with love!

Last night, Hannah asked if I could make her pizza in a heart shape. I tried making choc. chip cookies in a heart shape but they just turned into a circle. Oh well, they still tasted good.

Hannah with Dorcas, Deborah, and Mapalo. "Happy Valentines Day!"

Hannah with some of her neighborhood friends.

Hannah with our neighbor, Mapalo. He is such a sweet little boy and he just loves for Hannah to play with him.

Valentine Traditions

Hundreds of years ago in England, many children dressed up as s on Valentine's Day. They went singing from home to home. One verse they sang was:

Good morning to you, valentine;
Curl your locks as I do mine ---
Two before and three behind.
Good morning to you, valentine.

In Wales wooden love spoons were carved and given as gifts on February 14th. Hearts, keys and keyholes were favourite decorations on the spoons. The decoration meant, "You unlock my heart!"

In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They would wear these names on their sleeves for one week. To wear your heart on your sleeve now means that it is easy for other people to know how you are feeling.

In some countries, a young woman may receive a gift of clothing from a young man. If she keeps the gift, it means she will marry him.

Some people used to believe that if a woman saw a robin flying overhead on Valentine's Day, it meant she would marry a sailor. If she saw a sparrow, she would marry a poor man and be very happy. If she saw a goldfinch, she would marry a millionaire.

A love seat is a wide chair. It was first made to seat one woman and her wide dress. Later, the love seat or courting seat had two sections, often in an S-shape. In this way, a couple could sit together -- but not too closely!

Think of five or six names of boys or girls you might marry, As you twist the stem of an apple, recite the names until the stem comes off. You will marry the person whose name you were saying when the stem fell off.

Pick a dandelion that has gone to seed. Take a deep breath and blow the seeds into the wind. Count the seeds that remain on the stem. That is the number of children you will have.

If you cut an apple in half and count how many seeds are inside, you will also know how many children you will have.

Roses are Red- Valentine's Who?

According to Hallmark-and they should know-one hundred eighty-eight million Valentine's Day cards are exchanged each year, and that does not even include the countless packaged kids' valentines that are given. When thinking about this day, we might picture stressed young men poring over racks and racks of pink and lace at the last minute, but in fact, over 80 percent of all Valentines are purchased by women.

We know that the tyranny of finding and sending the perfect card is all the fault of one man, who died hundreds and hundreds of years ago -Saint Valentine. Or is it? As it turns out, the first commercial Valentine's Day greeting cards produced in the U.S. were created in the 1840s by Esther A. Howland, and Valentine may not be who we think him to be.

Pope Gelasius I first proclaimed the Feast of Saint Valentine in 496, even though he was one of those "...whose names are justly reverenced among men, but whose acts are known only to God." In fact, "Valentinus" is the name of several martyred saints of ancient Rome. Until 1969, the Catholic Church formally recognized eleven Valentines. Our Valentine first appeared in the Nuremberg Chronicle, 1493, with a woodcut portrait and text stating that he was a Roman priest martyred during the reign of Claudius II (also known as Claudius the Goth and Claudius the Cruel) and was buried on the Via Flaminia. But you won't find him there today. In 1836, remains exhumed from the catacombs were claimed to be those of St Valentine and were transported to the Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church in Dublin, Ireland. Many tourists visit the saintly remains on St. Valentine's Day, when the casket is carried in solemn procession to the high altar for a special Mass dedicated to young people and all those in love. Alleged relics of the saint are also to be found in France, Vienna, Rome, and in Scotland.

In Legenda Aurea (a popular medieval book about the lives of saints), Saint Valentine was persecuted as a Christian by Emperor Claudius II. Claudius was impressed by Valentine and had a discussion with him, attempting to get him to convert to Roman paganism in order to save his life. Valentine refused and tried to convert Claudius to Christianity instead. Because of this, he was beaten with clubs and stoned. When that didn't finish Valentine off, he was beheaded outside the Flaminian Gate (circa 269). Before his execution, he is reported to have performed a miracle by healing the blind daughter of his jailer.

This story isn't at all romantic, so embellishments were added portraying Valentine as a priest who refused a law ordering that young men remain single (as to make for better soldiers). Supposedly, our romantic priest Valentine performed marriage ceremonies for young men in secret, and when Claudius found out, he had Valentine thrown in jail. This revised history ends with the doomed priest writing the first "Valentine" to a young girl-either his beloved or the jailer's daughter, whom he had healed. The note was said to contain the inscription, "From your Valentine," and was unadorned with any hearts or cherubs.

During the Middle Ages, people in England and France held a popular belief that birds started to look for a mate beginning on February 14. This popular notion further strengthened the idea that the Valentine's Day festival that fell in the middle of February should be celebrated as the day of love and romance. The concept soon gained ground amongst the lovers, and they began to celebrate the day by exchanging love notes and simple gifts like flowers.

Regardless of the veracity of these St. Valentine's Day stories, as we approach February 14th we should remember those who have gone before us, dying for our faith and pray that in the face of opposition we would be able to stay true to the Lover of our souls as this great saint did.

Ned Bustard

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The Shack

I just finished reading a book called The Shack by William P. Young. I thought it was quite thought provoking and would highly recommend the book. I did struggle with some of the things that he said but I believe that God used the book to help me think out of the box a little. I put a little advertisement over in the sidebar if you want to check it out. You can also go to http://www.theshackbook.com

Mackenzie Allen Philips’ youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack's world forever.

Last Pics. on Buckets of Love

When Jesse was here, she not only went out with our team but she also went with some missionaries living in Lusaka and a local pastor and his wife to deliver buckets to terminally ill people. Here are some pictures that were taken in Lusaka.

Pastors wife Teresa Zulu, pictured on the right, prays for this patient and family.

Pastor Mishak Zulu delivering a "bucket of love" to a patient.

Missionary, Troy Lewis, preparing to take buckets out.

Great Pics.

This past week when our team went out and delivered the buckets, we had a visitor along with us. Her name is Jesse Lyautey and she took all these wonderful pics. you see dealing with the buckets. She did a great job and I thought I would share a few more pics. with you. Hopefully, in the next couple of days I will have some more stories for you. My prayer is that these faces will get into your mind and help you to remember to pray for the Zambian people.