Prayer for 40/40

One of the key factors in missionary effectiveness and longevity on the field is a dynamic, effective orientation program. So many missionaries spend years of frustration trying to learn the language and adjust to the culture. While it is true that language and cultural learning is a lifetime process, this process can be streamlined and quickened if new missionaries go through an effective orientation program, that teaches them to avoid common pitfalls as well as how to adapt to any cultural or language environment. The majority of the information that is given is experiential, where the compounds and villages of Africa are the classroom, and the common
man/woman of Africa is the teacher. Our goal is to teach our participants how to learn from Africans and how to learn to ask the right questions. 40 days and 40 nights (or 40/40) is just that type of program. New missionaries to our region will be coming next week to go through this month long program. The first part of it will be in the capitol city of Lusaka, then we move to a rural setting in Petauke, the participants stay 3 nights with a Zambian family, and then we finish up at a lodge a little north of Lusaka.
As 40/40 is quickly approaching, I thought I would send out some prayer requests if you would like to participate in holding the ropes for this program, the participants, the staff, and all the helpers.

1-Arrival day is Oct. 22nd. Please pray for safe travel for all the participants and their children.
2-Pray for quick acclamation to the weather, time change, food, water, and sleeping conditions. Pray everyone will stay healthy throughout 40/40.
3-Pray for all the staff to be an encouragement to the participants. Pray for good rest, strength and endurance.
4-Each day the participants will be going out either in Lusaka or Petauke with a Zambian helper and doing daily field assignments. Pray that the helpers will take them to the best place and follow the assignment. Pray that each participant will learn from the helpers and the people they
interview to grow in their knowledge of African Culture.
5-There are 8 children this time(plus our two). Pray that the children will faithfully do their school work and also learn about African culture. Pray they will make lasting friendships with the other mk's. Pray for good attitudes. Pray the children will be well taken care of and feel secure, especially the younger ones. We have two babies and two preschoolers. It is sometimes tough for them to be away from mom and dad during the day.
6-Oct. 31st is the day that the participants will be going out and sharing Creation to Christ with our Zambian brothers and sisters. Pray that many will come to Know Jesus and that we can get them plugged into one of our Baptist churches.
7-Nov. 2nd the families will be going to a Zambian church with their helpers and eating with them. Pray for great learning experiences. Pray also that they will not get sick.
8-Nov. 3rd we all travel to Petauke. Pray for safe travel and quick
adjustment to living at camp.
9-Nov. 14th is the day that the participants will go for their home stays. Pray that each family, unit, and couple will have a great experience. Usually, this is what participants are most anxious about but it ends up being what they enjoy the best.
10-Nov. 17th Everyone travels to Ibis Gardens for a couple of days of debriefing and learning PILOT(language tool). Pray for safe travel as this is a very long day for them. Pray everyone will be healthy also. It is hard to be in a bus that long if you have to keep going to the bathroom.
11-Nov. 21st is departure day for most everyone. Pray for everyone as they travel home to have a safe trip. Pray that they will take all that they learned during 40/40 and apply it to where they will be.
We really would appreciate all those who will pray.

Preparing for 40/40

This Wednesday our next session of 40/40 starts. There is so much to do for all the staff to prepare for this program before the participants arrive. I just had to include this picture of Kevin because his office looks totally disorganized. In fact, when I went in that day, I could hardly believe it because his office is always so neat and organized. Of course, he would say he knew where everything was but it sure doesn't look like it. He was putting together notebooks for the participants to use for their language learning time.
Today we will be shifting to Lusaka and will be staying at our guesthouse there for the next two weeks. I will try to keep you updated with pictures and all that we are doing. We really would appreciate your prayers. I will send out some prayer requests in a couple of days.

Temptation

Today when I got to Silver Rest Baptist Church the women asked if we could travel to Amai Banda's house for our meeting. She had missed the last few meetings because she has been in the clinic and not feeling well. So, we all piled in the truck and headed to her house. She was so excited that we came. I taught on the temptation of Jesus from Luke 4:1-13. After teaching, I asked the women to share one thing that they had learned from God during these last few months that I had been with them since this was our last time together. I was so excited to hear all that God had taught them. One woman went through about 5 of the stories I had taught her and shared what she had learned. Praise God! In the above picture you can see me with my friends from Silver Rest Baptist Church.

These are just some of Amai Banda's grandchildren. If you will remember, she has 23!

Next, I went to Chainda II Baptist Church and taught the same lesson. The women had some questions about temptations and how God could allow that to happen. It was exciting to share scripture with them and see them finally piece things together in their minds. They now realize that like Jesus they too can quote the Word of God to fight Satan!
Each week, at Chainda, we each have to lead in a song. This week, they did several songs that included some dancing. Now, just so you will know, Zambian women can dance. I think they must be double jointed in their hips or something. On this one song, they called each of us by name and then we had to dance to the front and then do a dance. They all enjoyed laughing at the white woman trying to dance like them! It was so much fun!
I have so enjoyed going these last few months to teach all these women. I'm sad that our time is finished though. We are about to start 40/40 so we will be out for one month. When we finish with that I will be seeking where else I can go and teach. Pray that I will know just where God wants me.

This is Petranella, one of the babies of the women I teach. Is she a cutie or what? You can believe that I have squeezed this one a few times!

Toothless

A couple of weeks ago, Deborah, came to me and showed me her very loose tooth. She then asked me if I would pull it for her. Well, I never pulled any of my children's teeth, that was always Kevin's job. I was so afraid I would hurt her but when I pulled it she didn't even cry. We got her all cleaned up and then went and showed her father. I felt kind of bad because after pulling it I realized it was her first tooth to be loose. Her father did not mind though and did not want to pull the one next to it which was also very loose. When I asked Deborah if she wanted me to pull the other one too she quickly said no. So, it must have hurt worse than she let on. Since that time it has been pulled so now she is missing her two bottom front teeth.
Zambians, do not put their pulled teeth under their pillow at night. Traditionally, after pulling the tooth, they tie it to a piece of charcoal and throw it in the rubbish pit without looking. They would do this so that a witch wouldn't be able to find it and so that another tooth would grow back in their mouth. Then there are some that throw it on the roof of the house so that another will grow in its place. These days, mostly they do nothing but throw it away.

Yipee!! We had our first rain!

The sky was dark and the thunder rolled but I just didn't think that it would rain. It hasn't rained since last April. It isn't supposed to start raining until late in Oct. but normally not until November. However, as usual, we were all proven wrong about when it would rain because God is the only one who knows exactly when that will happen. For two hours it rained and there was even some hail at first. These pictures were taken in Lusaka where we were yesterday afternoon. We heard that we only had a small shower in Chongwe for about 30 min. It was amazing how much it cooled things off though.
Please pray that the rainy season will be just enough so that the people's crops would be good this year.

In this picture some of us are on the porch but for a while the kids were out playing and dancing in the rain. We were all so happy to see rain.

Bible Drill

The last couple of times that I have been to my women's meeting on Thursdays we have been doing some Bible Drills. I will call out a scripture reference and then the women will race to see who can find it first. If the women don't know how to read I will call out a book of the Bible and they have to tell me if it is in the old or new testament. I started this because during my lessons I would tell them a scripture to look up and it would take them about 3-4 min. to find it. It's amazing how much faster they have gotten in just two weeks.
Yesterday, I taught the ladies about leadership. It wasn't a story that I told this time but scripture from 1 Tim 3:1-13. I had more of a problem trying to communicate in their language than usual. Maybe because I was using words that I'm not that familiar with when talking about the qualifications of oversears and decons and it being a list of things. Anyway, I pray the ladies got something out of it.

A little frustrated in Chongwe

The power was off today right at 12 hours. The power situation just isn't getting any better. Our power company is saying that the load shedding should be better by March of 2009 or towards the end of 2010. I'm praying towards March personally.
Today I called two different locations to find out what the problem was and I got two different answers. First, I called the Chongwe office and they said we were experiencing load shedding because the chiefteness' brother had passed away. The funeral is tomorrow so they cut our power today so that they would have it during the funeral through tomorrow night. They thought it should be on by 2:00 though. Then I called the Lusaka office located in the capitol city. They said it was also load shedding but because they were doing maintanence work at one of the stations. Supposedly, it was all over Zambia that the power was a problem. After contacting several friends over Zambia I found out that it had gone out some but had not been off all day like here. The power finally came on at 4:45pm. Just thought you may be interested in hearing a little bit of the frustration we face sometimes. If you think about it please pray that Zesco would be able to fix the problems once and for all.

Hannah's best Zambian Friend turns 8

This week Dorcas celebrated her 8th birthday. The night before her birthday I told Hannah that the next day would be Dorcas' birthday. She was so excited she could hardly go to sleep that night because she knew that Dorcas didn't know it was her birthday. Hannah woke up early the next morning to go and give her the news. Then Dorcas, Deborah, and Hannah were jumping up and down and singing. Such Fun!

This is the cake I made for her.

Deborah, Hannah, and Dorcas

Hannah and Dorcas have been friends since they were 18 months old. It has been neat to watch them grow up together.