Why?

Seems I think to myself "why?" a lot.  Why did I grow up in the US and have a good family, a nice home, and my needs were taken care of? Why did I never have to worry about where my next meal was coming from?  You get the picture.  Yesterday I went to Ng'ombe compound to give a BGR bucket to a woman.  Before we even went, one of the caregivers told me that it was really bad.  I assumed that meant that the patient was really bad off because I have seen some pretty bad things before.  As we entered the small two room house the smell of urine overtook our nostrils.  We stood in the doorway for a couple of minutes for our eyes to adjust to the darkness.  A man fumbled around to find a small stub of a candle to light so we could see.  Then we slowly walked into the next room where the patient, Amai Ngoma, lay on the dirt floor in her own urine.  As I sat on the small bench my mind raced with questions.  Why had she had a stroke?  How long had she been living like this? Why did this family not take better care of this woman? Why did she not have any food?  Why did they not clean her up?  Why was this huge crack in the mud wall?  What would happen to this woman after a big rain and the house falls down?  The caregivers I went with said for me to talk fast. Amai Ngoma sat up with help.  I then quickly introduced ourselves and showed her the things in the bucket.  She kept leaning to the side like she was going to fall over so we had her lie down.  Then they asked me to pray for her.  As I knelt beside her and held her hand, I prayed for Amai Ngoma.  She squeezed my hand when I finished and said, "thank you."  As we were leaving I knew in my heart I couldn't go back to my comfortable home and bed that night without doing something else to help this woman.  So we went and bought enough food for a few days, some washing powder, some charcoal, and two meters of a mat so she wouldn't be lying in the dirt.  It will also be easier for them to clean.  We turned around and went back to the home.  Her caregiver was still there and she began smiling so big when she saw us holding all this stuff.  She immediately started preparing the charcoal so she could fix some food for Amai Ngoma.  When we left the second time I felt better knowing that she would at least go to bed that night with a full stomach and a more comfortable place to sleep.  I still cried when I got home. I still had trouble sleeping.  When I awoke this morning my first thoughts were of this woman. I also thought of the thousands of others in this compound who were probably in similar situations.  Can I make a difference in the lives of everyone in this compound?  No, it is impossible.  All I can do is be obedient to what God tells me to do one family at a time. Because the caregivers were rushing me I was not able to share Christ with this woman.  Pray that I will have the opportunity to go back and share the gospel with her. Pray for her to come to know Christ if she doesn't already.  Pray that her family would take better care of her.  Pray that I will not complain so much and be more thankful for all that God has blessed me with.

Thanksgiving!

 Last week we celebrated Thanksgiving with our mission family.  Most everyone was in Lusaka for a Team leaders meeting, Thanksgiving, and then a prayer retreat.  

 We had lots of yummy food!  We even had a turkey and ham!

 

 Luke getting ready to eat.

 

 the youth

 

Kenley posing for the picture.

 

 Gerri Helton is retiring in January.  Jeff L. is presenting her with a book about Zambia which all the missionaries signed.

 Here Gerri is with the quilt we all contributed to and Mary T. put together.  It is beautiful!

 During our prayer retreat we recognized people who have served on the field for a while.  Above, Robyn L. is receiving a certificate for serving with the imb for 10 years.  

 

 Steve and Rita 5 years!

 Kenny and Lesley-5 years

 Mark W.=5 years

 John M. teaching during prayer retreat.

 Melissa Frady-10 years of service

 

We also gave out certificates to the kids.  Gerri H. prayed for them.

 

 Another cute picture of Kenley.

 Mary Margaret, James, Kyle, and Dawnya led worship.

Our mission family

Week of Prayer

 Week of Prayer

 November 30 – December 7, 2014

Scripture: Matthew 28:19-20

Missionaries’ No. 1 need is for prayer support – focused, continuous prayers not only for themselves but for the people to whom they bring the love of Christ.

To help churches know how to pray strategically, why to give sacrificially and how to come alongside missionaries to reach the lost, WMU and IMB profile eight representative families or individuals and their people groups during annual Week of Prayer for International missions.  You can visit: 

http://www.imb.org/main/lottie-moon/default.asp to find out more information.

Let the Children Come...

On Tuesdays, Hannah, along with her friends Hadassah and Julie, go the Baptist Seminary and tell the children a bible story, sing songs, and play games.

 This little girl will be leaving this week as her parents have finished their time at the seminary.  Pray for this family as they transition back out to the bush.

 This week Heather was also able to come since she was in Lusaka.  This picture was taken with just a few of the girls there.

 playing games

Some of the children who come.  

Please pray for Hannah, Hadassah, and Julie as they teach these children each week.  May these children grow up to follow Jesus!

Would you miss a meal?

This is a great opportunity for individuals and families to get involved in giving to international missions.This is not just for Southern Baptists, anyone can give. We have SO MANY friends and families who would love to give to support the work that we are doing, but don't know how.

It's simple: 1. Skip your meal, 2. Take a pic of you with your empty plate, tag with # forthemission and post on twitter, fb, instagram. 3. Then donate the $10 you would have spent on a meal (per person) to global missions through IMB. You can do that by texting 4mission to 80888* or giving online at imb.org/meal.....It's easy!

Want to enlist others? Here are some more ways you can help get the good news across the oceans.
–Enlist your small group to take the Miss a Meal challenge. Instead of offering refreshments at your next gathering, power up your laptop and let people donate on site.
–Utilize the Miss a Meal campaign as a family missions moment. Pull out a globe or use this fantastic map online at http://www.imb.org/women/liveit.asp to introduce your kids to God’s heart for the nations. Ask your kids if they would be willing to forgo lunch (or a snack if your children are younger). If your children are too young to skip a meal, you can still donate as a family.
–Get your women’s ministries involved by issuing a church-wide challenge
The Miss a Meal campaign is an easy global mission project that encourages
missional living and missions awareness with absolutely ZERO set up! As the
leader, set a goal for the total number of meals missed and a projected completion date.
Issue the challenge and see how many donations you can collect! Be sure to retweet and share
your church members photos on your church’s social media sites to snowball your efforts.
Ready? Set! Go Miss a Meal

Day of Prayer and Fasting November 19th

The Ebola death toll quickly approaches 5,000 souls in West Africa. Prayer is essential — Christian workers, volunteers and many who do not know Jesus come in contact with this virus daily.

P R A Y
Every time you wash your hands or shake hands, think of those who are not allowed to be touched because of Ebola. Ask God to relieve their suffering and provide critical care for their needs.
Pray for the epidemic to be stopped in its tracks.
Pray for orphans who have lost parents, homes, belongings and extended family.
Pray for Ebola survivors – many are now ostracized by their communities.
Praise God that people are opening their hearts to the Gospel for the first time because of Christian workers who have stayed and are sharing in Guinea and beyond.
Prayerfully consider not cancelling mission trips to parts of Africa that are unaffected by the virus. Many countries are, in fact, thousands of miles from any cases of Ebola.
Ask God how He wants to use you in the midst of this crisis to make His Name known.
Join the Facebook event to learn more: http://bit.ly/EbolaDayofPrayer

T A K E A C T I O N
Fast for one or more meals. During the time you would spend eating, pray and get involved:
• donate to Ebola response projects in Liberia and Togo.
• write a letter to an Ebola survivor in Liberia.
• find out if members of your church’s people group have emigrated to the U.S. or Europe, and plan a mission trip there instead.

Join the Facebook event to learn more: http://bit.ly/EbolaDayofPrayer