Kind Words

Let the words of my mouth and the mediation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Psalm 19:14

Yesterday, I taught the women of Chimusanya: 1-a Christian family must use kind words, 2- We can get strength from God to use kind words, 3- Psalm 19:14 shows us how to have kind speech.

After the lesson the women had lots of good questions. One in particular stood out to me. One woman asked, "If your husband is not a Christian and then right as you are leaving to go to church he tells you to do some things and that he doesn't want you to go to church, what can you do?" Many Zambian families to not worship together. You will find most often that the wife will go to one church and the husband to another. Then sometimes you will find where one in the relationship won't go at all. Because I mainly work with women it is their side I always hear. There were two single women in the group whom I encouraged to make sure that they married a Christian man. I wanted them to learn from these other women who are not happy or having trouble with their spouse because they are unequally yoked. It can cause much hardship later on in your relationship if you are not both like-minded. It made me truly thankful for my Godly husband(which by the way is coming home finally tomorrow!). After all the questions, we memorized Psalm 19:14(above) by using some hand motions. They liked doing that a lot. We talked a bit about memorizing scripture and how difficult it may seem if you can not read. So we used hand motions for this one and then we talked about another way by making a song out of the verse to help us learn it. I even sang a song for them which was based on Matt. 22:37-39 to give them an example. As soon as I finished one of the women in the back raised her hand and said that she all ready knew of a song based on what we talked about that day. She is going to practice it this week and share it with us next week.

May we always ask God to daily help us to speak kind words to others especially in our homes where unfortunately it can be more difficult at times.

She still speaks

By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead. Hebrews 11:4

Sunday afternoon I got news that my friend Amai Banda had died. She was my friend from Silver Rest Baptist Church where I was teaching about one year ago. She is the woman who had diabetes and had to have her leg cut off at the knee. Evidently, last week two of her toes on the other foot had fallen off and when she went to the doctor they said they would have to cut off her other leg as well. It was after her surgery that she got worse and then died.

This morning I went with some of my other Zambian friends to visit the home of Amai Banda. We entered a room about 10 ft wide and 12 ft long. All the furniture was taken outside where the men sat. Only about 25 women were in this room plus the two men that came with us. We all sat on the floor bunched together. There was much wailing. We all greeted, sang, prayed, and then wailed some more. Then they turned it over to me to share. I brought the book, Voices of the Faithful II with me because I had written a devotion in there regarding Amai Banda. I read that days devotion and then shared Heb. 11:4 mentioned above. I tried to encourage the family and friends that even now after Amai Banda has died her testimony will still live on.

I can’t copy that devotion on here but if you have the book it is found on Aug. 16^th. Now, on that day, people all over America will be praying for Amai Banda and won’t even know that she has passed away. While that is sad to me, I know that people will be encouraged by her testimony and perhaps even challenged to be a witness for Jesus. Amai Banda was a good friend, mother, grandmother, church member, and wife. She sacrificed much to serve God with one leg. I feel sure she is doing some kind of African dance praising Jesus even now. Many will miss her presence but hopefully they will be encouraged that even though she is dead she still speaks.

She will be buried on Wed. Please pray for Amai Banda's family during this difficult time. I gave the family the book, Voices of the Faithful II. They were so grateful to have this book.

Amai Banda is the one in the middle with a green head wrap on and a gray shirt.

It's Great to be out teaching again

This past Thursday I began teaching at Chimusanya Baptist Church. Leslie went with me for the afternoon. After driving 1 hour and 15 min. we reached the church and all the women came out singing to greet us. There were 22 women that came that day and 4 of them were from the New Apostolic church. I think they just came to see the white woman and hear what she had to say. I taught on giving tithes and offerings and used the story of the poor widow who gave all she had, found in Mark 12:41-44. Leslie read some verses for us in Chichewa from Malachi 3:8-12 and did a great job. Leslie and her husband Kenny are living in Chongwe for a year studying language before they move to their place of service in Luangwa in July. Anyway, I asked them some questions concerning what the difference is in tithing and offerings. They understood that pretty well. But when I asked them if we should give money in order to get money from God they were a bit confused. They said yes to that question. I wasn't that surprised by their answer because there is such a TBN mentality among some of our churches. While it is true that the bible says he will bless us it does not say we will get rich. Also, even though God said he would bless us, it doesn't mean that we give just so that we will get. I think that the verses in Malachi are saying that if we choose to be generous in our giving, God will keep giving to us so that we can continue to give to others. Giving our tithes is our way of worshiping God, its like we are saying that we trust in God to provide for our needs. I also asked them if they believed this scripture that we had just read. When they all answered yes, I challenged them on it because in our churches at offering time so little is given. There may be 75 people in church and the offering will be k9,000 which is about $2.00. The truth is that our people are not tithing. However, if there is a wedding or a kitchen party(like a bridal shower) people will spend about k50,000 on a gift(about $10.00). I challenged them to think about how much their church gives during the offering time. If they really believed these verses they would cheerfully give so much more. I asked them to do a skit on the verses we had read from Mark. They did a great job on that. It was cute how they used lots of leaves to represent their money in the offering plate. When I finished they sang some songs for us and then loaded us down with gifts of mango's, bananas, and a drink called Monkoyo. They were such a blessing. Please pray for me as I continue to teach there for the next few months.

What to do when....

......nothing seems to be going right. I have had a few days where I have felt like that since Kevin has been gone. Just to name a few: Hannah has been sick, 3 rabbits got out of the cage and our smallest dog killed them, our toilet seat broke off, two of our security lights went out, I had to mow our yard, and huge black ants have invaded our yard and decided to live in it(a lot of diesel took care of that). Another one of our dogs killed a big puff adder(poisonous snake) in our yard but got bit in the process. I'm not even a dog lover and hardly even touch the dogs but I had to pick this 45lb. dog up and put her in the back of our truck and seek medical attention. When I looked down at my shirt and saw lots of dog hairs and dog slobber I said, "I have got to win mother of the year for this one!" This has all been since Sunday, but really, every other day has been just fine. I sure do miss Kevin and not just when things are going wrong. It does make me appreciate him even more though when I have to do the things that he normally takes care of. Also, I appreciate the fact that his love language is Acts of Service. I have realized this past week that I sometimes take him for granted-what a mistake! I know that women can do all these things that men usually take care of but I just don't enjoy those kind of things. It doesn't bother me one bit that God created men to do some things better than women. I also know that God designed women to do some things better than men. I personally think that God knew what he was doing when he made men and women. Do men actually enjoy those kinds of things like I mentioned above? They must or either they just want to please us women. Either way, I am thankful for the husband that God gave me. What a special gift from God he is to me!

So what do you do when nothing seems to be going right? Do you just hide from the world? Do you just stay in bed and cry all day? No, you just have to relax and take a breath, trust God, and pray. I have learned something about myself this week. That is, that I don't always handle stressful situations too well. Especially if Kevin is not around or if things happen first thing in the morning before I even have time to have a QT and breakfast! Another thing I have learned this week is that God is faithful in any and every circumstance.

I find rest in God; only he gives me hope. Psalm 62:5

So our hope is in the Lord. He is our help, our shield to protect us. Psalm 33:20

I wait for the Lord to help me, and I trust his word. Psalm 130:5

My God will use his wonderful riches in Christ Jesus to give you everything you need. Phil. 4:19

I can do all things through Christ, because he gives me strength. Phil 4:13

Praise the Lord, God our Savior, who helps us every day. Psalm 68:19

Burned Biscuits

Here's a short little story with a great message!

When I was a little boy, my mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. And I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work. On that evening so long ago, my mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burned biscuits in front of my dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed! Yet all my dad did was reach for his biscuit, smile at my mom and ask me how my day was at school. I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that biscuit and eat every bite! When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my mom apologize to my dad for burning the biscuits. And I'll never forget what he said: "Baby, I love burned biscuits." Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he really liked his biscuits burned.. He wrapped me in his arms and said, "Your Momma put in a hard day at work today and she's real tired.. And besides - a little burnt biscuit never hurt anyone!" You know, life is full of imperfect things......and imperfect people I'm not the best housekeeper or cook. What I've learned over the years is that learning to accept each other's faults - and choosing to celebrate each other's differences - is one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting relationship. And that's my prayer for you today. That you will learn to take the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of your life and lay them at the feet of God. Because in the end, He's the only One who will be able to give you a relationship where a burnt biscuit isn't a deal-breaker! -- Author Unknown

Just to make you smile.....

I got these as a forward and thought I would share them with you. Hope it makes you smile like it did me!

MK Camp

MK Camp 2009/2010

Last week the boys were able to join their friends from all over Southern Africa and attend mk camp. Zach has been going every year since he was 12. It is a time that they both look forward to so much. A group of volunteers from the states usually come and lead in worship and teaching. This was Zach's last camp since he will be graduating in July. It was so hard to say bye to his friends that he has grown to care about so much. I wrote recently in a blog about giving to Lottie Moon that this next year all of our meetings will be canceled because of the lack of funds. This also includes the camp for all the missionary kids. The boys told me that while at camp they made a video to send to churches to help promote Lottie Moon. I think that was a fantastic idea and I'm so proud of all of our mk's to take part in that. If it goes on Youtube I'll let you know in another post. None of these are my pics. since of course I was not there but I have gotten them off of Facebook. Enjoy!

Justin, KB, and Zach

They had a masquerade party one night and they made their own masks. Zach is in the middle with the blue shirt on.

They do lots of fun activities outside in groups. They also get to swim some.

Zach enjoys helping with the worship times. This girl had written a song about mk's and asked Zach to play his guitar along with her.

sitting around the campfire.

After camp is over all the kids go to McDonalds for lunch. Can you imagine about 60 kids all in blue camp t-shirts lining up at McDonalds? What a treat for them to be able to eat there!

Zach hanging out at a friends house waiting to fly back to Zambia

Top Ten New Year's Resolutions

New Year's Eve has always been a time for looking back to the past, and more importantly, forward to the coming year. It's a time to reflect on the changes we want (or need) to make and resolve to follow through on those changes.
When I was a young girl I would work so hard on making a list of New Year's Resolutions and then trying to make it all happen all on my own only to give up after a few weeks. Probably around the time I went to college I just stopped making these resolutions because I felt like it was a waste of time since I would always fail and give up after such a short time. I found this on the internet and thought it was kind of funny to see what Americans these days are trying to overcome. I'll end it with a few more thoughts so make sure you look all the way at the end.

1. Spend More Time with Family & Friends

Recent polls conducted by General Nutrition Centers, Quicken, and others shows that more than 50% of Americans vow to appreciate loved ones and spend more time with family and friends this year.

2. Fit in Fitness

The evidence is in for fitness. Regular exercise has been associated with more health benefits than anything else known to man. Studies show that it reduces the risk of some cancers, increases longevity, helps achieve and maintain weight loss, enhances mood, lowers blood pressure, and even improves arthritis. In short, exercise keeps you healthy and makes you look and feel better.

3. Tame the Bulge

Over 66 percent of adult Americans are considered overweight or obese by recent studies, so it is not surprising to find that weight loss is one of the most popular New Year's resolutions. Setting reasonable goals and staying focused are the two most important factors in sticking with a weight loss program, and the key to success for those millions of Americans who made a New Year's commitment to shed extra pounds.

4. Quit Smoking

If you have resolved to make this the year that you stamp out your smoking habit, over-the-counter availability of nicotine replacement therapy now provides easier access to proven quit-smoking aids. Even if you've tried to quit before and failed, don't let it get you down. On average, smokers try about four times before they quit for good. Start enjoying the rest of your smoke-free life!

5. Enjoy Life More

Given the hectic, stressful lifestyles of millions of Americans, it is no wonder that "enjoying life more" has become a popular resolution in recent years. It's an important step to a happier and healthier you!

6. Quit Drinking

While many people use the New Year as an incentive to finally stop drinking, most are not equipped to make such a drastic lifestyle change all at once. Many heavy drinkers fail to quit cold turkey but do much better when they taper gradually, or even learn to moderate their drinking.

7. Get Out of Debt

Was money a big source of stress in your life last year? Join the millions of Americans who have resolved to spend this year getting a handle on their finances. It's a promise that will repay itself many times over in the year ahead.

8. Learn Something New

Have you vowed to make this year the year to learn something new? Perhaps you are considering a career change, want to learn a new language, or just how to fix your computer? Whether you take a course or read a book, you'll find education to be one of the easiest, most motivating New Year's resolutions to keep.

9. Help Others

A popular, non-selfish New Year's resolution, volunteerism can take many forms. Whether you choose to spend time helping out at your local library, mentoring a child, or building a house, there are many nonprofit volunteer organizations that could really use your help.

10. Get Organized

On just about every New Year resolution top ten list, organization can be a very reasonable goal. Whether you want your home organized enough that you can invite someone over on a whim, or your office organized enough that you can find the stapler when you need it, these tips and resources should get you started on the way to a more organized life.


The problem I have with making New Year's Resolutions is that most often people try to do this all in their own strength. Let's face it, we do not have the strength or say the will power to do some of these things on our own. As Christians, we need to trust in Jesus and allow Him to work in our lives to change us. We need to walk in the Spirit! To walk in the spirit can be a real challenge especially in America. It seems everyone and everything is competing for our affections today. Commercials try to get us to buy certain products to improve our health, our homes, our cars, and us in general. We are bombarded by improving our lives by worldly solutions. As Christians we are to focus on improving our walk with the Lord so we can be of greater service to Him. How do we improve our walk? We need to make sure that we daily spend time with God in reading His Word and spending time with Him in prayer. We need to make sure that we are obedient to do whatever it is that He asks us to do also. Keeping short accounts of our sin certainly can improve our walk-making sure we confess our sins as soon as possible and not letting them build up. We need to choose each day by faith to rely on the Holy Spirit to guide us in our thoughts, words, and deeds. How can we know if we are walking in the Spirit? We will know if our lives are showing the fruits of the spirit which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. In conclusion, we just need to walk happily with Jesus! I won't take anything from the past and I won't take anything from the future. The past is under the Blood, the future is in God's hand, and the present is mine with Him. And all I can do is to be present to Him-that is all. And if I don't have anything in the middle except Him then that is ok too. I'm just going to choose to be happy and that's all. So I guess if I were to make a New Year's Resolution it would be to just walk in the Spirit and leave everything else to Jesus! Happy New Year!-Suzie