Kitwe

 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

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

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

 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

 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

 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!

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!

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!