Starting off across the Zambezi River

Friday, we started out across the river to fellowship with the believers in Mukuma. We first have to get on the pontoon ferry to cross the river then we had to drive about 2 hours to reach the church. As you can see, it was sprinkling pretty well in the morning.

11/11/11 - Happy 7th Birthday, Zoe!

For her special birthday lunch, Zoe chose chicken nuggets, french fries and lemon icebox pie. Jeff made the chicken nuggets and fries while I made the pie. We are so grateful for the blessing that Zoe is to us each day!

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering - 2011

Calling all Southern Baptist!

Please give sacrificially to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering this year.

Sweeping changes have been made in the IMB in the last 3 years because of lack of funds. Some of those changes needed to made, other changes have sadly had to limit the sending of new missionaries to the field. When Jeff was pastoring, he would exhort our church family to give more to Lottie Moon than you spend on Christmas gifts. I know that many people were very surprised by this but really, which is more important - a life changed for Christ or a toy?

Satan Strikes Again!

Living in Africa, no missionary can discount the spiritual world that swirls around us. When I lived in Texas, I didn't really give much thought to the Spirit World but living here in Zambia, we are confronted with it almost everyday - young children with woven charms around their waists, passing by the witch doctor's (traditional healer) house on our way to Sunday Worship, children and adults with white marks on their foreheads

and even amulets worn around the neck.

We are even experiencing it on a more personal level on Wednesday afternoons. The last time that we had Good News Club, several children staged a revolt right outside the gate - chanting and yelling during the Bible Story Time. Today, I noticed that our numbers were quite a bit lower than they have ever been. My helper/translator told me that some of the boys have been spreading rumors that we are taking the pictures back to America where we will sell the children. This is so heartbreaking to me because we have taken their pictures so people in America can see them and PRAY for them. This is really not too surprising to me as I have started into the stories of Jesus and Satan does not want

Jesus to be proclaimed to these children.

Please pray for God's power to be evident through the Bible stories that we tell.

Pray that His Spirit will draw the kids back to Good News Club.

Pray that the spirit of fear will be cast out of them.

Pray that they will know that they are loved by God and also by our family.

Pray for Justin - as he is one of the main boys who has been spreading these rumors.

Please just PRAY.......

Us!

This was taken just a few weeks ago.

Kids at Play (And Asleep)

Jeff is holding one of our favorite neighbors, Junior.

I guess he was quite tired and just fell asleep in Jeff's arms.

Below are the kids at play during Good News Club in our front yard.

Nicholas and Alyssa

These two were our wonderful volunteers this past week. Please pray for Nicholas and Alyssa as they return to Texas tomorrow. Pray that they will be able to process all they learned this last week and how the Lord will work in their lives through their time in Lukulu.

Good News Club!

The first two pictures of Alyssa and I teaching the kids. I reviewed a couple of previous stories and Alyssa told the story of Jesus and Nicodemus.

Game Time is always quite interesting. Here we are trying to get the kids settled into a circle so they can play Duck, Duck, Goose. It always takes quite a while to teach even the simplest games. It is all so new to them.

Me and Lavina

More Duck, Duck, Goose...

Everyday Life

We have had a volunteer team with us this past week and Alyssa has taken lots of great pictures. Since we have been here a while now, I don't think to take pictures of everything so I am so grateful that Alyssa took pictures of everything! We had walked to the market one day and the kids saw some of their friends. We all walked back home together.

Below, we are at the market - just looking around.

Below is one of the stores that we go to alot. They surprisingly have a good selection of items.

Hadassah - leading the way in the market.

Zoe and Levi with all the animals.

Bible Study at Lisheshe

Above is Jeff teaching and below are some of the children listening to Alyssa in Sunday School.

Saturday at Kashushu

Teaching the children (and a few adults) at Kashushu. You can barely see my arm in the very left of the picture.

Walking back from Saturday Bible Study at Kashushu.

We Love Buna, Texas!

Just a shout out to all our friends in Buna, Texas!

We love you, miss you and think of you so often!

More Mukuma PIctures

Here is another picture of my Sunday School class this morning.

We had a great time in Mukuma but we ALL got so dirty. This was a picture of Levi after Zoe pushed him in a mud hole. Evidently, he wasn't too worried about it all. I was even dirtier than I can remember being. The kids did fantastic! After I got used to camping out, I also enjoyed our time there with the believers. What a blessing they are to us!

The kids did get very tired and fell asleep just about any time they sat down.

Here is Hadassah waiting for supper...

Kids at Mukuma Baptist Church

I had the opportunity to teach the kids at Mukuma Baptist Church each day. When I first arrived in Zambia, I thought that I might be working more with the women but the Lord has turned my heart to the children. Each day, I taught them a different story. I taught the kids about David, Daniel and Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego. What a joy these children are to the Lord. I try to emphasize to them that the Lord knows their name and loves them so much.

The Road Less Traveled (or Driven, in our Case)

Above is the road to Mbumi. Pastor Vincent from Mukuma Baptist Church has started some new preaching points. Mbumi is a 5 hour walk for him. It took us a little over an hour to drive there. We went through very thick forests, vast bush and endless floodplains to get to Mbumi. Below are some of those at Mbumi. The Choirmaster, in orange, was teaching them some new songs. Jeff and Nicholas (volunteer from Spurger, TX) will be going back to Mbumi next week to do some leadership training with some new believers.

Two Peas in a Pod

Here are the two new additions to our family.  

On top is Jose' and enduring his love is our new kitten, Lila (long e sound).  We named the kitten Lila because she has almost cried non stop since we got her two days ago.  The SiLozi verb for 'to cry' is kulila, so therefore - her name, Lila.  We have had a time trying to socialize the kitten as she was half wild when we got her. She is coming along and allows us to hold/pet her.  She still almost cries non stop unless she is asleep or someone is holding her.

Both Lila and Jose' are the exact same coloring - white and tan.  As you can see, they are becoming friends until Lila spits and scratches Jose' then he goes off and leaves her alone until the next round.....

The Canine Factor

Just wanted to show a picture of the new addition to our family. This is Jose'. He is a 7 week old Jack Russell and brand new to our family.

We can't forget about Titus. We have had him awhile. He's a Rhodesian Ridgeback. He is just over 2 years old. He is our guard dog. Titus has to work for his food while Jose' gets fed just because he is cute.

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

While the guys were running, Melynda and I took the kids to the bridge that spans between Zimbabwe and Zambia. It spans the glorious Victoria Falls. We had quite an adventure to get there and it was a little longer walk than expected but we had a great time. Below is the Zimbabwe Border Post - Levi, Madylanne and Zoe.

This is just a glimpse of Victoria Falls. I think that I heard that the Falls actually span over a mile. It is dry season in Zambia right now but in rainy season, the whole Falls gushes with water.

Victoria Falls Marathon 2011

Jeff and Mark had a 6:30am start off.

Here is Jeff coming down the finish line.

Jeff came in at 5 hours, 57 minutes and Mark came in at 6 hours, 4 minutes. This picture was taken just after they came through the finish line.

We are so proud of them both!

Update on Levi

Levi began the week in therapy with a Language and Listening Evaluation. We got his scores yesterday and it was good news! Out of 100 (which is the average), he scored 92 on his oral and 98 on his listening which means he now falls into the NORMAL category. We are so excited for him! He continues to have speech delay issues but he has made so much progress within these last 13 months. We praise the Lord for ALL things that come from Him!

Life and Death, Darkness and Light

Two days ago, our neighbors' 35 year old son died - most likely of AIDS. There is such sorrow next door. At unexpected intervals, we can hear their sounds of grief. We went to visit them yesterday - to pray for them and share some of God's love for them. Such a burden to bear.

Four days ago, during Jeff's Tuesday Bible Study, another neighbor was saved! She is 67 years old and has never heard the truth of salvation by faith. Here, they are told that one is saved through works and not by faith. She was wondrously saved by FAITH in Christ!

Life and death just next door. Please continue to pray for the salvation of the Lozi and Luvale. Pray that we will have the words to share in all situations and opportunities.

How Can You Pray for Missionaries?

A missionary friend of mine just posted the below outline on how to pray for your missionaries. I know that I send out a monthly update with specific prayer requests for each day but these requests below really cut to the chase into the daily lives of all missionaries living all over the world. Any missionary would tell you that the battle is won or lost in prayer. We all covet your prayers and daily rely upon your support.

Thank you so much for praying for us all!

Pray that they would be confident in God's Word. (Acts 13:4-6)

Pray that they would be filled with God's Spirit. (Acts 13:7-9)

Pray for their victory in spiritual warfare. (Acts 13:9-12)

Pray for their success in gospel witness. (Acts 13:12)

Pray for peace with other believers, in their homes, and marriages. (Acts 13:13)

Pray for favor with unbelievers that they would be open to the gospel. (Acts 13:14-15)

Pray that the gospel will be clear through them (Acts 13:16-48)

• The gospel revealed in Paul's sermon
• The character of God. (Acts 13:16-26)
• The sinfulness of man. (Acts 13:27)
• The sufficiency of Christ. (Acts 13:28-38)
• The necessity of faith. (Acts 13:39-47)
• The urgency of eternity. (Acts 13:48)

Pray that God will open hearts around them. (Acts 13:48)

Pray for their joy in the midst of suffering. (Acts 13:49-52)

Pray for their kindness in the midst of slander. (Acts 14:1-2, Matthew 10:22)

Pray for supernatural power to accompany them. (Acts 14:3)

Pray for Christlike humility to characterize them. (Acts 14:4-18)

Pray for their patience. (Acts 14:18)

Pray for their perserverance (Acts 14:19-20)

Pray that God would use them to make many disciples. (Acts 14:21-23)

Pray that God would use them to multiply churches.

• Churches filled with people who know the Word of God. (Acts 14:22)
• Churches led by pastors who teach the Word of God. (Acts 14:23)

Prayer outline is taken from a sermon of David Platt's called "Fasting That Changes the World".

Stepping Out in Faith...

We have been very encouraged the last two Sundays that we have met with the group of believers in Lisheshe/Kashushu. Saturday, when Jeff went to Kashushu for Bible Study the area chief came and met with us and assured us the plot of land has been given to the people. What wonderful news and we give God all the praise and honor and glory for these results. However, the body of believers have decided to wait until the case is heard on the 23rd of August before they clear the land. They don't want there to be any problems. We think this is a good idea.

So, please continue to pray concerning the plot. Also, Sunday morning, our group of believers decided to have what we refer to as an informal business meeting and voted to step out in faith and begin to secure the poles that will be necessary to build a permanent structure to meet. They know a place about 14 kilometers outside of Lukulu to cut good poles for a structure. This week one of the believers will find out the cost to transport the poles to one of the believers homes.

Please pray that the believers will give so the cost of the transport can be paid and the poles delivered and please pray that the enemy and his workers will not gain any foothold within this group so that God's work will not be hampered.

Advance Warning...

Just wanted to give you some advance warning and ask you to pray for The Good News Club on Wednesday, August 10th. We begin at 5pm which is 11am EST and 10am CST. Jeff leaves for Lusaka on Tuesday and will return on Sunday afternoon. Which means he will not be here to help with the kids on Wednesday. All the kids got out of school on last Friday for a month. Even when the kids were in school, we were running about 70 – 80 kids.

So, I am asking that you might start now – praying for a great day of Good News Club. Pray that the kids will listen well during the Bible study. Pray that they will understand God’s love for them. Pray that we will be able to manage all the kids. Pray that the game time will be organized and fun for all. Pray, pray, pray!

Also, Jeff leaves for Lusaka on Tuesday morning , the 9^th, and will not return until Sunday afternoon, the 14th. I never like it when Jeff is gone but this time, I am really liking it even less. Please pray for the kids and I as we hold down the home front here in Lukulu.

This Just In...

I literally just took this picture a few minutes ago of SOME, not all, of the kids who are waiting outside the fence for Good News Club. They have been amassing since about 3pm. We usually let them in about 4:15pm and then we start our ministry at 5pm. Please continue to pray that the children will know that they are special and that God loves them.