Christmas together

We decided to bring the two churches I am working with together for a small Christmas celebration on Saturday and Sunday.  We had to transport the Big Tree people to the Chinjala church which was a bit tricky in itself but it all worked out. After starting off at 9:15 am we didnt actually get to Chinjala until around 1:30! We started the services around 2 pm; had 2 full church services complete with lots of singing, some preaching, and all sorts of excitement. Saturday finished around 11 pm amidst heavy rains but no one seemed to notice. After some sleep, we started up again at 10 am with some more church singing, choir groups, testimonies, and preaching. It was a wonderful time to think of God being manifest in the flesh and the fantastic gift of salvation His life, death, and resurrection presents to mankind. Every "gift" has a cost and we learned the price paid for the "gift of eternal life" was at Calvary. Wow! Humbling. Many people came to call on Jesus and receive the free gift. So thankful to see our Lord working among the people and bring forgiveness of sin, hope of eternal life, and peace to the heart.

Sunday School

I know we just posted about Sunday school last month but it always thrills me to see little children learning from God's word at an early age! We normally have more children but because of a nearby funeral and recent heavy rains, there were some that didnt come. Please be praying for our little group to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour and that they will willfully follow the ways and words of Jesus!

crowded room

With the rainy season upon us, we were not able to meet under our Big Tree. We are in the process of building a church building but it is not yet completed. So, this last Wednesday we all crowded into a woman's house and attempted to have a Bible study. There were about 22 adults and maybe 8-10 children packed into this small room... although a bit tight, the real problem was the lack of lighting. The only light source came from the open door... as you can see in the picture, it was pretty dark and many had no light to read their Bibles! Always some sort of challenge around here - it turned out to be a great Bible study (although, who knows,  maybe everyone was sleeping) and I believe we were all encouraged and challenged!

Sunday School Dance

This last Sunday the teacher taught the children a song and small dance. They were suppose to sing the song as they danced into the church (or under the Big Tree in our case) but it didnt really work out. Nonetheless, it was fun to see the kids enjoying their time learning lessons from the Scripture and trying to put something together. They were not real loud about what they were trying to sing and apparently my video didnt pick up anything... maybe higher quality next time!?!

Our little church building - progress!

We have been meeting for the last 3 months under a tree but with the onset of the rainy season it really is not practical. So, we have decided to build a church - certainly not as cumbersome as stateside: no building permits, inspectors, or worrying about financing with the bank! Our little group of people have already cut the poles and bamboo and hopefully will have the grass cut soon (for the roof). The holes are dug and as you can see in the pictures, the "frame" of the building is complete! It is roughly 5 meters wide by 12 meters long. It may not look like much now but in the next couple weeks it will really take shape and be a place for the people to gather together to learn of Jesus and worship our God for the next many years to come!We expect our little "bush" church will be able to hold around 60 adults and possibly even more. Expansion is not usually a problem since it is just a matter of getting some new poles/bamboo and making it work! 

We are excited to see our Lord work in the hearts of these people. There are times when an inward expression of your faith and love for Christ can take on an outward action. We believe the work being done on the physical building is just a small sign of what is happening to the inside of these people! Praise the LORD!

frame of church

future Baptist Church building

Sunday School

Every week we have a crowd of small children that come to our "Big Tree" church meeting. We really have not had much for them over the last several weeks. On Sunday, we started teaching from an illustrated book written in Chewa that allows the children to hear the Bible story in their own language and see corresponding pictures. Their little faces were thrilled as their teacher, Madalitso, did her best to include each of the children in the teaching and help them understand the lesson on God's creation! 

Matthew 19:16

Yesterday I preached a message from the Gospel of Matthew. The text starts off with a man coming to Jesus asking the question, "what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?" Of course Jesus gives him a very simply answer to his question. In essence Jesus said to him that if he wanted to inherit eternal life by his own good works, he would simply need to be perfect and keep all the commandments. 

It is human nature to want to do some "good thing" to inherit eternal life instead of come to Jesus Christ to receive the free gift of salvation and enjoy forgiveness of sin.  Every Sunday I preach a gospel centric message knowing that people are coming and not all of them know the true path of eternal life.

It always surprises me that after telling people of our sinful nature that anyone would actually return. We started this small work back in early September with a handful of people coming. We are thankful to see more and more new faces come each week. The reality is - people do want to know the answer to eternal life. There were 39 adults in attendance sitting under a tree, most of them sitting on tree roots - because they wanted to hear the answer. Praise the LORD! 

Literacy is a need

Above is a small section of Scripture taken from a ChiChewa Bible open to the Gospel of John with probably the most popular verse known among both Christian and non-Christians highlighted in yellow. However, some of the people we are trying to reach in the Eastern Province of Zambia will never read this verse of God's love and promise of eternal life. Although Bibles are expensive and not always easy to find, the real problem is illiteracy. 

There are many living in rural villages unable to read this simple verse in their own language because of the low quality of available schools or a decision to leave school early. For some, they left because they needed to work, for others because of family needs, and maybe for some they were married early or became pregnant before finishing even the basics. 

Many of those people now feel a sense of shame because they cannot read and are embarrassed to re-enter the school system at older ages and be forced to sit next to grade 1 or grade 2 pupils. For us, it is a matter of necessity that a person be able with their own eyes to read the written words of God in their heart language. 

We are attempting to start a 12 month literacy course for the people near our new church plant. The course will be taught three times per week for 12 months with the hope that every attending individual will graduate being able to read at a 5th or 6th grade level.  We dont know how all this will actually come to fruition so we are asking you to pray. Pray that God would guide us, direct us, and provide what is needed so these people can read. Being able to read provides the ability to search the Scriptures but has so many secondary benefits as the rest of the world suddenly opens up as well. Imagine!

school rooms

This last Sunday I was invited to preach at a church pretty deep in the bush. It is not uncommon for churches to meet in school rooms while they are just getting started and later build something on their own when they have matured a bit. When we arrived I was directed toward a mud walled grass roofed building that I didnt quite recognize. It had 3 small compartments which meant it was not a church. But the grass was missing on much of the roof which made me think it was not being used for anything. When I inquired, I was told it is a "community" school. I was a bit shocked this building was good for anything and at the lack of quality being afforded to the children of this community. I realize Zambia is not a developed nation and this is Africa but how does this ever pass as a SCHOOL! I have gotten use to low quality conditions but this is far below low - this is unacceptable.

Kangagwa Community School

A community school is a school that is set up by the people of the community and runs from grade 1 to grade 7. Normally the teachers come from within the community and are not trained or certified but just want to help. The rainy season will be here full on in less than 1 month. I cannot imagine this school will be of much use during those next 5 months. I am impressed that the community is at least trying and although I am a bit disturbed I am at least encouraged that people are trying to get the best education available to them despite the conditions they cannot control.

I did preach and we talked with the people for a while. They want us to come back on a regular basis to be teaching them Scripture. Because of the distance and roughness of terrain it will be unlikely if we can reach them more than a couple times a year but by the grace of God we will try.

Colossians

We have a Bible study for the ex-pats in the area that includes families from Canada, Mali, Zimbabwe, Italy, France, United States, and Malawi. We meet every couple weeks on Sunday afternoon and do a verse by verse study of the Bible. Currently we are working our way through the book of Colossians and although still in Chapter 1 after four weeks, we are learning much! 

One of the attending families has been with us for more than a year but is now moving back to France as their work in Zambia has come to an end. It is hard to say good bye to friends as we have learned together, prayed together, and lived together here in Chipata. Please pray for our friends as they transition back to life in Paris; that they may find a good Bible study and Bible focused church. 

Marie & Guillaume

All smiles

Wednesday's Bible study started off a bit slow. We arrived late. We heard of a few that were sick and wouldn't be able to come. There seemed to be a general lack of excitement. Only a handful were ready. However, at some point I looked up and realized there were now over 30 in attendance! I was quite shocked since we normally average between 18-22 for Bible study. 

We spent the first 35-40 minutes allowing people to recite the Scripture they had been practicing along with the books of the Bible. I was thrilled! This is when the Bible study really started to come to life. Many were really putting some effort into learning the required verses (5 different portions of Scripture) and Books. In all, we had 10 people that tried with 6 people completing all of the requirements. It was quite encouraging to the others that had not tried. After we finished teaching the lesson many people came to me wanting to know how they could earn their own Bible! I added a little bonus - for those that could recite all of Psalm 23, we gave them their own hymn book. Two men completed!!

I taught for about 45 minutes on the importance and authority of Scripture. We went from Old Testament to New Testament reading and discussing many portions of Scripture. It was great to see so many of the people able to keep up and excited to read God's word!

All smiles as they received their very own Bibles!

Psalm 149:3 Let them praise His name in dance

At our new church plant, I was pleasantly surprised to find two men that wanted to sing and dance a song unto the Lord. Over the last few weeks, we have been struggling to learn some new hymns/songs since this group is a very unchurched group. It was a real blessing to see these men put some effort into their expression of worship!

But his delight is in the law of the LORD

At our new church plant, I gave the people a challenge to memorize 5 different Scriptures and learn the Books of the Bible in order. In return, for each person that fulfilled this task, I would give them a free Bible in either English or ChiChewa. I was pleasantly surprised to find 8 different people give it a try this week - all 8 were able to recite their Bible verses without difficulty. 

We had a great time as the people were excited to recite what they had learned and show they had worked hard to learn their memory verses. A couple of people even went past the 5 memory verses required and recited 7 or 8! Praise the LORD. It was a real thrill to see people putting forth the effort to receive a Bible. 

We know their effort will not be in vain and for many of these people this is just the beginning steps of their Christian growth process!  Please pray for this group of people - many of the other 10 or 12 that didnt attempt to recite the verses was simply because they cannot read. Illiteracy is a real challenge when it comes to building a proper Biblical foundation.

Friendships remain

We were invited to a church that had finished their building project. To celebrate, the pastor invited other churches as well as an old friend of mine from Kafulafuta, Victor Lunda. Now that we are in Eastern Province, it has probably been more than 2 years since I have visited with the brethren from that area. Victor was a person that really helped me when I was first beginning in Zambia. He went with me to interpret as I would teach and preach, he helped me with culture, and he helped me to adjust. It was great to see him again and now hear him preach a wonderful message to God's people! Praise the LORD! It is amazing how Christ can bring people from all around the world together and give them lasting and quality relationships!

Testimony Time

We recently had some visitors from America come and stay with us for a few days here in Chipata. While here I brought them along to help teach and encourage the Zambia people. Both Ron and Melanie were used of the Lord to challenge the people and we believe even bring forth some faith decisions! 

Melanie gave a great testimony of her life and all the ups and downs but how God was directing through it all. The people were shocked and didnt think Americans went through such difficulties. Later she was able to counsel with a group of women and encourage to fully follow the Lord without hesitation.

Ron taught a couple lessons in which the Scripture was the main focus. Again, I believe the people were challenged and through his testimony many could see the impact application of Scripture has had on his life. 

It really is amazing to look back through our lives and see God working. Our God-story (testimony) is irrefutable and strong evidence for the working of God in and through us. I have challenged my Chinjala Bible study people to prepare their "God-story" for next week. We will spend our time simply reviewing and testifying of how God worked and continues to work in our lives!

Two types

Yesterday we went back to our new church plant area for a Wednesday afternoon Bible study. I always like to start by teaching a lesson on the difference between wise and foolish people from Matthew 7:21-29. The text really exemplifies the many people that are "religious" but not truly followers of Jesus Christ. We gave some examples on how a person can attend church, sing in a choir, and maybe even speak the Christian language but not truly have the transformed life. We know both of the people discussed in Matthew 7 had heard the Words of Jesus but only the wise man applied the Word of God. Foolish people often hear the same truth but simply don't do anything with it. 

We discussed a schedule going forward and the people all decided we should be meeting twice a week so that they could be learning more of the Bible. I asked people to give testimonies about what God is doing in their life and had a couple people respond. One man told how he had been to 3 different churches in the area ranging from Holiness to Brethren but just didn't feel he was getting Truth. Another man spoke about having the proper foundation laid and how these teachings seemed missed by the other churches. I was surprised by the testimony of one man that is a polygamist and how he spoke about realizing that his living was wrong. The second wife has since left his home and gone back to her mother's village. Apparently he has also stopped brewing beer and selling to the local villagers. Praise the LORD - may this man continue to grow as he hears and understand God's word.

Bible study near our Big Tree

A nice start

We gathered today under our large shade tree for what appears to be the first church service of "Big Tree Baptist Church"! I didn't really have any idea how many would come. We had only visited 2 families and tried to talk with others but didn't know what type of response we would get. Apparently the Lord led us to the right people as they invited so many other people. We gathered at roughly 10:30 and started singing some hymns with just 4 or 5 people. After about 15 minutes there were about 15 or 16 men. After another 15 minutes there were another 6 or 7 men plus roughly 10 or 12 women. Wow! I was surprised so many came out. I realize some came out of curiosity but I gave them all a clear message from the bible about sin and salvation.  In all, I believe there was roughly 35 adults and I was told there was 21 children.

We will go back Wednesday afternoon for another Bible study as the people seem very interested. I am hoping very soon we will see people make professions of faith in Christ. Please be praying towards this end - it truly would be a wonderful day to see our Lord impact this area of Eastern Province with the Gospel. The harvest truly in plenteous...!

The site of our church - thus the name "Big Tree Baptist church"

After Church as people are talking about the message

Shade Tree Baptist??? hmmmm....

We originally planned a trip to Chadiza district with the hopes of visiting a couple villages that would potentially lead to a new church. However, this morning we felt the Lord was leading us in a different direction and headed off into Chief Mnukwa's chiefdom to visit a village. 

We visited a man that was formerly very prosperous and wealthy but now is brewing and selling his own beer. We later found out he also has two wives. However, after giving him the gospel and talking to him about a changed and transformed life he admitted he is lost. 

The second place we visited we met a group of men in a small village. Again, we came across a man that lived in Lusaka and had lots of money. For some reason he left all the wealth and things and wanted to move back to the basics of village life. He also has been carrying a bag of sin around with him and wasn't sure what to do with it. Both of these men reminded me of what Jesus said in Mark 8:36,  "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

Tomorrow we will go back to the area and preach a message. Since we don't have a church in the area we decided to hold the service under a large shade tree. I later joked that we should call it, "Shade Tree Baptist Church". Both of these men have said they will come and even want to bring some of their friends along. Although too early to really know, it seems like a great start and we would love to see the Lord bring fruit to the seeds that have been sown!

Please continue praying for this new church plant and for the Holy Spirit to truly work in the lives of these people!

Sowing the Seed

Tomorrow (Saturday) we will be going into Chadiza district. We have taken 2 survey trips there in the past but only found 1 Baptist Church during our 4 hour drive. Tomorrow we are hoping to visit the villages of:

• Akumadzi (Chief Mlolo)
• Chadzombe (Chief Mlolo)
• Kulika (Chief Zingalume)

These are new areas that we have not yet seen. Please pray with us as we meet the village headman, the people in the area, that we find the place, and that we are able to sow the Seed of God's Word believing it will bring forth fruit.

We have been told these areas are without any real Christian influence and still practice many of the Old Traditions of Zambia. This means there is likely to be much darkness and possibly spiritual oppression. We would love to see our Lord Jesus get the victory and bring people from darkness into the glorious Light (Acts 26:18) of God.  One of the elements found in Ephesians 6 when discussing spiritual warfare is prayer. Please help us by praying for God to be lifted up, the ears of the people to be open and that the word of the Lord would have free course (2 Thes 3:1).

Church History

This week I was teaching a class of 14 men on the subject of Church history. Although I did not really finish the course because of time constraints we did run through a broad stroke of Church history and then began a more refined study. We made it through the first 600 years quickly but I think we all were reminded of God's sovereignty throughout the ages. It is not always easy to see our Lord work in the daily life of His people or among the nations; however, when we step back and see the big picture it is quite impressive to realize God is doing so much! 

We had some interesting discussions about doctrines, Baptist history, Baptist persecution, etc. I think some of the men were quite surprised at the richness of Church History! While the government school is on break, we rent a couple rooms and use them as Bible classrooms. The men eat, sleep, and learn all in the 1 room! Praise the LORD!

I handed out 5,000 Chewa tracts and 300 John and Romans to the men for use at their churches! We pray the materials will be a benefit in evangelizing and reaching their communities for Christ!

Gabriella Hope has arrived

After 9 months of waiting, the newest member of our family has arrived! Gabriella Hope entered the world at 10:45 pm on July 30th weighing a healthy 7lbs 2 oz. Both mom and daughter are doing well! She is a good girl sleeping most of the day away and only crying when she gets her diaper changed.

Thank you for all your prayers and support for our family as we went to South Africa for the delivery. There were no real problems with the hospital, housing or even getting a new passport for Gabriella. We know the Lord truly blessed us and believe it is because of the prayers of so many of our friends and family. 

Magwero School of Deaf - painted!

Seems like it took much longer than we expected but our school block is finally completed with a fresh coat of paint! There are so many that contributed to the financing and actual work of getting this project done. Amazing how we can accomplish great things when we all work together and do our part. Praise the Lord!

We continue to have projects in the future for this school as we would like to see the 150+ deaf students have the best environment and resources available to prepare them for their future. As of now, we are kind of on hold until the Lord directs us and provides for us. 

Thank you for praying and helping out. Although this project doesn't end with a village coming to the knowledge of Jesus Christ or a new church starting or many being baptized, it does remind me of something Jesus said in Matthew 25:40,  "And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." Pretty sure this small project was still quite honoring to our Lord Jesus. 

Glass update

More progress at Magwero school. The window frames have been painted and the glass installed! We are currently working to finish the undercoat and then hope to start adding some color by the end of the week. It is all starting to come together and look real nice! Praise the Lord for the people that have given and continue to give and pray for this project and especially these children!

impressed

At the end of the conference on Sunday there were a group of people waiting to jump in the back of my pick-up truck... of course, they always squeeze more in than seems possible but somehow I am getting use to it! I asked where they wanted to be dropped and they said something about the tar-mac. So, off we went. It is a 10k ride just to the tar-mac so I could see why they wanted a ride. Once at the junction I made the mistake of thinking that is where they lived. I was wrong. We continued down the tar-mac road for probably another 15km before a portion of them jumped out. I was surprised to see a solid handful still remaining and needing to go further. Again, I assumed it would be just down the road. Wrong again. We drove for probably another 15-20 km before this last group was dropped off. That was about 2pm. In all, that last group would have walked 35-40 km (25miles) to get home and likely would not have reached home until VERY late.

Yes, I realize another vehicle might have picked them on the way home and greatly expedited their journey but that is not a guarantee. Talk about making a sacrifice. Impressed. Now I know why they were singing the whole way home! 

a coming together

I was invited to preach at a conference over the weekend in the bush about 60-65 km out of Chipata. A new church had been started back in May and the churches in the area wanted to come encourage the new believers and help it get off the ground! The theme of the conference was "insurance of the believer" but I am pretty sure they meant eternal security of the believer. I preached a short message from Ephesian 2:1-10. Although it was the last day of the conference, and people tend to be the most tired and thinking about getting home, the Lord was still able to work in the hearts of the people. We saw 10 or 12 come forward to be counseled. I was able to open the Scripture to one young man that said he struggled with lust and drunkenness and wanted to have victory over sin. We went through the Scriptures and he came to realize the need to receive Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior!

It was a good day! I preached in the open air under a pretty hot sun. Was quite drained after it was all over but there is just something special about being tired from doing the work of the Lord that feels good. Had to hurry home to get prepared for our afternoon Bible study; wow! Busy day of teaching and preaching. It is the highlight of the week spending so much time in God's word, around God's people, and seeing God's Spirit work among all of us! 

opportunity

Last week, I arrived to my usual location about 30 km outside of town to teach. Usually we have 5-10 people that regularly attend. However, as we were preparing to begin, a line of about 8 or 9 woman came walking out of the bush. Apparently they were walking to a different church for a weekend long conference but were lost. After they explained where they were walking and we told them it was still a 3 hour journey, they decided to just stay. 

All during the teaching these 'new' woman were amazed at what was being taught. I was later told the woman wished they had someone to teach them and the leadership of their church was not providing such teaching. This always amazes me. The lessons I am teaching are very basic and fundamental. Each week I leave amazed at how slow we move and how little we actually cover over a 2 hour period. Yet, these people are getting it and starting to grow and takes steps of maturity. 

At the end, the line of woman began to head back off into the bush the same way they came. I asked where they were going and they said, "home, we have been fed more in these 2 hours than we would have all weekend at the conference." I was glad to know they felt spiritually satisfied with the nourishment of God's word yet I couldn't help but feel a little sad that there is really no one to help them grow and mature in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. We took the opportunity to teach and feel like we did our part in God's plan to help in their spiritual growth.

weak Christians and demons

This was written on the chalk board at the front of the church we visited today. In case you cant quite read it, 

"Welcome to Baptist Church Fellowship of Zambia. We don't have any choice to receive any weak members who want to join us. Don't worry about if we pray for a person who have an demon in his or her heart". 

Not exactly sure the intended purpose of the writing but it does seem apparent these people know what a weak Christian is and that demons are a common part of life for them.

Easy answer but more difficult to apply

On Friday I was teaching a group of leaders. The teaching was going fine until I started to talk about spiritual disciplines in the life of the believer. After some time the group told me it is essential for a Christian to always be praying. Great! I was quite pleased with this answer. However, I wanted to test my students so I asked the question... How often should we pray? Of course, they gave me the bread and butter answer, "without ceasing". So - I took it a step further and asked a student how many minutes he had prayed so far today (5 pm). He responded with a total of 10 minutes. I continued with the next spiritual discipline of reading Scripture, daily. They all agreed it is necessary and essential. So I again asked how many chapters they had read that day so far. Three of the people admitted they had not read anything and one man said he read just 2 chapters. They told me they had been busy preparing for the meeting... So I asked how many had the time to eat lunch before coming! They all raised their hand...interesting.

This is a group of people that are leading the church but like so many of us they struggle with the basics. If only we would take serious the words of Jesus, to "seek first the kingdom of God".

Mtsekere School

Today we visited a church meeting in a school room. Only about 10 were in attendance for Sunday school but another 30 finally showed for the preaching. The church has a desire to grow and mature - we are hoping to go back on a non-Sunday to do more discipleship type teaching that could really help strengthen the foundation of this church. Please pray for the leadership to be the example and walk by faith!

Water Tank for Magwero School

We recently were able to install a new water tank at the Magwero school of the Deaf. The previous tank had broken and no longer held water. This meant that the children and the community were not able to access water on a regular basis. Thanks to our friends at Winshape, we were able to install a new tank and better provide clean water for drinking and basic usage! A big thanks to Will and Grant for their kindness and efforts to get this done! Praise the LORD!

Leadership Training

We have a small team in doing basic leadership training. The team is only here for 5 days but will meet with 3 different groups and help with our Magwero school project!

In those 5 days, we will meet with community leaders, church leaders, and small scale leaders. I have jokingly labeled them the white collar, blue collar, and Spirit collar workers.

Using the Bible as our foundation and basis for all our principles, we are able to aptly communicate truth's of leadership. A great benefit of using God's word is its ability to cross borders and be just as applicable in any time zone.

A big thanks to Winshape for their commitment to leadership and willingness to pass on knowledge and bring added value to the work here in Chipata.

not forgotten

Over the last few months we have been visiting Magwero school for the Deaf and for the Blind. It didn't take long for us to see the need for the school, dorms, and overall condition of the facilities. The school is kind of tucked out of the way and maybe that is why people seem to forget about the needs of these children. There are close to 150 children that attend the deaf school and almost 50 that attend the blind school. 

We recently started up a small project to finish a classroom block representing 5 classrooms. Previously, there were no doors, windows, or a proper floor making it very cold in the winter season, very dusty in the hot season, and even wet during the rainy season. Certainly not ideal learning conditions. We are hoping to finish our project in the next 2 weeks that will transform the facility giving the students a proper place to learn and maybe more importantly help them to know they are not forgotten. 

Along with school rooms, we are also helping to replace a water tank for the deaf school. Currently the school is using a bore hole connected to a water tank. However, a couple months ago the water tank was punctured and couldn't hold enough water to meet the drinking, bathing, and sanitation needs of the school. Thanks to the donations of some friends, we will replace the tank later this week and the students/community will have clean drinking water available to them again.

Taking steps

I must admit there were many lessons I have taught that I rushed through and later wondered why the people didn't ever change or truly understand. Lately, I have realized, teaching the Bible is not about finishing the lesson but about people knowing the Lord. When we plant a seed, it takes time for it to grow and produce any real fruit. Even when we think of a baby - if you give the child all the food in the world, it will still only grow at a certain rate. I believe the same is true of Christians. Jesus spent time with His followers and if we are going to impact people time is going to be required to slowly nurture and provide the spiritual food that is necessary. 

That being said, it is wonderful to see a group of people growing even at the smallest rate. The last few weeks I have been working with our Bible study in the bush to memorize all 66 books of the Bible in order. Today, 3 of the group members stood in front and recited all 66 books! Each week we are memorizing a new verse or portion of Scripture and teaching a basic lesson. Just baby steps but in only 5 weeks our group has memorized:

• John 3:16
• John 14:6
• Psalm 23:1
• Proverbs 3:5-6
• Psalms 34:7-9

Almost the whole group is able to recite the memory verses and there is a contagious talk about spiritual things that is happening. We praise the Lord for these baby steps! I originally had planned to teach 1 lesson in 1 week, but it appears that 1 lesson has spread into 4 weeks.  I am reminded each week, just take a step...

Friends and Faith

Some neighborhood girls came over the last couple days wanting to play with Analiese. They are teen-aged girls that are off from school right now and just looking for things to do. Analiese is more than happy to play with anyone who will give her attention. So, we pulled out the chalk and grabbed some soccer balls, and the fun started!

After playing for a little while, Savannah gave the wordless bracelets and explained what it meant and how to be saved. The girls went back to playing but said they wanted to do more Bible studies. Later, Savannah gave them all a copy of John/Romans and did a study about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Always wonderful to see the Lord open doors of opportunity right here in our own neighborhood!

Being Wise Builders

Today I was out teaching a group of about 15 or 20 church members some basic Biblical principles. We are going through a series on "foundations of Christianity". We have been going through this for a few weeks and sometimes you wonder if people are listening. Anyway, I was discussing the verse:

2 Timothy 2:19  Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. (KJV)

We were specifically going over "depart from iniquity" and how many "Christians" look like Christians but dont actually live like Christians. I spoke about how in Zambia many say they are Christian but hide charms in their homes for protections against evil spirits. As soon as the words came out of my mouth a woman started loudly saying something. I immediately thought I had said something offensive (cause that happens from time to time). However, I was pleasantly surprised. She said, "we dont have those charms in our homes anymore". She went on to explain that since the last time I taught from the Bible, everyone went home and cleaned house! Praise the LORD!

Most of our teaching is a springboard from Matthew 7 in which we are told about two people building a house. One person builds a proper foundation on a rock and the other builds their house on sand. The one that built on rock of course is considered wise, a person that hears, and does the words that are spoken. The other person is considered foolish, someone who hears but does not do. It is wonderful to see people make the decision to be "wise master builders".

Petauke Leadership Conference

Last week I had the opportunity to preach 7 times in 2 days to roughly 250 people at a leadership conference. For roughly 4 weeks before I had a low grade fever that had really sapped the strength out of me. The fever broke about 3 days before I was suppose to preach - thank you Lord! I worked to get my lessons ready and we made the 2 hour drive to the site. 

It was a great time around God's word. The theme to the conference was "foundations". Most church leaders know the "foundations" but it is always good to be reminded. It is always easy to attend a conference and agree with the teachings - the real challenge is to go home and apply the things learned. No matter whether American, African, or Asian I believe this is probably this biggest struggle in the church today. It has been my prayer now that these people that represent so many churches would be the true servant leaders and wise master builders God has called some of them to be.

road or river?

Our ministry took us to a bush church on Sunday. It hadnt rained all week so I thought the roads would be in good enough shape. However, Saturday night we did receive some pretty heavy rains. On the way to church we were in 4 wheel drive almost the entire time and still were sliding all over the road as if we were driving in blizzard conditions. There were even a few close calls between my vehicle and bicycles on the side of the road. We made it to church and had a great time... however, just about the time church finished up a new storm came through and dumped on us. I knew there was no way we could go back the same way we came.

I was told there was a different way we could use that was "better". In fact, the road was less soupy than before but pretty much was like driving in a river! Ministry during the rainy season certainly brings with it some real adventures!

Deaf Ministry of Chipata

We have our friend Jimmy Tsoukalas staying with us. We received him from the airport a few days back and have been busy ever since. Jimmy is a missionary to the deaf and wanted to visit Chipata with the idea of possibly coming to minister to the deaf community of the Eastern Province. It has been a great learning experience for me as I get to see first hand the needs of the Deaf community. 

Sunday we visited a small Deaf Church of about 25 - Jimmy had the opportunity of preaching and although there were some differences in signs, the people really enjoyed. The next day we met with the pastor. The pastor told us he was HIV positive. I was thankful that this pastor in spite of his sickness was continuing to minister. It can be easy to make excuses when we are sick but this man is continuing to run his race no matter the obstacles before him. Praise the LORD!

On Tuesday, we went to Magwero School of the Deaf. This is another opportunity as the school is one of the oldest schools for the deaf in Zambia. There are over 150+ kids that attend the school and one teacher said there were about 30 late for reporting likely because of lack of school fees. 

Please pray for Jimmy as he seeks to know God's will in all of this!

Deaf Church of Chipata

Jimmy Teaching

 

Road Risks

En route to Lusaka this afternoon we came across a major road accident roughly 10 km from the Luangwa bridge. I am not sure there is a time in recent memory we didnt see a wreck over this 550 km stretch. Today we came around a corner and noticed a line of vehicles which quickly indicated a recent accident had occurred. When we finally inched up near to the site of the collision, one large truck was standing erect while others were bent around it. We noticed an SUV inching its way under the erect truck trying to pass by... although it finally made it, it seemed a bit too risky for my liking. 

I surveyed our surroundings and decided it was safer to engage 4-wheel drive and bypass the whole thing off road than to go under a teetering truck. Thankfully we made it through unscratched. It again highlights the very real dangers of simply driving in Zambia. Please continue praying for us.

my neighbor

This is what my neighbor does for a living. All day... everyday. From around 7 am until up to around 6 pm.

running

I recently preached a message from Hebrews 12:1-2 on "running the race". Although the service was not very well attended, those at Church did seem to be encouraged. I gave testimony about a 5k that I ran years ago and when I finished the race I realized I really was not all that tired. At first I just assumed it was because I was in top shape but when I really stopped to think about it, I realized I was not all that tired because I didnt run all that hard. My time was good. I placed well. But I knew I could have done better. 

For many of us, the same is true spiritually. We are doing ok. We are moving forward. But, for many of us, we really could do better. I hope I dont get to the end of my spiritual run and know I could have done more...no more walking, I want to RUN!

Taxi Driver "Accident"

This morning around 7 am a taxi driver lost control of his vehicle as he was trying to overtake another vehicle. The result was him hitting head on into the corner of our wall fence. I was told by one person that someone on a bicycle was hit and taken to the hospital. The police said no one was hurt only damages to the vehicles and wall fence. There are many people that bring their goods to market using the side of the road by our house each morning around this time. We truly thank the Lord more hurt wasnt caused by such foolish driving. I am not really sure if someone got hurt or if only damage was done. Please pray. Unfortunately, this type of event is too much of a norm.

Chadiza bush church

We went to visit a new church plant near Chadiza. Chadiza is roughly 65 km from Chipata and requires a trip down a bumpy dirt road. I had been told the church was located in one of the town schools. I was wrong. We went another 15 km past Chadiza into some pretty remote bush areas. 

The time was profitable as we preached God's word and saw almost the entire church respond in some way. There were 17 in attendance but the pastor said he has almost 45 members. During the rainy season, it is common for people to stay home fearing they will get stuck in the heavy rains. We were thankful the rains didnt come while at church but wished more could have made it. We are planning a trip back after the rains subside and we are able to move around with a bit more freedom. 

Rain

The rain is considered a blessing because it is obviously quite necessary for the large amount of people that count on it for a successful farming season. For the last 2 days we have had some pretty heavy rains making most dirt roads quite soggy.
We were planning to visit a church roughly 75 km outside of Chipata. Unfortunately, the road we were using deteriorated and only allowed us to get about 65 km leaving us a bit short. We met some people that told us the bridge had been washed away earlier in the year. Just wasn't meant to be...
We did pass out some tracts in a couple different village areas. We also spent some time with Chief Mazyopa. He has invited us to come back and hold a crusade even saying he would organize it for us!!

1 Peter 3

Today I had a man knock on my gate. I didnt recognize the man but he told me he was from an area where I had recently done some teaching. This area is roughly 20-25 km out of town. Turns out his wife attended my most recent teaching and had gone home and told her husband about the teaching. 

The man began to tell me his story. He had made a profession of faith back in 1978 but since then had been given to beer, smoking, and other women. He realized his heart was far from the Lord. He didnt really know what to do but felt he needed to do something. We spent almost 2 hours together talking about Scripture, salvation, forgiveness, repentance, maturity and growth, etc. He admitted that his wife is the spiritually strong one in the family.

It was wonderful to see the testimony of this man's wife bring this man under conviction. Just as we are told in 1 Peter 3, that the husband would "be won by the conversation of the wife" this woman's conversation was having a large impact in this man wanting to come to Christ. I gave the man a Bible and showed him some areas I would like him to read. We prayed together and then I challenged him to make a commitment to truly follow the Lord. 

I asked him to come with me this Sunday as I go out and preach again in a rural area. I am hopeful as more of God's word works within him, he will truly be transformed and set on course to seek the will of God for his life. The place where I have been teaching is called "chanjala" which means "place of hunger". It is my hope that this place truly becomes a place where the people hunger and thirst after righteousness! Please be praying for this man (Mr. Phiri).