Summer Campaign to Zambia

We’ve spent the past two weeks partnering with a group of 13 Americans, made up of people from our team’s supporting congregations. It was an awesome two weeks! So much good was done working with the congregations in the area and with villagers on educating their children.

We had a team that went out each day to work with three different church plants in the area. They all studied together, Americans and Zambians, about what evangelism means and how we can reach out to our communities. Then they would spend the afternoons going out with Zambian church leaders to local villages to spread the Gospel. I loved hearing about the partnership between Zambians and Americans as they worked together, and also the encouragement that was spread to these Christian leaders that are trying to bring Christ to their communities.

The education team was split into pairs, and each pair worked with two separate Zambian families. The goal was to help the parents better understand how they can help their children learn more at home and to spread the word in their area. We worked with Christian families, so they already see the importance of this concept. They will take the knowledge they now have and share with others in their community. Things as simple as having their children practice writing their names in the dirt every day and practicing math problems with corn cobs that are lying around—it was great!

The last day of the campaign was a medical day spent partnering with our local Mumena clinic. Thanks to everyone who was a part of sending these individuals over or who came to be a part of our campaign this year! It was a blessing!

Here are just a few pictures of our time together: 

Past few weeks in pictures

I'm way behind and had plans for more blog posts, but we are into the really busy time of year here in Zambia. Mom and Scott arrived this past Saturday in Lusaka, and Jeremy and I went to pick them up. They will be here through the campaign, so we have them here for about 3 more weeks! We are busy preparing for the group from America that will make up our campaign, and my body is "busy" as well just being pregnant. I am 14 weeks pregnant with a little sweet, surprise due in December! 

About 3 weeks ago, the church leaders and missionaries gathered for a full work day at the local clinic to improve the maternity ward facilities. There will now be running water and a shower room for mothers. The church leaders will present this gift to the community while the group from America is here. They are very proud of their work!

After much trial and error, we finally have a consistent youth study going with the Konkwa church. Here's a game of bush volleyball going on before we began our Bible study. This group is so dedicated. They even met without us last Sunday, while we were away in Lusaka. They will hopefully be continuing on as a youth program long after we are gone.

Visiting the chimpanzee refugee farm with Mom and Scott!

Scott's first day here, and he's already eating up the nshema!

Zambian News

I can’t believe it’s June! It does not feel like one year ago the group from our supporting churches came to hold their campaign here in Mumena. Now we are gearing up for them to arrive in 3 1/2 weeks. It is an exciting time of year for us, and it is as well for the locals as they prepare to greet their brothers and sisters from America.

When I think about a group coming to visit, I am reminded of the joy the locals experience and the honor they feel hosting those from a far, unknown land. I believe the most important and loving thing a visitor could do for a local is to visit them in their village. In Zambia, the greatest value is relationships. It is more important than food, work or sleep. To visit a Zambian, to sit at their home and learn more about them is a gift that is priceless to them.

Today, Jeremy and I went to visit a family in their village. Here was our welcome committee :

Here is a dear friend of ours. She is pregnant with baby #6, due in August.

This month the local churches have been pushing themselves to become more evangelistic. It has been awesome to see so many churches couple up to spread the Word. One of our church leaders goes each week with one of the missionaries, Sam, to the clinic near by to do outreach. Jason and Jeremy have a new Bible study point in a village that’s about a 20 minute walk away. They have had a couple of church leaders join them to go evangelize in this new area. And Jeremy has had multiple members from Konkwa church join him in a new church plant effort that’s about an hour bike ride away. God is good. 

Thank you for the continued prayers!

The Wisdom of Discipleship

 Last week, I had a truly remarkable experience.  I was heading out to my Tuesday Bible study, which is held out under a bunch of shade trees, when Gift Siampongo stopped me.  Gift is a young man who has faced many challenges in his Christian walk.  He just completed our leadership seminar, where he studied the book of Acts.  I have been mentoring Gift, age 21, for the last six months, as he has traveled to many Bible studies with me over that period of time.  This, however, was his first time to ask to teach.  We have been studying and practicing many weeks now on lesson preparation and teaching.  He has been a very active student, and since the Bible study this day was to be from the book of Acts, I was thrilled to see him put into practice what he has learned. 

This 21 year old sat in the midst of 25 people, most of them older than him, and taught about the Kingdom of God through the book of Acts.  I felt so proud as I sat beside him not having to interject on anything that he said.  He was right on the money and conveyed a powerful message to this group of older, but less mature, group of believers.  This is the point of missions – to create disciples –as this young man will be here far longer than I will.  I can’t wait for those of you coming over to know this young man and hear more of his story.  He is truly an inspiring young man who loves the Lord.  He provides an example of the wisdom of Christ who through careful discipleship spread His kingdom all over the world.  Below is a picture of Gift teaching under the trees.

Gift is on the right

This is at the beginning, more people show up later.

Finishing up the Muzha Seminar

We have completed our third out of four weeks of our annual “Muzha wa Yesu” (slave of Christ) seminar!  It has been our best yet.  This group of forty men have overcome significant challenges to make this school happen.  They’ve sacrifice time, money, and even food to come and be feed spiritually by the Word.  After this last week, the men will return to their congregations (who also paid money to help send each student) and teach all that they have learned for the rest of the year.  We are seeing great maturity with these leaders.  They have really grown in their knowledge of the Word and in their commitment to Christ.  I had an especially great time teaching a part of Hebrews.  These men relate to the Hebrews in many ways.  They face persecutions that could lead to things such as cursing from others, which is a scary thing for these people.  Many of our young churches have struggled with people falling back to their old belief system.  However, these men are learning to have faith and hope in the better promises of God.  I had them list the promises of their past belief system with the promises of God and see which are better.  It was a telling class, but they all agreed that God’s promises are better.  Of course, it’s easy to say that, but as the writer of Hebrews urges—we must live it.  I’m constantly challenged by the faith of these men.  They have to make very big decisions to give up the false security of their traditional practices.  It certainly challenges me to think on the promises offered in my home culture.  Things like putting faith in money, insurances, and comforts of life often times become a temptation.  Together with these Zambian men let us all consider the better, lasting promises of God to be better than that which is temporary.  Please pray for this final week for these men to have the strength carry on in learning and the courage to take the messages back to their homes.   

Blessings  - Jeremy

Picture Post!

More pictures from the past couple of weeks...

Cuties Gail and Kathryn

Pizza (from scratch of course) with the Mellors!!

Church leaders studying in Ron Roger's class

Do you spy our pink house?

Sweet faces in the Kimplumba village

Brothers (for you Debbie & Meemaw)

Sweet friend's new baby

Week 1

The first week of the Muzha wa Yesu (Slave for Jesus) seminar is complete. We have about 40 church leaders here for the month to study more about the Kingdom of God. Our prayers are they take back what they have learned to their congregations. It is going very well so far. There is an excitement for learning in the air!

Ron and Gail Rogers and Dave and Susan Mellor from our supporting congregation came to be a part of the seminar. It has been a wonderful week with them being here. Dave is teaching through Hebrews and Ron is teaching on the Heart of an Elder. Susan and Gail have been spoiling Erin and I and have been joining us in our ministry to the teens and women. Plus, we are doing some cooking lessons with Gail and Susan (we’ve made some amazing bread, doughnuts, chicken and dumplings…all yummy things!)We are just loving having both couples here!

 Of course, Dave had to mention that he is not sure he believes that the snakes are really out here. That very night, a gaboon viper was killed on their path to Jason and Erin’s house. Then, the next morning we were all worshiping at Kamponde church, and a snake went crawling up their wall. We all panicked in the middle of the Bible study as we watched it scale the crooked wall. But luckily the Congolese students were with us that morning. They quietly exited the building and the next thing we hear is a loud bang on the roof. The snake was killed, and we could all continue on.

Here are a few pictures of the first week. These are just of the seminar, I know I need to take some of us with the ladies as well!

Thank you for your prayers for these courageous leaders as they seek to leave what is “normal” in their culture and follow the ways of Christ. 

Jeremy and Mr. Jikata, who is now able to walk after our truck accident. He has been able to attend the seminar.