28 December 2011

A Look Inside Luke's Head



This is just a glimpse into my (Luke’s) head - the "Llama's Logic" at it's finest.  I wrote what follows in my journal during my time in Ethiopia learning about Sports Friends.

I don’t know how anybody could come see this ministry and not be profoundly affected.  We visited three churches today, all of which were started through Sports Friends, all of which are in otherwise 100% M_slim areas, and all of which were growing, training leaders, and changing lives.  Denomination doesn’t matter.  Age doesn’t matter.  Building doesn’t matter.  God matters.  These churches exist for the glory of God and are actively and sacrificially evangelizing.  Visiting these churches, even briefly, was both humbling and encouraging, and I find myself deeply convicted of apathy.  I keep asking myself,

WHEN DID I LOSE SIGHT OF MY FIRST LOVE?

I was drawn to missions out of a confidence of God’s calling in my life.  Unlike so many things in my life now, I didn’t resist this calling.  I understood God’s amazing act of grace in my life, and I desperately wanted the world to experience His grace, too.  I was deeply, passionately in love with Christ.  But when did this raging fire dim to a flickering candle?  When did I become comfortable in simply being a missionary in title, but doing so little to actually tell others about Christ?

WHEN DID MY LOVE GROW COLD?

As I sit on the veranda of the beach house at Camp Langano, I look up and read

Be still and know that
I AM GOD
-Psalm 46:10

A simple verse, and one that I have known for years.  But even now it is exactly what I needed to read.  I feel so much turmoil in my life and ministry right now, and I am so excited to go back and see what God does with this experience.  I keep thinking of more and different ways to bring all I’ve learned here to the field in Zambia.  Strategies repeatedly come to mind.  Logistics.  Plans.  But I need to always remember that God is God, and He is in control.  So, we may go back and see nothing happen in Zambia; or, we can go back and see lives changed for Christ.  Either way, He is truly and absolutely in control.  I just get to participate in the great things He is doing.

So I look forward to getting back to Zambia.  I look forward to training church leaders to actually care about the spiritual state of the world and actually do something about it.  I look forward to being a part of an interdenominational church planting movement among the “reached” and the unreached alike.  I look forward to seeing God change lives.  I look forward to seeing the face and focus of missions change so that we see incarnational missionaries passionately and intentionally sharing the gospel.  That’s what is important.  When did mission strategy become more important than the gospel message?  When did the status quo become more important than radical change for Christ?  When did comfort become more important than Christ?  When did church polity become more important than gospel ministry?  In essence,

WHEN DID I BECOME MORE IMPORTANT THAN CHRIST?

16 December 2011

A Look Ahead - Changes


If you read my last post, you’ll see that my time in Ethiopia was amazing and it gave us a lot to think and pray about now that I’m back.  Many of you have been asking what all this means for us and our ministry here in Zambia.  And what’s this talk about going to Thailand?  Well, keep reading…

First of all, as of right now we are NOT MOVING.  I wanted to say that up front because, well, you will probably see news about me (Luke) doing a lot of traveling in the months to come.  So don’t freak.  We’re not leaving.

That said, the months ahead are going to involve a great deal of changes as we look at incorporating Sports Friends into the ministry efforts of SIM Zambia.  I will be more or less coordinating all this on the Zambia side, working closely with the international trainers and developers as we start to share the vision with Zambian church leaders.  These initial stages involve Skype conference calls (woohoo for technology!), some travel within Zambia to meet with SIM Zambia leadership, and even a few more international trips, including one to Thailand in January.
 
What about Tiffany?  And what about Lusa?  While these new responsibilities will keep me quite busy and away from Lusa, I am still available to them as needed.  Tiffany, however, will continue working there, building relationships with the handful of volunteers, working directly with Regina (the Lusa administrator), and teaching budgeting and nutrition lessons.  Through time her role there may diminish, but not yet.

Hopefully this answered some of your questions.

So, how can you help out?  I’m glad you asked!
  •  Please be praying for us during the days ahead, as I have a great deal of preliminary work to get done.  Pray for stamina and focus.
  • Please pray for our upcoming trip to Thailand, that we may get to and from safely and that our time there may be fruitful and enlightening
  • Please pray for the people of Zambia, that their hearts might be open and receptive to the Gospel
  • Please pray that the funds come into our ministry account to cover the costs of the trip to Thailand and another potential training trip to Ethiopia in April (more on that one later)

 Thank you all!  You are more of a blessing to us than you will ever know!

A Look Back - Ethiopia


Many of you have been asking about my recent trip to Ethiopia.  How was my trip?  What did I learn?  What does this mean for our future ministry?  How was the food?

I just want to say that, no matter how hard I try, I will never be able to fully explain or describe how much I learned during and grew from this trip.  Words just won’t do it justice.  But, I guess I’ll try.

For those who don’t know, I went to Ethiopia from 30th November to 10th December of this year to visit Sports Friends, a sports-based ministry of SIM.  The program was started in Ethiopia ten years ago and has since spread to Kenya, Thailand, and Nigeria, and now they are looking to expand further into Malawi, Peru, and Zambia.  And that’s where I come in.

Many of you have kept up with my frustrations since arriving in Zambia a year ago.  After beginning our ministry at Lusa in May, we have found less and less for me to do there.  Almost all of the limited number of community volunteers are female, so Tiffany has been able to build some strong relationships while I just sit on the sidelines.  We’ve seen the feeding program for the children improve to provide weekly meals, but usually the food is cooked by the women while the kids are in class, and so again I just sit around.  I tried to start a Bible curriculum for the school, but the teachers would only occasionally teach it. 

During all this, I would continue to play with the idea of starting a sports ministry here in Solwezi.  Regularly I would brainstorm with Tiffany ideas on what a sports ministry would look like here.  How often would we meet?  For how long?  Would we incorporate a Bible study?  Before we play?  After we play?  How many leaders would I need?  Our list of questions grew and grew, and we prayed and prayed.

Then, one day, seemingly out of the blue, all those prayers seemed to be answered.  I received an email from the SIM Zambia director asking if I was interested in traveling to Ethiopia to learn more about Sports Friends.  My gut response was to jump on board right away, but I told him that Tiffany and I would pray about it before I gave him an answer.  So we did.  And I went.

And I am so glad I did.

While in Ethiopia, I had a chance to meet with a handful of the almost 150 SIM missionaries serving in that country.  I learned about their organizational structure, their philosophy of ministry, and what God is doing through them among the people of Ethiopia.

I had a chance to meet with several leaders from Ethiopia Kale Heywet Church, the largest evangelical denomination in Ethiopia, boasting around 8 million members.  I learned that a fully self-governed, self-supported, and self-propagating church in Africa is more than just a dream – it’s a reality.  I learned how this church was actively sending missionaries to other parts of the world, including areas where Western missionaries are not allowed entry.

And I had the chance to visit with Sports Friends Ethiopia leaders and learn from them.  I learned that Sports Friends is more than “just” a sports ministry.  It’s more than playing games so that young people come to church.  It’s more than establishing a fun environment where people feel safe and can have fun.  It’s so much more than all that.

Sports Friends is changing lives.

We visited a church that started when a 12 year old Muslim boy came to Christ through Sports Friends.  This boy’s life changed, and soon his family began asking questions before ultimately placing their faith in Christ as well.  This church now has close to 80 members, provides 2 Sports Friends teams, and is planting churches in the Muslim community around it.

We met a young man who went through the program and is now the only believer in his family of 50.  Ostracized by his parents, this man is now a church leader in a local “mother church” that is actively planting churches in the community, including the one mentioned above.

We met another young man who was addicted to drugs and alcohol until he came to Christ through Sports Friends.  He is now an active participant in the ministry, coaching a team and praying that he can impact more youth for Christ.

I could go on and on.

But what makes this program so different from other sports ministries?  Not being the foremost expert in this area, I would attribute it to the emphasis on character building and leadership development.  Sports is the vehicle by which contact is made and relationships are built, but it is by no means the focus of the ministry.  Changed lives through the power of the Gospel is key.  Church leaders are trained as coaches, the youth are invested in, future leaders are developed, and growth is undeniably seen.

Empowering leaders.  Strengthening churches.  Changing lives.

Sports Friends in a nutshell (though this by no means does it justice).  My next post, whenever I get to it, is going to look at what all this means for our ministry here in Zambia.

15 December 2011

Oh, to have a time machine...


The remnants after Jungle's "dinner"

The other night, Tiffany and I returned home from dinner with friends to find that Jungle had eaten The Rainmaker.  I guess I wasn’t supposed to be reading that book right now after all.  So, I picked up a small book I received in Ethiopia called An Indigenous Church in Action, by Alfred G. Roke.  Not really the most compelling title, but after reading the first three pages, I’m hooked.  Below are a few excerpts from the book, along with a comment or two from me.  Enjoy, and let me know your thoughts!

“This was, and is, a truly indigenous church, where the principles of self-support, self-government, and self-propagation were adopted, by the Spirit’s leading, right from the outset.  There is a world of difference between this method of working, and the usual method of waiting to hand over responsibility to the native church, until in the opinion of the foreign missionary it is sufficiently mature for this to be done.  An unbiased reading of the New Testament will convince that the former method, the truly indigenous method, is God’s way of evangelizing the world.”
~A.L. Harris, in his foreword dated January 1st, 1938

So, what about when this opportunity for planting an indigenous church from the start is already long gone?  Like, 100 years gone?

The book itself begins:

“The objective of all true missionary effort is the world-wide propagation of the Christian faith; not the Christianizing of the whole world, but its evangelization.”
~p. 7

In other words, the primary objective is spreading the Gospel, NOT Christian religion in its various forms and practices.

“We aim not at bringing the whole world to Christ, but at the bringing of Christ to the whole world.  The universal objective therefore must be the evangelization of every people.  The local objective, and result of the former, is the planting of a church.  Neither objective is possible without God, but both are with Him.”
~p. 7

Again, evangelism is paramount, and the natural outworking of evangelism is the planting of a church.  This church, however, need not look, sound, or feel like the missionary’s concept of church, but rather reflect how the indigenous believers come to express their faith in their Savior.

Okay, last one for now:

“Any activity, by whatever name it may be called, if it does not soundly contribute towards the missionary objective, must sooner or later be acknowledged as unsatisfactory.  Much work has begun in all sincerity, and those who today are called upon to carry it on, feel it is in vain.  In many cases the younger missionary is faced with the possible surrender of the vision that carried him to the field, and is in danger of settling down into an old established rut which cannot bring him or his coworkers any nearer the great objective.  A candid examination of the facts regarding a great deal of present day missionary work will quickly prove that all is not right.”

Two quick thoughts.  First, this was written in 1937, yet we still face these same issues today.  Second, and I will conclude with this, the writer is NOT saying that community aide programs such as schools and hospitals are bad.  The preceding paragraph actually describes them as outworkings of ministry.  But, if these programs, no matter how sincere they are, stand in the missionary’s way of sharing the Gospel, then there is a problem.  If this problem is allowed to persist for many years, and gets passed from one generation of missionary to the next so that the new missionaries to the field are forced to push aside the goal of evangelization in order to maintain the tradition of help over the Gospel, something has gone terribly wrong.  This issue cannot be allowed to continue.  Change must take place.  So I ask,

WHEN DID MY WORK BECOME MORE IMPORTANT THAN CHRIST’S WORK?

04 December 2011

Access to the Father

“Because you are close to God, because of your skin.”

I stopped by the post office to check our mail this morning and one of my favorite security guards greeted me joyfully. He told me he thought I would be at church, which normally I would on a Sunday, but our church had a special Christmas event last night and therefore cancelled church this morning. Anyway, he said that they (he and another man with him) unfortunately couldn’t go to church because they were securing things. So, they read the Bible together and pray. (Yay for them, right?) He said they pray to God to protect them, that they won’t be endangered. Then he said that only God and I can protect them.

Me? How can I protect them? I responded: “Only God can protect you from danger – I can’t protect you!”

And that’s when he said it. That I could protect them through my prayers to God, because God will listen to me because of my skin color; as if having white skin is a prerequisite to having a close relationship with the Lord.

Is this what is being taught? Is it a belief that is widely held by our Zambian brothers and sisters? I find myself wondering if it is a remnant of colonialism or if it’s the result of false doctrine (or both). Some churches in South Africa and elsewhere teach that the black Africans are descendents of Ham, father of Canaan. After Noah awakes from his drunkenness In Genesis 9:25-27, it says,

“He said, ‘Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers.’ He also said, ‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the slave of Shem. May God extend the territory of Japheth; may Japheth live in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be his slave.’”

The idea in the doctrine is that the black Africans are an inferior race, subject to slavery. It’s the same theology that had so many Civil War era Americans convinced that slavery was morally and spiritually acceptable.

As Luke prepared to go to Ethiopia, a European man told us that in Ethiopia, the people don’t look at themselves as inferior to whites, making it much easier to have mutual friendships and mutual working relationships. In contrast, it is very difficult to have strong mutual relationships with our Zambian brothers and sisters. Despite our sin, our shortcomings, and our brokenness, we are still viewed as “superior.” Perhaps that is why there is one church here absolutely convinced that they need an American pastor (they really want Luke) to grow. Perhaps this is why children seem to take great pride in greeting a muzungu (white person) and receiving a response. Maybe this is why when I pick something up off a shelf in Shoprite, others around me immediately look at the same thing in the hope of imitating my selection and becoming just a little more like me.

But regardless of the whys and hows, it’s wrong. I told my friend this morning that he is my brother. He has the same access to God that I do, and the Lord listens to his prayers. In Revelation 7:9 it says,

“After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.”

It doesn’t say that the Americans or Europeans will be in front – in the cushy seats – VIP seating. It doesn’t say that the Zambians will be sweeping the floors or asking others to pray on their behalf. It says we will all be standing before the throne of God and the Lamb.

We are all sinners – all guilty before God until the price has been paid for our sin. And through the death of Christ on the cross, it has. One death for all mankind; not proportioned out based on our race or the intensity of our sin. We are all disobedient; and we all have access to redemption.

“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” – Galations 3:8

I pray that I encouraged my dear brother this morning. After all, that’s what he is – my brother. We share a common Father, and have equal access to that Father. And as he sits praying and reading his Bible and wishing he were at church, I am humbled that he would think of me (running a few errands on a Sunday morning), as greater in the Kingdom of God. And I am forever grateful that our salvation is not through our actions, but only through Christ.

09 November 2011

New Opportunities; Renewed Vision

So I am crazy impulsive and have a crazy awesome idea that I should probably flesh out before I dig a giant hole of crazy. (How was that sentence for quality English?)

Anyhow, here’s a little background… When Lusa Home-Based Care was under the guidance of an organization out of South Africa, money was sent from the US to build dormitories and other facilities. We’re talking upwards of $70,000. As is so often the heart-breaking case here, that money never made it to Zambia, and we have no dormitory. The same organization apparently promised many community members around Lusa that their work (cooking, gardening, teaching, and other jobs that are considered voluntary right now) would be paid. When that money never showed up, the people didn’t see a reason to show up either. So now, Mama Yoba and Regina are running the place with a handful of volunteers – mostly women who are benefitting from the work we’re doing at Lusa. Our (unpaid) teachers are ready to throw in the towel, and apparently many people are still bitter about the money thing and blaming Mama Yoba. (Learned all of this today)

That said, we’ve started to see things turn around. One by one, people from the community are learning that it truly is better to give than to receive, and have a desire to get involved. Through donations and hard work, we now have fish in our fish ponds, maize in our maize fields, and will soon have chickens in our chicken coops. Two big craft markets at local mines in the next two weeks promise some serious income generation as our expat friends will be in Christmas-buying mode. Using Dave Ramsey’s Money Matters teaching on budgeting via envelopes, the organization actually has money when the water bill comes or other needs arise. We have weekly Bible studies and the handful of people who are coming are now taking turns leading through a book on the women of the Bible. But our efforts to help the children – what Lusa is really about – are falling short.

In recent months, we’ve restarted weekly feeding programs for the 30 or so kids (of about 80 we have on a register) who are coming for school each day. But school has turned more into a loosely run day care. The kids show up at 7. When the teachers show up, it’s usually by 8. Then they finish at 10. We have kids ages 2 to 15 all in the same “class” and there is little structure or anything by way of a lesson plan. And, Lusa has been serving the same kids for several years. Some are single or double orphans; some are sick; many are vulnerable; and some just come to Lusa because their parents would rather send them to us for free than put forth the money to get them into school. We’ve discussed raising the funds to provide first term school fees and uniforms to put 40 or so of the kids into the public school system (about $15 each). Assuming we can get these kids into school, here’s where the idea comes in…

The purpose of Lusa is not just to provide a helping hand to the community, but also to share the love and grace of Christ. The purpose is hope. We don’t have the man-power nor motivation from the community to run Lusa as a school – but what if we go in a whole new direction? What if our efforts at Lusa get people excited about working there, and allow them to forget the bitterness they might have from the previous problems? What if we stop trying to be mediocre in an area (school) where the kids would be better served in the local school system, and focus our efforts on being awesome and glorifying to God with something that’s definitely a need and not one that’s being met elsewhere?

So here’s the idea. Similar to what Child Evangelism Fellowship does with Good News Clubs, turn Lusa into a community center – an outreach center – a place where kids and teens can come to hear about Christ, play sports and games, hang out with each other off of the streets, and realize that people care about them. Rather than run a school for 3 hours in the morning for 30 or so kids, we could have club meetings throughout the day or with different ages every day and be open to the entire community. For example, the grade 1 kids in the community might get off school at noon, and then come to Lusa for activities; and then the grade 9 and 10 girls might come at another time or on another day. We would still help the most vulnerable community members through our income generating projects – helping supply food and school fees and visiting and caring for them – but we would also be able to reach, minister to, and love on potentially hundreds of kids each week. And, hopefully, inspire and lead these kids to be Christ-loving, God-fearing, generous, loving adults.

Would LOVE LOVE LOVE to hear your thoughts and have your prayers. We are discussing the idea with a local pastor whom we respect and admire (and happens to be the chairman of the Lusa board) tomorrow. Also (NEWS FLASH!), Luke will be going to Ethiopia in early December for training in an SIM ministry called Sports Friends, which would be a huge part of the new focus if we go that way.

I personally haven’t been this excited about the potential at Lusa in a long time. We were actually quite discouraged with the state of things when we first came, but ever so gradually have been able to see a way moving forward. Will you pray with us as we continue to seek the Lord’s direction in this?

25 September 2011

The Fame of HIS Name


I want to make a difference in the world for the Kingdom of God.

But what, truly, is my motivation?  Is it to make His name great?  Or is it to make MY name great, to be remembered by men as a great minister of truth to the world?  I would like to say it is to make Christ famous, but so often I don’t feel that to be true.  I may have preached last week (in Kiikaonde) that the purpose of the Christian in the world is to make God known.  To make Christ famous among the nations.  But so often I feel this longing to be known myself.  It’s almost as though I hope that I will become famous if I make God famous.  It’s like my own little version of the prosperity gospel.  I work for God; He makes me famous.

But that’s not how it works.

I read Matthew 26 this morning during my devotions.  Tucked away in the beginning of this chapter is a story of a woman who takes an expensive bottle of perfume and anoints Jesus’ head with it.  She took what she had and used it to honor her Savior.  The disciples were upset by this, arguing that she should have sold it and given the profits away (weren’t they just SO holy?).  Jesus commended her for her actions, and promised that her deeds would be forever remembered, for this story was to be included with the telling of the gospel.

And it has been.

For about two thousand years, the story of this woman has been included in the gospel according to Matthew (and also in Mark 14 and John 12).  But the woman’s name is not included.  It is only when we read the parallel account in John that we learn that this woman was Mary, sister of Lazarus and Martha.  Only one of three accounts give the name of the person who was to be honored for her faith.  Jesus commended her, praising her act of faith.  But her name was not recorded.  The actions may have been rewarded and remembered, but not with earthly fame for the individual.  All earthly fame belongs to Christ.  His name is to be glorified.  His name is to be made famous.  Not ours.

Not mine.

07 August 2011

If I do not love...

In my last post, I talked about how focusing on Jesus and the righteousness imputed to us through His death on the cross can free us from the chains of guilt. If we turn our eyes from those things that are tempting us and toward Him, those things become dull and drab in the midst of His splendor.

In a practical sense, though, what does it mean to fix our eyes on Jesus? How can we seek to be holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:16)?

Before I started singing the hymn Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus (see prior post), I had Ginny Owens’ I am Nothing in my head (we’re talking all morning…). Here are a few of the lyrics…

I could live a flawless life,
Never cheat or steal or lie,
And always speak so kindly, smile warmly, and go about doing good.
I could dedicate myself to do what everyone else wants me to-
Listen to them, compliment them, say the things I should.
I could show up every Sunday, lead the choir and Bible study
And they all might come to know me as a leader and a friend.
Oh, I could achieve success on earth, but success cannot define my worth
And all these actions, all these words, will not matter in the end-

Songs will fade to silence,
Stories, they will cease.
The dust will settle, covering all my selfless deeds.
So as I strive to serve you,
Won’t you make it clear to me,
If I do not love, I am nothing.


So thinking about focusing on Christ and His love and being holy as He is holy, I thought, what is it Christ has called us to do? He tells us of the two greatest commandments, to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and to love your neighbor as yourself. I really think there are three great commandments here, the third being assumed. In order for us to love our neighbor as ourselves, we have to love ourselves. Radical thought, huh? Well seriously… you can ask my husband. I am the queen of being down on myself. I had my own little guilty shame-filled pity party last night for wasting away my day and making choices that certainly weren’t about to earn me any favor in God’s eyes. I beat myself up over small things and in essence not only make it all about me, but also all about not loving me. If I’m wrapped up in not loving myself, there certainly isn’t room for focusing on loving the Lord my God, much less loving my neighbor. (My neighbor wouldn’t want to be around me.)

Thinking a little further, if I’m to be focused on Jesus, how can I learn from Him how to love myself? Well to start, Jesus lived a very balanced, healthy lifestyle. When he was tired, He got away from the crowds and rested; when He needed spiritual refreshment or guidance, He turned to God in prayer; when He was tempted, He called upon God; when He was hungry or thirsty He ate; when He needed to focus on His purpose or His relationship with God, He put those things first. Though He ministered to both Jew and Gentile, His deep relationships were with dear God-fearing friends and together they took time for fellowship and relaxation. He focused His gaze upon things not of this earth, but things of Heaven. There was no room for falling to temptation – probably even no appeal. He was so focused on God’s splendor and love and purpose, all other things didn’t even matter. Loving Himself didn’t mean boasting about menial earthly things – His only boasting was that He was the Son of the Living God – and we too can boast about that! Loving Himself didn’t mean regular extravagant beauty treatments (though he certainly allowed it when it was the sacrificial love of the woman with the oil). Loving Himself meant loving who He was in God and taking care of His body as a vessel for God’s purposes. And loving Himself meant accepting God’s purposes for Him.

To love my neighbor as myself, sometimes I think I just need to get over myself. God created me; therefore, what I might see as flaws He sees as perfection. God sent His Son to save me; therefore, what I might see as sin, He sees as righteousness. If I love Him, I can focus on His love, learn to love myself, and then know how to truly love my neighbor. That’s way more refreshing (and joy-producing) than shameful self-loathing!

Here is the end of the song:

If I cannot live my life loving my brother,
Then how can I love the one who lived his life for me?

Sent to earth from heaven,
Humble servant, holy king,
Come to share a story, get no glory, and save my searching soul,
You knew that I’d deny you, crucify you, but nothing could stop you from
Living for me, dying for me, so that I would know-

Songs will fade to silence,
Stories will cease,
The dust will settle covering these selfless deeds.
But your life here has made it clear enough for me to see
That if I do not love, I am nothing

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in his wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of his glory and grace.

This morning we had the privilege of hosting the Kansanshi Fellowship in our home. This is a group of expatriate miners and a few others from around the world who started a small church group here in Solwezi because they didn’t feel comfortable or worship in the local Zambian churches as they were used to doing in their home countries. Actually, as August is a school holiday and many of the miners are on vacations or visiting family in South Africa or elsewhere, we’re hosting several weeks in a row.

Anyhow, the topic Luke led us through today was sin as a habit/lifestyle versus sin as an isolated event, looking at how everyone is a sinner from conception – from the disobedience of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and from which the separation of mankind from God resulted, we are in our nature sinners. Through the blood of Christ on the cross, who was born of woman but conceived by the Holy Spirit, believers in Him are reconciled to God and freed from the power of sin. God views us as righteous, despite incidents of sin that occur after we put our trust in Him. While we are viewed as righteous, we still have to account for our sinful choices. Just as children whose parents will love them and forgive them when they do wrong but are proud of them when they do well, we know our Heavenly Father forgives and loves us when we slip, but we seek to do right for the honor it brings Him.

All that to say, that’s not what this post is about, really.... As we discussed the fact that we all still fall to temptation and make mistakes, one of the men said that sometimes he thinks we’re too focused on the sin and not on our righteousness. Before you say, “wow, he’s full of himself” or “missed the point of Christ on the cross,” think about it. He has a very, very good point. We’ve been freed from sin and its power – so why dwell on it? If we dwell on our sin, we tend to live in shame, guilt, and often a terrible cycle of: sinful action – guilt – distancing ourselves from God (how could He love us when we disappoint Him so?) – and sinful action again. It’s like when someone is on a diet and spends the whole time thinking, “I can’t eat candy bars.” If you’re constantly thinking about how you can’t do it, you’re constantly thinking about it.

If instead, we place in our minds something completely different rather than focusing on what we shouldn’t do, there’s no room for those temptations to even creep in. Our friend wasn’t saying we are righteous in that we don’t need a savior, but if we view ourselves in the righteousness we have because of Christ, it is easier to get out of the cycle of shame and focus on Him and His holiness as a guide for our own lives.

So thinking about all of that and how I should fix my eyes on Christ, the above hymn popped into my mind. If our eyes are on Jesus – in His glory and grace and splendor – the temptations of the world seem so frivolous and dull. If we focus on the temptations, and falling to the temptations, we completely miss the goodness and love of Christ. I mean seriously, what right have we to sit ashamed, guilty, and unworthy of God’s pleasure, when Jesus gave His life on the cross and deemed us worthy?

Stay tuned for a follow up to this message.... soon. Didn’t want this one to get too long....

05 August 2011

Observations from Zambia

**I apologize for any comment that might seem insensitive. Not saying anything is wrong or bad, just different.**
• Even though we sleep more here and the pace is generally slower, we end most days exhausted and attribute it to the emotional toil of language/cultural barriers.
• People can wail on demand here. We drove a young woman to the cemetery for her brother’s funeral, and it was amazing how she could go back and forth from wailing as she exited the mortuary to immediate laughing and talking calmly when she got in the car with some of the other ladies.
• When a taxi driver dies, ALL the taxis join the procession from the mortuary to the graveyard – and all rules and laws and niceties of driving go out the window – along with the upper bodies of the drivers and their passengers sitting in the windows of their car, driving all over the road, honking. Basically, if you hear that a taxi driver has died, STAY OFF THE ROADS (we hear the same applies to minibuses).
• Minibus = roller coaster without tracks, especially from Kimasala where there is a giant downhill followed by a giant uphill as the road crosses the river.
• Minibuses typically will shut off their engines on said hill to save gas.
• You can usually arrive faster (and safer) walking than by riding a minibus.
• If you’re a young American who learns the local language and walks most everywhere, you’re in the Peace Corp unless: (see next point)
• If you are not in the Peace Corp and speak the local language and walk most everywhere, you clearly don’t stay in Solwezi. You are from Kasempa, where all the missionaries stay.
• Summarizing the two above points, no one believes that we’re missionaries who stay in town, and I am regularly proposed to even if Luke is with me because the assumption is that we’re two Peace Corp volunteers, not a missionary couple.
• When you blow your nose during the dry season, do not be alarmed by the dirt that comes out (same applies to use of Q-tips).
• If you see something new in Shoprite that you’re really excited about, buy in bulk. It may never appear again.
• Typically, people are progressively nicer, more appreciative, and more likely to be Christian the more ruralized and/or traditional they are. Seems the wealthy, Westernized, educated group has become post-Christian in many ways.
• Most Zambian women of child-bearing age are either pregnant or have recently had a child – or both. No joke.
• When you become a mother, you are referred to “Baina ____” or “mother of ______”
• When you are married, you are rarely referred to by your first name – you are a Mrs. until you are a Baina.
• “Tiffany” and “Wessler” are both very difficult to say. “Luka” is not a problem though. Therefore, I am Ba Muka Luka (wife of Luke). This is my identity.
• We put our trash in a giant hole in the ground, and occasionally set it on fire to “compress it.” Most trash, though, is typically thrown on the street.
• Periodically, trucks will come through certain streets that are known for copious amounts of trash and men will shovel said trash into the trucks.
• Most people are paid at the end of the month.
• The line at the ATM at the end of the month is ridiculously long (for several days).
• If you have cash that you are not using at that very moment, it is expected that you would give it to someone else who has an immediate need or want.
• Therefore, Shoprite and other shops are also incredibly busy at the end of the month, because it is better to spend all your money immediately so it is not available for someone else to request. (A lot of that is found in the book African Friends and Money Matters as well)
• Children are often the breadwinners. Whereas in the states a kid selling fruit or manning a lemonade stand is cute and teaching them about economics, here, a kid selling fruit is supporting an entire family and often unable to attend school because of the demands of their “work.”

More observations to come in future blogs….

22 July 2011

Funerals, Prosperity, and the Occult

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present or the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 8:38-39

As we stood in the midst of a funeral gathering in the middle of the local graveyard, I really wondered and struggled with the idea of witchcraft in Zambia. I guess I’ve always just considered it as nonexistent. I mean, Satan is real, but God has won that battle and through Him we can too. But witches? Evil spirits? Spells and curses? It always seemed like make believe – hocus pocus – material for Halloween and scary movies.

Here’s the context: A dear Zambian friend of ours – one we consider one of our (many) Zambian moms, lost her son this week. He had just been promoted to a managerial role at Shoprite in a town three hours from here. As the educated and well-employed member of the family, he was expected to support and help other family members. As we drove Mama Yoba and two other women to the mortuary to join the procession following the coffin from there to the graveyard, I asked how the young man died. Witchcraft was the response. She said he had just been promoted a few days before, and then he walked into his office, fell to the floor, and blood started coming out his eyes. Someone had cursed him. What?!? I tried to think of what kind of illness would have that sort of effect, but also thought back to a chapter I read in African Friends and Money Matters just last night. Here is an excerpt:

“In many rural communities, people are afraid to accumulate more goods or prosperity than their neighbors and kin, for fear of creating jealousy which may lead to reprisals being carried out against them on an occult level. It is common for certain people to use occult means, through the mediations of … workers of magic, to cause the failure of competitors, to achieve their own success, or as a leader to ensure that people will agree with him or her. There is general fear of such reprisals, and a significant amount of economic development is held back because of it…. As occult rites are carried out in secret, people never know who may be taking action against them, even from within their own family.”

So then I find myself wondering – how do people view us? Do there spells and curses have any power over us? I mean, our God is bigger and more powerful, but the verse in Romans doesn’t tell us these things don’t exist, just that they can’t separate us from God. Asking Luke his thoughts, he said, “Nothing can affect our immortality.” True? Yes. Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ – eternally. But that isn’t exactly comforting during this life. It doesn’t mean we have a free and easy joyride here. We can pray God’s protection over each other and our loved ones and our home and things – praying that the Spirit will guide us and help us discern between good and evil, but ultimately, when it’s our time, we will go home to the Lord. It’s not that I’m afraid of death – what a joyous time of celebration and wonder Heaven will be. But I’m scared to death of dying – and the process. As if car wrecks and natural disasters and diseases and crime aren’t enough to be afraid of, witchcraft is a realm I don’t understand, and find quite frightening.

We had heard other references to the occult usually in regard to preventing any sort of evil power from taking hold – things like a specific way the umbilical cord is destroyed when a baby is born, certain birth defects being referred to as a result of witchcraft, trees uprooting themselves and then standing back up, but I guess this was our closest encounter with anything or anyone directly affected by the workings of evil.

I don’t really have any clear answers or understanding of it all. I know the mother of the young man is a believer in Christ and I pray that she lean heavily on the Lord at this time. I also “know we are more than conquerors through him who loved us,” and that Jesus is at the right hand of God and interceding for us. I also know that “by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of (y)ours and every act prompted by (y)our faith.” (2 Thes. 1:11) May our actions be prompted by faith, may others leave evil ways and come to faith through God’s work in and through us, and may our Lord – the one true Lord - be glorified by our lives for Him here.

27 June 2011

comforts from home





We’ve had a lot of people ask us lately what they can send in care packages, either for us or for our work here.  We figured that making a list on our blog would be an easy way for you to get ideas.  It’s amazing what is available here – and we’re blessed beyond belief.  So the things for us certainly aren’t needs as the Lord has provided for all of our needs.  Some are just comforts from home, or close substitutes for said comforts (since you can’t ship a tub of Cool Whip….).  The second list is items that would be helpful in our ministry at Lusa.

For us:

Foodstuffs:
Dream Whip – closest shippable thing we’ve found to CoolWhip
Great Value (Wal Mart brand) Deluxe Macaroni and Cheese (you can even keep the noodles and just send the sauce packets – definitely a favorite for Luke)
Great Value or Crystal Light sugar free drink mix (the kind in the tubs that you mix w/ a pitcher of water)
Fat Free No Sugar added pudding mixes – vanilla, chocolate, lemon
Parmesan cheese (or other cheeses that wouldn’t need refrigeration in sending)
Splenda
Marshmallows.  We have them here but they just are all flavored – they taste great but don’t work so well for baking or making s’mores!
Extra Spearmint gum
Taco Bell Sauce Packets (just save your extras when you hit the drive thru!)
Coffee
Kashi GoLean Cereal (the original – not any of the special flavors or anything)
Seasonal goodies – candy corn, peeps, jelly beans, etc
Spices: Jamaican Jerk, allspice, cinnamon, chili powder
Dried fruit - Prunes, cranberries, etc. (Raisins are easy to get here and we don't like banana chips though!)

Otherstuffs:
Lexmark printer cartridges – black 14 and color 15
Razor blades – Venus for Tiff; Schick Quattro Pro for Luke
Anti-perspirant –Lady Speed Stick; Old Spice High Endurance (not red zone)
Flea collars and/or tubes of flea treatment (frontline or advantage or generic) for dog and cat
Recorded sermons
Books – novels, anything
Cookbooks or cooking magazines
Workout videos/DVDs/Wii games – High energy cardio type stuff
CDs or DVDs – we’ve been here over a year and a half now- what’s new?


For Lusa:
Balls (deflated) and a pump
Nice wooden, glass, metal, or even plastic beads for jewelry making
Craft wire and other jewelry-making supplies

From our experience, first class mail items take about six weeks toarrive and cost varies by weight. Flat rate shipping is one rate based on the size of the box, so if you're sending heavier items, it’s more cost effective AND it arrives in about two weeks.  We also enjoy receiving letters and pictures!   All packages and mail can be sent to us at PO Box 110079, Solwezi, Zambia.  Thank you in advance.  Again, these are just ideas for those who have asked – please don’t feel like you have to send anything.  Blessings and Love!

13 June 2011

to give a man a fish

How many times have we heard the proverb, “if you give a man a fish, he eats for a day; if you teach a man to fish, he eats for a lifetime.”? Not sure where it came from, but it’s always seemed a pretty good principle to me. It screams empowerment and equality – good western ideologies. And with ministry in Africa, trying to empower people to be self-sustaining in their work and not depend on financial pipelines from overseas, it just makes sense, right?


That’s where I’m having a hard time. The above proverb is certainly not from the Bible. Jesus never tells the disciples to go teach people how to catch fish or harvest their fields or bake bread – he tells them to teach, but to teach about Him. Jesus himself doesn’t teach tricks of the trade, sustainable agriculture or the like. He feeds the multitudes and tells us to do the same. He says we should sell our possessions and give to the poor. In 2 Corinthians 8:13-15, Paul writes,


‘Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, as it is written: “He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little.”’


Whether it’s on the street or at our door, we have people asking for food and money on an almost daily basis. At Lusa, there is a dire need for money to get the center running to its full potential. Kids need sponsorships to go to school. We’re by no means rich, but the Lord has blessed us with plenty. How does He want us to use it? We’re trying to teach money management and develop income-generating projects at Lusa – and let me tell you – it’s exhausting. We often offer piecework to people who come to the door. Sometimes we give a loaf of bread or money to buy mealie-meal. But we also find ourselves saying “no” a lot. We really struggle with what we should do – where we should give.


The country of Zambia has benefitted from a pipeline of charitable funding for so many years that it seems to have crippled much of the country. People have gotten so used to having the fish given to them that they’ve stopped casting their nets themselves. Many parents don’t seem to even try to pay their kids' school fees – they’ve learned instead how to ask for sponsorships. This is by no means everyone. There are people who work hard, tirelessly, to provide for their families and manage money wisely. But (please excuse any bitterness here) there are also a lot of people who wander the streets waiting for someone with white skin to give them money, regardless of actual need. Kids seem especially “trained” in this. We see kids who are well-dressed and clean, coming from school, who see us and walk up and say “give me 5 pin” (equivalent of a dollar), just because they’ve apparently learned it might work.


So I’m grappling. What would Jesus do? Would he teach a man to fish, or just give him the fish? It seems that in his parables about himself, he also teaches about farming and fishing and bread-making and so on – but were those just examples the people would understand, or was he intending to teach about Himself while teaching how others are to sustain themselves? Are we supposed to give everything to the poor, essentially becoming poor ourselves, or do we teach in a way that enables the poor to escape poverty? Do we give to anyone and everyone, or try to discern true need? Is it up to us? Even Jesus drew a line here. After teaching and healing many in Capernaum, the people tried to get Jesus to stay, but He knew He was to preach the good news in other towns as well. There may have still been physical needs among the people, but He had taught the Word and knew it was time to move on.


I’m still wrestling with this, especially as we look at our purpose here. Do we give as an open door to sharing the true gift of life? Do we teach with the same intent? To meet a physical need without meeting the more important spiritual needs would supersede the Gospel message. The greatest commandment is to love God; only after which comes the mandate to love others. But as I heard once in a quote, people won’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. What is the balance of giving and teaching and sharing Christ? How do we respond in love? To what extent does love include tough love and accountability? Most of all, we find ourselves constantly asking, what would Jesus do?


We would love to hear your thoughts.

22 May 2011

A Look at Village Life... Part 6

May 5

Last full day. Bittersweet really. We are definitely looking forward to being home with a double bed and indoor toilet and fat, healthy dog, but will also definitely miss the joy and love and selflessness and peace here… sitting and reading and writing and praying and resting; going to be when we’re tired and getting up when we wake up; having nothing on the schedule other than casual visits to new friends; having fresh water from a deep bore hole; helping with simple tasks like sorting beans and preparing vegetables; listening to Mrs. Yanjisha as she sings and hums her way through her daysl and seeing a seemingly new desire they have to read the Buku wa Lesa (Bible) after seeing us do the same.

We could never repay the community here for their generosity and hospitality, yet they seem to be the grateful ones – simply because we’re here. We went to visit the Yanjishas’ daughter this morning, and snacked on freshly steamed pumpkin. Apparently people don’t sell pumpkin in Lubofo. If they have it they share it. It seems that way with a lot of things. Money is rarely exchanged – it is much more efficient to trade a chicken for a puppy or groundnuts for maize. They care for the community, like giving half a cabbage to an older woman who stopped by or the awesome way they support so many children through school. And when someone has a visitor (like us), all their friends give gifts of food in appreciation and to help. The Yanjishas have a lot of friends. And every time we go to visit the friends to thank them for a chicken or beans or vegetables, they send us home with more.

These people are missionaries, sharing God’s love and goodness. I’m afraid to see what happens as this area becomes more “developed.” Some might say the people here are living in poverty, but I think they’re the richest people I’ve met… and they’re so self-sustaining in their work, rarely needing to go to town for food or other things we would call “necessities.” They grow everything they need and if they don’t, one of the neighbors does. It’s beautiful really: this place, the people, the joyous contentment. If only we could all be so lucky.

20 May 2011

A Look at Village Life... Part 5

May 4

So I just “preached” for the Lubofu church’s women’s meeting. I told Mrs. Yanjisha that I don’t preach – I just talk and share. Anyway, it was interesting because Mrs. Berendsen was interpreting for me. Seems like that went okay. I found myself analyzing my talk afterward – was there enough about Christ? Did I connect everything? Did they get it? Did I use too many verses? But that’s just the me coming out. I spoke about God’s beauty in creation – the promises he makes in scripture that are shown in the sky (Abram – in the multitude of stars; Noah – the rainbow) and how those proimises were for us as well. I shared from Psalm 19 and encouraged them that no matter what developments and man-made treasures are available, to keep their focus on Heavenly treasure. I also encouraged them to gaze upon God’s beauty in the stars and the sun and the rainbows and in each other. He created us women as beautiful creations. He also created us as Christians to shine more and more brightly until the SON shines in full glory at His return.

Afterward I realized that this is ministry – sharing our hearts, helping chop vegetables and sweep floors; taking chairs when offered and allowing people to serve us; sorting beans; visiting; and sharing the Word of God in the midst of it all.

A Look at Village Life... Part 4

May 3

Apparently rats don’t bite here. I hardly believe it, but it still would have been good to hear at midnight when I heard a noise, turned on my flashlight, and saw one scurry across the room. It also would have been good a little while later when I saw the second one. I definitely did not sleep well last night – and because I didn’t, Luke didn’t either. The Yanjishas tried to reassure me that the rats won’t bother me, but only want bread and maize. Yeah right. Even so, they said we can keep the cat inside tonight so if there are any rats, she can take care of them. I was seriously ready to pack my bag and go somewhere… somehow. I counted down the hours until the sun would come up and the days until we would leave. Around 2:30, I lay there praying, asking God why in the world he created rats, and begging Him to keep the rats away until this stay is over. Apparently that was what I needed to do, because sometime after that I fell asleep and slept fairly soundly the rest of the night. I’m still considering sleeping with a candle lit tonight.

So I’ve been reading through Proverbs on the corresponding day of the week. Today I was reading Proverbs 3 and 21-26 are about having sound judgment and having no fear when you lie down – that when you lie down your sleep will be sweet and you can have confidence in the Lord with no fear of sudden disaster. I guess that worked. :)

A Look at Village Life... Part 3

May 2

One week done. I’m not dying to leave, but definitely look forward to getting home… not sharing a single bed; not going out in the dark to use the bathroom; not worried about rats eating my bread… not having to eat bread every morning; washing my hair well and plucking my eyebrows. I’m so American it’s pathetic.

This morning Mrs. Yanjisha said something about how it would be great if we stayed six months. At least we’re not a burden, but I feel bad and ungrateful wanting to be back to the creature comforts most of the people here have never seen or tasted. The fresh air, the simplicity, the time to read and listen and learn… Most of all, the humility here is humbling – almost embarrassing because I know we don’t know how to give like people here do. We don’t know how to show our gratitude and appreciation. We don’t know the sacrifice others are making for us, and selfishly we’re talking of what we will do/eat/etc when we get home. We’ve had three different people bring us chickens! And we’ve hardly lifted a finger. It’s humbling. We’ve also learned so much.

This morning we watched people make bricks from the soil. I’ve learned to de-string and cut pumpkin leaves without a cutting board (and learned to like them). I’ve learned about milling and harvest and washing. I’ve made Avanti’s style bread three times now despite the rats chewing through the flour bag. I’ve taught my methods for cooking okra and rape and learned how to cook in an “oven” that is really a metal bucket in which you put charcoal and then cover with a metal slab with more charcoal on top of it. I’ve practiced the art of visiting and helped others with their English as they’ve helped us with our Kikaonde.

What it most interesting is watching (and hearing about) the interaction with kids. Yesterday, some people came from Mukinge looking to pick up an extremely bright young lady (about 12 years old) and put her back in school and give her a future. Apparently she was married off – secretly – in the past week or so, so they couldn’t take her back to the school. The “husband” is only 14 or 15. Apparently, the laws here say a girl must be 16 and a guy 18, but in the village, sometimes anything goes. I can’t fathom being married at 12. I was so scared of my own changing body – to share that with a man at that age is unimaginable, and to think of setting up a home and caring for a family is just crazy to me! Really, it’s sad, because there were other Zambians who wanted to invest in her future and see her escape the grasps of poverty and oppression that traps so many.

14 May 2011

A Look at Village Life... Part 2

April 29
…Even though it’s peaceful and fun in many ways, I still find myself counting down the days until we return to Solwezi. There’s just something about being in your own bed and own kitchen and somewhat in control of your own schedule and not worried about miscommunicating or offending. There’s also something wonderful about a shower. Heck, even a bathtub would be great. I washed my hair again by dunking my head completely in a bucket of water. Fun stuff. In a week I’ll be a pro.

Luke’s stomach is bothering him today. It worries me a bit because at lunch yesterday they served us meat from the night before – which they had just left in the pot in a cabinet without re-heating. We did have beans last night, though, so it may just be gas…

… People here are definitely showing appreciation – bringing chickens and okra and bananas and all sorts of stuff to welcome us as visitors. We have no idea what we should do to show our gratitude. The sacrifices people here are making for us are incredible and really humbling. I am too selfish to be so selfless! But, as Proverbs 28:27 says, “He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses.” Lord, help me to have a giving heart and to be able to discern how much to give, how much to do, who to help, and most of all, how to glorify and amplify you in the process.

April 30
Last night we woke up to a rat in the room. I jumped back and all night found myself turning a flash light on and looking around…

But there are really good things too. Last night all the kids actually came inside with us after dinner and we played UNO. Surprisingly that is one game that does not require everyone to speak the same language. It was fun to see the kids so excited and Mrs. Yanjisha has an awesome laugh and smile. She is always singing and humming. Life is so simple, yet so incredibly happy.

The kids are creating new toys, like a full oxen and cart set from clay and twigs. They also shoot homemade pellets with slingshots. Yesterday, one of the kids hit a pretty tropical bird and the Yanjishas asked me if I ate that kind of bird and if I wanted them to cook it. Eeeek! I said I don’t know and I think they could tell by my face it wasn’t a good idea.

Today we helped crush stones for their church’s new foundation (talk about humbling!). This afternoon we went and watched a couple of village “futbol” games. It was a nice mix up from just sitting at the house. Some of the Yanjisha grandkids have really taken to Luke and he had one on his shoulders the whole time.

It rained a bit and afterward there was a great rainbow. I may never get used to the incredible skies here – rainbows, sunsets, and the most amazing star-filled nights. In the book I’m reading (Lover of My Soul), it talks of how God often communicates to us as his bride – with sweet whispers to draw us close, not loud shouts or giant storms. We have to listen for those whispers and gaze upon His splendor. We can’t always look for the “use” of something, trying to capture the stars in a photo for others or find purpose other than taking in God’s beauty and goodness.

A Look at Village Life... part 1

There is so much to say after spending two weeks in the village, and yet so much of it would seem frivolous or dramatized. So rather than try to summarize or explain or anything of the sort, I’m going to just go straight from the heart, including excerpts from journal entries written during our time in Lubofu. As it was holiday time there – just before the harvest started – there was a lot of time to sit and think and write. Some of it is silly, and some a little more serious. I’ll give you a little glimpse of our thoughts…

April 26
… We pee into a hole in the ground. Granted, I’ve gotten used to this at Lusa and elsewhere, but I just went into the little house that surrounds said hole, and the flies were crazy. We’re talking you start to go, and all the flies fly out and up. Yeah. Awesome. Think horror movie – I thought they might eat me. I may cut back on my water intake, or start going to the bathroom in the bushes…

April 27
Mrs. Yanjisha asked me what I am writing, and we tried to explain about journaling and how our culture is a written culture whereas theirs’ is oral. She has asked me about recipes for this and that, and I don’t have a clue without being able to look them up! They seem to remember so much more and memorize songs and verses more easily. I think what really continues to amaze me is how innovative people – especially kids – are here. They were filling a battery with acid and one of the kids made a funnel from a leaf. They are constantly creating toys and tools from scraps of this and that and things from nature. It is also amazing how young the children are when they start working and helping at home. The kids are fetching water and cleaning and cooking and farming and caring for (and killing) animals. They sleep in a small house separate from the adults and never eat with the adults.

Typically in the village the kids live in a small house by the grandparents’ house once they are 7 or 8 years old; the Yanjishas have 5-9 kids living “with” them at any given time – all grandkids, and kids of their nephews and nieces. The kids have an incredible respect for elders and seem so easily satisfied and entertained.

It’s very different from the kids – and especially teens – in town. Those teens in town have been exposed to western thought and dress and rebellion has really taken its hold. That and they’re not busy working in the fields. We worry about seeing this culture disappear as Zambia becomes more developed. A mine is being built nearby here. It will change everything. The road won’t be safe to walk down freely as it is now, and it will be so much louder and easier. It might bring jobs, but is it a good thing? Are we destroying a lifestyle of peace and contentment by bringing more, bigger, “better?”

The Yanjisha’s farm is amazing. The work ethic and love of God is incredible. Yes, we (westerners) needed to bring the gospel, but it seems we’ve brought so much rubbish along with it. How much is helpful? How much is needed? At what point are we polluting (or crippling from giving handouts) a beautiful, peaceful, happy culture? Perhaps we should have Zambians come to the US to teach people like us how to work hard, love life and want less. If only…

09 March 2011

Clinging to God

“I lift my eyes up to the hills. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of Heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:1-2)

It’s so easy to rely on everyone and everything but God until you’re in a place and situation where the only thing you can do is cry out to God.

My grandma passed away yesterday. She had been in and out of the hospital for the past three weeks, and from what I understand had just been moved to a nursing home for therapy and care until she was strong enough to go home. She died in her sleep, just before my grandpa arrived to visit her. As my mom said during our brief conversation on the phone, God had a plan in it – and waited until no one in the family was there. Grandpa was home, Dad was home, Mom was in Florida with friends and Jason was home. And me, I’m on the complete other side of the world.

I want to believe that Grandma had put her faith in Jesus before she left this world. I have cried so many tears for her and uttered so many prayers over the past hours, days, weeks, months and even years. Just in the last few weeks there have been people on six different continents praying for her. Six! That’s everywhere but Antarctica! That has to mean something, right? Even hours before she died, mom and a friend fervently prayed that someone in the nursing home would share Christ with her and lead her to the Lord.

“And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” (James 5:15-16)

I don’t know what God’s answer to those prayers was. I like to think that like the persistent widow, whose requests were answered by the judge because she did not give up in asking, that the Lord heard my prayers and they were answered. I so pray that my prayers were His will, as we know He desires that none shall perish and that if we ask anything according to His will, we know that we have those requests for which we have asked. But here, miles and hours away from family – from my grandpa who is in complete despair after spending his whole life loving and depending on my grandma – from my dad, an only child who now has to make difficult decisions and be the stronghold for the family – from my mom, whose faith is upholding so much and desperately wants to see my grandpa trust the Lord – here, all I can do is Trust in the Lord.

During our ministry with the primary age kids at our church in Illinois, we learned a song with the words of Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.”

Over the last 16 hours since I heard the news of my grandma’s death, that song has resonated in my heart. In the numerous responses that have poured in from friends and supporters from the e-mail we sent out, one of our friends had quoted that very verse. Then today I pulled out a book from a dear friend titled, Treasures for Women who Hope, and the bookmark inside had that same verse on the back. I am desperately trying to trust in the Lord right now. I’m trusting Him to draw my grandpa, and the others in my family who do not know Him, close to Him. Trusting that He reveals Himself to them in ways that they cannot deny His goodness and love. Trusting Him in the decision of whether to stay here or to go to be with my family at this time. Trusting Him because my understanding is so limited. Trusting Him because without that, I have nothing.

A few months ago I wrote a blog about my grandmother. Read that here: http://pastorllama.blogspot.com/2010/07/full-circle.html

26 February 2011

... The People of Zambia

Serving and Loving the People of Zambia. This is the phrase that is on most of our prayer letters, photos and other materials. This has been the plan, the goal, the intent of preparing for ministry here. Little did we realize that the “People of Zambia” hardly includes just native Zambians.

Since arriving here 2 ½ months ago, we have had opportunities to serve and love – and be served and loved by – people from Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, South Africa, Ghana, Ethiopia, Angola, New Zealand, Malaysia, Korea, India, Ireland, United Kingdom, Germany, Holland, Canada, and the US. And every expectation or stereotype I might have had of people from each of those countries has been stripped away. And though we and many of our expatriate friends, and fellow missionaries find ourselves immersed in Zambian culture, many of these individuals seem to be living in a completely different world.

The copper mining industry has really grown in Zambia, and our town of Solwezi is no exception. The mines certainly employ many Zambians, but there are also “experts” brought in from all over the world. Some, like many of our white Zimbabwean friends, have fled their countries and started life over here in Zambia. Others know their time here is only temporary until projects are completed and they return to their respective countries or move on to a different project. But while here, they form a community – or two very distinct communities. There are the miners who are Christians, and those who aren’t. They all live at what is called the Kansanshi Golf Estate, a gated, guarded, manicured facility complete with an 18-hole golf course, clubhouse, pool and gym. The houses are very westernized with modern appliances, and a lot of their food needs are shipped directly in from Lusaka, or even Johannesburg, so they rarely have to venture into town or away from the estate.

Just a side note here: we don’t look down on our friends at the mines for their lifestyle. They’re here to work, and they work very hard and tirelessly. We actually appreciate having the mining estate, because having both grown up in water, we dry out if we don’t get a good swim in now and then!

Though there are English-speaking churches in Solwezi, the Christian community at the mining estate has started a home church fellowship. There is no one who is trained theologically, but their faith is real and a few of the men have taken turns sharing a message and leading the group in songs and prayer each week. They also have a women’s group that meets and discusses Christian books (currently they’re reading The Five Love Languages). Though they tend to stay there on the complex, they have offered resources, assistance, and friendship to us (even frontline spray for our dog!). While their fellowship is strong, there seems to be a divide between those who believe, and the other miners who spend much of their free time at the clubhouse bar, and little effort to reach the others for Christ.

I write this because we’re realizing more and more that God has plans for us that go far beyond the Kaonde people of Solwezi. Though our primary ministry is focused on training, teaching, discipling and loving our friends in the villages around Solwezi, as white, American missionaries living in town, we are also in a unique position to reach out to and serve those on the other end of the economical and social structure. And what’s more, to possibly help bridge the gap between the two. I hate distinguishing people based on the color of their skin, but racism and stereotypes are very strong here, and the wealthy, white folks from Zambia and other parts of Africa (mostly of British roots) have definitive attitudes toward the poor, black population and vice versa. But God’s love for both groups – all people – is very real, and we will be honored if He uses us to demonstrate that love here through our interactions with people from all classes and nationalities. There will likely be opportunities for Luke to “preach” in the home church fellowship, and I have gotten involved in the ladies Bible study. Yet, we speak Kikaonde to their gardeners, maids and guards, dress in our long pants and skirts, and share of the positive things God is doing in the villages and homes of our Zambian friends. We also seek to be lights to the other miners we see around – those outside the Christian fellowship. (Additionally, we sometimes find ourselves working side by side with Peace Corp volunteers in the village – a HUGE opportunity for sharing Christ.)

Isn’t God amazing? It’s like our Cameroonian pastor in Dallas – there in the US to reach other Africans for Christ – culturally equipped in a way an American pastor would not be. Perhaps we weren’t just called to Africa to love our African brothers and sisters, but also so that we might reach other Westerners for Christ in the process. May we keep our eyes and hearts and home open to the ways God intends to use us here in Zambia!

05 February 2011

Opportunity Knocks... Literally

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” Hebrews 13:15

Many people say they would gladly do mission work or volunteer or help someone if they knew of the needs – if the opportunities presented themselves.

Here in Zambia, opportunity knocks, multiple times a day.

During our initial period of language learning, we have strict orders from our directors not to commit to any specific ministry. No teaching, no set schedule, no planned activities. We have quickly discovered that language learning itself is a ministry, as is simply living here. Here in Zambia; here in Solwezi; here in what has been known as a mission house for 40 or so years.

Take yesterday (Friday), for example. We started our day at a grammar lesson with one of the veteran missionaries here and thought we would spend our afternoon reviewing our lesson and relaxing a bit, as Monday through Thursday we typically walk out to Kimasala (where our primary ministry will be based) to meet with our local language helpers. We have a gentleman who helps with some of the slashing (cutting the grass) and work around the house, and because his birthday is today, I sent him home with a bag of rice and a bag of beans for his family. They, like the majority of the Zambians, typically only eat nshima (balls made from ground maize, water and salt). Beans and rice are luxuries. I was humbled and shocked when he knelt down to thank me. Have we ever been that grateful for rice and beans?

Shortly after he left, a young woman visited who had been close to the Bruce family. Nyawa works with neglected elderly people in a nearby area, but is from Lusaka (the capital) originally. She came seeking encouragement, friendship, and advice regarding her ministry, as well as a relationship she is in. While she was here, Charlie, who will be moving into the cottage on our property, came to store some things in our home while his is under renovation. Shortly after Nyawa left and the others had parted, our friend Sharpy arrived to visit and tell us about his work at the local newspaper. Later, just as we were ready to go to bed, we had another visitor who has some items stored by our carport to talk about some struggles with his ministry. Even today, we’ve had two unexpected visitors already.

There are days when visitors arrive just as we sit down for lunch or dinner – we hear it’s fairly common and have learned to cook extra. There are days when our time in Kimasala goes hours longer than planned because people are looking for a listening ear, a word of advice, or a lesson in English. . We take plastic grocery bags and Styrofoam trays from meat with us so that the ladies at Lusa can use the bags to hold maize they’ve grown and the trays to display earrings they’ve made to sell to make money for the ministries at Lusa. Things we would have just thrown away become a viable part of their livelihood.

It’s both exhausting and exhilarating. And all the while, people are ministering right back to us in amazing ways. At least once a week, someone sends us home with maize, tomatoes, mangoes, bananas or other precious goods. We’ve had people stop by when we’re not home, delivering cucumbers, pineapple, and from our expatriate friends at the mines, frontline spray for our dog! (There is an awesome and unexpected ministry opportunity to the miners, but that will be the subject of another post). At times we are frustrated that we can’t “start” the ministry we say we came here to do, but at those times we remind ourselves that we are learning to better communicate, building relationships, and doing what we can for the greatest and “least of these.”

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.... I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it for me.” (Matthew 26:35-36, 40)