"This Hunger"

As he arrived at the village, the members of Ukhose were so happy to be traveling with Kendall to a new place that wanted to hear more about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Four young women and three young men from Ukhose got in the truck and traveled an hour from their village to see this place they had only heard about. The village was called Njalazi and is located only 5 kilometers from the Mozambique border. Kendall's assessment of the village was, "it is BUSH, I think they are more secluded than the people of Mozambique!" Njalazi means "this hunger". Kendall taught 1 John and the passage referring that teaches that darkness can have no fellowship with light. Five people accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior! Praise the Lord! As Kendall was leaving, one of the men said to him, "you must keep coming to teach us because you bring us spiritual food!" Kendall was encouraged and so happy after his time at Njalazi. Continue to pray for this village and their new found salvation and joy in the Lord!

Bondage

*This post is filled with some information that young children may not need to read, please read with discretion. *

Last week we learned that a good friend of ours, Samson Lungu, had a death in his family. Out of respect, we must attend the funeral to pass our condolences and even a small gift to assist the family with the costs that they incur for the funeral. Our entire family traveled to Samson's village to see him and pass our condolences. Kendall, Easton, and Lily sat with the men who were under a tree outside the home. Several of the men were making the coffin. Lauren and I were escorted inside the home where the body was in rest. I began speaking with Samson's mother to learn more about the woman who had died. She was Samson's mother's sister-in-law. They were related by marriage, not by blood. During our conversation an older lady came in and began weeping. I inquired as to who she was. I learned quickly that this was the deceased's mother. This was then the dialogue that I had with Amai Lungu (Samson' mother):

Joy: How many children and grandchildren did she have?

Amai: 2 children and 6 grandchildren

Joy: Is her husband alive?

Amai: Yes, he is outside building the coffin.

Joy: Where did she pray? (this is how we ask where they attended church)

Amai: She prayed at the Baptist Church.

Joy: Oh, that is good. Was she saved?

Amai: No. In 1999, she left the church. She began fitting (seizures) and so she visited the witchdoctor for medicine and help. The witchdoctor gave her medicine and soon after she began dancing Mashawe (ma-sha-way) and she never came again. 

Joy: OH...not good.

After the conversation, my heart was sad, I was frustrated, and hurt for the family because she had died without Christ.

Outside the house, Kendall was learning the same story. As we walked to the truck, Samson shed more light on the situation. He explained to us that the day before, the family was instructing members of the Baptist church to make a program for the funeral because she was Baptist. When Samson came to the meeting and he began to ask about her past and if she knew Christ, the family shared the story about her dancing Mashawe. Samson looked at the congregation and said, "no, there will be no church program. This woman was not a member of the church and was not following Jesus Christ. We cannot have a church funeral because that would be a lie." Samson then told us that he was going to conduct the program for the burial and he was going to share Christ with all of the people that were there. Kendall and I were so happy to hear that Samson was not happy that people were going to run over the name of the Lord that way and that they were going to make her look like a woman of God. (I think many times in America we do that at funerals so that they don't have a bad name, but not in Zambia. They either don't say anything at all, or very little about the persons morals.) The people of the village were mad at Samson because of the fact that he was not going to follow "tradition" and give her a good funeral. Kendall and I were so proud of Samson for standing up for the Lord when everyone around him was insulting him for rejecting tradition.

I want to shed light on a subject that we face daily. It may seem very foreign to those of us who have grown up in Western Civilization. Please read this with an open mind and a VERY prayerful heart (this is not an easy subject to discuss, but we feel it is important for you to know in order that your eyes may be enlightened).

Have you ever seen something like this on National Geographic??

I have and growing up watching National Geographic, the only thing that I knew of Africa was big animals and these dancing men. Yes, these men draw thousands of spectators each year and many of them are naive about the origination of these dances and what they really mean. 

After the Lungu funeral, I began to research and ask more questions about the Nyao and Mashawe dancers. I want to share these things with you so that you can pray more intensely for the people of Zambia who are trapped in bondage by this incredible evil.

Nyao dancers (seen above) are men and women who have decided that they would like to give their lives to the satanic rituals of the Nyao. They will live this life in secret, not telling anyone but their fellow dancers. When they decide that they would like to be a part of this "gang" they will approach the leader of the Nyao near their village. They then go through an initiation that includes the killing of family members, animals, and stealing from certain people in villages. They then are initiated with inheriting a demon. They will then design their uniform for their dance according to the demon inside of them. The Nyao believe that when they put on their mask they actually become that animal. Their dancing (from what we have heard) is very aggressive and violent. Nyao have been known to pretend to sleep in the road in order to attack the driver of the truck and then sleep in churches in order to threaten the people who attend them. They are very dangerous people that want nothing but harm and evil for the people of the Eastern Province of Zambia. You will see them on National Geographic and people hire them for entertainment, but they are deceived and unaware of their true meaning.

Mashawe dancers are also in the Eastern Province but are less dangerous and more prevalent in our area of Nyimba and Mozambique. Mashawe dancers do not live a life of secrecy, they are open about their dedication to dance Mashawe. When they preform for audiences, they do not wear masks but robes with red crosses upon the chest. Mashawe dance to drums and the demons inside of them manifest during these times. The spectators watching the dances are often times overcome with a pounding heart and tears of sadness. They then will fall to the ground and will be overcome with a demon themselves. They do not kill other people, but live a life of bondage and do not know how to be set free. Many times, they do not understand what is going on at these dances, but enjoy the entertainment and walk away with a heavy burden, seeking someone to help them be free again. 

The lady that died knew the way of Christ and salvation, but she denied Him and turned to Satan. In our time here, Kendall has prayed with one woman who had a Mashawe demon. She has been set free and calls Christ her Lord now! Praise HIM! But there are many people around us each day that are in great bondage. Pray that we can be a light to them and that we would be very sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading when we are among our brothers and sisters. May we never fail to give them an opportunity to know about the freedom that is found in Jesus Christ alone. 

"But get up and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you; rescuing you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me."  Acts 26:16-18

1,095 Days Ago

1,095 days ago...or 3 years ago today...

Kendall and I were appointed as missionaries with the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention.

I will never forget that cold night in St. Louis as we stood with 65 of our fellow future missionaries to proclaim to the world that we were following God's call to minister to the Nsenga People of Zambia and Mozambique.

Each year when October 31 comes around, it is a very special day for our family as we reflect upon the amazing journey we have been on. A road filled with joy, laughter, tears, excitement, amazement, frustration, and incredible memories.
Praise the Lord for His continued faithfulness! May we never forget the day when He called each of us to serve Him in whatever capacity of ministry it may be!

Prayers of Faithful Believers

Wednesday morning, Lauren went down for a nap at 8:50am. At 11:15am she woke up crying with a fever of 102. By the afternoon, she had no strength, her fever had risen to 104 and she was not well. After some wise counsel, I packed a bag and took Lauren to Minga Stop Mission Hospital, approximately 30 minutes from our home in Nyimba. The entire drive, I was tense, stressed, and praying so hard that the VSO doctor from the UK would be there to see Lauren.
We arrived and as we got out of the truck the Zambians who were waiting in line to see the doctor stared in amazement that a white person would bring their baby to the doctor there. I was so tired, upset, and stressed about the situation that I began to cry as we filled out the paper work for Lauren. In this culture, crying is not something that is openly accepted, there is a time and a place for crying and at the hospital with a sick baby, is not the place. I cried despite their plea with me "amai, musalire!" (please stop crying), I had to let out my emotion and it happened to be there.
We got her information and went to sit in line to wait for the doctor. After 5 minutes of waiting, a young woman walked around the corner with a bright smile on her face and said to me, "hello, is this Lauren, I will see her after this patient." My heart was full of joy and relief. This may sound crazy to those who have never been in the village of Africa, but to find a good doctor, in the bush of Zambia, is a miracle of the Father, Himself. It was so relieving to speak English and be able to explain in depth the problems facing your child's health. Laura (the doctor) was so gentle and patient with Lauren and took her time with her and made me feel very confident and at ease with her diagnosis. Lauren had a double ear infection and tonsilitis. Laura asked me to keep her fluids going and Tylenol and if her fever didn't go down to bring her back to the hospital at night.
We arrived home at 4:30pm from the hospital. Lauren's temperature was 102, eventually 104. By 9pm that night, Kendall and I were debating on whether I needed to drive at night (which is VERY dangerous in Africa) and take her back to see Laura. We knew that so many people were praying for her and we knew that God was hearing our prayers, and we wanted to have a word from Him whether or not to take her.
We called our good friend, Kevin and told him about our decision to drive at night to take her back to the hospital. Kevin prayed for Kendall and I and he specifically prayed that God would touch Lauren and break her fever and that there would be a dramatic change in her before I even stepped foot into the truck. We said "amen" and I went to get Lauren from the bed to pack her to go. I got her and we began to wipe her down with warm washcloths. Kendall then took her temperature and it was 103.5. I said goodbye to Kendall and grabbed her bags and headed for the door. I took 20 steps to the door approximately 5 minutes after we prayed and Kendall stopped me and said, "let's check her one more time before you go"...we prayed out loud as he took her temperature. Lauren's fever had broken for the first time that day...it was 98.7. We were amazed, astonished, and overwhelmed. We praised the Lord, Lauren was smiling and laughing and playing with the dogs and for the first time all day she was able to hold her head up. The rest of the night, we talked about how we would have never seen the hand of the Lord touch our child so mightily if we didn't have our network of friends and family that loved us enough to pray for her at a moment's notice. Living in a remote area is not easy, but I know one thing, Kendall and I would never have experienced prayer like this if we had not of lived here. Since we moved to Zambia, we have  learned so much about TRUE dependence on the FATHER for His healing touch. We had been giving Lauren Tylenol and Motrin for 12 hours and nothing had worked, but the prayers of faithful warriors and the answer from a merciful and loving God brought immediate healing to our precious baby girl. Since that moment, her fever has been non-existent. PRAISE THE LORD FOR HIS MERCY AND FAITHFULNESS IN ALL THINGS!


"I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel Will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is your keeper; The LORD is your shade on your right hand. The sun will not smite you by day,Nor the moon by night. The LORD will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. The LORD will guard your going out and your coming in From this time forth and forever."     Psalm 121

A Piece of the Master's Mosaic

mo-sa-ic  [moh-zey-ik]-

-something resembling such a picture or decoration in composition, especially in being 
made up of diverse elements

- an assembly of aerial photographs matched in such a way as to show a continuous photographic representation of an area

When I began to pray about our ministry among the Nsenga People of Zambia and Mozambique, the only thing that really came to mind that perfectly defined our ministry is a "mosaic". We live in Zambia, but we are serving in both Zambia and Mozambique. Our ministry is a geographic mosaic and a myriad of elements beyond geographic boundaries. Not only has God called us to the Nsenga people but we have a ministry to the Peace Corps volunteers, and more importantly the ministry to our children here at home. Our ministry truly is a mosaic. It would be selfish to say that our ministry was THE Master's Mosaic, because as I sit and think of the thousands of other missionaries around the world striving to reach a lost and dying world for Christ, their lives are a piece of the Master's mosaic as well. 

"The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we also are His children.'" Acts 17:24-28

Running for the Moon

To my utter excitement, I have been invited to RUN FOR THE MOON!!!

What?! Run for the Moon?

Towaliga Baptist Church has recently joined with us to intercede for the Nsenga people on a regular basis and when I found out what they were doing as a church to raise money for Lottie Moon, my heart was filled with great joy and happiness.

Here's the story:

Marsha, Amy, Tammy, and Laura are running partners. They all attend Towaliga together. Amy had a vision to creatively raise money for Lottie Moon and incorporate their church and community....a 5K run/walk! The young women of the church have done much of the planning and coordinating for this event! When I spoke with Marsha (my dear friend) about this, these were her words:

 "NO profits are going to our church...we have raised enough sponsorship to cover the costs of the timing and goods. The registration fee is to cover the t-shirt and the rest will go to missions. We are really excited about it! We keep praying that He will be glorified through this race!"

If you live near Jackson, GA and are interested in participating in this event please click this link for more information www.towaligabaptistchurch.net

Praise the Lord for this congregation of Believers that is passionate about seeing the message of Jesus Christ be shared around the world!! To God Be The Glory!!

Towaliga Baptist Church, Jackson, GA

I Love This Game!

The Nyimba Secondary School has many sports that the students can participate in. One of the sports is basketball. Kendall is a huge sports fan, he not only loves to watch sports, but he really enjoys playing and coaching! God has opened up a huge door for him to coach the Secondary School boy's and girl's basketball teams. This past Saturday, he joined them for their Zambian Independence Day tournament. Many sports were played on that day and Kendall joined in on the fun! Pray for Kendall as he begins to coach them a couple of hours a week that these boys would learn more than basketball but about their Creator and Savior, Jesus Christ.

The Father's Timeline

"He has made everything appropriate in its time He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end. I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one's lifetime; moreover, that every man who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor--it is the gift of God.I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it, for God has so worked that men should fear Him."  

Ecclesiastes 3:11-14

We are always amazed at the Savior's way of using different people at very different times to attain the same goal, seeing people come a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and proclaim Him as Savior and Lord of their lives.

2002- a missionary traveled to a nearby village and his truck was stoned and a brother in Christ was almost martyred because of their attempt to share the Gospel with these people.

July 2009- a team of two Americans and one Zambian set out to share Christ with a village called Ukhose. Several people in that village prayed to receive Christ, one of them being a man named David Daka.

September 2009- David travels to his home village of Chikumba to see his friends and family. During his time there, his family sees that there is a difference in David's life and they want to know what it is. He tells them that he has become a Christian and is a follower of Jesus Christ. The family is amazed and astonished at the change in his life and they say, "we want what you have! Can you bring the missionary with you and share with us?"

October 2009- Kendall sends Jumbe and David to Chikumba to survey the village and to see if the people there really are ready to hear the Gospel, after a 4 hour walk one way to speak with the people of Chikumba, they report to Kendall with exciting news of their desire to know Christ. A meeting was made and the people prepared.

Saturday, October 10, 2009- Kendall ventures to the same village that the missionary traveled to in 2002, but this, 3 time he was accepted with open arms and happy faces because of the message that he was carrying with him.

Wednesday, October 14, 21, and 28, 2009- The people of Chikumba have gathered together to hear the Word of God preached. During these times, four people have come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior!

Just think, what if the missionary in 2002 had not taken a chance and gone to this village? What if the three people had never gone to Ukhose to share Jesus Christ? God has used many different people to break the hard soil in the village of Chikumba. What an awesome testimony to God using all circumstances to bring glory to His name, that all people may know Him! Praise the Lord for Dwayne, Paul, Samson, Chris, Miranda, Jumbe, and David for plowing through the hard ground to reach fertile soil!

The Light in His Eyes

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God." John 3:16-21

Two weeks ago in Ukhose Village a man by the name of Mwanza Lungu sat listening attentively to the words of the John 3. As Kendall was teaching he looked into Mwanza's eyes and in that moment Kendall said that there was a change in his eyes as if he REALLY understood what Kendall was teaching. After the lesson, Mwanza prayed to receive Christ. Since this time, he has been traveling with Kendall to a village called Chikumba to share Christ with a village that is desperate need of a Savior. Praise the Lord for Mwanza's changed life and his excitement to share his story with people of another village!

Karate Man...Who Knew?

A video to brighten your day and make you laugh a little!

Paul told me this story about his trip to the market with Kendall. I love hearing him tell stories because he can be quite animated! See if you can follow along. If not, the translation is below the video.

Paul and Kendall were lifting our two spare tires onto the roof of our truck and two men stopped in amazement and asked Paul if Kendall was a Karate Man. Paul said, "Karate? I dont know Karate?!" The men said, "is this man Karate man, because he lifts the tires with so much power (strength)." Paul said, "no this man he is not a Karate man!" Then Kendall looked at Paul and asked what the men were saying. When the two amazed men heard Kendall speaking Chinyanja, they looked at Paul and each other and said, "oh no, the Karate man he speaks Chinyanja...LET'S GO!!" This cracked Kendall and I up because the men were amazed at the fact that Kendall was lifting the tires and speaking Chinyanja! Oh the joy!

Needless to say, I had to find a video of Karate on YouTube for Paul to see...why don't we own Karate Kid? Enjoy this and I hope it makes you smile! It made us happy! Another good reason to learn the language when you live in another country!

Teach Us How To Do That...

Today, I taught at Kambete Baptist Church. Women from four different churches gathered for a time of teaching and discussion. I was teaching them about the qualities of a Godly leader. At the end of my teaching I emphasized the importance of sharing their faith at every meeting that they have. A lady immediately raised her hand and said, "tifuna inu kuphunzitsa ife kuuza anthu za Yesu Kristu ndipo chiliko chipulumutso!". (We want you to teach us to tell people about Jesus Christ and to have salvation!) I was amazed, happy, shocked, and ready to teach them. They looked at me with great intensity and huge smiles on their faces. Many of them did not have paper or pencil so I wanted to make it easy for them to remember. So this is what I taught them:

1) Kulapa mtima kwa Yesu Kristu (Repent and turn your heart to Jesus)- Romans 10:9

2)Kukhulupirira mwa Yesu Kristu (Believe in Jesus Christ.)- John 3:16

3) Funsani Yesu Kristu kukhala mu mtima wanu (Ask Jesus to live in your heart)- Romans 5:8

We then discussed that all people are sinners (Romans 3:23), that salvation is a gift (Romans 6:23), and that baptism does NOT give salvation (Luke 23:39-43).

The women were so happy and they kept repeating all of this over and over as we practiced together! Pray that these women take this message and excitement to their families and share Christ with those around them. It was so encouraging to see them so filled with joy about salvation and witnessing!

Church Under The Mango Trees

100 kilometers (61 miles) from our home, down a rocky and steep road, lies a village. 400 meters from that village next to the Luangwa River lies a beautiful orchard of mango trees. In that orchard underneath the trees sat 175 people singing praises to the Lord and joyful at the arrival of the missionary and his family. They greeted the family with open arms and welcomed them in song. The breeze was gentle but was a relief from the extreme heat, the shade was abundant, and the Holy Spirit was there, it was church as I had always imagined in Africa. In nature, with my brothers and sisters of another tongue, sitting on the ground on a reed mat, and truly worshiping the Creator in His creation. What better place for Kendall to preach on John 3:1-21(eternal life and baptism) than a church that lies on the banks of a river?

"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!" Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." John 3:4-8

Praise the Lord for Ledson Baptist Church along the Luangwa River. Praise the Lord for the young leaders that are desiring to learn more about Jesus Christ! Praise the Lord for the 35 people that prayed to receive Jesus Christ today. Pray for the rains to be plentiful but not in excess this year. Pray for a good crop, good health, and continued willingness to know more about Jesus Christ!

The road that we traveled on for approximately 3 kilometers. This picture makes the road look good, but it was a 1st gear 4-wheel-drive kind of road!

In the distance you can see the village that we would eventually arrive at. It is so dry right now, so the beauty of this area is lacking right now, but when the rains come it is beautiful!

The children were so happy when we arrived! They ran alongside and in front of the truck from the rocky road all the way to the village! Kendall and I were amazed at their physical stamina in the heat and then running barefooted on those sharp rocks!

The village

Walking from the village to the mango orchard which lies on the Luangwa River banks.

Ledson Baptist Church welcoming us with a beautiful chorus. I love the drums, the coke bottle lid tambourine, and the beautiful untrained voices that God has blessed them with!

Before worship began

The women and children of Ledson Baptist.

Ledson Family

The men of Ledson

Lily sitting with Daddy after church was over.

The view from Ledson across the river. The sandbar is all that you can see right now, but how beautiful this would have been with water!

Dancing Waters

Kids in a little pool of water can provide incredible joy to those watching and to the kids themselves. Praise the Lord for the joys we find in the simplicity of water and siblings!

Don't let life pass you by so fast that you miss the simple gifts that God has given us, never cease to praise Him for all things!

Same Person, New Heart

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

David Daka was the first man to come to Christ at Ukhose Village. Today, our friend, Jumbe came to visit and he told us a testimony about David's life. When Jumbe was there last time, he spoke with some women in the village and they told Jumbe that they were amazed at how different David was now. They had heard that he had given his heart and life to Jesus Christ and these women were testifying at the amazing changes that had taken place in David's life.

They told Jumbe that before David came to Christ, he was a drunk and was incredibly violent towards his wife and the people in the village. They continued to tell Jumbe of the change that has taken place in his life. The women said, "we know that this man could not change like this on his own, but only Jesus could do this to him." Kendall and I were so happy to hear of the testimony that David's life in Christ is making in his village. Each Thursday and Sunday, Bible Study and church are held in David's front yard. Isn't God SO good? He is the ONLY one that can change a person TRULY from the inside out and for others around them to see the change!

The Awe of Creation

God has blessed our family with Paul Masiye. Our kids love him so much and everyday when he is working in our yard, he will call the kids over to see the bugs that he has found. He takes the time to teach them if they are dangerous or if they are safe to touch. Today, there was a huge praying mantis, that looked like a walking stick from far away. All three kids touched him, talked to him and played with him. Lily, Easton, and Lauren are all very brave and love to see and touch new bugs. I am so glad that they enjoy learning and experiencing God's Creation all around them. Who would've guessed that a praying mantis could've brought so much excitement to my kids today?