Amuna a Chikhulupiriro

"How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news,who proclaim peace,who bring good tidings,who proclaim salvation,who say to Zion,

"Your God reigns!"

Isaiah 52:7

Meet Kendall's dearest friends, "Amuna a Chikhulupiriro" (Men of Faith) from left to right:

Samson Lungu, Gideon Tembo, Josias Daka, Leonard Banda, Derek Daka, Laxson Mumba

Each Friday when Kendall arrives home from Mozambique, I cannot wait to sit down with him and hear the stories of the day, hear about the people that he met, who rode in the truck, and most importantly how much the men that are traveling with him are learning.Many times we share with you about what is being taught and who came to Christ and about the people in Mozambique, but we have failed to make mention of the men that are truly teaching the Word of God and are missionaries as well!

Each week, Kendall comes in and smiles and says, "I love those guys...I really do. They are my friends and they support me, encourage me, and teach me so much!" Our prayer from the time that God called us to Zambia is that He would bless us with men such as these to help us and walk with us in our ministry. Without our Zambian brothers and sisters encouraging us and teaching us and advising us, our ministry would be very difficult and challenging. Each day we praise the Lord for the amazing friends He has given us that love us enough to correct us, assist us, and put their reputation on the line to walk alongside the mzungu (white man).

The awesome thing about these six men is that they have come together, from different churches, villages, and tribes in order to share Christ with the Nsenga people from Kompo to Zambue. I could go on and on about each one of these men, but will say only a few words about each. (Can you tell how passionate and excited I am about the relationship and friendship that Kendall has with these men?)

Samson Lungu- faithful friend who has been walking with Kendall since the first day we stepped foot in Nyimba.

Gideon Tembo- his heart is full of the joy of the Lord and has a deep passion when he shares about Jesus Christ, an awesome church planter in his home village and a man of integrity.

Josias Daka- he has the joy of the Lord and a true servant's heart. He once jumped off the back of a moving bicycle in order to greet me (Joy) as I walked down the road with friends.

Leonard Banda- first convert in Mozambique, man of peace, and a genuine concern to see those around him know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior.

Derek Daka- "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God." Colossians 3:16 Derek touches the hearts of the Nsenga by speaking their heart language through song.

Laxson Mumba- quiet and humble leader who follows Jesus Christ and desires to see the people of Mozambique come to know Him.

Pray for each of these men. Pray that the passion that burns within each of them would not be extinguished in the slightest bit.

Pray that these men would be an encouragement to one another and to the people of Mozambique.

Praise the Lord that He has set these men apart to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ and that they have been obedient to His call!

Paths Crossing Again...

God has an incredibly unique and amazing sense of humor when He allows us to cross paths with friends not only once in life, but twice.

Kendall and I were both friends with Kenny Vines while we were attending Southwestern Seminary in Texas. At the time that we were friends with Kenny, Kendall and I did not even know each other! A great deal has changed since either of us has seen Kenny. But on July 7th, our family will meet the Vines Family, Kenny, Lesley, and Tyler for the first time! It is amazing how God has orchestrated our steps and blessed us with the amazing opportunity to minister with this family in Zambia.

Kenny and Lesley will be our closest neighbors and will be serving the Lord in Luangwa, Zambia working in Zambia and Mozambique.

Praise the Lord for Kenny and Lesley's obedience to the Lord's calling on their lives!

Pray for Kenny and Lesley as they say their goodbyes to friends and family in Texas.

Pray that they would not be overwhelmed with the events that are before them.

Pray for the Vines and Ferguson families as they say goodbye to their children and grandbaby.

Pray for safe travel, beginning on Sunday, July 5th, that they would make connecting flights in proper time.

Pray that Tyler sleeps well and travels well on the very long flight!

Pray that Kenny and Lesley will have a peace about their travels and their calling to Zambia.

Pray for Kendall and I as we are with them their first week in Zambia.

Pray that we will help them to feel welcome and at home in their new home, Zambia.

Helgren Family Prayer Letter- July 2009

Recently, I saw that one of our fellow missionaries began posting portions of their family prayer letter on their blog. I read it and thought, "DUH...why don't I do that too?" For those of you who don't receive our prayer letter, this is a monthly letter that we send out to our prayer partners, who we fondly call, "our warriors". The letter is basically an update of what is going on with our ministry to the Nsenga people of Zambia and Mozambique, prayer requests and praises! Here is the letter for July.

Crossing Borders of Zambia and Mozambique to share the love of Jesus Christ with the Nsenga People.

Leaders can either encourage a group to grow or discourage them into complacency. Some will debate that “leaders are born” and the opposition states that “leaders are made”. As we learn more about our leaders here in Nyimba we are discovering that some people are born with the characteristics of a leader and others have been chosen as a leader, but are in need of training in order to be a godly leader. We have realized that in order to strengthen the churches, we must invest great amounts of prayer, teaching, and discipleship so that the leaders that have been chosen by the churches will lead the Baptist churches to follow Jesus Christ in all that they do, in and out of the church.

Pray for Mr. M as he has been elected as the new chairman of the Nyimba Baptist Association. Pray for humility and wisdom as he begins to challenge and lead the association. Pray for the deacons, treasurers, secretaries, and pastors of the churches of Nyimba. Pray that corruption would be void in the congregation and that in all transactions and activities in the church that God would be glorified. Pray that as we continue to teach and encourage the leaders that they would find what we teach valid and applicable to their churches. Pray that we could teach them to seek wisdom from God’s Word.

Praise the Lord for the five members of Gila Valley Baptist Church in New Mexico that are coming to serve with us among the Nsenga of Zambia and Mozambique! Pray for Chris, Miranda, Jane, Elaine, and Tar as they travel to Zambia on July 11 and return home on July 25th. Pray for their traveling mercies and for luggage to arrive when they arrive. Pray for their families in New Mexico. Pray that we will use them where God wants them to minister and not our wishes. Pray for safe travel into Mozambique, good health, and for God to be glorified and the name of Jesus to be proclaimed in all that we say and do!

“Therefore I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing praises to your name.”
2 Samuel 22:50

• During the month of June, 70 people in Mozambique and Zambia have come to Christ
• The Vines Family will arrive in Zambia in July and begin serving in Luangwa, Zambia!
• Praise the Lord for the thousands of Southern Baptists that graciously and generously give to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering that supports our vehicle, housing, and much much more!

“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.”
1 Chronicles 29:11


Strengthened By Your Prayers,
Kendall, Joy, Lily, Easton, and Lauren Helgren

What is a Deacon??

On Saturday at the Nyimba Associational Meeting, Kendall told all of the church leaders that he would be more than happy to come and teach them concerning any matters in the church that they were uneducated about or unsure of. Immediately, the pastor at Chansanje Baptist Church , Laxson Njobvu, approached Kendall and asked him to come on Wednesday, July 1st, to teach about the role of deacons in the church. Kendall was so excited that they had invited him, he studied God's Word to see what it said about the qualifications of a deacon and their job within the church. Here are a few of the passages that Kendall taught from in order to teach these church members about the character, role, and selection of deacons within the church body.

1 Timothy 3:8-13 describes the character of a deacon:

"Deacons likewise must be men of dignity, not double-tongued, or addicted to much wine or fond of sordid gain, but holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. These men must also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons if they are beyond reproach. Women must likewise be dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things. Deacons must be husbands of only one wife, and good managers of their children and their own households. For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus."

Acts 6:1-15 describes the need for deacons, the way of choosing and ordaining a deacon within the church. Acts 6:3-7 gives specific details of how the disciples chose deacons to assist in serving the church. Below is Acts 6:3-7.

"Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word. The statement found approval with the whole congregation; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch. And these they brought before the apostles; and after praying, they laid their hands on them. The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith."

It was an encouraging morning and we were so happy that churches are asking to learn things that they are lacking knowledge about! Praise the Lord for the 19 men and women that attended the lesson this morning! Pray that these leaders and church members will take what they have heard from God's Word and apply it in their congregations. Pray that the congregations will receive God's Word with an open and pure heart.

The Transplant Church

Today we went to Madalitso (Blessings) Baptist Church. As we drove to the church, Kendall was telling me that they had bought a new plot and were going to build a new church on the new plot! As we drove along the road, we came to the place where the church should have been and it was gone, with the exception of three benches. It was crazy! Kendall said, "Oh my goodness! I was just here two weeks ago and they have removed the church since then!!" We decided to turn around and go back down the road we had just traveled and go to the new plot. To our utter surprise, they had MOVED the entire church building to the new location! It was crazy! They didn't think that it would be smart to waste a good building, so they just took it apart and moved it down the road about 1/2 mile and they have already erected the main trees for the church! It was so encouraging to worship with this church. The leaders at Madalisto are incredible and really have the gift of encouraging and empowering. Praise the Lord for these leaders and the congregation that is motivated to get the "new" church built! This is a picture of the "old" Madalitso Baptist Church. This was the first Sunday that I did not take my camera! I was so mad at myself!

Helgren Haircut Day

When we moved to Zambia, one of my many questions was "what do you do about haircuts?". Well, there are a few places in Lusaka that you can get your haircut but I have decided to cut the kids hair at home. It is always a fun day when we cut hair! Last night, I was looking at the Boyle Family's pictures and their little girl, Kendyl (who was named after our Kendall), had the cutest haircut! I showed it to Lily and she agreed that she needed that haircut too! So, after church today, I cut her hair! She is so happy because she has hair just like Kendyl (kind of)! Easton got his mop cut, and Lauren Callaway had her FIRST haircut! She was such a good customer! I am learning how to cut hair, but thank goodness we live out in the bush, so if I really mess up, it has time to grow before we go back to the big city of Lusaka!!

Lily's "Kendyl haircut"

The first cut of hair!

I love her face! Precious!
She survived her first haircut!

Speechless...

Last weekend, I taught at the Nyimba Women's Associational meeting. My friend, Mrs. Tembo and Mrs. Chipanga came from Petauke to teach the women as well. Usually, I rush home from meetings and blog immediately. This time was different. My heart was full but my words were scarce. I failed to put into words how I was feeling and how I truly felt the meeting went. Some of the words that came to mind were...excited, overwhelmed, confused, misunderstood, dumbfounded, frustrated, and tired. Praise the Lord that 25 women prayed to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior! Pray for the women that were and are living with evil spirits. My heart is heavy and my words are few. Please forgive my lack of description of this meeting, but please pray for the women of Nyimba. They have deep troubles that can only be rectified by the love and salvation of Jesus Christ. Pray for them to let go of the evil and satanic acts that they participate in all for the sake of "tradition". Pray for the leaders of Nyimba that they would care enough about the women they lead to grow in their walk with the Lord in order to lead these women to salvation.

Kasenga Village, Mozambique

Kasenga Village is located 51 kilometers/30 miles from our home in Nyimba. The travel time to reach Kasenga is about 2 hours. Kasenga is 1 1/2 kilometers from Meze (see older post for more information on Meze). Currently, Kendall and the men traveling with him are teaching in Kasenga 'B', there are two other portions of Kasenga, 'A' and 'C', that they have not reached yet. Pray for Kasenga 'B' to begin to share with their neighbors in 'A' and 'C'. As of now, there are 12 new believers in Kasenga. Continue to pray for this village and Collin as he teaches there and encourages the people.

From left to right: Robert Tembo from Kasenga in Mozambique, Derek Mumba from Mwengelele Baptist in Kacholola in Zambia, and Laxson Mumba from Mwengelele Baptist in Kacholola. Derek and Laxson are two of the four men who go into Mozambique from Zambia each week.

Robert Tembo lives in Kasenga Village. He comes to all of the meetings but has not received Christ, that we are aware of. He is one of the only people in Kasenga Village that can read. He has a Bible and is reading the Bible to the new believers in Kasenga so that they can hear God's Word.

Collin teaching the people. Collin is a new believer and is from Meze Village. He is the one who went to Kasenga Village after his conversion and began sharing Christ with people and began to meet with people on his own. He truly is taking the Gospel to his brothers and sisters. Collin is also teaching people to read in Kasenga using a book published by the Baptists called "Mwai", it is a literacy book with Christian stories and words.

This large tree is called a Baobab Tree. The one in this picture is very young. They grow very very tall! Kendall teaches underneath this tree in Kasenga Village.

The children of Kasenga

The yellow jug that the lady is holding contains dried corn. She pours it into the "bende"(ven-de) (what they pound the corn in). After they pound it with the "munsie" (moon-see) then they will sift the corn and pound it again.

The game that this boy is playing is called "Nkhuli" (N-koo-lee). He has a stick with a thin strip of chitenge (fabric from skirts worn here) material tied on the end and he whips the stick and spins the nkhuli. The nkhuli is the plug that is placed in the bottom of the "bende" that they use to pound their corn to make mealie meal (their staple food). Watch this amazing video! It is quite short but you can watch it over and over again!

Happy Daddy, D-Daddy, Paw Paw Day!

Kendall, Richard, and Spike are three men who love the Lord and have an amazing dedication to their family. We praise the Lord for blessing us with these men! Happy Daddy Day! We love you!

DEDICATED TO OUR FAMILY AND SERVING JESUS.

ALWAYS KNOWS HOW TO HAVE A GOOD TIME!

DARES TO BE UNIQUE...

DOESN'T FEAR THE KITCHEN AND KNOWS HOW TO BAKE!

YOUNG AT HEART, FULL OF LOVE, AND A STRONG MAN OF GOD.

"We Love Daddy"

Joy's Dad is "D-Daddy" so for his card, I dressed the kids up like D-Daddy. He is a coach (Lily), a minister (Easton), and a big Auburn fan (Lauren).

Kendall's Daddy is "Paw Paw" and he loves to play golf, so Lily and Easton dressed for a golf game and got their golf clubs out for his card picture!