Happy Tuesday from Zambia!

Today was a great day, the sky was blue, the weather was warm, but not too hot, kids were playing, and the birds were singing songs in Tonga (the language here in this part of Zambia).  God was definitely smiling on us today.

The team has been busy getting chores done and knocking things off of Jako and Amber's to-do lists.  Steve and Bill have been working on a steel water tower for a 1200 gallon water tank for the orphanage.  Bobby and Kerry have been busy sanding, painting, and installing a new solar panel array for the orphanage buildings. Candi has been doing her best to keep up with Amber, which we all know is next to impossible.  The team overall is solid and working side by side with our missionaries, and loving every minute of it.

It's been great catching up with the locals that we haven't seen in a year or two.  Such wonderful people!

Message from Candi:  Doing great, enjoying my time with Amber.  Love and miss you guys.  I hope Amanda and Sarah's trip to NYC was great, as well as the concert Erika went to.  Ryan, you name seems to be coming up a LOT around here - we'll let you know later if that's a good thing or not.  Oh yeah, Happy St. Patrick's Day.  To Brianna, poop.

Message from Bobby:  Mom and Dad, Laura, Naomia, Seekers class, CBTP and CR crew.  Hello from Zambia.  Having an amazing time here.  Cannot wait to see you all and tell you of all the amazing things that I am seeing and doing out here.  This is such a beautiful country.  Hope all is well with everyone and see you all real soon.

We Made It

Praise the Lord, we made it to camp without incident.  The flights were on time and pleasant. 

We arrived in London on Friday and made a bee line to Stonehenge, It was pretty chilly there but we had a nice but short stay there and then had to get back to the airport and make our connecting flight to Johannesburg. 

We arrived in Johannesburg on time and then caught a short flight to Livingstone, Zambia.  Again, praise the Lord, our luggage – although thoroughly searched by TSA, all made it there – all twelve bags.

Our friend and missionary were there and waiting for us.  So glad to see Jako!  We stopped for supplies and food and then started our trek into the bush.  Again, no problems.

This morning we woke up and headed to church after a quick bite.  It was great to be there worshiping with our Tonga friends again.  After a very charismatic server, we headed home to camp.

We ate lunch and then took a tour of the “stump farm”.  You won’t believe the corn (or maize) crop that Jako is growing there.  God is surely blessing him for sure.

Tomorrow we’re going to hit the ground running and get some stuff done.  We might be able start the roofing project later in the week.  There’s a fuel shortage problem in Zambia and finding transportation to haul the steel we need to start the roof is going to be tough.  But Jako has a long list of things he’d like us to accomplish while we’re here.

I’ll try to blog at least every other evening.

Gearing up for our 2015 trip

We're preparing for this year's trip to Zambia.  This year we're going in March, which is their fall season. The foliage will be green and thick and the creepy crawly creatures will be out and about. It should be a much different experience for most of us, as it's normally winter time there when we go and most everything is dead and brown (kinda like our winter but without snow).

There are 5 of us going this year - me (Bill), Kerry, Steve, Candi, and the rookie, Bobby.  It's going to be a great trip and we've begun our jam packed training and preparation phase.  It's looking like our main project there will be to put a metal roof on the 1st/2nd grade school that we started almost two years ago.

Our mission dates are March 12th (late) until the 28th around noon.  We're headed there via London.

That's it for now.  I'll post at least once more before we head off.  We'll do our best to keep you updated once in country.

Until then, please pray for us and we prepare.  Pray that will all remain flexible, adaptable, and trainable (FAT).  Pray that God will do great things with us and through us.  Also please pray for our missionaries, Jako (pronounced ya-koo) and Amber, and their two boys Jakob and Jeremiah.  Pray for their success in their ministry, overall health, protection from creepy crawly creatures (especially snakes), endurance to keep on working in very harsh and austere conditions, and for guidance to follow God's will in all things. Please also remember to pray for the locals there who know and love the Lord, including the children in the orphanage and the house mothers that care for them.  

Final Thoughts

I apologize for not posting pictures on this blog.  The process was a bit beyond my abilities and burdening Amber or Jako for each post was not something I was willing to do.  

It is my prayer that you were able to participate through these posts.  It is my hope that you felt the needs for prayer and support.  It can’t be overstated how important you are to this mission.  If you are reading this right now, you were an integral part of this team whether your boots touched African soil or not.

When you see someone from this team, be aware that it is difficult to put into words what this experience was like.  It can’t be summed up in a few minutes of conversation as we make our way out of Sunday school, or prepare to worship, even stop for a chat at work.  There is a process of reintegration for people who have been on a cross-cultural mission, even if it was just a few weeks.  We are changed.  We are different.  And, we may never be the same.  We will carry this experience with us forever, and at times, it can get heavy.  For those who are interested in helping us with our burden, you simply have to listen.  Take the time to make the time to hear what we have to say.  We want to share it, and while it is heavy it can lift us up to heights we were never even aware we could achieve.  Isn’t God like that?

God bless you for loving us and the people of the Mission of Love in Zambia!

In faith,

Ed

Updates from the Field

Hello Mission Partners,

Sunday, August 3 was a beautiful day.  We woke to sunshine and drums (there was a local wedding nearby and the drumming had been going for a few days).  After getting a great lesson about Noah we blessed a local couple that had gotten married the previous week (not the drumming couple).  Pastor Petrus gave a message about the sanctity of marriage being a blessing from God.  It was inspiring.  Denise then told the story of Ruth.  “Where you go I will go!”, that made me think of the Great Commission.  If we go as commanded, to all nations, we should be going everywhere.  Whether across the street or across the world, God is already there waiting on us to accompany Him in His work.  

We then spent the rest of the day organizing and preparing for our departure the next morning.  We were able to spend some quality time at the Children’s home saying goodnight and goodbye to the housemothers and children.  It is always bittersweet at this time.  We are excited to come home to see our families, but we are sad to leave our second home and miss our family.  I can confidently speak for the whole team when I make that statement.  I know that is how we all feel.

At 5:00 AM on Sunday morning a local couple came to the gate and rang the bell.  The pregnant woman was having trouble with bleeding and was requesting transport to the clinic in Kolomo (a 50 kilometer drive through the bush).  Jako fired up the Land Rover and made the drive. We prayed that God’s will was done and that there would be a witness opportunity from this tragic event that is only too common in the far reaches of the bush of Africa.  Jako retuned around 10:30 and gave us some sad news.  Unfortunately they lost the baby, and the woman was admitted to the clinic for her bleeding.  Sadly, this is something with which the Joubert’s have had much experience.  We drove off in silence for the 3-4 hour drive back to Livingstone.  

BLAM!  On the highway the Hi-Lux (Toyota) blew a tire (it seemed that the spare we had used in the bush had a bad belt).  Steve did a great job controlling the vehicle and pulled to the side without incident.  But, we had no other spare, so Steve and Denise stayed with the vehicle while the rest of us went to town to get settled into our accommodations while Jako tried to find a spare tire on a national holiday (Farmer’s Day).  The result was an overpriced, poorly made spare, that couldn’t be balanced because the machine wasn’t working.  Jako, Joshua and I loaded the tire and hit the road to go and retrieve the rest of our team.  We got there just before dark, changed the tire, push started the Hi-Lux (did I mention there is need for a starter also?), and began the 100 kilometer drive back to town.  

The next few days were without incident.  Everyone was healthy and enjoyed a few days of R&R with Amber, Jako, Jakob and Jeremiah.  I was informed that those moments of rest are vital to the mission.  The Joubert’s are very isolated in the bush.  At this point in time there are no other missionaries nearby.  The fellowship opportunities they enjoy with other believers from home are rare and they cherish those times.  

His servant and yours,

Ed