The Unity of the Spirit

Why is it that brothers in Christ just can't get along?  It seems everywhere you look there is conflict among the Brethren.  What version of the Bible we should use, what music is acceptable, how we should express our worship, how churches should be run, even how to share the Gospel!!  But what does Christ say?  The world will know us by our... LOVE.

Now I understand we must be doctrinally and Biblically sound.  But even among those there is conflict.  As we have been in Zambia for two months now we are seeing the devastating effects of such conflict.  Confusion, insecurity, a lack of freedom, frustration, pain and anger.  I'm pretty sure that none of these are listed in the Fruit of the Spirit.  Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control.  What a contrast!  Now, I'm not saying that every believer here feels this way, but there seems to be a pervading spirit of the first list and not the second.  Why?  Why does this happen?  One simple word... PRIDE.

What does the Word have to say about the relationship between believers?

Ephesians 4:1-6  

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,  endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling;  one Lord, one faith, one baptism;  one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. 

1 Corinthians 13:1-8

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. ² And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. ³ And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned,^[a] but have not love, it profits me nothing.

⁴ Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; ⁵ does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; ⁶ does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; ⁷ bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

⁸ Love never fails. 

Only two examples, yet convincing for us Believers no matter where we live.  It doesn't matter what we accomplish for Christ if there is no love or unity among the Brethren.  We need to lay aside our soap boxes (aka issues of pride) and come together in LOVE to be an example to the world around us that our God is the One True God.  We are to be an example worthy of our Lord, not cause unbelievers to choose the world, because the church treats people worse.  

Please join us in consentrated prayer for UNITY among the Believers.  Pray that God would be honored, not shamed, by the testimony of His church.  Pray for us, that we would be able to be humble servants to those around us, being used to build His church and not tear it down.  Pray that we would have discernment and wisdom, and tough skins.  And please pray that our Savior is lifted up among all men so that they might be saved.  

Pictures from Our Trip to Nambaaza

Home sweet Home away from home.  All five of us slept in this tent.  There wasn't a time you weren't touching at least three people.  Four nights of family togetherness.

W is now a professional at rolling and chasing a tire.  Just don't ask the chicken he ran over.  It wouldn't agree.

Boys will be boys.  He HAD to help start the cooking fires. 

I made this one big so you could see it.  Not the amazing sunset, but the hundreds of tiny specks in the sky.  My camera lense wasn't dirty.  Those are thousands (literally thousands) of termites coming out of the ground and flying around.  The children LOVED it!!  They ran around swatting at them like they were bubbles.  They were everywhere!

Pastor Arthur told us as we were passing this spot that it reminds him of the green pastures in Psalm 23.  Beautiful.

This is the tsetse fly.  If it bites you you will get sleeping sickness.  We caught it in our car.  *sigh*  I'm getting sleeeeppppyyyy.....

The girls found sweet kitties to play with.  Once they realized there were kittens on the farm they did nothing else.  Next trip out we may be coming home with a new pet.

L showing Theresa her kitten.

Theresa Hanakoma (from our presentation) with her newest grandson.  He is totally precious!

L learned how to carry the babies on her back.  She loved getting to play little mommy.

How many Zambians can you fit in/on a truck?  22 this Sunday!

Kaponde Baptist Church in Nambaaza.  All these bricks have been made by the local believers for the Development Center and our House.

This is where we had Sunday School for the kids.

My Sunday School class.  Please read the previous post about my time with them and keep these sweet children in your prayers.

Storms, Nshima, and Really Big Bugs

We just returned from our first trip to Nambaaza!!  Wow!  What a trip!  God has gone before us in ways we could never have expected.  We are awed by His provision and power.  Let me share with you what we experienced and how God has been working in Nambaaza.  There is way too much to share it all, but I'll give you the highlights.

I can't adequately express to you are joy at being reunited with our Zambian friends in Nambaaza.  There were hugs, laughter, smiles, and tears.  We are so thankful for a loving reception.  We stopped at the headman's house on our way to the farm we were going to be staying on for the weekend.  When I got out of the car at the headman's house I heard a scream and I was instantly swept up in a hug from Theresa Hanakoma.  Those of you who have seen our presentation will remember that God used Theresa to take the gospel to Nambaaza.  She is very dear to my heart and it was so wonderful to see her again.  The headman was very surprised at the affection and friendship we had already developed in Nambaaza.  God has chosen to give us favor in the headman's eyes and we were blessed by our time with him this weekend.

We met with Chief Shenzongo on Saturday.  Much prayer and preparation had gone into this visit.  About three years ago the Chief had given land to our ministry to be developed in Nambaaza.  Because the Chambers were the only ones here in Zambia at that time little more than a church has been built on the property.  We had been hearing that the Chief was getting frustrated with the lack of development and was threatening to take away the land he had given us and revoke his invitation to work in his area.  It was intimidating going into our meeting knowing that he was already displeased with us.  We prayed and discussed with the Zambian believers the things we should say and do while we were in the Chief's presence.  When we got there the first thing the Chief said to us was that we are very slow in doing things.  Talk about an introduction!!!  Jamie humbly asked if he could share with the Chief all we had been doing in the last two years to try to return to Zambia as soon as possible and the many hindrances we have encountered in the last two years.  The Chief listened with much understanding and surprise at all that has happened.  In the end he said that he was humbled by our explanation and realized there was more to what was required of us than he had originally thought.  He said that once our house is constructed in Nambaaza he would like to personally come and survey the land.  If at that point he decides we need more land he would grant it to us.  He said we are welcome here and he believes that our presence in Nambaaza "will chase the devil away".  God went before us in the presence of the Chief and granted us favor in his eyes.  It was an enormous answer to prayer.

On Sunday we attended Kaponde Baptist Church in Nambaaza.  There is no pastor, but the believers meet together on Sunday to read God's word together.  Jamie shared with the adults for Sunday school one of the lessons from New Tribes missions.  Then Pastor Arthur preached the main service.  After singing songs together before Sunday school Pastor Arthur announced that I was going to be taking the children.  It was a complete surprise to me!  I had no idea what to do.  Thankfully Pastor Arthur's wife, Beatrice, was with me.  She told me that the children typically memorize scripture and then learn from the bible.  I asked what scriptures they had memorized and none of them knew any.  Beatrice went over John 3:16 with the children until they remembered it very well.  I then asked if they knew what that verse meant.  They had no idea.  So I asked Who God is.  They had no idea.  Jesus?  No idea.  OKAY...  I had a lot of explaining to do.  God provided me a wonderful opportunity to share with these children a God Who loves them more than anything and sacrificed His Son for their sins.  Then I again had an unexpected opportunity to teach the children during the main service.  We started with the days of creation and they just loved it.  Then we went outside to look for things that God has made.  One boy said God had made the dirt.  I asked what the dirt did.  He said it grows food for them to eat.  I was able to explain how God provides for them.  The trees provided fire and shade for them.  The birds produce eggs and meat for them.  They were amazed that God would love and provide for them.  God burdened my heart so much for these dear children.

Please pray for the people of Nambaaza.  God is working there in wonderful ways and we are blessed beyond understanding to be a tiny part of it.  The people of Nambaaza need our prayers and encouragement.

Thank you for all your prayers for this trip.  The Chief has asked us to return before the rains to show the Jesus Film in his village.  We will be going back in a couple of weeks after Thanksgiving to show this movie to them.  Please pray that God would be going ahead of us again and working in the hearts and lives of the people.  Please pray that everything would work out for this trip. There are a lot of technicalities involved from the generator and sound system, to the rains that are coming slowly.  We are excited to see all that God is going to do and blessed to share it with you.

I'll post pictures from our trip soon.

Getting the Hang of Things

It has been about 2 1/2 weeks since we set foot in Zambia, and so much has happened!  We have been abundantly blessed with a smooth transition so far, and we don't take that for granted at all.  Thank you so much to those of you who have been in prayer for our family.  We have needed every one of them, and God has been answering abundantly.

Let me give you a glimpse of our timeline so far.
October 12:  We arrived in Livingstone, Zambia with all of our 20 bags!  We breezed through customs and out to the waiting trucks.  We were picked up by our dear friends, the Haytons and taken to their house where we stayed for our first week.
Throughout that first week we shopped in Livingstone for many of the things we would need to set up house in Choma, got over jet lag, and reacquainted with that part of Zambia.
October 14:  Our first Sunday we visited Siambalele Baptist Church.  The Zambian congregation held a prayer of commissioning us to be their missionaries to Nambaaza and the surrounding areas.  What a blessing!
October 17:  We took our first load of luggage, furniture, etc, to our house in Choma.  We were able to purchase a stove and refrigerator in Choma and have it delivered to our house that day before we had to leave to get back to Livingstone for the night.
October 18:  Back in Livingstone we purchased more things we couldn't find in Choma and packed our final load.
October 19:  We made our final trip to Choma and spent the first night in our new house!
October 20:  Our first Sunday at Salvation Baptist Church in Choma and we went to our first Zambian football (soccer) game!!  A wonderful experience.
October 23:  We made the trip to the capitol city, Lusaka, to turn in the paperwork for our work permits.  They were accepted with no complaints or questions!  That was a miracle!
October 27:  Visitation with Salvation Baptist of Choma and a birthday party that night for Pastor Arthur and Chester (our employee who takes care of our house and yard).  It was a wonderful time of fellowship and learning Zambian culture.

As you can see things have been very busy, but in a relaxed kind of way...  Sounds weird, but welcome to African life.  Things move slowly, but somehow you still end up accomplishing more than expected!

This Thursday we will be driving out to Nambaaza for the first time in over two years!  We are going to be meeting with the believers there, and have a very important meeting with Chief Shezongo.  Please keep this upcoming trip in our prayers.  We aren't sure what to expect, but we know that God has it all under control.

In answer to many of your asking...  We seem to be adapting well so far.  It can be a bit lonely not having other Americans to fellowship with right now, but we are learning a lot about building relationships with the Zambians and their way of doing things.  That is a huge blessing and what we need.  The kids seem to be adjusting well.  Please pray for them to develop friendships and to pick up the language quickly.  They are enjoying the opportunity to play with the Zambian children, but are nervous about it at the same time.  But they are doing extremely well at being patient with the whole process.

All in all we are blessed beyond measure, filled up, and overflowing!  I know this isn't a very exciting update, but I'll put some pictures on the end to try and liven it up.

Jorja had her dreams come true.  She got to sit by a Zambian at church!!

At the airport in Chicago ready to go!!

The commissioning prayer over our family at Siambalele Baptist church.

Getting used to being stared at everywhere we go.

We are so thankful for all God has done and is doing, and is going to do.  We are thankful for your prayers, encouragement and support.  We can't do this without you.

Step By Step

I remember the first time I found out we were pregnant.  Months of praying, researching, reading books, watching other parents with their children, and, of course, watching A Baby Story on TLC.  When that first test came up positive what I remember most was thinking, “Wait a minute, God!  I’m not ready for this!  I was just kidding!  I just liked the idea of being a mommy!!”  But God does not arbitrarily make life.  My sweet baby was His will for my life.  I had no idea what I was doing, but had to follow Him each step of the way.

That was very much the way I felt as I stepped off the plane in Zambia yesterday.  I was assulted by an entire gamut of emotions.  Suddenly all these years of praying, training, reading, hoping, talking to other missionaries, and imagining what it would be like was becoming reality.  I had an overwhelming sense of inadequacy.  “Wait a minute, God!  I’m not ready for this!  I was just kidding!  I just liked the idea of being a missionary!”  Deep breaths.  But I did not arbitrarily make it to Zambia.  This is God’s will for my life.  I have no idea what I am doing, but God does and all I have to do is follow Him each step of the way.  

Let me share with you some ways God has gone before us in this journey.  Our family left for Chicago on Tuesday, October 8.  God provided a van and an awesome aunt and uncle to drive us and our 20 bags there.  The trip couldn’t have gone smoother.  We have a supporting church just outside Chicago who housed us for the night and took us to the airport the next day.  

It turns out that buying a luggage scale is a waste of money.  We weighed meticulously (remember, I’m married to Jamie) to 48lbs which was 3lbs lighter than the required 51, but somehow they ended up weighing a bit, sometimes a lot, more than that.  Thanks to a wonderful check in agent we were able to redistribute the weight and didn’t end up paying for any overweight bags! 

All our flights were on time and went crazy smooth.  Our biggest obstacle was going to be going through customs in Zambia with a one way ticket and all our bags.  Also, we had purchased 3 year visas last time we were here and there was a chance they would be denied.  No big deal, really.  We would just buy new ones.  But they accepted the visas and just watched us as we rolled 4 carts of luggage (all 20 bags, another miracle!) out to our truck.  No questions, no searches, no second looks!!  AMAZING!!

So, here I am at 4:45am Zambia time blogging while my kids are wide awake.  Yay!  Changing time zones!!  When I think of the overwhelming reality in which I sit I really don’t know what to do.  So, I have to take this moment by moment.  I’m exhausted, but the reality is that my kids bodies feel like they just had an afternoon nap and now they’re ready to go.  The reality is that I only have a few days of this as all our bodies adjust.  One day at a time.  Moment by moment.  The ultimate reality is that God has gone before us, is here beside us, and will follow behind us.  He is confirming to us that this is what He has for us over and over.  We have a faithful God Who will never take us where He can’t sustain us.  

We can’t thank you enough for all your prayers for our trip.  There is still much to do until we are “settled” in, but we are praising God for His amazing provision and protection.  We’ll keep you updated as we see all God will continue to do.  

Twenty 50 Pound Bags

I'm telling you what!  We have moved many times in our 11 years of marriage.  Each time I dread the packing... more the cleaning... but they always seem to go hand in hand.  Usually I procrastinate and at the last minute I throw everything into whatever boxes I can manage to scrounge up by dumpster diving at the nearest Dollar General store.  I'm sorry.  I'm just too cheap to pay money for cardboard boxes I'm going to throw out when I'm done.  Then, when I run out of boxes I put everything in garbage bags.  I'm sure that horrifies all of you list and organizational types.  It horrifies my poor husband too.  Especially when it comes time to unpack.  But in the end everything is packed, the house is clean, and we are moved.  Not so this time around.  Jamie gets to do it his way, and it is essential to our surviving the TSA!

TWENTY 50 POUND BAGS!!!  Moving is a little different when you're trying to cram as much of the necessities of life as you can in to twenty 50 pound bags that are going to be checked by the TSA and foreign custom agents.  And when your very organized husband (You have no idea how thankful I am for him right now!) is determined to pack each and every bag deliberately.  AND have an itemized list of the contents of each bag to hopefully speed up any searches.  There is no throwing the dirty linens into a bag to be washed when we get there.  No Dollar General boxes and Hefty bags.  This time we're doing real luggage and space saver bags.  Everything neat and tidy.  We made the best investment ever in a digital luggage scale so Jamie knows to the ounce how much is in each bag.  I'm just sorry we're so busy I don't have time to "cutesy" up our luggage tags.  Besides, all my craft stuff is being packed up anyway...  The sacrifices we make.

Thanks to our ever Faithful God and your prayers and support we have less than one month until we board our flight to Zambia with our one way tickets!  IN ONE WEEK God took us from 95% to 99%!!!  When it rains it pours - the blessings!  I know there are a lot of exclamation marks in this paragraph, but they really need to be there!  Not only that, but there have been individuals and churches contributing to our much needed start up costs for when we arrive in Zambia!  The Lord has been beyond faithful in going before us and providing just when we need it.  What an adventure this has been, and we're only getting started!

Please continue to pray with us that our final 1% - it sounds so measly doesn't it - would come in, and, Lord willing, a little extra.  Due to the deflation of the dollar and a 67% wage increase in Zambia our support is not going to go as far as initially anticipated.  But we have a God Who supplies all our need according to His riches in Glory.  He has provided and will continue to provide.

So, as we pack up our real luggage and space saver bags, say our goodbyes, and savor these last few weeks we can't help but stand in awe of all God has done these last couple of years and we look with anticipation to what He is going to do in the years to come.  Thank you for partnering with us in this journey.  We wouldn't be here without you.

His Hands Are Much Bigger Than Mine

My Grandfather was a missionary/pastor for many years.  He told me this story that perfectly expressed how I felt when I was sharing the Lord's provision for our family with him.

There was a little boy who lived in a small village.  His family was very poor.  They barely had enough to meet their basic needs.  This boy's favorite food in the whole world was strawberries.  One day as the boy was working in their garden a man was driving through the village with a cart full of strawberries.  The man stopped in front of the boy's house.  He asked the boy if he liked strawberries, and the boy answered that he did.  The man told the boy to hold out his hands, but the boy just stood there looking at the man.  The man told the boy again to hold out his hands.  The boy just kept looking.  Finally the man pulled out the boys hands and filled them with strawberries.  A neighbor was watching the exchange and asked the boy why he didn't just hold out his hands.  The boy answered, "His hands were so much bigger than mine."

Isaiah 52:12

For you shall not go out in haste, and you shall not go in flight, for the LORD will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.

We have been in prayer about our housing needs when we get to Zambia.  There are over 800,000 Chinese immigrants in Zambia who are there to do infrastructure and road work.  These Chinese greatly broaden our opportunity of ministry, but they are also snatching up any housing as soon as it becomes available.  Our dear friends, the Haytons, moved from Livingstone to Choma (the "city" we'll be living in our first year).  We were excited to have them in our city, but God has opened up the opportunity for them to move back to Livingstone.  Before the house they were renting ever became public they emailed us and offered it to us.  We know the owner of the house and he said he would be more than happy for us to rent it from him.  

Praise the Lord, we now have a house waiting for us in Zambia that more than meets our needs!

After the email about the house they also sent us an email full of furnishings that they have been snatching up with us in mind for us to buy from them.  So, not only do we have a house, we have a mostly furnished house!  What a blessing!

Not only were we praying about a house, but we were praying about a good, reliable, bush ready truck for a miraculous price.  At the bottom of the email about furnishings for sale was a Land Rover Defender for half the price we were planning to pay.  It is the exact truck we rode in two years ago when we were there.  The Haytons just had it rebuilt and it is in excellent condition and ready to go!!  

Praise the Lord we now have a bush ready truck waiting for us in Zambia that more than meets our needs!

His hands are so much bigger than mine!!!

In further updates...

Jamie has finished his masters degree with a 4.0GPA!  He has managed to work diligently in the midst of multiple distractions (Jorja's broken arm, moving twice, pastoral ministry at Bethel, raising support for Zambia, getting shot... I think you get the picture).  We are so proud of him.  

We have purchased our plane tickets for October 10!!  We are sooooo close to being at 100% support.  We still have a small amount to go and we also need to finish up our outfit and passage costs.  Please pray for us that God would continue to meet our needs in His perfect timing.  

As soon as Jamie finished his degree we left on a two week vacation!  It's been much needed and much anticipated.  It has been a wonderful time to relax and have family time without distractions or obligations.  We have been soaking in this time because as soon as we return life will be a whirlwind once again.  

When we get home from vacation we will start packing, finish up shots, soak up as much time with family and friends as possible, finish up our support raising, and prepare for our departure to Zambia.  Please pray with us that our truck and camper would sell. We know God has it all under control, but it would be a load off our minds if we didn't have them to deal with anymore.  

Thank you so much for all your prayers, support, encouragement, and love!  We are so blessed and so excited to see God working in our midst, going before us, and as our rear guard!  

Tears, Transitions, & Trailers

Life has been a whirlwind these last few weeks!  Whew!  Let me tell you how much we've been blessed.  


It all started one lovely spring day...

On Sunday May 20th, Bethel Baptist (our home church) planned a big farewell service for us.  Jamie's mom came out, and Mandy's parents surprised us by showing up at church!  Jamie preached his "testamessage" about the journey God has had us on.  About His bringing us to Bethel, our memories of the last seven years there, and how God has used the people of Bethel to grow us and change us and better equip us for the road ahead.  

After church we had a dinner with a time for testimonies and gifts.  We were so overwhelmed!!  Our family at Bethel put together a scrapbook of letters to us and pictures of our memories with them over the years.  What a treasure!!  We will keep them close.  And, per tradition, we received a had made quilt from the ladies... all five of us each got our own one.  They are beautiful, and so precious to us.  There were many tears, hugs, and laughs.  Blessings poured out.

I don't think Mandy cooked at all that week.  We had dinner with so many friends.  We made last minute memories and just enjoyed being together.  

On Sunday, May 27th, we officially had our last Sunday as Associate Pastor and family.  What a difficult Sunday.  The good-byes took so long there wasn't time for Sunday School.  We had dear friends, Robert and Sonya White (who were Jamie's AWANA leaders as a kid and live about an hour away in W.V.) come visit that Sunday.  We had a wonderful, but difficult time.  There's a Steve Green song called "I Will Go" and in the song it asks the Lord to cut to roots that grow too deep.  Let me tell you, it hurts!  But it was so wonderful to think about all God has done in our lives and in the lives of our family at Bethel over these years.  His mighty hand was working the whole time.  

That next Wednesday was our last time with our youth group.  We have had wonderful relationships with everyone in our church, but I don't know that any of them compare with our relationships with our teens.  We LOVE them so much!  They surprised us by inviting past youth workers, parents of teens, and past graduates to come.  Oh how we cried and cried and cried.  We've been so privileged to be a part of so many milestones in their lives.  First boy/girl friends, driving, prom dresses, new and broken relationships...  And the privilege to challenge them to honor God in every new adventure.  It has been an honor to serve the Lord with these amazing Teens.  They are so dear to our hearts.  We're excited to see all God has in store for them in the future.  

Of course, another week of no cooking, great times, memories made...

On Monday we loaded up our camper and a little trailer and moved EVERYTHING out to Jamie's Uncle's house.  A good friend towed our camper, and praise God there were no problems this time!  Tomorrow we will start sorting all our stuff into the "keep forever", "Zambia", and "Get Rid Of" piles.  Whew, so much junk!!  We will be here for two weeks, spend a few days with our team mates from Zambia, and then move into our "summer home" in Cincy.  

And one more super huge praise...

We're at 87% with more pledged to come in!!!

Thank You

We want to thank all of you for your prayers on Jamie's behalf.  He saw the orthopedic surgeon this morning who took a look at Jame's x-rays.

Front view.  You can see the bullet just below his knee.

He said that Jamie does NOT need surgery (Praise God), and that Jamie just needs to take it easy until the swelling goes down.  Jamie does not have any restrictions other than what his pain will allow.

Side view.  You can see the bullet and fragment near it.

We are still able to keep all our travel arrangements, so that is a huge blessing.





God greatly protected Jamie and we thank and praise Him for how He is working all this out.  I suppose that if you're going to get shot Jamie got hit in the perfect place and has the least amount of recovery possible.

Plus, Jamie's pretty excited he can still say he has a bullet lodged in his bone.  Oh, and to answer the most asked question: He will have a card from the doctor saying he has a bullet in his leg for when he sets off the metal detectors at the airport.  I think that's a pretty strong "man card".

As Jamie recovers things are hectic, but we decided we would take a hectic life with a healing daddy then the alternative.  Even our frustrations are blessings considering the possible outcomes.  Please keep praying for Jamie's healing and our sanity.  And please, please keep praying for our friend who shot him.  God is using our friend in wonderful ways for His glory.

Blessed, relieved, thankful, and excited for the future,
Jamie, Mandy and the kids

Spiritual Warfare and Live Ammo

Spiritual warfare is one of those issues that many people choose to ignore rather than engage in.  Unfortunately, even if we don't want to admit it we are always in a spiritual battle.  In Ephesians 6 Paul admonishes us to take up the armor of the Lord and fight the good fight.  He reminds us that our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against evil spiritual forces in heavenly places.

As we continue to follow the Lord on this journey of obedience He has called us to we see the battle raging around us, and it seems to continue to strengthen.  We are thankful that our Commander and Chief is the Lord of Lords.  If God is for us, who can come against us?

We have seen over and over God's hand of protection on our family.  Our Sovereign God has allowed only what we can handle as we rest in Him.  He has strengthened our faith and proven His faithfulness over and over.

We experienced one such incident this past weekend.  Let me give you the middle length version...
This weekend we took a load of our stuff to Jamie's uncle and aunt's house where we will be storing our "keep" pile while we are in Zambia.  We were planning on organizing our stuff there and then Sunday morning Jamie was going to meet with the mission committee from their church about possible support.

Saturday morning was nice and slow, so Jamie decided he would go down to the creek in the field behind their house to go fishing.  One year he caught ten bass in twenty minutes in this creek.  Where Jamie was fishing the creek bed dropped down, so when you looked down at the creek all you could see was Jamie's black hat.  He was fly fishing and wearing a black sweater.

The neighbor looked out his back deck and thought he saw a large crow down at the creek.  He grabbed his .22 long rifle and figured he would take a shot at the bird to scare it away.  The neighbor aimed at the "bird" (Jamie's head) but, by the grace of God, due to the distance of the shot the bullet hit the back of his left leg.  The bullet entered his left calf and fractured his tibia and is still lodged there.  When the neighbor realized he didn't shoot a bird, but shot Jamie he was really shaken up.  He is a wonderful friend and brother in Christ.  After a trip to the ER Jamie is on crutches for his fracture and has an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon tomorrow to see if the bullet needs to be surgically removed.

Please pray for Jamie as his body heals.  So far the pain has not been bad for what we would have expected for a gun shot wound.  Please pray for the doctors that they would have the discernment they need to accurately diagnose Jamie's medical needs.  Most of all we ask that you would pray for our friend who shot Jamie.  He has a lot to deal with emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually.  He is personally fully engaged in the spiritual battle and Satan is doing whatever he can to stop him.  We figured Satan thought he could kill two birds with one stone.  Thankfully our God is faster than a speeding bullet.  Our mighty Protector.  We praise and thank Him for his protection and love for us.

Thank you so much for your prayers and concern.  We'll keep you updated as we find out more.

As Jamie said, "I know we're engaged in spiritual warfare, but I never expected live ammunition."

If any of you want to see Jamie's "man pictures" of the wound just email him and he would be happy to share.

Religious or Godly

As it turns out an upset stomach, runny nose, a snoring husband, and a daughter who has decided not to sleep creates opportunity for a much needed blog update.  Armed with my Pepto (gotta admit I've always loved the taste) and my Puffs plus (best ever) I want to share with you what God has been teaching me.

My devotions have been in the book of Acts for a while.  I love reading about how Christ started His church and the opposition and obstacles it overcame.  How he turned an enemy into one of His greatest warriors.  And how He extended His grace and mercy to the Gentile world.

One thing that has been standing out over and over as I read about Paul's journeys is as he would go into a city and preach the good news the religious leaders were the one who opposed his message the most.  I understand it was a revolutionary way of thinking, but it was also prophecy fulfilled which Paul pointed out through scripture over and over again.

It really got me thinking about "religious" people versus "godly" people and how that plays out in our lives today.  As we've been on this pre-field journey we've encountered many of the "religious", but I'm blessed to realize we've encountered much more of the "godly".

 (Allow me to attempt to clearly define my use of the terms religious and godly in order to avoid offence.  Religious: someone so steeped in the traditions of the church that they are unable to separate those traditions from scriptural mandates .  Godly: someone who respects and honors the traditions of the church but discerns between tradition and scriptural mandates.  Hopefully as you read on I'll make sense to you.) 

Looking in Acts the "religious" people tended to hold to tradition as if it were scripture believing their tradition was godliness.  They had forgotten who God was and tried to fit Him into their little box, and when God decided to break out they were appalled.  When Paul preached Christ crucified and a life of faith by grace they were angered to the point of wanting to destroy him in order to destroy his message.  And when he took the message to people outside their box they tried to force the new people to fit into it.   When I look at the "religious" today I see people truly trying to please God, but who have lost sight of how big He really is.  They are living in their little boxes, and when other Christians don't fit into their box there is strife and distention. Sometimes they become so isolated in their box that they do little good for the cause of Christ.

But then you see the "godly" people.  Their eyes have been so opened to their sinfulness and God's holiness that they live freely by faith.  They uphold God's word out of passionate love for their Savior, not for tradition's sake.  (Disclaimer:  I'm not slamming tradition.  There is a place and a purpose for it, but it has to be in the right place for the right purpose.)  And when God reveals Himself to them they can't help but share Him with everyone they come in contact with.  They look beyond the surface issues to a deeper need.   And when the opposition comes from within the box they stand strong, endure, and remain faithful to their sometimes unpopular calling that God has placed upon their lives.  Continually Paul was arrested, stoned, threatened, or kicked out by the "religious" leaders of his day.  But he got up, picked up his cross, and it's thrilling to see how God used him.

When we, as Believers, decide to follow Christ we aren't always going to be approved of.  Sometimes it's easy to get discouraged by the rejection.  But we have to look to God's word.  Are we faithful to all God has written in it?  Are we living with a pure heart at the feet of our Savior?  Are we diligently following God every step of this journey He has called us to?  Can we, with a clear conscience, say we have done all possible to live peaceably with all men?  Can we stand before God unashamed?  If we can answer yes to all these questions, when the opposition comes we can stand firm knowing we are right with God, and He will sustain and empower us.

God calls us into a passionate love relationship with Him.  He offers us an abundant life.  His yolk is easy and His burden is light.  He calls us to live godly lives that lift Him up before all men.  Our lives are to be a mirror of His love and saving grace to a dying world.  If we are isolated inside our boxes the world dies around us.  He has called us to be in the world, but not of it.  My prayer is that we will all experience the joy that comes only from living freely in Christ with a heart unashamed before Him.  And as we do His love and grace will pour out of our lives and into the lives of everyone we come in contact with.

I want God to build His kingdom through our family as we strive to live for Him and follow Him step by step on this amazing journey.  I can't wait to experience all He is going to do in and through us as we are instruments for Him to accomplish His purposes.  May we live "godly" lives and may God receive all the glory.

Will You Help???

We are so excited that we are officially missionaries with IBM Global!!!  Our support need has been set by our new mission board, and we are at 76% of our needed support.  God has been so good and we are praising Him for His faithfulness!!  

Through FAITH in what only God can do we would love to be on the field by 

SEPTEMBER 3, 2012.  

In order for that to happen we need to be at 100% support by July and for that to happen we need your help.  I know sometimes it's easy to look at our budget and think we don't have a lot to give, and so we don't give at all.  There are many missionaries and causes I would love to support, but "it's just not in the budget."  And sometimes I think we tend to feel that giving a small amount would be insulting.  Please know that every little bit helps.  

We have no doubt that God has called us to this ministry, and we have no doubt in His perfect timing.  We are tremendously thankful for everyone who has partnered with us in this ministry in prayer and finances.  We do not take you for granted and wouldn't be where we are if it weren't for you.  If you're already financially partnering with our ministry would you considering increasing your 

PRAYER SUPPORT 

for us?  We need all the prayers we can get in order to faithfully carry out the work God has for us.  Please pray with us that God would do some incredible things and help us get to Zambia by September. 

We have prayerfully made the decision to call out for support.  If you've been introduced to the ministry God has called us to or if you get our updates and have considered supporting us we would LOVE to have you partner with us.  Whether you can only afford $3 -$5 a month or $20 or $100.  We are asking you to pray and by faith ask God how much he would desire you to contribute to our ministry.  There is no greater investment than in eternity.  It's what God has called us to invest our lives in and our finances.  

It has always made me uncomfortable asking for money.  I always hated the fund raisers we had to do for choir or soccer as a kid in school.  I had no desire to be the "big seller" and win the prizes.  

What God has called our family to is infinitely more important than a school choir or soccer team jerseys.  He has called us to invest in eternity, and by partnering with us you have a huge treasure stored up in Heaven and the prize is so much bigger than any school fund raiser.  

If you would like to know more about our ministry please check out our website www.zambiasmith.com.  

If  you have an questions please contact us.  We would love to answer whatever we can.

If you would like to have us discuss our ministry with you as an individual or at your church or bible study we would love to meet with you.  Just contact us and we'll set a date!

And, if you know how God would have you contribute you can either contact our mission board and set that up, or IBM Global now has the ability to process pre-authorized ‘automated giving’ - either through EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer) or through recurring credit card transactions. To get started, simply click on this link and follow the instructions to register. Registering online will give you the ability to manage your online donations and access your gift history.

 If you would like additional information regarding this service, please contact Jennifer Mitchell (the office manager at IBM Global) at jennifer.mitchell@ibmglobal.org or 603-821-5232.

And please tell your friends and family about this ministry.  We would love to share with them all God is doing.

Thank you so much for all your love, encouragement and support.  We are the body of Christ and God uses us to share His love with the world.  Thank you for being His body and helping us do His work.  

We're so grateful for you.

Sender or Goer??

God has called each of us to be involved in His global purposes for His kingdom.  Some of us He calls as "goers".  God has called our family to go to Zambia, Africa to share His love and salvation with all we come in contact.  Many of you God has called as "senders".  Even though you are not called to go yourself, God has called you to send those He has called to go.  Your calling as a sender is every bit as real, important and necessary as ours is.  With out your sending we couldn't go.  

Ways you can minister as a sender:
1.  Prayer.  There is tremendous power in prayer and we depend on yours to get us to Zambia.  Please check our website or our prayer updates for current prayer requests.  Please be praying that we would have opportunites to share our ministry and our support level would continue to increase.
2.  Encouragement.  We all, as believers, live in a constant spiritual battle.  Satan wants to do whatever he possibly can to deter us from following God's will for our family.  We need you to rally behind us with love and support to keep us going.
3.  Finances.  There is no way we could afford to move and minister in Zambia on our own.  The Lord says, "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."  We need your help to meet the financial needs for our family and for our ministry.  Please pray if God would have you to contribute monthly or as a one time gift to this ministry He has called us to.
4.  Assistance.  Our mission board and our church are great helps with the day to day, tedious details that need to be covered.  Finances, record keeping, etc.  But especially once we are on the field we will need help with those types of things and more.  If you are gifted in these areas please pray if God would have you to contribute to our ministry in this way.

There are many more ways that you, as a sender, can be directly involved in this ministry.  For more practical suggestions read the book "Serving as Senders" by Neil Pirollo.  I believe that reading this book will open your eyes to the importance of following God's call on your life as a sender and help you use your spiritual gifting to impact whatever ministries God is calling you to get involved with.  

We are also trying to schedule opportunities to share our ministry as we continue to raise the remaining 1/4 of our support.  If you or someone you know would like us to share in your church, business, or to a group of individuals please let us know so we can get you on the schedule.  We would love to share in whatever ways we can.  You can contact us through email: www.zambiasmith.com.

Please be our senders and help us to get to Zambia as soon as we can! 

Thank you to those who have been serving as senders to us.  We can't thank you enough for how you have ministered to and with us.  We're looking forward to what God is going to do in the future through our partnership in the ministry for His glory.