Touchable, Lovable, and Changeable

Touchable

Psalm 136:23

It is He who remembered us in our low estate, 

for His steadfast love endures forever;

People came to Jesus.  When He was tired, hungry, hurting... People still came.  Always more people.  He didn't live in a "compound" where he could escape when he became overwhelmed.  He didn't have high walls with electric fence, razor wire, and broken glass on top.  He didn't sit in a special seat at church or eat apart from the rest.  He was with the people He loved.  What an example to us.  

Sometimes we have to take safety precautions, but it should not make us unreachable by those who need us.  The people we work with and love should know we are always available.  

"Jesus refused to be a statue in a cathedral or a priest in an elevated pulpit.  He chose instead to be a touchable, approachable, reachable Jesus."~ Max Lucado

As missionaries we need to be "touchable".  We need to let people see our lives.  We need to let people become a part of our lives and become a part of their lives.  As God lives through our words and deeds He becomes a part of their lives.  That can not happen if we're untouchable.  

Please pray that we would be "touchable".  Pray that we would not seclude ourselves for the sake of comfort, but that we would be open and available and live real lives in front of others.  Please pray that we would build relationships that are deep and life changing both for us and for them.  

Lovable

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Love... bears all things, believes all things.

God loves us in all circumstances.  He rejoices in our rejoicing and he mourns in our sorrow. He loves us as we wallow in the mire of our sin and He loves us when we depend on the Spirit to overcome temptation.  He always loves us.  

We see conditionally.  We judge others against our own "righteousness".  We see through our own human, sinful filter.  And we choose not to love.  We would never admit that.  We say we love everyone, but then our actions say something else entirely.  

"Wouldn't it be great if love were like a cafeteria line?  It would be easier.  It would be neater. It would be painless and peaceful.  But you know what?  It wouldn't be love.  Love doesn't accept just a few things.  Love is willing to accept all things." ~ Max Lucado

God doesn't pick and choose what he wants to love about us and then act according to our behavior.  We can't do that either.  God has sent us as ambassadors of His love to a lost and hurting world.  We need to learn to love like God loves.  Allow His love to flow through our lives and into the lives of those around us.  

Please pray that we would be willing to love everyone.  Even the unlovable.  Even when we become frustrated and tired and hungry and grumpy.  Pray that we would do all things in love.  And that all those around us would see God's love in us. 

Changeable

Isaiah 64;8

But now, O LORD, You are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.

God desires for me to become just like Jesus.  I am nothing more than clay in His master potter hands.  I can choose to be difficult, hard, dry clay, or I can choose to be moist, moldable, and easy to work with. Praise God I do not have to remain who I am today, but can be changed day by day, bit by bit into the image of Christ.  My bad habits are no excuse and neither are the disagreeable aspects of my character.  God can and will change all that!  If God is going to use us here for His glory we need to be changed.  It is not negotiable.  We can not stay who we are and be useful for God.  At least not to the fullest of His plans for us.  Please pray that we would be changeable.  Please pray that God would change us into His image for others to see Him in us.  And that as He is changing us He would be drawing others to Himself as they see His changes in us.  

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.