Jesus Film, New Church Plant, and Team Reflections

Saturday

If you are wondering why we haven’t posted anything in the last couple of days- it’s because I have succumbed to what we sometimes call traveler’s sickness (also called Chazanga’s revenge). I do not think I have been any sicker on any international mission trip ever. But it was nice that it happened late Friday and only affected our day off. I am feeling much better but while I was sick I took my glasses off at VBS and - they were gone. Thank God Jesus came to minister to the sick and the blind! 

Our team never missed a step and we had an amazing time showing the Jesus Film in Nyanja, the local language. We arrived at Kamrise School at around 5 pm to find mostly children but as the evening progressed and darkness fell many adults came as well. We ended up with over 300 people. Our team led some songs before the film and the one deacon that has been assigned to the new church also led the kids in some songs in Nyanja. It is hard to believe that for many of them this was the very first time they heard the story of Jesus and for most the first time they would have seen a movie.  There were many great opportunities during and after the film to talk with people who were considering trusting Jesus as Savior. 

Sunday

This morning, Sunday, we attended the very first service of the New Living Word Baptist Church.  It was so gratifying to look out into the crowd and see the faces of people we had led to Christ while walking the streets of the compound this week. It was an honor to preach the first sermon at the church. After church we did the traditional African benediction which involves the preacher for the day leading everyone in attendance out the back door to form a receiving line in which every person comes down the line and greets each other. 

Reflections from Team Members.

I thought it might be good to get some quotes from our team while this experience is still fresh:

Brittney- “The team really got to know each other at our late night talks…in fact maybe a little TMI at times.”

Abigail- “If it was up to me, my family would pack up and move to Zambia”

Rachael- “I really grew in my own walk with the Lord this trip and I took a huge leap forward in sharing Jesus in Zambia.”

Wayne- “There is nothing that can compare with watching your own child leading people to Jesus.”

Micah- “Even with the cold showers that trickled down my back and the power outages this was an amazing experience.”

Claudia: “I’ve heard Acts 1:8 for many years but living it out was great…and I loved being called ‘granny’ by the kids in the compound.

Ashlyn- “I’m planning on going into teaching as a profession- believe me working with 400 kids in this environment has helped me see education in a whole new light.

Laura- “I’m coming home with a fresh spirit and a renewed sense of why God has called me to Africa…where I am moving in 3 weeks.”

Libbie- “Despite almost being mauled by a group of children on several occasions, I got to see the Holy Spirit work up close and touch people’s lives.”

Helen: “I learned a great deal through experiencing a little bit of the lives of the people in another country.”

Thinking back over the whole experience there are a few things that people might find interesting such as the food. As a team we enjoyed the fish: eyeball, tail, and all. We also liked the charcoal grilled chicken that some of the team saw very freshly made (from the chicken to the table).

Another thing we find interesting is that pants are slowly becoming more common among adult women in the compound. Skirts are still worn by the vast majority of women in Africa, but everyday we saw a few women wearing pants which was surprising. 

 Our team also found it interesting that many of the houses in the compound were made out of cinderblocks and had modern touches such as satellite dishes and cell phones. This is in contrast to all the previous years of  mission trips in Africa where the homes have been mud huts with thatched roofs.  

God Sends Encouragement and Lessons

Deaf Ministry Continues

One of our teams walked by a lady in the compound and gave the usual greeting, but the lady did not respond.  This is so unusual that the team sensed that something was wrong.  A neighbor motioned to them that the lady was deaf.  The man called the team back to the lady, and the lady was shocked to find that Ashlyn could communicate with her through sign language.  Again, we find that God puts our team members exactly where they are needed.  Ashlyn accompanied her to her home, where she met the entire family, several of whom were also deaf.  Although American Sign Language is different, there is enough overlap that they were able to communicate.  Ashlyn was able to share the gospel with her by drawing on the ground with a piece of charcoal. Please pray for this family, as there is little to no help for the deaf in Zambia (Ashlyn may just have to move here!).

We work hard to keep our teams together in witnessing situations but one of our teams found themselves witnessing to three people at once, two of whom prayed to receive Christ.

Worship in the Streets

It is encouraging when our teams come upon people who do know Christ.  Today one of our teams came upon a group of ladies that when asked the diagnostic questions, clearly gave testimony that they knew the Lord.  Knowing that the eldest lady would be a leader in her area, the team gave her a bible so that she could lead a Bible study.  Upon receiving the Bible, she was overwhelmed with gratitude and asked if she and the other ladies could sing a song for the team.  They proceeded to sing a worship song in Bimba.  The Lord knows when we need a word of encouragement or a moment of worship.

Lessons Still to be Learned

We learned a lot today, but one of the biggest lessons was that the Western mindset that things need to be done well and in an organized manner is definitely blown away here.  We are the most organized and well-trained team that the Lowe’s have ever worked with.  Yet, when you put 350+ kids in a 20x30 room with no lights or AC, even with the wisest leaders assisting us, the situation can descend into chaos pretty quickly.  We know that kids’ hearts were touched this week, but it was very difficult to wrap things up in the manner in which we desired.  There are many things we wish we could have done and additional resources we wish we’d had at our disposal, but we did the best we could do, and trust that God will cover the situation as only He can do.

Take this...and DOUBLE it!!! Welcome to VBS in Chipata Overspill!

The Sad Reality of Death in the Compound

One of our teams went for a follow-up discipleship appointment and the lady shared she was unexpectedly being called away.  She shared that a neighbor had given birth to twins during the night and both she and the children had passed away.  The team was able to locate some of the family and share the hope found in Christ and pray over the family.  People often ask why the harvest fields are so ripe in Africa.  Although there are many reasons, at the top of the list is the fact that death is a daily part of life.  In America, when we are witnessing and ask a person a question that begins “If you were to die today…” they pass over it quickly as not even being remotely possible.  However, in Africa, this same phrase is taken very seriously because they know death is always nearby.

Prayer Requests

• Team Health
• For the Lord to move in the hearts of the people as the watch the Jesus film
• For the team to rest well in the coming days

God Continues to Move!

VBS Explodes-

The news is out that the Mzungus (white people) are in the compound so when we pulled up today there was already a huge group that started running alongside the bus as we pulled up to Chipata Overspill. The roads are very narrow with crater like potholes so we parked and walked the quarter mile to Joyful Baptist Church. All the way the children were squealing and laughing and formed a huge procession behind us. Over 300 children showed up and our team and our resources were taxed to the limit today. However, with some quick thinking we were able to adjust and survive. Actually, the day went very well. One great moment occurred today at the game station. Wayne asked for a volunteer juggle a soccer ball in front of the other kids. One of the boys volunteered and began to keep the ball in the air on one foot and the kids counted the hits…20…30…40…50…60…70…80…90…100!…and finally Wayne had to just come over and hug the kid and have them give him a big round of applause because he was taking too much time. We should have known when the kid rolled his pants leg up and pulled his long socks up to the knee in preparation.  

Coloring is something we take for granted, but these kids just can't get enough of!

Acting out the story of the man carried by four friends (from Mark 2)

Picking Ripe Fruit

Thank you so much for your faithful prayers. Because you are lifting us up we had our most fruitful day of evangelism. Over 20 people trusted Christ as Savior and many more were invited to see the Jesus film we will show outdoors on Saturday night at Kamrise Private School. Please pray for this night when hundreds of people from the compound will descend on this outdoor location where we will set up a generator, sound system and video projector to show this 2 hour movie of the Life of Jesus which has been translated into Nyanja. At the conclusion Pastor Banda will give an altar call. We are praying for many to trust Jesus as Savior and Lord.

Another Divine Appointment

God continues to show us that HE put our entire team together including our interpreters. Yesterday, one of our teams walked up to a small shop and began to try to engage the owner but were unable even through the interpreter. It turns out that he spoke an entirely different language called Bimba. When we got back to the bus they shared this story and found out that one of our interpreters is actually from that tribe but has been helping us in translate English to Nyanja. So, today that team was able to go back to the small shop and share Jesus and the shop owner prayed to receive Christ. 

 Never Without Opposition

We have learned that we never go unopposed when we are sharing Jesus. There have been distractions this week such as the occasional town drunk that will want to monopolize our time, phone calls by interpreters during our witnessing, and even a denomination that teaches that Baptist are of the devil. (to keep us from evangelizing their members.) One of our teams faced opposition today of a strange variety. There was a group of five teenage boys sitting out in front of what appeared to be a store. The team approached them and were welcomed. There was no one tending the store at the time. Right in the middle of sharing the gospel, the shop owner returned and began yelling at the team. This is extremely unusual in African culture. They are a very soft spoken people and I have never heard an African raise their voice. It just isn’t done. She scolded the team for not coming into the store and asking for permission to speak to the patrons. She even said that they were trespassing and that if they did that to someone else they might have thrown hot water on them! The proper apologies were made and the team offered to leave but then she said: “No, I will not stop someone from talking about Jesus- so go ahead. But just ask next time.” The establishment turned out to be the local Pub and our missionary thinks it is highly likely that she had been drinking up her profits.  Despite the opposition, these five teenage boys prayed to receive Christ, and we have a discipleship appointment for tomorrow.

Please pray for:

• Our last day of VBS- we will be doing the Bridge to Life demonstration and offering to meet with kids who want to pray to receive Jesus
• People to be drawn to the first service of the new church being planted this Sunday
• Overall endurance of the team- fatigue has began to set in
• Follow Up Appointments tomorrow to present bibles and begin discipleship

Wednesday

Another Death in the Compound

It is quite amazing to me that the average life expectancy of a man in Zambia is 46. But, I was reminded of this harsh fact when our missionary made the statement in devotion time that we must give these people hope today because for most of them it is a daily occurrence to have someone they know well die in their village. One of our teams came to a home where there were 22 ladies at one location. In talking through the translator they learned that the lady and her friends had just returned from a loved ones funeral service and they were there to comfort her. The team was welcomed and they began to share the gospel. Several of the team shared about the love of God and his free gift of eternal life. A few of them ended up praying to receive Christ but because of the unusually large group the team decided to go back tomorrow and share more.  Pray for them as they go again and take bibles to these women who are hurting and are so spiritually thirsty.

From 12 to ???

It has really been a blessing to have a team with such a wide range of ages. We realized yesterday that in one room on the girls side we have three young ladies that are ages 12, 22 and 32. And then there are those of us who represent the more “mature” side of life. It was amazing to look up today at the bible story time and see Abigail, our 12 year old team member (who’s dad is also on this trip) actually teaching the bible story for the day to groups of 50 or more at a time. It’s great to know that our six weeks of training does pay off when we need it.

The wRECking Crew!

One team I am really proud of is our Rec Team. They spend all afternoon every day outside mostly in the direct sunlight and always in the blowing dust. They have worked so hard to see that every game they play has a spiritual lesson behind it. It’s great to see the kids sitting down listening so intently as Wayne and Helen bring these truths to life. Today it was so interesting that the kids had never seen a relay race. So, instead of one line trying to beat the other the children would grab the handkerchief and then wait on the other team to catch up before racing down their lane.

Introducing Your IMB Missionaries!

I want to take the time and space to introduce you to the amazing Lowe Family. You may or may not know that our church supports the International Mission Board which has over 5000 missionaries in nations around the world. And there is none more dedicated or that we love more than Jeff and Robyn Lowe and their amazing kids, Hadassah, (age 14), Zoe, (age 10) and Levi (age 8). Please take the time to pray for them. We would not be here if not for their invitation and we would not know where to begin to do ministry without their guidance.

Prayer Requests:

Team Health (some are experiencing nausea and stomach cramps)

Open hearts for Discipleship (as we make follow-up visits)

For Divine appointments

For God to continue to work on our hearts as He transforms lives here

Tuesday Update

Tuesday-

God Appointment for Brittney

It should be no surprise when God moves things around miraculously for His own glory. This morning we met at Joyful Baptist Church and had some orientation before hitting the roads to do evangelism. There were supposed to be 5 translators and 5 groups all along but yesterday we were one translator short so we only had 4 groups. These 4 groups gathered this morning but at the last minute an additional translator was located and we formed 5 groups. This moved Brittany and Wayne to a new group. Then, as their team was walking down the street they encountered a deaf person! If you are not aware Brittney is one of our deaf interpreters at Castle Hills and although African sign is different from American sign there seemed to be enough overlap that she was actually able to share the gospel with him. God put her right where she needed to be to encounter the only deaf person we have met this entire time.

Follow Up Visits- today we did follow up visits to some of those that trusted Christ as Savior yesterday. I was able to take Pastor Banda, the pastor of Joyful Baptist Church with me to comfort the family that had lost a loved one in the last few days and he was able to share how the church wanted to be there to support her family. The lady who lost her husband looked like a different person. She had changed clothes and eaten and although she was still grieving it was not as one without hope.

Breaking the Sound Barrier

Just in case you should decide to come with us next year (and I sincerely hope you do), I want to make something very clear. Although we trained for six weeks and taught our team how to share Christ, we never just throw people to the wolves by putting them on the streets without an experienced leader. So, knowing that this would be a very new experience for Abigail Flores, I put her on Laura’s team who has been witnessing on the streets of Africa for years. What we as leaders do is to slowly work new team members into sharing the gospel by starting with them giving their testimony and then allowing them to do short portions of the gospel presentation. And, the first time that a person speaks in one of these situations we call: “breaking the sound barrier” because it’s really cool but kinda strange to hear yourself sharing for the first time. Well today, Abigail broke the sound barrier and told the entire story of the rich landowner. Then at our Team Time tonight she said her only complaint was that Laura didn’t let her keep going to present the rest of the gospel. So- pray for her she takes some more big steps tomorrow.

VBS Doubles! Where’s Missi???

Be careful what you pray for. We prayed for more kids and God sent them. We had over 100 yesterday and over 200 today. But I have to say that with the adjustments we made it actually went pretty smoothly. They were divided into three groups and rotated between Bible Story Station, Crafts/Coloring Station and Game Station. Our team was not frantic or stressed and really took time to enjoy these precious kids. Now- a different prayer request, we are definitely a big hit in the compound but don’t want more kids than we can truly minister to (there are over 100,000 people in this compound!) It’s in God’s hands.

Thanks for Praying for Our Interrupters

I’m not sure how many of you have had to speak through an interpreter before but it can be an additional challenge when sharing Jesus overseas.  And yes I meant to say “interrupters” in the title because that ’s exactly what it is and it can be hard to keep your train of thought until you get used to it. I’m so used to it now that when I’m here I will sometimes pause after a short phrase when I’m speaking to a team member and wait for the translation! Thank you for praying over our interpreters. Today things were vastly different and it seemed like sharing the gospel went so much more smoothly for all the teams. 

Please Pray For:

• Sleep- several still have nights and days mixed up and are not sleeping well
• Health- so far it’s pretty good, asthma is much better but stomach and head aches
• Boldness for Evangelism for those taking next steps tomorrow
• Open and Receptive Hearts for the People of Chazanga Compound

Miraculous Assignment and Organized Chaos

Monday-

The first full day of ministry is over and it was truly an eventful day filled with blessings and the usual challenges of a first day where we are adjusting on the fly as things change quickly. 

Only God Could Have Arranged This!

We got to Joyful Baptist Church early this morning and met with our translators to get organized and receive our assignments. The Pastor and our IMB Missionary Jeff Lowe got us pointed in the right direction and we were off to share the gospel. The very first house we went to was one of the saddest situations I have ever encountered. At first we addressed one lady on the front porch and asked if she had time to visit. She said yes but just as we started sharing with her an older lady appeared from inside the house and insisted that we come inside. I was almost annoyed because I had already began to share the gospel but the lady would not take no for an answer so we climbed the stairs and the lady on the porch joined us. Once inside we say a lady in her 50’s laying prostrate on the floor so weak that she could not even pick up her head. We shared that we had come from America to talk about the hope of Jesus. The lady said that there was no hope left here and went on to share that the lady on the floor had just lost her husband who was the only means of survival for the entire family. She shared that they had no food in the house and that the lady had lost all will to live. Claudia and Libbie and I shared how much God loved them and shared that God wanted to restore them and give them eternal life. I don’t know how I missed it at first but a miracle suddenly dawned on me…we had Claudia on our team who had just lost her husband a year ago. Claudia comforted this lady in a way that no one else on our team could have possibly done. God orchestrated this in perfect fashion and before we left that house three generations prayed to receive Christ as Savior. The grandmother, who was completely crippled by disease, the mother, who had lost her husband, and the granddaughter.

One of our teams was sharing Christ with four women seated on a mat made of reeds. These ladies listened intently to a story of a rich landowner who wanted the orphans outside of his gate to come and live with him as long as they would allow his son to wash them. This is a story that one of our team member’s wrote last year to explain in a culturally relevant way the story of how God loved us and sent His son to cleanse our sins. The ladies were listening intently and one by one stated that they wanted to trust Jesus for eternal life. It was not until the group leader began to lead them in the sinners prayer that they realized a group of about 20 children had gathered behind them and listened. Many of them also prayed to receive Christ. Afterward Libbie gathered the children together and explained more to them about trusting Jesus and encouraged them in this decision.

Over 100 the Very First Day!

After our morning evangelism we had lunch and returned to the compound for Vacation Bible School. As we walked down into the compound children seemed to appear out of thin air around every corner. They squeezed with joy to see so many Muzungus (white people) walking down their street. Many of them followed us to the church and on the first day we had over 100 children. I was very proud of our team because at the last minute one of our meeting areas was inaccessible which required a great deal of shifting on the fly. Our team was excellent and somehow amid the organized chaos we managed to sing fun songs, do crafts and help them act out a story in full costume.

Little Things

One thing I will never get over is just how much we take for granted. At one point we handed out coloring sheets for today’s story and gave each child 3 crayons. For many of them this was the first time they had ever seen a crayon and we had to demonstrate how the worked! Some were amazed that when their color broke that all we had to do was peel back the paper and there was more crayon! Little things mean a lot here.

Pray for:

• Our translators- that they will have clarity and follow the Holy Spirit's leading
• Safety as we travel Daily back and forth from the Guest House to the Compound
• The health of team members with asthma- the dusty roads are proving to be a challenge
• For boldness for each team member that is sharing Jesus

Navy Showers and Worshipping with Joy

Saturday- Arrival Day

We arrived at the IMB Guest house to find that the power had been out. After a couple of days of traveling, showers were in order but many found that there was no hot water in their bathrooms. So, some learned to take a Navy shower: get wet…turn the water off…lather up…rinse…and repeat.

I have to admit that it was pretty cool to be putting the finishing touches on my sermon by candlelight.

We had dinner together at the Guest House. It was Pizza Hut and they delivered! Only the second Pizza Hut in all of Africa (the first being in South Africa) has just been built here in Lusaka. Laura and Rachael went and did some grocery shopping and we all got to bed super early to sleep off the jet lag.

Sunday- Worshiping with Joy 

We got up this morning and found that the power had come back on during the night so most of our team finally got a hot shower. Rachael, Laura, Claudia and Libbie surprised everyone with breakfast Tacos this morning. The power came back on just long enough to cook the eggs (but not long enough to finish making coffee). It paid off to be an early riser- I did get a hot shower and cup of hot tea before the power went off. Huge blessings. Someone called it: Glamping (glamorous camping) at it’s best.

We went to church this morning to worship with Joy Baptist Church, the church that will be sponsoring the new church plant. At orientation last night we had been told to expect at least a 3 hour service  and Jeff reminded me that unless I speak for at least 45 minutes to an hour the people will feel cheated. (not a problem!)

Jeff taught a large group Sunday School and then the service began. Music is a huge part of the Zambian culture and truly shows in worship. The little church we were in had four different choirs that led in worship and then the introduced us as the “Visitor’s Choir” (Each choir had a very formal name like: Bethel Choir and New Jerusalem choir). We sang a couple of simple songs we learned during previous trips to Africa and by the second verse a group from their youth choir ran up front and joined us. They were overjoyed that we sang and the room was filled with the African shrills that serve as an Amen.

The service including Sunday School went four hours and afterward we were all guests at the Pastor’s home for a traditional African meal. This meal was delicious and included: shredded cabbage, tomato sauce, fried chicken, and enshema. Enshema is basically grits with all the water cooked out. It resembles mashed potatoes but is very thick. It is rolled into a ball and used  as the basic food item with the cabbage and chicken being called “relish”. It was interesting to see everyone eating with their hands and although it was quite different people seemed to truly love it and had their fill.

Please join us in prayer for:

Hut to Hut Evangelism Teams- this begins tomorrow- Ask for boldness for team members

Mission VBS- also begins tomorrow- Pray for a good number of children

Rachael- experiencing some headaches

Wayne- having discomfort in his lower back

Libbie- doing well but for continued clear breathing

We're Here Safe and Sound

After 23 hours in the air and some layover time we arrived safely. We never take that for granted, thank you Lord.

Introducing Team Zambia 2015...The Journey Begins

Happy Days Are Here Again!

If you know me you know how excited I am to be returning to Africa this Thursday. My bags still need to be packed (I am a last minute kind of a packer) but everything else has fallen into place for our mission adventure that begins in three days.

Just in case you are available to come and pray with our team we will be meeting this Thursday, July 9th at the American Airlines ticket counter at 4:30 for prayer.

I cannot thank you enough for your outpouring of prayer and financial support. I am happy to report that our trip has been fully funded. (The Lord has always been faithful but sometimes this happens even while we are there or when we get back!)

We have a great team this year. And, here's a a small description of each one:

Wayne Flores- a strong leader and deacon at Castle Hills who will serve as the watchful eye that brings up the rear safely at all times and locations.

Abigail Flores- yes, that's right another Flores. (Wayne's daughter) Abigail is one of our students here at Castle Hills Church.  She is 12 a half (believe me she will appreciate me mentioning the half) and already has a long and distinguished career in children's ministry serving alongside her mom in children's ministry since she was born!

Ashlyn Bender- Ashlyn just graduated from High School and is a veteran missionary having been on numerous mission trips with our Student Ministry as well as serving on Team Zambia last year. Like Abigail she has served alongside her mom for years and will be helping as a leader in VBS in Zambia.

Brittney Krueger- (Ashlyn's friend) and a recent High School grad. Britney has also been involved with our Student Ministry activities and projects and is a leader younger students can look up to.  She has experience in sharing Christ and I cannot wait to see her sharing Jesus hut to hut.

Laura Kincaid- Every group needs a great administrative leader and Laura is ours! Laura has been a key part in all our planning and will be serving as the VBS Director in Zambia. (And she's going to keep me organized and make sure I don't lose any receipts). She also leads one of our evangelism teams in sharing Jesus hut to hut.

Helen Saul- "the brains behind the games"- Helen is a young professional who get's paid to play with kids. No, seriously- she is one of the few Recreational Therapists in the country and has been amazing in making sure that our games teach serious spiritual truth. We couldn't do it without her.

Claudia Lisenby- Claudia is somewhat new to Castle Hills but has jumped in with both feet including this trip to Africa. I had the privilege of training Claudia personally in our last semester of Share Jesus class and she has a true passion for those who do not yet know Jesus. Every trip needs a calm "team mom" and she may not know it yet but she's it!

Micah Smith- the human monkey bars! Kids just love to climb all over him. Micah is a recent High School graduate who will be attending Howard Payne University in the fall. He was on our team last year and he is a kid magnet. He's great with games and with sharing Jesus.

Rachael Heard- (Micah's friend)...just kidding. Rachael is a young professional who attends Northwest Park Baptist here in San Antonio (along with Micah). She is an amazing teacher and always helps me lead the children in music. A seasoned missionary to many overseas destinations, we're fortunate to have her on our team.

And last but certainly not least- Libbie Ligon- Her best recommendation for this mission trip was that as a young child, whenever her mom let her play at a playground she would inevitably get the kids rounded up and make them sit down while she proceeded to teach them about Jesus! She's the daughter of my dear friend and fellow pastor Greg Ligon who was himself one of my students when I used travel teaching Disciple Nows. Greg and his wife Rachel have both served on our staff here at Castle Hills in the past and Greg is now the pastor of Journey Fellowship here in San Antonio.

And then- there's ME!

God has put a unique team together and I know He is going to use us mightily as the Apostle Paul states in Colossians 1:29.

Please pray for our safety and health and mostly that we will stay surrendered to our source- Jesus.

Donnie