Team Zambia 2019 - Day of Rest

Much Deserved Day Of Rest!

After rising early and working hard all week, it was so good to have a day of rest before tomorrow’s long ministry day. 

It was a beautiful day for our trek to the Baby Elephant Orphanage and Lilayi Lodge/Wild Game Drive.

Also- after eating Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches for lunch all week, it was nice to have things like: Zambian Crayfish, Chicken Espetada, Rump Steak, Ribs and Pork Tenderloin.

Enjoy these pictures and please keep praying for the first service at the new church tomorrow morning.

 Even the macho men among us melt when these elephant orphan babies parade in to the viewing area

The baby bush bucks blend in perfectly with the trees

The bush is so beautiful! 

This is the largest antelope in Africa, an Eland is usually elusive on our visits! We got to see 3!

This HUGE giraffe was laying in the bush, soaking in the sun WAITING for us to take 

pictures of him. 

so we did.

This impala runs, unlike some Chevys 

What an amazing meal we get to enjoy on our day of rest. 

When I was a young warthog...

Team Zambia 2019- Day 6

 Catherine is a 67 year old Woman of God that knows her Bible

 Blanca and Karen pray with their interpreter, Euniverse to prepare for evangelism.  Euniverse is Pastor Tembo's amazing wife!

The two Chiefs pose with their Two Kingdom drawing sticks

"But Jesus called them unto him, saying, suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for to such belongeth the kingdom of God" - Luke 18:16

The children of Geneva School love singing!

We were able to present the teachers of each school with a soccer ball

 During the Bridge to Life presentation, Maria played Satan, Pastor Tembo played God.  

A Land of Sharp Contrasts-

When you are in the capital city of any country on the continent of Africa, you see sharp contrasts. There are still examples of the opulence of the rich and the extreme poverty of those who “have not.” There are beautiful homes with walls around them and security guards in close proximity to cinder block homes with dirt floors. While most people walk wherever they go, they are often passed by Mercedes, BMW’s and Land Rovers. But the most amazing contrast for me is to be out in the compound, far away from city life, with sparse electricity and plumbing and yet most of them have a working cell phone.

We Don’t Just Love ‘em and Leave ‘em-

While there are examples of mission teams that come into an area and lead people to Christ without any discipleship follow-up, we are not one of them! On yesterday’s blog we introduced you to Pastor Phiri, the new pastor of the church we are planting this week. His job, once we are leave Zambia is to contact every person that trusted Jesus to get them plugged into their discipleship process. The fact that most people have working cell phones makes this possible. Each time a person trusted Jesus this week, we wrote down their names and cell phone numbers and these have been turned over to Pastor Phiri. Pray for him and his small leadership team as they contact the 94 people who prayed to trust Jesus for eternal life this week.

News By the Numbers-

6- that’s the number of evangelism teams that presented the gospel each day

9- that’s the number of time zones we crossed on our way to Zambia

11,625- that’s the number of miles our team travelled to get to Lusaka, Zambia

16- that’s the number of Zambian nationals who served as interpreters for our team

150- that’s the number of PB&J sandwiches our team made and consumed at lunch this week

350- that’s the number the high attendance for the week at our mission vbs

334- that’s the number of people we shared the gospel with this week

94- that’s the number of people that trusted Jesus for eternal life this week

Prayer Requests-

Pray for the birth day of the new church this Sunday- for a great response from the community

Team Health and Safety- It’s a long way home!

For continued Spiritual Transformation in the compound- that the fire would not go out

Re-Entry for our Team- it can be difficult to come home after a trip like this and not just fall back into the flow of life in America

For Sensitivity to the Holy Spirit- for our team to understand God’s calling on their lives 

Team Zambia 2019 - Day 5

The most amazing conversion story we have ever seen!

After 11 years in Africa, I thought I had seen it all. However, today’s experience was truly amazing when we shared Jesus with a 19 year old boy, Samuel. From the beginning, he was so expressive and so intent on hearing our story that he could hardly wait to receive Jesus! He said, “I am ready now to receive Christ!” While sharing the story, I drew the illustration on the back of a church flyer so he could have a copy to keep. I then asked him if he thought he could share this story with someone else. He said “yes.” He stated he wanted to share it with his brother, Christopher. Christopher then came walking out of the house, toward us, and he called him over. I stood with him as he explained almost perfectly the story that he had only seen once. He asked his brother what he thought he should do. The brother said: “I am ready to receive Christ.” I was shocked when He began to pray the same prayer with his brother that I had prayed with him just moments earlier. Think about that for a minute. He had only been saved 20 or so minutes when he led someone to faith in Christ.

Prayers answered!

Each year we ask our team members to reach out to their friends and family to support them through prayer and finances. As a result, we have had over 700 prayer warriors from around the world lifting us up daily and that is the key to such a move of God. We earnestly thank you for your faithfulness. Just yesterday we asked you to pray specifically for our team’s health. Here’s some results:

·     The muscle spasms that Donnie had been experiencing daily have disappeared completely.

·     Chad’s terrible sinus pain has been almost alleviated today

·     Jessica’s stomach problems have improved to the point that she performed at 100% today

·     The leg cramps that Matthew Wilson dealt with for several days are gone

No complaining allowed!

As the week progressed each of us would hit the wall of fatigue and were tempted to whine until we learned that Pastor Phiri, the pastor of the new church we are planting, has been working all night and coming directly to meet us for evangelism and VBS. I told him today that I was concerned about him and with a huge smile he said: “no worries, I will sleep on Saturday.”

Three grateful Pastors

Please pray for these three pastors! They are such amazing men of God that make huge sacrifices daily to see the kingdom of God increase through church planting. On the far left, is our beloved Pastor Joseph Tembo. He is the single most influential Zambian I have met in my 6 years of leading short-term trips here. He has a heart to see churches planted all over the Lusaka area and has many young pastors in training. Each time Mission City Church plants a new church in Zambia, it is pastored by a young man he has trained. Pictured in the center is Pastor Phiri who is a first-time pastor that has just completed Pastor Tembo’s basic training. On the right hand side of the photo is Pastor Luke who is Pastoring the church Mission City planted last year here in Lusaka. You will notice that each of the pastors is holding a baby's dress. Special recognition goes to the Mission City Sewing ladies who have worked for months to make 80 children's dresses that will be given to the babies at each of the three Lusaka Bible Church locations.

 Maria drawing the Two Kingdoms illustration 

Blanca and Karen are given the best seats in the house

Team Zambia 2019- Day 4

Lots and Lots and Lots of Kids

Enamored with the Guitar

First Person Led to Christ

Baby that Came to Gene with Open Arms

First person led to Christ! 

Matthew Wilson is our youngest team member at 15 years of age. He has been going out with his team for two days and has been able to share a few things, but finally this morning he was able to fully share the Two Kingdoms illustration. His team had gone to a home in the compound but found that only the teenager was home. She came out and was seated on the porch, so Matthew sat with her and drew the illustration. He shared the gospel with her through our interpreter and then I watched in amazement as I saw him lead her to Christ in her heart language. It’s awe inspiring to think that the first person he ever led to Christ was in Africa. 

Lost Man Leads Family to Christ

Our team approached a family that was sitting on their porch. I was struck by the sight of a senior adult man, which is rare considering that the average life span of a male in Zambia is 46 years. His name was Nelson and he was the patriarch of this group which included his daughter, son-in-law, grandchildren and his great nephew, who he was raising because of the death of the boy’s father. When we offered to tell our story, he said he would like for his entire family to hear it. Our interpreter offered to translate in Njanja, but he said that he would like to do the translation for his family. So, as I shared the gospel in English, he shared it with his family in Njanja. This led me to believe that he was a follower of Christ and wanted his family to know the Lord as well. In the end, it turned out that he was not a believer, and as he prayed in English to receive Jesus, he translated the prayer for his family, literally leading them to Christ as he was being saved. 

Finding Other Followers of Christ Along the Way

Another Person of Peace

One of our teams approached a lady named Celia today. They offered to share our story with her, but she was already well aware that we were in the compound. She told the team that she was so grateful that we were there sharing the gospel. She then mentioned that she was the director of an NGO (non-government organization) that cares for orphans and widows. She didn’t ask for anything, but knew that our presence would spread the love of Christ, and that would cause people to care for these vulnerable groups.

Another Evangelist

One of our teams went to share with a young man named Felix. They could see the excitement come over him as he stated that he was a follower of Christ and wanted to learn to share the gospel. Although he was already a believer, the team took time to demonstrate the Two Kingdoms story. He loved it and insisted that they write out the details on a drawing so he could keep it and use it to share Jesus. Only in heaven will we know how many people will be led to faith through this divine encounter in Kanyama-Lions compound. 

Our team shared the gospel today with 94 people and saw 57 people trust Jesus for eternal life.

Massive Mission Vacation Bible Schools-

Running two VBSs has proven to be a real challenge that has taken us out of our comfort zone. Fortunately, one of them begins at 1pm and the other at 2pm, so our music team can open both of the large group times. It is stunning to hear these children singing songs to the Lord with such passion that they can be heard throughout the compound. Our original VBS at Grateful Trust School doubled today going from 70 to 140 kids and with the 110 at Geneva School we ministered to 250 children today. 

PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR TEAM AND INTERPRETERS- THIS MINISTRY HAS THE POTENTIAL TO SWELL TO HUNDREDS MORE KIDS WHICH WOULD REQUIRE US TO CHANGE OUR APPROACH COMPLETELY. 

1.    Pray against weariness in our bones and distractions in our minds

2.    Pray that God would send the kids He wants at VBS and that we will be able to adjust accordingly

3.    Pray daily that the people of Kanyama-Lions will embrace the new church that will begin on Sunday

4.    Pray for team members health. Some are struggling with:

·     breathing and sinus issues related to the dust that blows through the compound

·     wind and sunburn

·     muscle spasms in the back

·     leg cramps

·     stomach issues

Team Zambia 2019 - Day 3

Team Zambia Day 3

Two Kingdoms Evangelism

This morning our teams prayed together and started walking the dusty roads of Kanyama-Lions Compound ready to share with anyone they met. It was amazing to see people kneeling to draw the two kingdoms illustration in the dirt down every path. This method of sharing the gospel was developed by missionaries in Zambia because it speaks especially well in this cultural setting. You see, in Africa, everything is seen as having a spiritual cause or source. Every person has a tribe they proudly belong to and every tribe has a tribal religion filled with superstition, witch doctors and the belief that ancestors are either blessing or cursing you from another world. “Two Kingdoms” is the story of God’s kingdom of light and Satan’s kingdom of darkness and how a person can go from darkness to light through Christ’s death on the cross.  

At the conclusion of each presentation we ask the person(s) what kingdom they are in. Many believe they are in the kingdom of light because of good deeds. One lady that Jessica W and Maria C talked with today stated that she was in both kingdoms. That was a new one. She elaborated on this by saying: “I do bad things sometimes but I also go to church!” As they shared that eternal life was not by works, they could see the confusion melt away. She gladly accepted the truth that she had to leave these works behind and embrace Christ. Jessica said: “You could literally see the burden lifted from her heart and mind and the peace of God fill her knowing that she was a new creation in Christ.”

Father and Son Evangelism-

Chad Wilson and his 15 year old son, Matthew, have the rare blessing of being on mission in Africa together. Today they were walking down the street and encountered two ladies they thought they would talk with. However, the ladies said they did not have time. Chad and Matthew continued to walk down the road to find two other ladies that did have time to talk. They began to talk with the elder of the two ladies through Shalom, their translator. Chad drew the Two Kingdoms illustration in the dirt and when asked which kingdom she was in, the lady said, “I want to be in the kingdom of light but I think I am in the kingdom of darkness.” Chad then turned to the other lady and asked the same question. She smiled then boldly stated that she was in the kingdom of light at which point she flashed a copy of the blue flyer we hand out. She had spoken with another team earlier in the day and trusted Jesus for eternal life! She was delighted that her friend was hearing the story and responding as well. The elder lady did pray to trust Jesus. What an amazing event. 

News By The Number

The team was able to speak to 158 people today about Jesus.  We saw 42 of them trust Jesus for eternal life! Glory to God!

Between the two schools, we had 185 children attend VBS.  

Prayer Requests

Pray for health and stamina for the team as we are stretched between two schools at one time.  This has pushed us beyond our comfort zone to a kind of holy exhaustion.

Pray for those that are telling the VBS Stories. Tomorrow’s story is a very difficult story to tell and it is the day where we get to the main message of the gospel. 

Pray for the hearts that we continue to encounter are softened to the calling of the Holy Spirit. We are praying for the spiritual growth of the compound and we are praying that it is through the ministry of Lusaka Bible Church – Lions.

Continue to pray for the spiritual warfare we are experiencing daily. There are families who are members of cults and are not happy we are evangelizing in the compound.

Pray for those who are trusting in Christ this week that they will respond to the discipleship offered by Lusaka Bible Church members.

Pray for the birth of this new church Lusaka Bible Church – Lions. We are praying that the ones who have trusted Christ will attend the first service this coming Sunday.  

They love watching the videos of their singing and game time

This is Brother Peter. The children sat at his feet as we shared the two kingdoms.  He was so encouraged by our time with him and we made sure to let him know what a godly example he was to the children in the compound!

"We just want to sing!"

The children use whatever space they can find to color their picture

The children love being involved in the telling of the Bible Stories

The children get creative when it comes to finding ways to use space.

Gene and Karen got to soak in some hugs from the children! 

Team Zambia 2019 - Day 2

Team Zambia 2019

Typical Day for Team Zambia

Just thought you would like to get a feel for the flow of our ministry to give you an idea of how exhausting the days can be.

6:00am Rise & Shine (except for Gene and Matt who got up at 5 to cook breakfast)

7:00am Breakfast and Making Sack Lunches for the Team and Interpreters (30 people)

7:30am Devotion with the International Mission Board Missionary (Randy Windham)

8:00am Load People and Supplies and head for the Compound

8:30am Pick Up Interpreters along the way

9:00am Arrive at the Compound and form Evangelism Teams

            Chad & Matthew Wilson

            Jessica Weinheimer & Maria Carvalho

            Gene Garza & Alina Lundblade

            Donnie Anthony & Matt Gibson

            Blanca Elizondo & Karen Petray

9:15am Share Jesus in the Compound

11:30am Lunch on the Bus (the crowded bus)

 1:00pm Mission VBS

 3:00pm Return to Baptist Guest House

6:00pm Dinner

7:00pm Debrief Days Activities and RePack for the Next Day

AND DO IT ALL AGAIN THE NEXT DAY!

Africa Rule # 1- Remain Adaptable

From our very first training meeting we have stressed that in Africa very little will go as planned. So- remain flexible. That rule came in handy today. We arrived at the site of our Mission VBS and the plan was for two schools to come together for VBS. However, the headmaster decided that it was too far for her kids to walk so she requested that we do a separate VBS for her school. I was so proud of our team who took this change in stride and immediately split up the supplies and formed a separate team. Between the two schools we had a total of 162 children in attendance.

First Day of Sharing Jesus in the Compound-

Today we went to Kanyama-Lions Compound to begin our church planting ministry. Kanyama-Lions is an area on the very outskirts of Lusaka. In fact, the turn off for the compound has a sign that says “You Are Now Leaving Lusaka.” Our teams were eager to start evangelizing. It's amazing to think that for some of our team, the first time they shared the gospel, it was in a foreign country.  We were able to speak to over 80 people and saw more than 20 of those pray to trust Christ for eternal life. 

Quotes from the Team:

Maria: "It was so wonderful to see a person's reaction after praying to receive Christ.  We shared with each person that received Christ that we are now family.  The look on their face was amazing."  This statement is very powerful in light of the fact that Zambia has such a strong, family oriented culture. 

Karen: "What I was most impressed with is the spiritual attacks happening as I was trying to share the gospel. The Spirit of God was so powerful, none of us felt any kind of concern and continued to share.  In the end, the man causing most of the disturbance prayed to trust Christ for eternal life."