Day Four in Zambia

Today is the Day of Salvation 2 Corinthians 6:2

Today is a bittersweet day in Lusaka, Zambia. Our hearts are joyous because 51 people accepted Jesus in their hearts today. Our hearts are saddened at the thought that we only have one more day to minister to the hearts of the people in Chazanga Compound. 

I know that when you hear that so many were saved in one day, it may seem incredible. And it is amazing how open people are here to the gospel. Some even say that this is impossible and immediately think that most of these are false professions. However, seeing the people we led to Christ in previous years now baptized and growing as a part of the church have assured us that we are answering God’s call, presenting the gospel, and leaving the results to Christ.  The fields are really that ripe for the harvest.

Prayers Requested for Margaret- A Special Needs Child

In Zambia, there is little hope for special needs children as most of them will never receive needed care from the government. In fact, mostly they are hidden from view. One of our teams came in contact with a family in the compound today and observed a five year old girl who could not walk or talk. It was heartbreaking to see her dragging herself around in the dirt. Our team shared the gospel only to find that the family were already followers of Jesus. They then asked if we would pray for this little girl Margaret. Bill Andrews picked her up in his arms and they prayed over her. Our team prayed for her tonight. Please pray with us for God’s mercy over this family.

Contextualizing the Gospel.

Shortly before our trip, Pastor Matt preached a sermon on contextualizing the gospel. He urged us to be certain that when we share the gospel that we are using words that communicate clearly in the context of the person with whom we are sharing.  Gene Krenzer put this to use when teaching Psalm 51:7 which states that our sins will be as white as snow. Since these children have no idea what snow is he needed to find a way to communicate this truth. In talking with Greg Davis they came up with the perfect thing. Here in Zambia, most locals do not eat with utensils.  Instead, they use a staple food called nshima to scoop up the different soups and stews they love.   Nshima is a white colored corn meal food that is basically grits with all the water cooked out.  Gene asked the children what they thought of when they think of the color white one of the children said “nshima”. And there you have it!

 The children love acting out the stories as we tell them.

Gene Krenzer explaining how Jesus healed the sick.

VBS today along with teachers and administrators

 Many of the smallest children at VBS have never encountered a white person.  They are enamored with the texture of Ashton's hair.

Bill Andrews had the joy of leading Bernard to Jesus.

Cynthia is loving coloring with the sweet children of Chazanga compound 

African Selfie!

Zambia - Day Three

A Taste of Africa

This is a beautiful country and the Zambians are a beautiful people.  Here are a few "snaps" that we hope will give you a feel for this area.

The market is the nerve center of the compound.

From food to warm clothing and everything in between is readily available at this massive street market. 

Lusaka is truly a land of haves and have nots.  As seen in this photo of a futbol stadium that seats 60,000 people with the poorest of poor in it's shadow. 

This is the site of our Vacation Bible School and will also be the location of the new church we are planting. Faith Baptist Church will have it's first service this Sunday.  

Everyday we begin VBS with an outdoor rally.  This is a glimpse of the joy we see on faces everyday.  

Evangelism update: 

As of today our Evangelism Teams have seen 84 people trust Jesus as their Savior. 

Prayer Requests:

• Pray that we are filled with physical and spiritual stamina as we enter the final stretch of our mission. 
• Pray for the first service of Faith Baptist Church - that people who have been saved would be drawn there by the Holy Spirit.  
• Pray for the parents of the children who have been invited to join us on Friday for our closing program. 

Day Two in Zambia

Some Notable Firsts! So far 6 of our team members have led their first person to Christ ever right here in Africa!

Evangelism started yesterday and we have already seen 47 people ask Jesus in to their hearts.  We've shared their contact information with the pastor who will, with his church members, work towards discipling those we encountered today.

"I have to say that I am amazed at the boldness of our team in meeting people and clearly explaining the gospel to them. We trained for this for several months and the training has really paid off."  (Donnie)

Recreation Rocks-
The children of Chazanga Compound will never be the same because of a parachute! Forrest Faircloth, Bill Andrews, Gabriel Curtis, Ashton Collida and Levi Lowe have the tough task (in the sun) of keeping up with 50 or 60 kids at a time for recreation. The parachute has proven to be invaluable and watching them launch bouncy balls has been crazy fun.

Bible Story Time-
The children here are as thirsty as the adults we share with in the compound. Gene Krenzer, Jessica Weinheimer, Lydia Hogan and Hadassah Lowe lead this area. These children soak up every word and love to act out the Bible stories we have chosen. However, this is the first time that we have had such a huge number of babies and toddlers, so their story time has become about teaching them Jesus Loves Me and This Little Light of Mine. It's the cutest thing ever! (Jessica)


Craft Time is Different in Africa-
Craft time is led by Cynthia Mate, Grace Krenzer, Abigail Flores, Rebecca Tijerina, and Zoe Lowe.
With such small rooms, we are limited in our craft options.  You would never know it from the children's reactions as they are so appreciative of the opportunity to simply color.  "I love seeing the children and talking with them as they color!" (Abigail)

Every morning we have the privilege to walk around the compound and share Jesus.  Our interpreters are Zambian nationals who have been trained by our IMB missionaries. These interpreters have stolen our hearts. "Our interpreters are one of the best parts of the trip. The love they have for Jesus, their people, and one another.  Their friendship is so amusing as they love to mess with each other." (Cynthia)

We are continuing to see the results of your prayers and are very grateful!

Please continue to pray for our team's health, energy levels, and boldness as we continue to share the Good News of Jesus with the community in Chazanga.  Pray for the upcoming service on Sunday that those who we meet along the way join us for worship.

The kids throw the ball so far up in the air with the parachute!

Forrest is explaining his name, but the kids just call him The Bush.   

Pictured here are Rebecca Tijerina and one of our amazing interpreters, Felix (in the white shirt in the middle).  Pray we see this family at church on Sunday.

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Ashton Collida and Cynthia Mate had the joy of leading Cynthia (pictured on the right) and Rachel (pictured on left) to Jesus.

Sharing Jesus and VBS

Today we were scheduled to share the gospel from hut to hut in the compound where we are planting a new church. Well- so much for plans!

There was a death among the membership of Joyful Baptist Church and in African culture the entire congregation attends the funeral. So, all our interpreters and the Pastor were suddenly unavailable this morning.

So, we went to plan B. Jeff Lowe the IMB missionary we work with has had a ministry with street vendors for over 5 years and has been training them to share Christ. So, they served as our interpreters and we hit the streets around the IMB Compound/Guest House.

Here are some testimonies that were shared tonight when we debriefed:

Bill Andrews: I was definitely the most scared, most nervous of anyone about sharing Jesus but when I opened my mouth- it just flowed. Three men I shared with prayed to trust Jesus as Savior. It's amazing what happens when you just get out there.

Greg Davis: For the very first time I was able to share the gospel, thanks to all the training we did before the trip. I started sharing with four men on the street when others started to join us. By the end, there was a total of 19 people that had gathered and were listening intently. It is amazing how hungry people here are for truth.

Gabriel Curtis: I loved sharing the gospel on the streets but what I was struck by is just how much I learned from being on our team and watching our African national interpreters. This is why we came all this way.

Cynthia Mate: Today I shared the gospel with someone for the first time and to think it was in Africa! I wasn't really nervous, it was weird. I knew what to share but it was hard to get started. I got to watch Jeff Lowe and Donnie share first and it gave me confidence. When I started to draw the illustration called Two kingdoms in the dirt with a stick- it just flowed from there.

Grace Krenzer: Before we came, I had prayed over and over that I would be able to lead at least one person to Christ while in Zambia. It was so amazing when the one person was the very first person which whom I shared the gospel.

Ashton Collida: I was very nervous about having to share the gospel so I asked several people to go before me. When it was my turn the words just seemed to come. And, then I couldn't believe that later I asked "Can I share next?" It's awesome.

160 Kids at VBS!

This afternoon we arrived at Green Villa Private School and were met by the Headmaster and Owner of the school. They welcomed us officially and brought the students outside for our opening rally. We sang songs with them and then sent them to their respective groups including Bible Story Time, Crafts and Recreation.

Grace Krenzer doing craft times with children who have never seen crayons.

The parachute was a HUGE hit with the kids. These are simple things, but they are so new to these kids. 

Zambian are generally of a small stature.  These children have never seen a man as big as Greg Davis.  They were facinated.

The heart of the gospel is shared each Jesus in our Bible Story time.  Pictured are Gene Krenzer, Jessica Weinheimer, Hadassah Lowe, and Lydia Hogan. 

Prayer Requests:

• Continued health and energy for our team during these long days.
• The hearts of the people of Zambia that we encounter to be open to the Gospel.
• That the evangelism efforts in Chazanga compound will be successful toward planting the new church that will meet at Green Villa School. 
• Boldness to share the Gospel.

It is so encouraging to know that so many of you have visited this blog and prayed for us already.  Thank you for your faithfulness.  

"I planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase." 1 Corinthians 3:6 

Church- African Style

Today we had our first full day in Zambia.  We had the opportunity to worship with Joyful Baptist Church, the church that has been our partner in planting churches in Lusaka.  

Here are some honest reactions from our team and check out the link included for a video so awesome you HAVE to see it: 

Forrest- "After 34 hours of travel, one minute in African Church and it was all definitely worth it."

Cynthia- "It was everything I imagined it to be and more!"

Gene- "Who would have guessed that they all showed up at the last minute just like Castle Hills."

Bill- "No wonder this church is named Joyful Baptist- they truly lived up to it."

Jessica- "When you attend a 3 hour church service sitting on a 2 X 4 pew and you come out wanting more- you know you've been to African church."

Ashton- "The cool thing was that the people really acted like they wanted to be there with all their heart."

Gabriel- "Spent most of the service choking back tears...what a service!"

Abigail- "Four different choirs sang and it was so exciting how you could hear their passion."

Check out this video you have to SEE to believe: African Worship Video

Every African worship service concludes with a precessional in which every member greets every other member.

Zambian pastors who have partnered with us to plant churches in previous years.

Team Zambia 2017 @ Joyful Baptist Church

In Zambian Worship Services the men and women sit on different sides of the church.

Introducing Team Zambia 2017- Castle Hills

Every time we go to serve in Africa we have such a faithful following that stays and prays.

Thank you for being a part of our team.

Just wanted you to know a little about who you are praying for:

Lydia Hogan, wife of Mark Hogan one of our Castle Hills elders, is a Home Executive who spends her time in various missions ministries as well as ministering to her three kids and her grandkids! She is a logistics specialist on the team specializing our mission vbs.

Prayer Request: For boldness is sharing Jesus so that many come to know Him as Savior.

Abigail Flores, is part of our Castle Hills Student Ministry who has been on two previous Zambia mission trips and loves working with kids and she is very accomplished in hut to hut evangelism.

Prayer Request: For the health and safety of all team members so they can be used by God to see real change in people's lives.

Bill Andrews is a member at Castle Hills Northwest and helps lead the Greeters Ministry at that location. He has been affiliated with Castle Hills Church for over 40 years and cannot wait to get his feet on the Continent of Africa to serve others.

Prayer Request: For all team members to have the heart of servant.

Grace Krenzer, wife of Gene Krenzer (a Castle Hills Deacon), has been at Castle Hills for 12 years and has a passion for seeing others come to know Jesus since she did not come to Christ until she was 30 years of age.

Grace's prayer request: For unity and traveling safety for our team and for God to allow us to minister to those who are hurting and need Jesus.

Gene is a deacon at Castle Hills and has retired twice one from a career in agronomy and also from a career as a marriage and family therapist. Gene will be leading out in teaching children at our mission vbs and leading an evangelism team.

Gene's prayer request: that the Holy Spirit would be in control of our every move.

Rebecca Tijerina is a full time college student studying Biology. She has been at Castle Hills a little over two years. 

Rebecca's Prayer Request: that God would not only change the lives of those with whom we share but our own hearts as well.

Cynthia Mate is the daughter of Agnes and Valentine Mate. Cynthia is 19 years old and is currently a student at UTSA studying Elementary Education. Cynthia will be helping lead our craft rotation at VBS and working on an evangelism team.  She prayed to receive Jesus when Donnie shared the gospel at one of our Castle Hills VBS rallies 10 years ago.

Cynthia's Prayer Request: for the team to be brave as they share the gospel and for kids to come to know Jesus as Savior.

Greg Davis has been at Castle Hills for one year.  He is self employed and has owned his own freight business for many years. Greg and his wife Colleen work at Coffee Central at Castle Hills Northwest.     

Greg's Prayer Request: for God to remove any obstacles Satan may place in our path. 

Forrest Faircloth is an Account Manager for Ruckus Wireless. He has been at Castle Hills for 6 years and has led a Life Group for the last 3. Forrest will be leading the Recreation rotation for our Mission VBS and working on an evangelism team.

Forrest's Prayer Request: to spread the glory of God to the ends of the earth by sharing Jesus with everyone we meet.

Jessica Weinheimer is a supervisor for a local Marketing Company and has been at Castle Hills for 3 years. Jessica plays keyboard for the Praise Team at Castle Hills Northwest.

Jessica's Prayer Request: that God would help our team focus on the ministry at hand and avoid Satan's distractions.

Aston Collida will be a sophomore at Brandeis High School this coming school year. She has been at Castle Hills for 6 years.

Ashton's Prayer Request: to see God use me in a way I never thought possible.

Gabriel Curtis is an Amazon Warehouse Associate who has attended Castle Hills Northwest for less than a year. Gabriel has a long term desire to be in Student Ministry. 

Gabriel's Prayer Request: that God would work through our hearts to share Christ with the same love and patience Jesus gives us.

Donnie Anthony is the Connections Pastor for Castle Hills Church Northwest. He has been on staff with Castle Hills for 19 years and has served in various capacities from Student Pastor to Missions Pastor. 

Donnie's Prayer Request: That we would see the birth of a healthy new church by the time we leave to come home.

Our Digital New Years Card to You

Our Digital New Year’s Card for You

In Deuteronomy 28 the Bible says that as you live for God that the blessings of God will literally chase you down.

That’s our prayer for your family this year: that God would give you the strength to live for Him and that blessings will chase you down and cling to you including blessings of health and great joy.

Your family is very special to us and although we don’t get to spend as much time together as we’d like, you are in our heart.

Happy New from Donnie and Trinetta

Here are some pictures, some old and some new,  to just remind you where we are in life as a family.

Last Great Family Picture at our Old House which we sold this year.

We’re Truly Enjoying Sunday Drives in Diana our ’64 Ford F 100 Pickup

She looks a little better on the inside.

House on Loan from God! We love being Home Tenders and taking care of this beautiful house until it sells. Thank You Lord

I know it’s hard to believe but this really is our view of the Hill Country at Sunset. This picture  was taken off our back terrace by my amazing niece Heather Morrow.

And this is Our Little Corner of God’s Country- we were able to purchase 1.65 acres in a beautiful Hill Country subdivision where we will spend most of this next year building a smaller house and a much larger garage!  :)

A Much more recent picture taken on our terrace around Thanksgiving.  

We finally got to go to Round Top this Fall…one of our favorite days this year!

We finally sold our 2001 Suburban that we brought brand new and raised our boys in and got  another newer one which we only had for a couple of months before someone hit me from the rear and totaled it! So God allowed us to find an amazing deal on this one. Needless to say…we came out better in the end.

Of course I had to throw in a picture of Nadine. She is now safely stored at our very dear friend Betty Heston’s garage.  Betty is one of the sweetest Senior Saints on God’s earth and every Friday we go riding and act like we’re in a parade. The neighbors love it when we cruise by.

A Highlight of our Ministry this year was Castle Hills Church’s Food for Families during which our ministry partners purchased, packed and passed out 600 boxed meals so people who are in need could enjoy the same kind of meal we did on Thanksgiving Day. Special thanks to my wonderful brother in ministry Jason Brooks and Agora Ministries for being our partners.