My New House

After 4 years of living in tents of various sizes, I can finally say I live in a house that has solid walls. :) Late last month, one of our staff homes (we call chalets) opened up and while I was on expedition, it was decided that I would move in. I came back to the base to find my bed and belongings had been relocated. What a great surprise! I've never had a problem with living in a tent but it is very nice to finally have a place that feels a bit more permenant and "homey". Here's what it looks like. This is part of the inside. It's set up basically like s studio where the living room, bedroom, and kitchen are all in the same place. My roommate and I have our beds at the far end and the living room and kitchen closer to the front door.

I'll be updating the blog more often now that I'll be around the base more as I prepare to co-lead the fall advanced mission training course.

Blessings from Zambia!

The Joy of the Lord

I have recently been in a funk. Not just a bad mood but one of those slimy, impatient, pessimistic moods that just suck you in. I was questioning the call of God upon my life, my role in the Overland team, and just everything about myself. During our morning worship the other day, I couldn't even get my thoughts together long enough to even worship God. It was then that I realized I was under attack. None of the thoughts and feelings I had been feeling were accurate but just an attack from the devil. My guard hadn't been raised up and since I was tired from the expedition, there was an opening for him to move in. I could almost feel like claws in my back as this thing latched on. So I started praying and I glanced up to see one of our staff members walking towards me. She put her arms around me and just started praying for a tidal wave of the Lord's presence and strength to fill me. Suddenly this burning joy erupted within me and all I could do was laugh. The heaviness and "dark cloud" was gone and God's love and joy just poured over me. It wasn't like water but like a thick oil that saturated every pore and surface from the inside out. In Nehemiah 8:10 it says that the joy of the Lord is our strength. With Him we can do all things and He is the source of our strength. Praise God!

My Visitor

In africa, every day seems to be an adventure. Sometimes this can be good and sometimes bad. On saturday I was in my tent preparing to go to town and meet some friends for dinner. I was there, trying to get myself to look a bit less "bush-like" and heard this rustling outside my tent. We have lizards on the base so I had assumed that it was one of those crawling around. After walking outside my tent, I caught sight of a spitting cobra, reared and ready to attack, just a couple feet away. In the years I've lived here in Africa, I've never come face to face with a cobra that was alive. I wish I could have kept it that way. I always wondered what my reaction would be if I came face to face with one. I had hoped I'd remain cool and collected and then with amazing, Indiana Jones type skill and kill the snake. However, I seem to have this inner girl that screams and runs. :) I ran for the guys to kill the snake but when we went back, it was gone. The adventure doesn't end there though, my friends. I had this feeling it was still in the area and when I went back into my tent, I stepped on it. The cobra had crawled under the tent. I had the perfect opportunity to regain some self respect as a hardcore african missionary. However, I screamed and ran again. This time, the snake didn't move and the guys were able to kill it. However, now snake jokes seem to be coming up more often. TIA! (This is Africa!)

Note: Photo is not of the actual snake but same type of cobra

The Vision at a Glance

My first expedition of the year ended a few days ago and I've been reflecting a lot on the amazing difference a short term team can make for long term ministry. My team spent a week in a rural village where we lived amongst the people, spent every day ministering and just developing relationships. Sometimes it was through village meetings, sitting at someones home, playing a game of soccer, or even just teaching new games and songs to the children. It can be easy to think that after you leave, there might not be any change. Sure some people who gave their lives to Christ can just easily go back to the way they were living before. However the work that was started was just a first step. Our teams are used as the front line of an advance for the Kingdom. We go and set up the initial relationships in the villages and preach the Gospel. After the team leaves, the sector manager then establishes discipleship and bible studies. Once strong believers are raised up in the area, our humanitarian projects then move in to address the physical needs of the people. If we had just gone to preach and then left, what good would it do? Yes, the people would hear the name of Jesus but there would be no further teaching for the new believers. Matt 28:19 says" go and make disciples of all nations..." We do not make converts but we raise up disciples that are empowered to go and preach the word in their own areas and continue the work. Praise God for such an awesome vision and responsibility He's entrusted to us!

Women On Fire

This past Sunday I went with several of our women staff to a "Women on Fire" meeting in Nsongwe Village. Nsongwe is just about 4 km away from our base and we have a great relationship there with the people and churches. During the rainy season, several groups sprung up including Women On Fire, where women from every denomination gather together to worship the Lord and share about Christ. I found myself in a hot classroom as the african sun was setting immersed in the local worship. All I could do was praise God for that very moment and how amazing it was to be in His presence with such an amazing group of women. You could see the desire for the Lord in them and they grew in their revelation of who He is. So many times the women in churches are looked over as the local churches are led by the men. These women have been encouraged to stand up and serve God with everything they have and are. It's amazing to see such passion and I am encouraged by all that God is doing in this place.

Adventures in Town

I've been back at the base now for about 4 days now and there's really never a dull moment here. Mainly I've been working on servicing my truck and getting it ready for the "roads" to the villages. The new tires I got in South Africa are fantastic and a complete oil change was done. I did manage to get to town (Livingstone) on Tuesday to do some errands with a few of the staff. Let's just say there's never a dull moment in town. However, Tuesday was extra challenging. While loading some mattresses into my truck, a drunk man decided to try and climb in the back seat to see what he could steal. After we got him out of the truck and locked all the doors, he proceeded to try and pick pocket myself and my friends. He did manage to get away with a handful of my business cards but while trying to steal a friends pocket knife, we chased him off. As if the day was exciting enough, a tourist almost backed into my truck while we stopped to pick up some auto parts for one of the base vehicles. Let's just say I was very happy to make it back to the base without any other incidents. :) There truly is never a dull moment on the missions field!

Leaving on a Jet Plane

All my bags are packed but a few errands left to run this morning. I'm headed this afternoon to washington dc and then on to johannesburg, south africa. I'm very excited to be heading back to africa and be back in the villages sharing the love of God. Please be praying for safe travels, no lost luggage, and a smooth pick up for my new vehicle that I will be picking up in south africa and then a fellow staff member and I will drive it up to the base in zambia. I will update as soon as I can with photos and testimonies of the journey. Thank you all for your love, prayers, and support.