Catching Up

It's been awhile since an update. A lot has happened- AMT ended with a success, I spent a week in England visiting with friends and supporters, flew to Florida to catch up with the Overland staff in our offices, and am now in Chicago with my family for the holidays. One main thing that's happened since leaving africa, I've been constantly cold. ;-) It's weird to leave summer one day and be in the middle of winter the next.

I'm looking forward to returning to Zambia at the end of April. Until then I will be working on support raising, as well as visiting with family and friends.

I would like to personally invite each of you to our upcoming One Tribe conference. It will be held in Tampa, FL on Jan 6-8. For more information and registration, please go to www.overlandmissions.com

Merry Christmas!

Impromptu Road Trip

Two weeks ago, my friend and co-worker, JD, received notice that his vehicle was ready to clear after 3 months of waiting. Later that night (at about 9:30 pm), we were talking about whether he wanted a ride in the morning to the bus station to travel the 600 km where the vehicle was waiting. As we talked, we decided that we could just take my vehicle instead of having him battle Zambia's public transport. It was instantly decided that JD, Matt (our intern), and I would leave at 4 am for the Kariba border at the north end of Lake Kariba. Gotta love last minute road trips! It took us 8 hours to make it to the border post (through beautiful mountains) where JD's vehicle was waiting. Along the way I did have the unfortunate experience of accidently mooning a zambian man when doing a toilet stop along the side of the road. Whoops! He had the biggest grin on his face... I think I made his day. ;-)

It was our hope that everything would be ready for us to just pick up the vehicle and maybe even get to spend the night in Lusaka and see a movie in a real movie theatre. However, Africa is as it is and we found ourselves sitting for hours waiting on one form to be completed. Eventually it was time for the office to close and the form wouldn't be ready until the next day. Thus began an adventure of finding a decent, and affordable, place to stay for the night and dinner. We found ourselves in a little lodge run by a couple from Myanmar and sleeping in a room that had to be at least 90 degrees all night. I made the unfortunate mistake of only having a pair of jeans to sleep in... rookie error.

The next morning, we planted ourselves back at the border post until the vehicle finally cleared. By lunch time we were back on the road to Livingstone, battling crazy truck drivers, cow crossings, and the fact that you cannot find a bag of ice anywhere to save your life. In one small town, I found the only Cherry Coke I've ever seen in Zambia. The 150 ml can was $2 but it was well worth it. What was even more bizarre was that it was canned in Switzerland. Random!

We made it back to the base and crashed into bed. What a great African adventure!

An Outing with the AMT

So the first week of classes with Advanced Mission Training are over and the next is starting. JD and I definitely threw the students into the deep end and we've already seen such amazing growth and hunger for God. Their first classes were theology, gps navigation, and bush cooking. In theology we taught on everything from creation, redemption, holy spirit, and even healing. Lots of information packed into 1 week! In GPS the students learned how to navigate the bush of africa with handheld gps systems. Bush cooking was a great time where they all cooked dinner for the group over the campfire, doing everything from collecting firewood to even baking bread.

By the time the weekend came, everyone was anxious for some time off of the base. On saturday we visited victoria falls and on sunday we went to church in one of the nearby villages and then swimming at the 3 star lodge in town. It's so hot here now that swimming is the top activity on everyone's weekend plans.

It's been a great start to amt and I look forward to continuing to see God at work in and through every student's life.

Photo Caption: Part of the AMT class @ vic falls

AMT Begins

On Wednesday, the majority of our september advanced mission training (aka AMT) arrived. Usually I'm not too involved with the 3 month training program, but for this class I'll actually be co-leading. I did this back in 2008 and really enjoyed it. I love how I get to be ministering to the same team for 3 months compared to the 2 or 3 weeks I usually have with the expedition teams.

The team looks like they're going to be a great group. There's a great mix of ages, backgrounds, and experiences that every single person has something to offer and something to gain from their time here. I'm excited to see what the Lord is going to do not only in their lives but mine also during these next 3 months.

Tomorrow we're heading out to the villages for a week of ministry. It'll be challenging in every way possible, especially since hot season has begun and we're back in the 90's and getting hotter each day. Please keep us in your prayers and I look forward to sharing the testimonies when we get back on the 10th.

Blessings!

To read more about AMT, please go to www.overlandmissions.com

In Honor of A Friend...

I have this beautiful friend named Joy. She had just recently moved to Malaysia to work with an orphanage there. However this morning God called her home. The other day Joy was in the hospital with a 4cm blood clot in her brain.

Joy had a smile that would light up a room. You couldn't help but be in a good mood when she was around. The joy of the Lord just naturally flowed out of her and was contagious. She loved people and cherished her friends and family. She also knew how to show love to other. Sometimes it was a word of encouragement, a card or gift, or even a hug. Her heart was for the nations and by 26 years old, she had preached the Gospel in 20 countries. During times of worship, I would see Joy dancing and singing her heart out for the Lord. You could see her love for Him in everything she did. Now we can take joy in knowing that she is dancing with the King of Kings, Lord of Lords.

Please lift up her family in prayer during this time. Thanks

"It's a great day to be alive! Don't blink cause the days go to quickly! So much love God has given you... so get off here and go share! :)" Joy Bausum from her Facebook on August 12th, 2010.

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!